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Blood donation rules relaxed for gay men and sex workers - BBC News
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2017-07-23
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Accurate blood tests mean more groups can give blood safely, experts say.
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Health
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More people will be able to donate blood more easily under the new rules
Blood donation rules for sex workers and gay men are being relaxed in England and Scotland after improvements in the accuracy of testing procedures.
Men who have sex with men can now give blood three months after their last sexual activity instead of 12.
And sex workers, who were previously barred from donating, now can, subject to the same three-month rule.
Experts said the move would give more people the opportunity to donate blood without affecting blood supply safety.
The Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs - which advises UK health departments - recommended the changes after concluding that new testing systems were accurate and donors were good at complying with the rules.
All blood that is donated in the UK undergoes a mandatory test for Hepatitis B and C, and HIV, plus a couple of other viruses.
Scientists agree that three months is a comfortably long window for a virus or infection to appear and be picked up in the blood.
Prof James Neuberger, from the committee, said: "Technologies to pick up the presence of the virus have greatly improved, so we can now pick up viruses at a much earlier stage in the infection, and therefore it's much easier to tell if a blood donor has the virus."
The rule changes will come into force at blood donation centres in Scotland in November, and in early 2018 in England.
They will now all be able to donate blood after abstaining from sex for three months.
The UK government is also considering relaxing the rules for people who have undergone acupuncture, piercing, tattooing and endoscopies, and for those with a history of non-prescribed injecting drug use.
But these also need changes to current EU legislation.
Alex Phillips, blood donations policy lead at the Terrence Higgins Trust, said the changes were a "victory for science over stigmatising assumptions", adding: "The evidence suggests three months is the right amount of time."
She told BBC One's Breakfast that the lifetime donation ban for sex industry workers was based on "preconceptions rather than evidence".
Deborah Gold, chief executive of National Aids Trust, said the new rules were a "huge advance" for gay and bisexual men - who can now donate three months from their last sexual activity.
Ms Gold said: "We are also delighted that NHS Blood and Transplant have said they will now investigate how possible it is for some gay men, depending on degree of risk, to donate without even the three-month deferral."
NHS Blood and Transplant said there was not currently a shortage of blood in the UK but 200,000 new donors were needed every year to replenish supplies.
It said there was a particular need for more people from black, Asian and minority ethnic communities to give blood.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-40669950
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International ref Nigel Owens' ongoing bulimia battle - BBC News
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2017-07-23
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Nigel Owens, who refereed the 2015 Rugby World Cup final, says his struggle is far from over.
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Wales
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Rugby union referee Nigel Owens reveals his struggle with eating disorder bulimia nervosa is not over and remains an ongoing battle.
There have been a number of 'firsts' in my life.
As a referee in world-class rugby, one of the most macho sports on the planet, I was the first in the sport to come out as being gay.
In the hope of reaching out to other young people struggling with mental health, I was also one of the first sportsmen to speak openly about the biggest regret of my life - a suicide attempt.
Early one morning at the age of 26, I left a note for my mum and dad, both of whom had been hugely supportive of me, explaining I couldn't carry on, that I desperately wanted to bring it all to an end.
I took an overdose, laid down on a Welsh mountainside and waited to die. Doctors later told me I was just 20 minutes from death when I was airlifted to hospital by a police helicopter.
So I got a second chance. I was determined not to waste it and using my experience to help someone else is a pretty good way of ensuring that.
Which brings me onto another 'first'; I've spoken about dealing with bulimia in the past but have never before revealed that to this day I continue to struggle with an eating disorder.
Since the age of 18, I have had bulimia nervosa.
Refereeing a local game not long after first picking up the whistle
It is a disorder of overeating followed by fasting or self-induced vomiting or purging.
It was a secret I was still battling to control as I stepped on to the pitch to referee the Rugby World Cup in 2015.
Eating disorders have the highest death rate of any mental health illness and are estimated to affect 1.6 million people in the UK. Around 400,000 are thought to be men and boys.
And that number is growing.
The reasons vary from person to person; body image, obsessive exercise, sporting achievement and the relentless bombardment of ripped physiques on social media and so on.
When I was growing up in a small village in rural Carmarthenshire, west Wales, over 30 years ago, social media didn't exist.
I enjoyed a happy childhood with loving, supportive parents, grandparents, uncles and aunties. I had a good time at school and loved to go fishing and, of course, play rugby.
But when I reached my late teenage years, things changed. I started to realise that I was different, that "something was wrong".
In the world I grew up in, you get a girlfriend, you get married, you have children, become grandparents… and that's the way the world turns.
But I was finding myself attracted to men and couldn't figure out what on earth was going on.
Nigel was a teenager when depression over his sexuality began
No one around him had any idea about the dark secret behind his weight loss (Nigel, left)
It was totally alien to me. I had no idea what being gay was, I'd never even met a gay person before.
Desperate not to become this person, I struggled to suppress him. I felt I was lying to my parents, the people that mattered the most to me, which went against everything I'd been taught.
Add to the burden the fact that I was overweight, about 16.5 stone (105 kg).
In my eyes I was obese and thought "no-one who I find attractive was ever going find me attractive while I'm fat".
Panorama: Men, Boys and Eating Disorders on BBC One and BBC iPlayer 24 July 2017 at 20:30 BST
Nigel Owens: Bulimia and Me on BBC One Wales and BBC iPlayer on 24 July 2017 at 20:30 BST
Links to organisations offering support on eating disorders below or visit BBC Action Line
For help and information on eating disorders visit BBC Advice
I loved food then as much as I do now. I'd eat all I wanted then go the loo and make myself sick.
I suffered from mild colitis, a bowel condition, so would use that as an ideal excuse to friends when I had to slip off to the toilet all the time. I was lying and being sly which only exacerbated my depression.
Before long I was bringing up every meal I ate.
Over a period of four months, I'd lost five stone.
No-one suspected a thing. I was running and training a lot and my friends and family could see me scoffing food every mealtime, so as far as they were concerned I was eating well. I was training hard so outwardly I looked fit and healthy.
An eating disorder wouldn't have crossed anyone's mind. There wasn't much awareness back then and if there was it was associated with young girls.
Meanwhile, I was about to get sucked even further into the vortex of self-harm and depression.
Nigel as a teenager with his mother in the family home in Mynyddcerrig, Carmarthenshire
In my eyes, I was now too thin and now thought "no-one I find attractive is ever going to find me attractive while I'm skinny".
So I went to the gym and began using steroids. I became hooked on them for the next seven, eight years.
Mental health issues, depression over my sexuality, bulimia and steroids - my life was an unrelenting nightmare.
I'll never forgive myself for what I put my parents through. Imagine getting up in the morning and finding that goodbye letter, the sheer panic that they're never going to see their son again.
But if there was any consolation from this dreadful event, it was while recovering in hospital that my life began to turn around.
Nigel with his father and late mother whom he describes as "pillars of strength"
I tried to come to terms with who I was, I stopped taking the steroids and tried to fight against the bulimia.
After years of struggling with an eating disorder it was when my beloved mother was diagnosed with cancer and given a year to live that I finally vowed to stop. I was 36 then. It stopped for a few years.
I never sought professional help but I took advice from a professional nutritionist and followed a food plan. I cut a lot of carbohydrates from my diet and trained differently and I was in the best shape I'd ever been in, physical and mentally.
The bulimia had stopped and I was doing the right thing to keep my weight down by eating sensibly. I would have treats but in moderation, I'm a big believer in that. Trouble can rear its head when you totally deny yourself some pleasures in life like chocolate or the odd pint of beer.
In 2015 I reached the pinnacle of my career - I refereed a World Cup Final - in a memorable match between New Zealand and Australia.
Ben Smith of New Zealand is shown the yellow card during the 2015 Rugby World Cup final at Twickenham
I'm known for being a steely, authoritative and, I hope, fair referee. As I walked onto the pitch that day, no-one would have believed that I was battling the creeping return of my bulimia.
In the run up to the Rugby World Cup, I'd been under huge pressure to reach certain fitness levels - you have to reach an advanced level on the Yo-Yo Endurance Test (a variation on the bleep test used to measure physical fitness).
Fitness expectations are extremely high, particularly for somebody who was 44 years of age. Bear in mind international athletes in their prime, in their 20s, are expected to reach that level and I was expected to do the same.
I was training hard but knew that if I could only shed four to five kilos my chances of passing the fitness test would improve - I'd be carrying less weight and my body would take longer to get tired.
I remember looking at the mirror and thinking: "Damn. I could get rid of this quite quickly."
And so the bulimia returned.
Refereeing demands fitness to keep up with elite athletes half his age
Once I'd passed the test, I resumed a good routine of fitness and nutrition and went into the Rugby World Cup in peak condition.
What an incredible honour and experience that was. I'm not blowing my own trumpet but you're refereeing the world cup final, you're considered the best in the world.
Not bad going for a former farm worker from west Wales eh? And a world away from the first time I'd picked up a whistle as a 16-year-old having accepted I was never going to make it as a player.
But the following year, the pressure was off and I notice I was putting on weight and so the bulimia returned.
It might have been twice a week then nothing for months and months. I know it does more harm than good so why do I still do it from time to time? I don't know.
But what I do know is that unless I control what I eat and I'm sensible about it, there's going to come a time when I'm going to put on weight and I'm going to end up making myself sick again.
So I do everything I can to prevent getting to that stage.
Referee of the Year Award at the World Rugby Awards in London 2015
Awarded an MBE for services to sport in 2016
For those who are caught up in eating disorders and say there's nothing they can do about it, I understand what they are saying because it takes you over and you feel there is nothing you can do.
But I would urge anyone suffering to do something - seek professional advice, tell people about it, don't hide it, don't lie about it, that's a great first step.
I thought I was in control but since making the Panorama programme, I've realised I'm not.
I came back from refereeing the England summer tour in Argentina a few weeks ago. While I was out there, I made myself sick three to four times - I think because I was eating more food than I needed.
It's been a reality check. Speaking to experts I acknowledge now that I need to do something, to sit down and speak to someone and try and get this out of my life forever.
People who've never had an eating disorder can try to imagine what it's like but they will never know.
It's not as bad as 30 years ago but even today there's an attitude towards conditions like anorexia of 'oh for God's sake, don't be silly, eat some food!'. If only it was that easy.
After all I've experienced in my life and having to deal with the pressure out in the field of making split-second decisions in front of millions of people, you would think I'd be strong enough to stop my bulimia.
Boxer Bradley Pryce talks on Panorama about how he resorted to making himself sick to get his weight down
I'm speaking openly about it because I know that men and boys can view it as a sign of weakness by admitting there's a problem that you can't sort out yourself.
But it's not a sign of weakness; it's a sign of great strength to do that.
On the programme I speak to professional boxer Bradley Pryce who made himself in the past sick to lose weight. You see these guys in the ring and think they embody mental toughness and physical strength.
It goes to show that everybody can suffer from it - a world cup rugby referee, young teenage boys and professional boxers.
If men can find it within themselves to open up about their own experiences of eating disorders, you would find them in all walks of life and in every sport in the world.
One of the experts I've spoken to highlights how much body image has changed for men. A generation ago manliness would have been seen as being good at sport, providing for the family. Now there's so much more emphasis on being muscular, having a ripped body with a six-pack.
And if you don't have a six-pack you're not going to be happy and no-one's going to like you. That's complete rubbish. And for the majority of us this is a totally unrealistic expectation.
So the more men do open up and talk about eating disorders, then the easier it's going be to bust the stigma that this is only a female problem and, more importantly, raise awareness of the help needed to tackle this and ensure the funding is in place to provide it.
As for me, I'm focusing on passing the fitness test for the 2019 world cup. What the challenges will be when I finish refereeing and I won't have to train for something specific, I really don't know.
But one thing I absolutely do know is that the bulimia can't carry on. And I just hope that by speaking about my experience I can help many others reach the same conclusion.
It's not always easy to get the help you need when you need it so the sooner you start talking to people the better.
Don't be in my situation; 27 years on and still suffering from it.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-40675344
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Aylesbury YOI prison officers hurt in 'brawl' - BBC News
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2017-07-23
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Seven prison officers and one inmate were treated in hospital after the incident on Friday.
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Beds, Herts & Bucks
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The young offender institution houses the longest sentenced young adult males in the English prison system
Seven prison officers and one prisoner were taken to hospital after "disorder" at a young offender institution, police have said.
It happened at HM YOI Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire on Friday morning, Thames Valley Police said.
An online prison blog said 30 inmates took part in the "mass brawl".
Police said the injured people had since been released from hospital. The Prison Service said it was investigating the incident with police.
Officers were called to "a report of disorder" at the young offender institution in Bierton Road at about 11:00 BST, but "officer deployment was not required at the incident", a spokeswoman said.
"Seven prison officers and one prisoner were taken to hospital for treatment."
The incident came to light in an online blog on Prison UK.
Author Alex Cavendish, a former prisoner, said he was passed the information via "reliable, professional sources inside the system".
"A mass brawl broke out yesterday morning... Prisoners were attacking each other with weapons - and staff," the informant said.
He described the incident as "horrific".
"Staff were trying to save their lives and got battered. Some were seriously injured. Another officer was on the landing unconscious.
"We had ambulances and fire service in, trying to help alongside our healthcare department.
"The wing has been brewing for a while," he added.
A Prison Service Spokesman confirmed that "an incident involving a number of prisoners took place on Friday 21 July".
"We do not tolerate violence against our hard-working staff. Where incidents like this occur, we will always work closely with the police to push for the strongest possible punishment," he added.
The incident is being jointly investigated by the Prison Service and Thames Valley Police.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-40697158
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Six 'unpresidented' months - 42 to go - BBC News
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2017-07-23
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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US citizens have now had six months to get used to their new president and still not all are finding it easy. Americans in the UK face a double dose of change with Brexit.
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US & Canada
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US citizens have now had six months to get used to their new president and still not all are finding it easy. For Americans in the UK there is a double dose of change, with Brexit now firmly under way. London-based writer and broadcaster Michael Goldfarb has been finding that the combination means all conversations turn inexorably to politics.
Donald Trump has been president for half a year. It is a year since Britons voted to leave the European Union. Yes, the two events are linked.
Like an enormous piece of Antarctic sea ice calving off from the continent and drifting away, the Anglo-American world has detached itself from its partners and headed off into the unknown.
For those of us who are citizens of both countries it has been a strange time.
Twenty years ago, when I was National Public Radio's London correspondent, I used to get invited to the annual American ambassador's 4 July shindig at the residence in Regent's Park. It was a perk of the job.
I didn't hear of an Independence Day bash this year, and anyway there is no ambassador in place yet. In an example of the chaos that swirls around his administration, President Trump's nominee, Woody Johnson, heir to the Johnson & Johnson baby powder fortune and owner of the New York Jets NFL team, has only just been confirmed by the Senate but has not yet presented his credentials to the Court of St James's.
Woody Johnson, pictured at Trump Tower in December, is due in London soon
I haven't been to a 4 July party for ages, but this year was an exception. My hosts were an Anglo-Swiss couple, holding a party in honour of a business colleague from New York - a barbecue on their terrace overlooking a square of renovated warehouses you would never find without GPS.
After six months of the Trump whirlwind everyone was exhausted and happy to lay off politics, but it was tough. Plus, the British half of the couple hosting the party works for a major international music publisher and has extensive business in the EU so it was impossible not to touch on Brexit, and once you're on Brexit you get to Trump and then on to this new historical epoch we've been led into - not by war or revolution but via the ballot box. Eventually, we extricated ourselves from the subject. It was time to bring out the sparklers and my 11-year-old happily waved them into the night.
Ronald Reagan (left) and Margaret Thatcher in Downing Street, in 1982
The "unpresidented" uniquely American nature of the Trump Administration makes it easy to overlook how much its existence owes to the particular political relationship the UK and the US have enjoyed since Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan came to power within a year of each other.
Trump's "unpresidented" tweet was deleted and re-posted with the correct spelling
Thatcher/Reagan tried to undo their respective nations' social democratic settlements by radically deregulating markets and gutting trade unions. The pair dominated the West's international security organisations. The Anglo-American axis continued to a greater or lesser extent right through Prime Minister Tony Blair's pledge to President George W Bush to back the US in its war to overthrow Iraq's Saddam Hussein.
Ironically, Brexit and the election of Trump were made possible by the votes of those who were the losers in the deregulated, free-trading economic world led by Thatcher/Reagan, which laid the foundations for today's world of economic inequality and employment insecurity. The votes were also an expression of the anger of people at the Iraq War. That anger was not just a phenomenon of the left. One of the key moments in Donald Trump's successful campaign to the get the Republican nomination came in a debate when he said to Bush's brother Jeb: "The Iraq War was a big fat mistake."
Jeb Bush (left) and Donald Trump (right) debating in February 2016
Last month Henry Kissinger passed through London briefly to give the keynote address at the Centre for Policy Studies' Margaret Thatcher Conference on Security. The CPS was a think-tank founded by Mrs Thatcher and a few close colleagues in the mid-1970s. I attended expecting to hear Kissinger say something about the security implications of the uncharted waters Anglo-America has entered.
It never happened. The secret of the 94-year-old Kissinger's rise to secretary of state, and his continued presence on the world stage, is a courtier's ability to flatter his audience. Answering a question about Brexit, Kissinger admitted to the Eurosceptic audience he initially thought it was a terrible idea but now realised Brexit wasn't so bad and could be made to work.
He never mentioned Trump once. It seemed odd. I would have thought Trump's disruptive approach to foreign relations, the opposite of Kissinger's ideas of rationally maintaining order among the great powers, would have been worth a comment. Especially since the president will be with us for a while yet.
Henry Kissinger and Donald Trump in the Oval Office in May 2017
Six months into the Trump presidency, his popularity numbers are only slowly eroding.
A recent Washington Post/ABC News Poll shows the president's approval rating down to 36%.
That's six points lower than it was in April. That month I was in America making a BBC radio programme to mark Trump's first 100 days in office and I was talking to some of his unswayable supporters that I had met covering the campaign.
Nothing had happened at that stage that would make them change their views, and I doubt even the Russia scandal has reached a point where they will stop supporting him.
Similarly, in Britain, Brexit voters have been unswayed by the rocky start to negotiations made by Prime Minister Theresa May's government. Despite the Conservatives' poor performance at the recent general election, more than two-thirds of Britons want to continue the Brexit process.
Recently, I found myself chatting with a member of the House of Lords, a former cabinet minister in both the Thatcher and Major governments, and an ardent pro-European.
We were in the Green Room at New Broadcasting House waiting to go on different BBC news programmes. We were marvelling at the way our world had been turned on its head in the last year.
An item about Donald Trump came up on the television. The former minister shook his head in bewilderment and asked me how long I thought Trump could last. I told him that so long as the President had 35% to 40% of the country solidly behind him he would be in office a while. I also said I didn't think he would be impeached and that the end of his presidency, whenever it comes, would be "unpresidented".
The Conservative grandee, shook his head. "This can't go on… it can't go on."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-40648351
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K-golf: South Korea's female golfing phenomenon - BBC News
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2017-07-23
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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South Korean women have dominated international golf for years now. Why?
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Asia
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South Korea's Park Sung-hyun has won her first women's major
Newly-crowned golfing champion Park Sung-hyun has become the latest name in a stellar series of female winners from South Korea.
This week, Park, 23, won the US Women's Open by two shots to claim her first LPGA title. Eight other Korean women also made it to the tour's top 10.
"It's almost like I'm floating on a cloud in the sky," said Park, whose nickname Dak Gong translates to "shut up and attack".
South Korean women have dominated the fiercely-competitive game, claiming victory at the US Women's Open seven times in the past decade. So what makes them so successful?
For decades, South Korea has emerged as a major exporter of popular culture. The lucrative 'K Wave' evolved from a regional development into a global phenomenon and cemented the viral status of Korean pop music groups and drama serials.
Korean golfing has now joined the ranks of K-pop and K-drama stars, with its athletes being given an impressive amount of respect on the world stage.
"Many people associate South Korean women with being just K-pop and K-drama stars. But Park is just one in a long line of champion women golfers from our country," wrote Jin Joo-so, a golf fan on Facebook.
Move aside K-drama starlets, these women are carving a new global name for their country
Decades of rigorous training and intense competition has resulted in a generation of strong, young Korean women who have transformed and revolutionised the "thinking man's game".
Eric Fleming runs a fan site titled SeoulSisters, devoted to South Korean players. He says that the reason why Korean golfers dominate the sport is simple: they work hard.
"When a Korean girl shows talent in golf, her family will do whatever it takes to support her dream. Even if that means spending most of their savings to make it possible," he explained. "In return, she is expected to do everything possible to maximise her potential."
Golf is cut throat and pressure to excel in the sport is huge. But reality is harsh and sadly, not everyone becomes a champion.
"For the few that make it to the top, they have not only put in thousands of hours of training, they have developed a drive that makes sure they will continue to work hard to get as far as they can," Mr Fleming said.
"When a Korean girl makes it to the LPGA, I believe she is more motivated to win because of all the work and investment she has put in.
She has to make big sacrifices. Many American golfers just don't."
Pak Se-ri changed the face of women's golf and sparked a South Korean revolution
These are exciting times for South Korean golf.
And there's one name that's synonymous with the Korean golfing wave and that's Pak Se-ri, the woman credited with starting it all.
The 39-year-old from Daejeon city is now retired but she went out on a high in 2016 with a Hall of Fame career that yielded several major titles and inspired a wave of young women players who followed her to the renowned LPGA Tour.
"I am extremely proud of all of them. To witness the success of so many South Korean players on tour makes me feel proud of what I was able to accomplish," Ms Pak told BBC News from Seoul.
"Together we proved and continue to prove that no matter your country, background or circumstances, if you work hard enough to pursue your dreams, anything is possible."
She also spoke about "competitive training regimes" which set the standard for many South Korean women, who have learned to adapt to the gruelling game.
"Golf is a game of repetition and very often, it is difficult to remain dedicated. But hard work, dedication, passion and a lot of support was what I had," she said.
"I can say that from a cultural perspective, South Koreans are exposed to insane amounts of pressure from a very young age. So we naturally deal better with pressure on tour."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-40628058
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Blade Runner 2049: Harrison Ford responds to Deckard replicant mystery - BBC News
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2017-07-23
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Is Deckard human or a replicant? The star gives an answer.
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Entertainment & Arts
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It's one of the most debated theories in sci-fi - is Harrison Ford's character in Blade Runner human or an artificially created replicant?
The answer was left as a mystery in the theatrical release of Ridley Scott's 1982 film - with even Scott and Ford arguing about it - and with a sequel due to be released in October, fans are hoping the issue will finally be resolved.
Ford and fellow cast members including Ryan Gosling introduced a second trailer and new clips from the movie at Comic-Con on Saturday, which connect the sequel to the original film.
Moderator Chris Hardwicke couldn't help but ask Ford if Blade Runner 2049 would address the lingering questions about Deckard's identity - human or replicant?
After a long pause, the star responded: "It doesn't matter what I think."
So that clears that up then.
However he did say he returned for the sequel because: "We had a really good script based on a really good idea. It deepened the understanding of my character… It had great depth."
Set 30 years after the events of the first film, the sequel sees Gosling play Blade Runner Officer K, who discovers a dark secret which leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard.
The Comic-Con panel was introduced by a hologram of Jared Leto, who stars as the villain in the movie but wasn't able to be in San Diego in person.
Gosling admitted making a Blade Runner sequel was surreal and it still hadn't quite sunk in yet that he was making it.
"I just remember when I was a kid it was one of the first films that I'd seen where it wasn't clear how I was supposed to feel when it was over," he said. "There's a moral ambiguity to it that's quite a haunting experience."
Director Denis Villeneuve said he took on the job because he "didn't want anyone else to [muck] it up", as the original film was his inspiration to become a film-maker.
However he thanked Ridley Scott for leaving him to get on with making the film he wanted.
The final fan question in the Q&A was put to Harrison Ford - was it his goal to reboot every single one of his franchises, having turned his hand to Indiana Jones, Star Wars and now Blade Runner?
"You bet your ass it is!" he replied.
We can only hope for a Working Girl sequel next.
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 Comic-Con: What you should look out for
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-40690349
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Reality Check: Are there more women in leading TV roles? - BBC News
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2017-07-23
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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BBC Reality Check investigates whether gender balance has changed in popular TV dramas in recent years.
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Entertainment & Arts
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Jodie Whittaker will take the title role in Doctor Who but Helen Mirren was star of Prime Suspect back in 2006
In the week the BBC announced it was casting a woman as Doctor Who for the first time, it also revealed that only a third of its highest-paid stars are women.
Headlines about women's equality, or otherwise, in British TV abounded.
It got the Reality Check team thinking about whether Jodie Whittaker's appointment as the first female Doctor was a sign of changing times, or is news from the BBC's payroll a more accurate barometer of female fortunes in entertainment? In essence: are more women getting lead roles in TV dramas?
According to our research, the answer seems to be: hardly.
There is a rise compared with a decade ago - but the increase is marginal. The number of females in lead television roles rose by only one - from 17 in 2006 to 18 in 2016 - although when the number of females enjoying shared lead roles is taken into account, the difference is slightly greater - 26 against 21.
Reality Check has looked at the 50 most-watched dramas (excluding soaps) in the UK for 2016, and the corresponding top 50 a decade earlier.
To compile each list we've used the official consolidated TV viewing figures collected and published by the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board (BARB).
In 2006, the top 50 most-watched TV dramas included literary adaptations, like Agatha Christie's Miss Marple, starring Geraldine McEwan, and Philip Pullman's The Ruby In The Smoke, featuring Billie Piper in a lead role.
There were popular original series, too. Ten years ago crime drama Blue Murder, starring Caroline Quentin as detective and single mother Janine Lewis, was in its third series on ITV. And attracting more than five million viewers was The Kindness of Strangers, a psychological drama with Julie Graham and Hermione Norris.
The top 10 for 2006 featured two female-led shows with an audience of more than eight million: Housewife, 49, based on the wartime diaries of Nella Last and starring Victoria Wood, and Helen Mirren's final appearances as Detective Superintendent Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect 7: The Final Act.
Prime Suspect, of course, was instrumental in leading the way for strong female leads on TV. Lewis and A Touch of Frost were among the most viewed dramas with a male lead.
On the list in 2016 was the second series of military drama Our Girl, starring Michelle Keegan, as was Dark Angel, a chilling story set in the 19th century starring Joanne Froggatt as prolific serial killer Mary Anne Cotton.
In terms of overall popularity, three of the five dramas that proved most popular with audiences in 2016 featured a lead character or characters who were female.
Forensic crime drama Silent Witness, starring Emilia Fox, was in its 19th series and still attracting audiences in excess of eight million.
Happy Valley, for which Sarah Lancashire won a Best Actress TV Bafta, was in its second run, and there was Call The Midwife, with its female ensemble cast.
Popular shows with a male lead included Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock and Death In Paradise, starring Kris Marshall.
Some caveats - streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime don't release their viewing figures. That means that undoubtedly popular shows with strong female leads, like The Crown, Orange Is the New Black and The Gilmore Girls revival, could not be included on the 2016 top-50 list.
And of course major streaming services did not exist back in 2006.
So in conclusion, the number of female-led dramas - and the ones in which women share the lead - have slightly increased, along with their popularity with audiences.
But there's a long way to go before parity is achieved.
• None All the Doctors, from Hartnell to Whittaker
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-40668409
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Charlie Gard: Parents face 'backlash' over hospital threats - BBC News
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2017-07-23
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Charlie Gard's parents say they have faced a "backlash" after GOSH said staff had been threatened.
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London
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Connie Yates and Chris Gard want Charlie to receive an experimental therapy called nucleoside
The parents of Charlie Gard say they have been victims of a "backlash" after Great Ormond Street Hospital revealed staff had received death threats.
The hospital said police were called after families and staff were harassed.
The hospital and Charlie's parents are in a legal battle over continuing life support for the 11-month-old, who has a rare genetic disorder.
Connie Yates and Chris Gard said they had suffered "the most hurtful comments from the public".
In a statement, Mr Gard said: "Without the excellent care of the doctors at GOSH [Great Ormond Street Hospital] our son would not even be alive and not a day goes by when we don't remember that."
Ms Yates said: "We do not, and have not ever, condoned any threatening or abusive remarks towards any staff member at GOSH."
However, she criticised the hospital for not asking the public "not to say anything hurtful to us as well as their doctors and other members of staff".
Responding to Charlie's parents' statement on Sunday night, a spokesperson for GOSH said: "We are grateful for what Charlie's parents have said, and agree wholeheartedly that any abuse of anybody involved in this case is unacceptable.
"This is a heartbreaking time for Charlie's loving parents when they should be given every support."
Great Ormond Street Hospital said "unacceptable behaviour" had been recorded "within the hospital"
Charlie, who was born on 4 August 2016, has a form of mitochondrial disease, a condition that causes progressive muscle weakness and irreversible brain damage. His parents want to take him to the US for pioneering treatment.
They have lost a succession of court cases to overturn the hospital's decision that it would be in the best interest of Charlie to be allowed to die with dignity.
The latest court battle involves new testimony from a US neurologist who has visited Charlie in hospital to decide whether he should travel to America for therapy.
Charlie's parents want to take him to New York for experimental treatment, which the US doctor said might give him a 10% chance of improving his health.
The case is due back before a High Court judge on Monday.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-40700294
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Skegness ad 'slur' woman won over by 'best of British' resort - BBC News
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2017-07-23
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Gina Parkin now describes the seaside resort as "the best of British".
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Lincolnshire
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Gina Parkin said she only made the off-the-cuff comment as a joke, but it was then featured in the Lotto advert
A woman featured in a TV advert saying she would holiday "anywhere but Skegness" has been won over by the resort after a VIP tour with the mayor.
In the Lotto ad, people were asked where they would go on a getaway if they won a large sum of money, with Gina Parkin then making the comment.
After apologising for the off-the-cuff remark, she was invited to see what the Lincolnshire seaside town had to offer.
After an extensive tour, Ms Parkin described it as "the best of British".
On her only previous trip, she said the town's nightlife had been "a bit too boozy and raucous for my liking".
Town mayor Danny Brookes accompanied Ms Parkin, her boyfriend and a group of friends as they ticked off some of Skegness's top attractions.
The 40-year-old from Leeds said: "I've had an absolutely amazing weekend, they did everything to try and win me over and they have.
"It was all first class; we were treated like royalty and everyone was so lovely and just super friendly."
Gina Parkin was given a grand tour by Skegness mayor Danny Brookes
Ms Parkin recently returned from 18 months of travelling the world, visiting 21 countries, but said feeding the tigers at Lincolnshire Wildlife Park rivalled the best things she had experienced on the trip.
She said: "When I got back from travelling I had a renewed sense of respect for Britain in general, it was like I was seeing everything again with new eyes.
"I felt a bit bad; Skegness is a beautiful, traditional seaside town with its bright colours, deck chairs - it's the best of British, we should be very proud of it."
Ms Parkin and her boyfriend Simon Saintly gave the resort the thumbs up
The pair dressed up as pirates at Skegness Aquarium
The Lonely Planet travel guide described the resort as "the ABC of the English seaside - amusements, bingo and candy-floss, and added that "culture vultures will probably run a mile".
Tourism bosses in Skegness previously came under fire themselves for using unflattering images of Blackpool and Brighton in a bid to promote the resort.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-40697957
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Injured walker rescued in Fisherfield Forest after crawling for hours - BBC News
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2017-07-23
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The woman was climbing Munros in the Fisherfield Forest when she slipped and injured her ankle.
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Highlands & Islands
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Dundonnell Mountain Rescue Team said the Fisherfield Forest was one of the most remote areas of the UK
A woman has been rescued from one of the UK's most remote areas after crawling for hours with an injured ankle.
The woman was attempting the "Fisherfield Five" Munros near Dundonnell with her partner when she slipped and was unable to walk further.
After a "lengthy crawl", Dundonnell Mountain Rescue Team said the pair had spent the night on the mountain.
The woman was airlifted on Saturday, about 20 hours after her slip.
The pair, who are in their late 20s, initially set out on Friday to tackle the five Munros in the Fisherfield Forest, an area south-west of Ullapool known as the "Great Wilderness".
A spokesman for the rescue team said the woman had injured her ankle at about 15:00 on Friday.
She crawled for several hours before they decided to "bed down" for the night, the spokesman said.
Neither of them had a mobile phone signal so the woman's uninjured partner set off on a five-hour walk in the early hours of Saturday morning to raise the alarm.
The Coastguard rescue helicopter from Stornoway airlifted the woman to Raigmore Hospital for treatment at about 10:00 on Saturday.
Fifteen members of Dundonnell Mountain Rescue Team were also involved in the rescue. The team also collected the couple's camping gear from the Shenavall bothy.
Team leader Donald MacRae said: "The couple did the right thing and were both well equipped.
"We were very grateful for the air assistance received as it would otherwise have resulted in over a 10-hour stretcher carry given the truly remote location."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-40696960
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Generation Game to be brought back with Mel and Sue - BBC News
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2017-07-23
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The former Great British Bake Off presenters will host a four-episode run of the classic game show.
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Entertainment & Arts
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Former Great British Bake Off hosts Mel and Sue are to host the return of BBC classic show The Generation Game.
It has been commissioned for an initial four-episode run, although a launch date has yet to be set.
"It's a cuddly toy, it's a toaster, it's a circular power saw, no it's Mel and Sue doing the Generation Game! We can't believe it, we are so excited!" the hosts said.
The new show will combine aspects of the original series with new games.
Perkins had hinted earlier this month on Radio 4's Desert Island Discs that the presenting duo might reunite for another TV project soon, after quitting The Great British Bake Off last year when the BBC lost the rights to Channel 4.
"I'm very hopeful Mel and I will do some pratting about, but I couldn't tell you exactly what yet. Possibly some prime-time pratting," she told Kirsty Young.
BBC Studios said audiences had identified the Generation Game as "the TV show that viewers most wanted to see back on their screens".
The show sees pairs of family members across generations take part in performance and task-based games, with the ultimate goal of facing the Conveyor Belt.
This is a memory test whereby the winning pair watches prizes pass on the belt before attempting to remember each one to win it, from household appliances to the infamous cuddly toy.
Sir Bruce Forsyth fronted the Generation Game from 1971-77 and again from 1990-94
All the family pairs will start the show in the studio audience and only find out which game they are playing when Mel and Sue announce them.
A panel of star judges will score the pairs after each game and decide which will get to face the Conveyor Belt.
Charlotte Moore, the director of BBC content, said: "The Generation Game is an iconic BBC One show, so to be able to bring it back for today's audience with Mel and Sue overseeing things is a wonderful moment for the channel."
Larry Grayson and Jim Davidson have also presented the Generation Game
One-off editions of the show were hosted by Vernon Kay in 2011 and Graham Norton in 2005
The Generation Game began on BBC One in 1971, with Sir Bruce Forsyth as its longest-serving host. The entertainer fronted the show for two spells from 1971 to 1977 and 1990 to 1994.
The Generation Game was presented by Larry Grayson between 1978 and 1982 and Jim Davidson from 1995 to 2002.
There have also been two one-off editions of the show. Graham Norton presented a Christmas edition in 2005, while Vernon Kay took charge of a version for Comic Relief in 2011.
In 2014, one of the contestants on the Comic Relief special, Miranda Hart, was reported to be in talks to host a revival herself.
The announcement of the show's revival with Mel and Sue was described by comedian Susan Calman on Twitter as "smashing", while Sally-Ann Burgon tweeted: "Just perfect, literally just the most perfect "regeneration" of a show".
But Mark Rice was among several people to wonder why an old format was being revived, tweeting: "Love Mel and Sue but, seriously, the Generation Game? Can the BBC not come up with any fresh ideas for such great presenters?"
Meanwhile, Daily Mirror TV critic Ian Hyland mischievously suggested: "The BBC should put Mel & Sue's Generation Game on at the same time as Bake Off on C4. And have a cake icing round featuring Mary Berry."
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-40695631
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EasyJet ticket review call after son, 15, taken off plane - BBC News
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2017-07-23
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The boy, 15, was travelling alone to see grandparents in France when he was asked to leave the plane.
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Sussex
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Casper Read was travelling alone to grandparents in Toulouse, France
The mother of a boy taken off a plane at Gatwick due to a lack of seats is demanding EasyJet overhaul its ticketing process.
Casper Read, 15, was travelling alone to grandparents in France when he was asked to leave the plane after a man was allocated the same seat.
Stephanie Portal, from Worthing, West Sussex, said her son felt "he had been kicked off and cheated".
EasyJet has apologised, offered compensation and is investigating.
"There was him and an adult for one seat and the adult was getting very angry about it all," Miss Portal said.
"I don't know if it was a random selection, or if they thought Casper would be the easier option to get off the plane, but it's wrong.
"He was asked to go to the cockpit - thinking he would be allocated another seat - but before he knew it, was taken outside the plane and told to go to the information desk.
"He was left to make his own way through the airport, nobody in departures to meet or help him, and despite there being three more flights that day was put on the latest one and had a 10 hour wait."
Casper Read had to wait 10 hours for the last flight of the day
Miss Portal said a manager at EasyJet told her the airline overbooks its flights by up to five seats due to people often not showing up, and that it was the last people to check-in, not the last to buy their tickets, who were in danger of not getting a seat.
"The whole system needs an overhaul and the attitude of the attendants was irresponsible," she said.
"Children should never be pulled off a flight and the people who are should be given priority on the next one.
"Airlines cannot gamble on the probability of people not turning up."
"Casper is quite laid back but he really felt he had been kicked off and cheated," she added.
A spokesman for the airline said: "EasyJet is sorry that Casper Read's flight from London Gatwick to Toulouse was overbooked on 20 July.
"We are investigating why he was able to board the aircraft as he should have been informed at the gate.
"EasyJet has a procedure to protect unaccompanied minors but unfortunately this was not followed on this occasion."
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-40691142
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San Antonio: Truck found in Texas with dozens inside - BBC News
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2017-07-23
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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They were among dozens of people found inside the back of the vehicle suffering from dehydration.
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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. Migrant deaths: How one Texas county is struggling to cope
Police in the US state of Texas have arrested a truck driver whose vehicle was found in a Walmart car park with dozens of people in the back of it.
Nine men had died inside, and 28 others, including children, were taken to hospital.
They were inside the trailer in San Antonio without access to air conditioning or water while outside temperatures hit 38C (100F).
Police say they believe the incident is linked to people smuggling.
The truck's driver, named by authorities as James Mathew Bradley Jr, 60, of Clearwater, Florida, is expected to appear in court later.
Video footage from the store reportedly showed a number of vehicles arriving to pick up some of the survivors. Several others may have managed to escape on foot into the woods nearby.
One person found in the woods was being treated, local officials said.
Mexico's government said it was working closely with US authorities to identify the nationalities of the victims.
San Antonio is a few hours' drive from the border with Mexico, and the US immigration department is trying to establish the victims' legal status.
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg told the BBC that caring for the victims was the authorities' first aim.
"Our most important focus right now is to deliver compassionate care," he said.
"You know our first responders immediately were on the scene, delivering first aid, transporting - sometimes by air - critical condition patients to local hospitals, and trying to prevent more loss of life than what had already occurred."
"We are working with authorities, we are working with... witnesses to understand the magnitude of these crimes.
"But in this case, where we are witnesses to a human tragedy in our city, our first response and our response as local officials is to render aid."
Eight people were found to be dead at the scene while another died in hospital, immigration officials said.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Police Chief William McManus and Fire Chief Charles Hood told reporters about the discovery
Officials were brought to the trailer by a man who had approached an employee of the Walmart and asked for water.
The driver would be charged in connection with the "horrible tragedy", said San Antonio police chief William McManus in a press briefing.
He said the people ranged from school age to in their 30s.
Local fire chief Charles Hood said the survivors had heart rates of over 130 beats per minute and were very hot to touch. In addition to the 20 people in a critical condition, eight others were taken to hospital in a less severe state.
The fire chief confirmed at least two of the victims were school-age children. Their condition is not clear.
"We're very fortunate that there weren't 38 of these people who were all locked inside this vehicle dead," he added.
The truck was towed away from the scene hours after the discovery
The US attorney for the Western District of Texas, Richard Durbin, said the authorities were working to identify those responsible for the incident.
"These people were helpless in the hands of their transporters. Imagine their suffering, trapped in a stifling trailer in 100-plus degree heat," he said in a statement.
They were victims of "ruthless human smugglers indifferent to the wellbeing of their fragile cargo", he added.
Thirty-three migrants were found in a trailer in the same part of Texas earlier this month
Experts say people smuggling is a serious issue in southern Texas, and there have been a number of similar cases in the area just in this past month.
On 7 July, US Border Patrol agents found 72 undocumented immigrants from Central American countries locked inside a trailer "with no means of escape".
The next day 33 people were found locked inside a trailer at a checkpoint on the road to San Antonio.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-40696306
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Brexit: Liam Fox sets election deadline for EU transition - BBC News
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2017-07-23
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Liam Fox says he would not want any interim arrangement after Brexit to "drag on" beyond 2022.
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UK Politics
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Any transitional arrangement with the EU after Brexit must end by the time of the next election, Liam Fox has said.
The international trade secretary told the BBC he had no ideological objection to interim arrangements to minimise disruption after the UK's exit in 2019.
But he said he did not want them to "drag on" beyond the date of the next general election, scheduled for 2022.
The cabinet is said to be united behind a transition although reports it could last four years have been downplayed.
Chancellor Philip Hammond is reported to support a lengthy transitional period to bring certainty to business, which is concerned about the impact on trade and employment of a "cliff-edge" departure.
Newspaper reports on Friday suggested ministers had accepted it could last anywhere between two and four years.
Mr Fox, who is in Washington for discussions on future trade relations with the US, told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show that it was "perfectly reasonable" for there to be a transition period to ensure the process was as "smooth as possible" for British business and foreign investors.
But he suggested that voters would want any "voluntary" arrangement to end by the time of the next general election, due to take place in May 2022.
And he said he would want the UK to be able to negotiate its own trade deals during that period so it could take "full advantage" of its new status.
"Having waited over 40 years to leave the EU, 24 months would be a rounding error.
"Whether that is 23 or 25 is not a huge deal and neither is it an ideological one.
German car manufacturers have said the UK must put pragmatism ahead of ideology
"It is about the practical issues we would face, such as getting any new immigration system into place, getting any new customs system into place."
However, he made clear there would have to be clarity not only on the duration of any transitional phase but what limitations it would place on the UK.
Several Conservative MPs have suggested that any deal which required the UK to accept continued free movement for a limited period of time or the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice in return for continued temporary membership of the single market would be unacceptable.
Mr Fox added: "I think we would want to get it out of the way before the election.
"I don't think people would want to have it dragging on. I think we would have to be very clear it was time-limited and limited in its scope."
"It is imperative that we leave the EU first and that any implementation period is done "voluntarily" alongside the EU to minimise any disruption."
The head of the powerful trade body representing German car manufacturers has told the BBC there will be a threat to jobs and investment in Britain if the UK leaves both the single market and the customs union.
Matthias Wissman, whose members include Volkswagen, BMW and Porsche, said his preferred option was for the UK to adopt a Norwegian-style membership of the European Economic Area but, failing that, a lengthy transitional period was a bare minimum.
"You need a transition period," he told Radio 4's The World This Weekend. "We hope that on the British side that gets deeper and deeper into the intellectual capabilities of those who decide."
Urging British politicians to put pragmatism ahead of ideology, he said a tariff-free trade deal with the EU was possible but only if "the UK understands what the preconditions are".
"Any kind of unwise, dramatic changes would have an effect on investment and jobs in the automotive industry. Hard Brexit would mean barriers, control of goods."
Speaking on the Andrew Marr Show, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he accepted the UK would be leaving the single market, as it was in his words "inextricably linked" with EU membership, but suggested he had not reached a final view on whether it would be better to remain within the customs union.
He also suggested future trade deals should be linked to commitments on environmental protection and human rights.
"What is interesting is that the EU has said quite clearly, and rightly in my view, that they would only do new trade agreements with countries that sign up to the Paris climate change accord," he said.
"The US has said it wants to leave... so it calls into question the whole of the UK government's strategy on a one-off trade deal with the US."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-40697322
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Oxford station blunder sees passengers locked out - BBC News
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2017-07-23
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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More than 50 people missed the first train to London after staff arrived late to open up.
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Oxford
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Commuters and other passengers were locked out until 08:00 BST on Sunday
A blunder by Oxford station staff left dozens of passengers locked out and unable to catch their train.
People were left waiting until 08:00 BST - 15 minutes after the first train to London had departed.
Commuter Robert Atkins said on Twitter: "How is Oxford station still not open? The first train has already left but all doors closed."
Great Western Railway (GWR) apologised and said "staff arrived later than they should have".
Francis Barr, from Oxford University, said: "My partner was on her way to London for work first thing this morning.
"She had a ticket booked for the 07:43 Chiltern Railways train to Marylebone but was unable to get into the station since it was still locked and there were no staff to be seen."
"There were over 50 people waiting, more by the time the doors were opened," he added.
Mr Atkins tweeted that the person who called customer services was told "the only person with keys had decided to not come in".
A GWR spokesman said: "We're sorry staff arrived later than they should have, and this incident is being looked into."
• None Nine days of disruption on trains
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-40697125
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Scot shot in chest hours before Philippines wedding - BBC News
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2017-07-23
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Tarek Naggar was wounded in the chest after refusing to hand over his wallet to three men.
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Glasgow & West Scotland
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Tarek Naggar was outside a shop with his fiancee when he was shot in the chest
A Scottish man has been shot during a robbery hours before he was due to get married in the Philippines.
Tarek Naggar, 44, was outside a shop in Cebu City when three men demanded he hand over his wallet.
When he refused to give it up, one of the men pulled out a gun and shot him in the chest.
Mr Naggar, who is from Milngavie in East Dunbartonshire, has undergone surgery and remains seriously ill in hospital.
The joiner, who recently had been working in Sweden, was due to get married this weekend to his fiancée Angie, who is from the Philippines.
He was standing outside a convenience store in her home city of Cebu in the early hours of Thursday when a motor scooter with three men clinging to it pulled up.
His best man Chris McLaughlin, who had flown out bringing his friend a kilt for the wedding, was a short distance away when the attack happened.
Mr McLaughlin, 40, from Bearsden, East Dunbartonshire, said: "I heard a commotion and ran over to see what was happening. A guy pulled a gun out and shot Tarek in the chest. Then he pointed the gun at myself."
He said an ambulance was called but failed to show up and they had to travel to hospital in a rickshaw.
"Tarek's fiancee was trying to call taxis but there was none stopping. I was on the floor with Tarek. He was conscious. After about 10 minutes or so a guy stopped in a rickshaw," he told BBC Scotland.
Mr Naggar was treated at a nearby emergency room, then transferred to a larger hospital for surgery.
"The surgeon said the bullet went in the right side but ricocheted and travelled over to the left lung. Miraculously it didn't go through his heart, it actually went behind his heart.
"He seems to be recovering well. He's conscious and awake - and has been talking the last couple of days. He's out of the ICU and has been moved to a recovery room."
He said he did not believe Mr Naggar had any health insurance, and the family have already had to make payments for his treatment.
Another friend has begun a crowdfunding appeal to raise money for his medical costs.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-40697373
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Irish immigrant’s arrest highlights race's role in deportation - BBC News
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2017-07-23
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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After a high-profile deportation, undocumented Irish immigrants are on edge.
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US & Canada
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John Cunningham had been living in the US without papers since 1999
After a high-profile deportation, undocumented Irish immigrants are on edge, and trying to help Latino immigrants who are more likely targets for immigration officials.
John Cunningham came to Boston in 1999. Like many Irish immigrants to the US, he arrived on a 90-day visa for summer work. But then he settled in, worked as an electrician and ran his own company, remaining in the country without authorisation.
"All of a sudden you turn around, so much time has gone by, and you start to realise what is going to be in store for yourself for the future," Cunningham said in a March interview with the Irish Times.
On 16 June, nearly two decades later, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agents came to his home to arrest him. He was deported to Ireland on 5 July. Because he arrived in the US under the visa waiver programme, one commonly used by European immigrants, he had waived his right to a hearing.
Ronnie Millar, who runs Boston's Irish International Immigrant Center, thinks Cunningham's decision to share his experiences and speak out for the rights of unauthorised immigrants in the United States made him a target for deportation.
A warrant was issued for Cunningham's arrest in 2014 after he failed to appear in court on an allegation he did not complete work he charged a client for.
But ICE would only confirm that his arrest and deportation was due to his visa overstay.
Cunningham became the first high-profile Irish immigrant deported under President Donald Trump, and it's created a chilling effect in Boston.
"There were shock waves sent through the community, a disbelief that this was actually happening," said Millar, a close friend of Cunningham's.
New citizens sing the US national anthem in Boston
It is a chill felt by people like Jerry. He asked to be identified by only his first name because he remains unauthorised to live in the US and fears deportation. When Jerry first arrived in the US on a three-month visa waiver in the summer of 2011, he hadn't made up his mind about returning to Ireland. "The lifestyle, the work, everything was just better here at the time. So things just kind of happened," he said. "I had a return ticket booked. I just never got on the plane."
The Migration Policy Institute estimates there are 16,000 undocumented Irish living in the US. The Irish Embassy in Washington puts that number closer to 50,000. Most live in Boston, New York or Chicago.
Like Jerry, many are hiding in plain sight, navigating a difficult world of privilege and panic as white, undocumented immigrants.
"I don't think anyone is outright targeting people who look like me," Jerry said, "But there's still a fear. You could be walking in the street and bump into the wrong person, you can get pulled over while driving, walk into the wrong building or show the wrong ID."
"Most people think undocumented and they think people who come across the southern border," Cunningham said in an interview with this reporter a year before his arrest. "They're not thinking about the Irish guy who lives right next to them."
Jerry, Millar and Cunningham all acknowledged that, as white men, they can fly under the radar of those who associate unauthorised immigrants with Mexico and Central America.
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Cunningham recalled local police and immigration officials not questioning his status during stops. He felt that he was given a pass because of his Irish accent. He wondered if the officers would have treated him differently if he were black or brown.
As a whole, white and other non-Latino immigrants are targeted for arrest and detention at disproportionately lower rates, says Randy Capps of the Migration Policy Institute.
"It's the Latino immigrants from Mexico and Central America that are overrepresented in terms of arrests and deportations," said Capps.
Accusations of unequal treatment and racial profiling among immigrant communities have also sparked criticism in Boston about local media attention to Cunningham's arrest. Carol Rose, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, said that for every one story of a white immigrant who faces deportation, there are many other stories of non-white immigrant experiences not told.
Rose points to Boston's Francisco Rodríguez, a Salvadoran immigrant who, after two denied asylum requests, had been granted a stay of removal every year since 2011.
That changed this year under President Donald Trump, who greatly broadened which immigrants the government considers a priority for deportation. Rodriguez was arrested when he arrived for a check-in with immigration authorities in June and remains in custody while fighting his deportation to El Salvador.
Critics also point to racial bias in how Cunningham's story was told. Julio Varela, co-host for Futuro Media's In the Thick podcast and a Boston native, has often challenged what he calls an "Irish immigrant privilege" in local media. In a column on the Latino Rebels blog he argues Irish and other white immigrants like Cunningham are more often portrayed as model community members undeserving of deportation.
It's why the Irish International Immigrant Center offers its legal and social services to more than Irish immigrants. Christina Freeman, a lawyer at the centre, said their "know your rights" workshops often include talk about racial bias and law enforcement. The participants "know there is a racial bias, they've experienced it".
"You look around the room and see who's in there and there's not one white face in the crowd," Freeman said. "It's because the teenagers being stopped the most often are teenagers of colour."
While white undocumented immigrants may benefit from blending in, there is still an impact.
Millar recalls his centre aiding an Irish woman so embarrassed to reveal her immigration status to her American-born family that when a parent died back in Ireland, she instead stayed in a hotel in the US to give her family the illusion she went home, rather than admit that she's undocumented and risk not gaining re-entry into the US.
Following Trump's electoral victory, Millar said there was an increased fear that Boston's previously welcoming stance toward Irish immigrants would soon change. Those fears were compounded following Cunningham's arrest, he adds.
"We are not in a good place as a society," Millar said. "As a nation, we've really lost our way, who we are and our values - being a country that's made up of immigrants."
The World is a co-production of the BBC World Service, PRI and WGBH. You can listen to more here.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-40332646
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Car stolen with mother and baby inside in Solihull - BBC News
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2017-07-23
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A man got into the woman's car as she attended to her baby, and drove off.
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Birmingham & Black Country
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As the woman stopped at traffic lights, four men demanded she get out the car
A man who stole a woman's car while she and her baby were still inside is being sought by police.
He was among group of four men who confronted the woman and demanded she get out of the car when she stopped at traffic lights in Solihull.
As she attended to her baby, one of them got into the Audi RS6 and drove off.
She escaped with the infant when the driver pulled into a side road before driving off again. No-one was hurt.
The woman had stopped at lights on Lode Lane when the men pulled up behind her at about 18:00 BST on Saturday.
The offender drove the car at speed down Seven Star Road towards Warwick Road.
Det Sgt Stew Lewis said: "Luckily the woman and her baby were not hurt but the woman is very shaken by what happened."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-40698236
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Marian Hill: 'An Apple advert kick-started our career' - BBC News
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2017-07-23
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How Marian Hill went from cult artists to mainstream success, after Apple chose their song for an ad.
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Entertainment & Arts
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Marian Hill wrote their breakout song, Down, in the space of one night
It's an ordinary day in Advert-ville, USA.
As the black-and-white sun rises over a black-and-white street, authentic-looking extras with a variety of contemporary hairstyles walk past a dilapidated warehouse.
A shoeshine boy flicks open his newspaper, passing time until a customer arrives. None ever will, because shoeshine boys only exist in the movies.
Perched on an upturned milk crate is a tall and slender young man. Let's call him Lil Buck, because that is his name. Bored, he puts in his earphones and fires up a song.
Suddenly, the music brings him to life. He springs off the crate and contorts his body to an irresistible beat, defying gravity as he dances on walls and shop-fronts.
That's how Apple chose to promote their new wireless headphones earlier this year - and the song selected for the soundtrack was Marian Hill's Down.
The "Stroll" commercial has been watched more than 12m times
A sparsely atmospheric track, it pits Samantha Gongol's husky voice against a simple piano figure before crashing into a staccato beat in the chorus.
Apple's advertising agency, Media Arts Lab, stressed the importance of finding "an unknown band" for their commercial.
"People get excited when they discover a new band," music supervisor Peymon Maskan told Music Week earlier this year.
"They pull out their phone to Shazam the track and they tell their friends. That's a music fan's experience when discovering an ad like this."
Within days of the advert airing, the song had racked up 12 million views on YouTube and Down became the most searched-for song in America - ahead of Ed Sheeran and Bruno Mars.
Nielsen Soundscan, which compiles the charts, said sales of the song jumped from "negligible" (not worth reporting) to 101,000 in the space of a week. In the UK, it was streamed more than 3 million times.
"That commercial was the catalyst for a lot of things," says keyboardist and producer Jeremy Lloyd.
"It put us in so many people's living rooms - and to have them instantly love the song felt so validating for all the work we had done."
As they take a break from making their second album, the duo tell the BBC how they got together and found their sound.
How did the band get together?
Samantha: Jeremy and I have been friends since we were about 12 or 13. We got the name Marian Hill from a production of The Music Man that we were in together in eighth grade. He played Harold Hill, I played Marian Paroo and we combined our character names.
We stayed friends throughout high school and college, until Jeremy showed me a beat and asked if I wanted to write with him. That song was called Whisky, and the rest is history.
Right out of the gate you had a unique, minimalistic sound. How did it come about?
Jeremy: We really stumbled into it. At the time we'd written a couple of other things together that were all over the map musically. Then I was playing Sam a couple of different beats and I had one that had this hip-hop feel to it - and that was the Whisky beat. Neither of us had ever made anything like it before.
I was able to recognise how much better it was - and so, for me, the goal became, how do you carry this forward?
"Jeremy and I can be honest without hurting each other's feelings," says Samantha
Jeremy: At that point, it still wasn't that serious, necessarily. It was just a thing we'd made. And when I was about to graduate college, I decided I wanted to give it a real try, so I emailed, like, 50 blogs and thankfully people picked up on the song and liked it. From then on it's been this slow, steady stream of people wanting to hear more.
Samantha, your vocals are very jazzy. Who were your influences?
Samantha: I grew up loving the diva vocalists - Whitney Houston, Lauryn Hill, Ella Fitzgerald, Etta James. I was a huge Norah Jones fan too. That was a huge watershed moment for me, in terms of discovering a contemporary vocalist that I connected with.
Jeremy: So often in songs, there's no room for the vocal to sit - the voice is just pasted on top, so the whole mix is throbbing at the seams. With our stuff I try to make sure the vocal has space, and you can hear all the textures and nuances that would otherwise get lost.
Before Marian Hill, Samantha did some work as a "top liner", writing melodies for big pop singers. What was that like?
Samantha: Writing sessions are kind of like blind dating: You're just thrown into a room together and you hope you get along and make something incredible.
How did you go about writing Down?
Samantha: We were just messing around in the studio and I think the piano line came first, Jeremy?
Jeremy: Yeah, it was the first thing we'd written on a piano. I was goofing around and I stumbled on that piano line. It wasn't like, "OK, we're writing a song now." I wasn't quite sure about it. But I asked Sam, "Do you think we could do something with this?" and she figured out a melody.
Looking back on it, it was such a simple process. I'm pretty sure it was all one night.
The duo released their debut EP in 2013
The song's about going to a party against your better judgment, is that right?
Samantha: We just wanted to have fun with it. There are so many party songs about getting on the dancefloor and throwing your hands in the air (like you just don't care).
We thought it could be cool to write it from the perspective of Marian Hill, and what it would sound like if we did a song like that. "I'm not sure I want to go, but do you?" And then the crash of the chorus was the party itself.
The Apple commercial really fitted the song. How much input did you have?
Jeremy: We probably would have had a veto if we'd hated it, but it very much was on them. They put it together and we were just like, "Wow, this is perfect."
Jeremy: It was amazing because our album [Act One] had been out for a minute and our fans were loving it, but it hadn't really broken out to a larger audience. Having this spotlight, it put us in so many people's living rooms, and to have them instantly love the song felt so validating for all the work we had done. It was a great way to finish off the album campaign.
The band will be playing in the UK later this year
Jeremy: We've been writing a lot over the last two months, together in New York and at home in Philadelphia. It's an exciting point to be at, coming off the success of Down, so we're really excited to get these songs out to our new fans.
What changes are you making compared to the first album?
Jeremy: It's the same aesthetic, only it's a little more brash. But we're right in the middle of it and that direction could change.
And when do we get so hear it?
Jeremy: It will be within a six-month window. We have a deadline in mind.
Samantha: Probably in the fall.
Marian Hill's Act One (The Complete Collection) is out now. They play a headline gig at London's Scala on 9 October.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-40683275
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Kayla MacDonald named as girl killed by logs in Argyll forest - BBC News
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2017-07-23
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The eight-year-old was described by her family as "precious and fun-loving" whose smile lit up a room.
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Glasgow & West Scotland
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Kayla MacDonald died after logs fell on her
A "precious and fun-loving" eight-year-old girl who died after logs fell on her in an Argyll forest has been named by police.
Kayla MacDonald, from Dunbeg, had become trapped by the logs near the village of Benderloch, north of Oban, at about 14:40 BST on Sunday.
Her family said Kayla was fluent in Gaelic and her smile would "light up a room".
A 12-year-old girl was also injured and is in a stable condition in hospital.
She was airlifted to Lorn and Islands Hospital in Oban but was then transferred to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow.
Kayla was pronounced dead at the scene.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The incident happened near the village of Benderloch on Sunday afternoon
In a statement her family said: "Kayla was a precious fun loving eight-year-old who was loved by everyone around her. Kayla's smile would light up a room. She attended Rockfield's Gaelic Medium where she was fluent in Gaelic.
"Our wee girl loved music and dance as well as doing hair, nails and make up. Kayla has two younger brothers who, along with the rest of her family and friends, will miss her dearly."
A joint investigation between Police Scotland and the Health and Safety Executive will take place to establish the full circumstances surrounding the death, however, it is not being treated as suspicious.
The area where the incident happened is part of the Barcaldine Forest, where there has been logging activity recently.
Margaret Adams, convenor of the local community council, told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme that the tragedy would have a "massive" impact on the community.
"Even if people don't know the child they will know the family, in a small community," she said.
"It really will have quite an affect on the locals."
Ms Adams said logging had been going on in the area for several months, with signs up warning of the dangers.
She added: "The signs make it very clear that they don't want people to go up because there will be heavy machinery and logs stacked."
Local resident Elaine Walton told BBC Scotland there had been plenty of warnings about forestry operations but it was possible to access the area by avoiding the fenced-off tracks.
"The Forestry (Commission) sent every household in the area a letter telling us the plans for the works, that the place would be sealed off and that there were other walks down at Sutherland's Grove," she said.
"But if you live in the area you know that there are little ways to get up on the hill if you want to and young people explore and find these ways."
A spokesman for Forest Enterprise Scotland said: "Our thoughts are with the family and their friends at this very difficult time and we offer them our deepest condolences.
"We will now focus on working with the site contractor, Tilhill Forestry, and the Health and Safety Executive as investigations into this tragic incident continue."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-40699919
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Luton Airport arrest as 'man tried to open aircraft door' - BBC News
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2017-07-23
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The man tried to open an emergency door on board a flight from Poland but was "wrestled to the floor" by passengers.
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Beds, Herts & Bucks
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The incident happened on board a flight from Poland
A plane passenger was tackled by fellow travellers as he tried to open an emergency door on board a flight.
Police were called to London's Luton Airport shortly before 23:00 BST on Saturday to deal with a "disruptive passenger" on a flight from Poland.
He was prevented from opening the door by passengers who "wrestled him to the floor", a witness said.
He was arrested on suspicion of endangering an aircraft, police said.
The incident happened on board Wizz Air flight W61005 from Katowice International Airport in southern Poland.
About 30 minutes before landing the man "walked from the front of the plane and sat next to a woman by the emergency exit over the wing", passenger David Salon said.
"Suddenly he lunged across her and tried to open the door. She was terrified.
"Luckily there were three big Polish men in the row behind and they and some other passengers wrestled him to the floor and sat on him," Mr Salon, 44 said.
Air crew then restrained his hands using seatbelts used in safety demonstrations.
The man was arrested at the airport when the flight landed
Mr Salon, originally from Poland but now working as a chef in Oxford, said the man was Polish and in his 20s.
He had been "acting weirdly on the bus on the way to the plane in Poland", he added.
Passengers were asked to remain on board once the flight landed until police had taken the suspect away.
Bedfordshire Police confirmed the arrested man was initially taken to hospital to be treated for minor injuries and was now being questioned.
Wizz Air confirmed an incident had taken place on the flight, saying a passenger had "become unruly and abusive".
"The Wizz crew on duty followed standard procedures to ensure the continued safe operation of the flight. Upon landing, the passenger was handed over to the respective authorities," a spokeswoman said.
"Safety and security are the top priorities of the airline and there is zero tolerance for abusive behaviour towards our passengers and staff."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-40697160
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Downton Abbey railway carriages ruined by vandals - BBC News
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2017-07-23
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Windows were smashed overnight and fire extinguishers were used to soak furniture and fittings.
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York & North Yorkshire
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The windows of the carriages were smashed, with further damage inside
Vandals have caused thousands of pounds of damage to heritage railway carriages used in the filming of TV drama Downton Abbey.
Eight teak carriages on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway in Pickering had windows smashed overnight, with furniture and fixings also ruined.
The carriages, dating from 1930 to 1950, have regularly been featured in films and television, the railway said.
Fire extinguishers were also set off throughout the carriages, soaking the furniture and wall fittings.
Fire extinguishers were sprayed inside the carriages, with furniture and fittings damaged
The railway said the full extent of the damage was not yet known, but repair costs would run "into the thousands if not more".
Chris Price, general manager at the railway, said: "We were absolutely devastated to discover that the carriages had been damaged overnight, obviously all the staff and volunteers are extremely upset.
"I doubt very much that the set will run again in the 2017 season."
The railway had been holding a 1960s themed event on Saturday
On Saturday, thousands of people attended a live music event at the railway called '60s Fest' - held metres away from where the carriages were vandalised.
The railway warned there would be service disruptions on the line due to the damage caused.
North Yorkshire Police said the carriages were vandalised at some point between 22:00 BST on Saturday and 07:00 on Sunday.
Insp Martin Dennison said: "What has been a busy and enjoyable weekend for all those involved in the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, has now been overshadowed by this mindless act of vandalism.
"There is understandably a feeling of anger and outrage amongst the community and police are determined to find those responsible and bring them to justice."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-40697952
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Highs and lows as small town sponsors refugee family - BBC News
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2017-07-23
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Meet the grandmother who led the charge to sponsor a family of refugees.
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Wales
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Retired nurse Christine Hughes preparing for the arrival of the refugee family
They have donated time, skills, money and even a house in a bid to be allowed to help a family of refugees resettle in the UK.
But, as the Home Office announces £1m to help more communities sponsor refugees, just how much work was it for one group of retirees, part and full-time workers to pull together and take responsibility for a family?
Christine Hughes kept seeing pictures and videos on Facebook of Syrian refugees and their desperate bids to get to the UK. And she wanted to help.
"I was hearing the most awful stories and just not sleeping," mother-of-four and grandmother Mrs Hughes said.
"If I started thinking about it before I went to sleep, that was it, I just couldn't sleep, because I knew what people were suffering right at that moment while there I was in my cosy bed."
No longer wanting to feel helpless, she and a few other people held a meeting in the Pembrokeshire town of Narberth to discuss what they could do.
A year later and she has finally achieved her goal - to resettle a refugee family in the picturesque market town.
It is one of 10 to have brought a group of refugees to the UK under a scheme introduced in July 2016.
It means community can take responsibility for resettling up to three refugee families - supporting their move here by setting up accommodation for them, helping them to learn English and eventually find jobs.
The vast majority of the 20,000 Syrian refugees the UK has committed to take in have come through the support of local councils. But community groups have sponsored 53 refugees in the last year.
Narbeth has a population of 2,000, according to the last census
The scheme was modelled on the successful Canadian Private Sponsorship scheme which has resettled more than 200,000 refugees since it was introduced in 1978.
But the group called Croeso Arberth - meaning Narberth Welcome - said it had not been straight-forward.
It had to raise £4,500 as insurance to cover each of the seven supported refugees, which is kept in a separate bank account for emergencies, as well as having £6,000 in the bank to cover the cost of things like interpreters, transport from the airport and a £200 allowance for each member of the family - given in small amounts for six weeks while they wait for their applications for benefits to go through.
A house had to be found, English lessons arranged, schools contacted and extensive Home Office forms filled in - and that was just to start.
Listen to Croeso Arberth prepare to welcome the family of refugees on BBC Radio Wales' Eye on Wales programme
The UK government website has information about how to sponsor a family of vulnerable refugees to resettle in the UK
Retired nurse Mrs Hughes said: "I had absolutely no idea of the amount of time I was going to have to donate to it.
"I have got a house I rent out, my mother is 93, I have got three horses, I've got four children, two of who have got grandchildren, and have a few little jobs cleaning guest houses, so I'm tearing myself away from different situations, just trying to cope, really.
"Halfway through the process I did think 'what am I doing', but thinking we were nearly there is what has kept me going."
The group, which has a core of 12 people with around 100 more who have expressed a desire to help, has committed to support the resettled family for a year, and be responsible for their housing - paid for with housing benefits - for two years.
Mrs Hughes said: "I started off as an email pusher - just keeping people informed about meetings and fund-raising events. Then I started doing practical things like phoning up the schools, I went to the police, I went to the doctors."
Group tidying up the garden of the house where the refugees will be living
Shortly after she and other members of the group wrote an action plan for the Home Office - a plan that has been revised multiple times since the application first went in.
Jill Simpson, who works part-time at Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, liaised with the Home Office on behalf of Croeso Arberth throughout the negotiations.
She said: "I spent months sitting at my computer, pulling together all sorts of information, writing documents. At times it felt as if it was being made very difficult, but I think that, on reflection, it is because it is such a new scheme and the Home Office people have been feeling their way as well.
"There was a lot of support, but you needed to get through this nitty gritty bureaucracy."
The group needed approval from local council Pembrokeshire to go ahead with the application, as well as getting approval from Citizens UK, who acted as the lead sponsor - with legal responsibility to make sure everything runs as it should.
Mrs Simpson said: "We had to describe the house to the Home Office, and it had to be available, but we didn't know how long it would take until we had a family, and that was really difficult because if you think about it no landlord is going to want to sit with a house empty waiting for a family to arrive at an unspecified time."
Oshi Owen has turned her former family home over to the refugee family
But the group struck lucky when local Oshi Owen, who was thinking about moving from her five-bedroom house in Narberth, heard the group were looking for somewhere for the refugee family.
Ms Owen said: "I had thought about moving in September, but when the group were looking for somewhere for a family of refugees I just said I will somehow manage it and make it work and committed to move out by April."
She will be paid rent through housing benefit, although she said it is below what she could get for the house if it was privately rented.
The group initially thought they might be able to have the family arrive in April and eventually the arrival date became July.
Ms Owen said: "I had to accept that for three months there wasn't going to be any rent coming in.
"But I would rather help people than it being about the money. It is about giving something to those in need."
She left some furniture in the house for the new tenants, while the community group cleared the garden and cleaned in preparation.
Croeso Arberth had a small welcome party at the airport to meet the family of seven
Ms Owen said neighbours were "shocked" to hear who was moving in, but "really want to make the family welcome".
With the house spick and span there was a nervous wait before the refugees arrived on 13 July.
As they walked through arrivals at Birmingham Airport they were greeted by a welcome party of interpreters and members of Croeso Arberth clutching balloons, chocolates and a big sign between them.
BBC Wales have agreed not to identify Narberth's newest Syrian residents - but we can say they are an extended family of seven from a refugee camp in the Middle East.
"I can't believe it is all over with now," Mrs Hughes said.
"I would never have expected it to be such a big thing to undertake, but I feel like the family are going to be fine, and it is the start of a new chapter now with them here. Things will go wrong, but we will just have to play it by ear."
Croeso Arberth have plans to sponsor another group of refugees in the near future, but hope it will be easier next time.
Mrs Hughes added: "Because we have been one of the first groups to do this it has been a learning curve for us and the Home Office, but hopefully they will be able to do things faster for other groups and it will all move along a bit quicker.
"Obviously I still think about the people still in refugee camps, but I know I cannot do any more than I have done and am doing."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-40641352
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Rashan Jermaine Charles dies after Hackney police pursuit - BBC News
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2017-07-23
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Rashan Jermaine Charles was taken ill after "trying to swallow an object" in a shop in east London, police say.
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London
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. CCTV shows Rashan Jermaine Charles being apprehended by police inside a shop, as the BBC's Andy Moore reports.
A 20-year-old man has died after being apprehended by a police officer in an east London shop.
The Met Police said the man, named by his family as Rashan Jermaine Charles, was followed on foot after officers tried to stop a car in Kingsland Road, Hackney, at 01:45 BST on Saturday.
Mr Charles was taken ill after trying to swallow an object and was pronounced dead in hospital, police said.
Footage apparently showing the incident has been shared on social media, along with the hashtag #JusticeForRash.
The film, recorded by a security camera, shows Mr Charles entering a shop pursued by a uniformed police officer.
In the footage, there is a struggle on the floor, and Mr Charles appears to put his hand to his mouth.
Another man in plain clothes is seen helping the officer. Mr Charles is seen handcuffed with his hands behind his back.
Members of the local community have been laying flowers and lighting candles at the scene of the incident
Scotland Yard said the officer "intervened and sought to prevent the man from harming himself".
A force medic provided first aid at the scene before London Ambulance Service paramedics arrived.
Mr Charles was taken to the Royal London Hospital in east London and pronounced dead at 02:55 BST.
Police said next of kin had been informed and a post-mortem examination would be held.
A makeshift memorial to Mr Charles has sprung up by the scene of the incident as members of the local community have laid flowers and lit candles outside the shop.
Simon Laurence, the Met's borough commander for Hackney, said: "There is likely to be speculation over the next few days regarding what led to this man becoming ill, so I would encourage people to keep up-to-date with the IPCC's statements, as and when they are released.
"All police officers are fully aware that they will be asked to account for their actions - officers are not exempt from the law and we would not wish to be."
The IPCC confirmed it had begun an independent investigation, taking evidence from eyewitnesses and police officers.
It said CCTV footage from inside the shop and police body-worn video evidence had been gathered and viewed.
"The IPCC has obtained evidence which indicates an object was removed from [Mr Charles's] throat at the scene," a spokesman said.
He appealed for information from witnesses who were in the Kingsland Road and Middleton Road area of Hackney.
Campaigners from Hackney Stand Up To Racism have announced a vigil for Mr Charles outside Stoke Newington police station on Monday evening.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-40696004
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Israeli 'kills attacker' at Jordan embassy - BBC News
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2017-07-23
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The guard opened fire after being stabbed with a screwdriver, killing two Jordanians, Israel says.
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Middle East
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Security forces have closed roads in the area
An Israeli guard has shot dead a Jordanian who attacked him with a screwdriver next to the Israeli embassy in Jordan, Israeli officials say.
A second Jordanian was inadvertently killed in the gunfire, Israel says. The guard was reportedly wounded.
The attacker was a carpenter working in a residential building used by the embassy, an Israeli statement said.
It is one of the most serious incidents between the two countries since they signed a peace treaty in 1994.
The second Jordanian, who died from his wounds in hospital, was identified as the building's landlord.
Jordanian police have sealed off the area around the heavily protected embassy in the Rabiyeh neighbourhood, an affluent part of the capital city.
According to the Vienna Convention of 1961 the security man has immunity from investigation and arrest, the Israeli foreign ministry said.
The incident came at a time of heightened tension in the region over a Jerusalem holy site.
On Friday, thousands of Jordanians protested in Amman against Israel over the installation of metal detectors outside a site sacred to both Muslims and Jews in East Jerusalem.
Jordan, which occupied East Jerusalem from 1949 to 1967, is the custodian of the site, which is known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif and Jews as the Temple Mount.
Tensions between Israelis and Palestinians over the site have surged in recent days in response to the metal detectors, which were put in place following the killing nearby of two Israeli policemen.
Security cameras have now also been installed at a gateway leading to the site.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-40700467
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William and Harry regret last 'rushed' call with Diana - BBC News
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2017-07-23
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William and Harry speak candidly for a documentary marking the 20th anniversary of her death.
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UK
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The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry
Prince William and Prince Harry have spoken of their regret that their last conversation with their mother was a "desperately rushed" phone call.
Prince Harry, who was 12 when Princess Diana died, said: "All I do remember is probably regretting for the rest of my life how short the phone call was."
In an ITV documentary to mark 20 years since their mother's death, the princes also spoke of her "fun" parenting.
Diana encouraged them to be "naughty" and smuggled them sweets, they said.
The princes added that she was a "total kid through and through", who understood the "real life outside of palace walls".
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. "She was one of the naughtiest parents": Prince Harry and Prince William on their memories of their mother
Unpublished photos of the princes with their mother feature in the programme.
Prince Harry and Prince William are seen looking through Diana's personal album as they talk about how their childhood memories of their mother sat alongside her global image and influence as a campaigner for the homeless, Aids victims, and banning landmines.
Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris on 31 August 1997 when Prince William was 15 and Prince Harry was 12.
Prince William said taking part in the programme initially seemed "quite daunting" but had been "a healing process as well".
He said they wanted "her legacy to live on in our work and we feel this is an appropriate way of doing that".
The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry Princess Diana was pregnant when photographed with Prince William here. "Believe it or not, you and I are both in this photograph," the Duke of Cambridge tells his brother in the programme
But the Duke of Cambridge said the last conversation with their mother weighs "quite heavily" on his mind.
It took place while the brothers were having a "very good time" with their cousins at Balmoral, the Queen's home in Scotland.
"Harry and I were in a desperate rush to say goodbye, you know 'see you later'... if I'd known now obviously what was going to happen, I wouldn't have been so blasé about it and everything else," he said.
Prince William says in the interview he remembers what his mother said - but does not reveal details of the conversation.
Prince Harry said: "It was her speaking from Paris, I can't really necessarily remember what I said but all I do remember is probably regretting for the rest of my life how short the phone call was."
Recalling Princess Diana's sense of humour, Prince Harry said: "Our mother was a total kid through and through.
"When everybody says to me 'so she was fun, give us an example' all I can hear is her laugh in my head."
He added: "One of her mottos to me was, you know, 'you can be as naughty as you want, just don't get caught'.
"She was one of the naughtiest parents. She would come and watch us play football and, you know, smuggle sweets into our socks."
The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry The photos shown in the programme were taken from Princess Diana's personal album
Prince William said his mother was "very informal and really enjoyed the laughter and the fun".
She could be "sort of the joker", he added, and "loved the rudest cards you could imagine".
He said: "I would be at school and I'd get a card from my mother. Usually she found something, you know, very embarrassing, you know, a very funny card, and then sort of wrote very nice stuff inside.
"But I dared not open it in case the teachers or anyone else in the class had seen it."
Prince Harry and Prince William, now aged 32 and 35 respectively, say Diana was "the best mother ever"
He also talked about the "very funny memory" of coming home from school to find his mother had invited supermodels Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington and Naomi Campbell to their home in Kensington Palace.
"I was probably a 12 or 13-year-old boy who had posters of them on his wall," he told Monday's documentary, Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy.
"I went bright red, and didn't know quite what to say and sort of fumbled and I think pretty much fell down the stairs on the way up. I was completely and utterly awestruck."
Earlier this month, the princes attended a service to re-dedicate their mother's grave at Althorp House in Northamptonshire, on what would have been her 56th birthday.
Prince Harry said he had only cried twice for his mother - one of the times was at the funeral service at Althorp in 1997.
"So there's a lot of grief that still needs to be let out," he said.
Prince William, who was accompanied at the re-dedication service by the Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, said he keeps the memory of his mother alive for his children by "constantly talking about granny Diana".
"She'd be a lovely grandmother, she'd absolutely love it, she'd love the children to bits," he said.
And he joked: "She'd be a nightmare grandmother, absolute nightmare... She'd come, probably at bath time, cause an amazing... scene, bubbles everywhere bath water all over the place and then leave."
The princes, pictured here with their mother in 1992, recall their last conversation with her
Reflecting on the anniversary of Princess Diana's death, Prince Harry told ITV: "To myself and William she was just the best mother ever."
He said: "It has been hard and it will continue to be hard, there's not a day William and I don't wish that she was still around and we wonder what kind of mother she would be now, and what kind of a public role she would have and what a difference she would be making."
The princes have also both agreed to take part in a forthcoming BBC documentary about their mother.
They were were speaking to ITV from their home at Kensington Palace where they will unveil a statue of their mother in its public gardens on the 20th anniversary of her death.
Prince William said: "We won't be doing this again - we won't speak as openly or publicly about her again, because we feel hopefully this film will provide the other side from close family friends you might not have heard before, from those who knew her best and from those who want to protect her memory, and want to remind people of the person that she was."
The documentary will be broadcast on ITV and STV at 21:00 BST on Monday, 24 July.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-40692457
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Ben Affleck denies Batman exit rumours - BBC News
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2017-07-23
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The star says he's not quitting because it's "the coolest part in any universe".
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Entertainment & Arts
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Ben Affleck has scotched rumours he is quitting as the caped crusader after his upcoming role in Justice League.
He'd been due to star in and direct another standalone film - The Batman - but pulled out of directing duties in January.
After Affleck's script was also ditched by incoming director Matt Reeves, it looked like he was going to jump ship.
But he denied he was leaving the franchise, saying: "Batman is the coolest part in any universe."
"Let me be very clear - I am the luckiest guy in the world. I'm so thrilled to do it," the star told fans at Comic-Con on Saturday.
"There's a misconception that because I wasn't directing it, I wasn't enthusiastic about it, but it's amazing."
Ben Affleck reprises his role as Batman in Justice League, which sees him team up with heroes including The Flash, Superman, Cyborg, Wonder Woman and Aquaman
Affleck also addressed reports that Warner Bros was working on plans to "usher out" his Batman gracefully as he is getting too old.
"I still can't believe that after two films [Warner Bros bosses] Kevin Tsujihara, Sue Kroll and Toby Emmerich have said, 'We want you to be our Batman' - and I believe them."
Regarding War for the Planet of the Apes director Reeves taking over his directing role and starting afresh with scripting, Affleck said: "I would be an ape on the ground for Matt Reeves, never mind Batman.
"It's a great time in the DC universe, so you can see why I am so excited to be Batman."
The Warner Bros panel also featured a new Justice League trailer and confirmed that Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman would be getting a sequel.
It's unsurprising as Patty Jenkins' film is the biggest of the summer, taking $386m (£297m) so far in the US and $771m (£593m) around the world.
It's also the third highest-grossing Warner Bros movie ever, behind The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises - and the highest-grossing live action film by a female director.
Warner Bros also confirmed it intends to make a standalone Batgirl film and a new Green Lantern movie.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-40695727
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Jeremy Corbyn: Student debt write-off not a commitment - BBC News
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2017-07-23
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Labour leader says he was "unaware of the size" of student debts when promising help during election.
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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. Jeremy Corbyn: "I did not make a commitment that we would write it off"
Jeremy Corbyn has insisted he did not promise to write off all student debt while appealing to young voters during the general election.
During the campaign, the Labour leader said he would "deal with" the issue of graduates burdened with debt since tuition fees rose to £9,000.
He told the BBC he had never promised to abolish all debt as Labour "were unaware of the size of it at the time".
Tory MPs have accused him of misleading students and said he should apologise.
Historical levels of student debt in England since tuition fees were introduced rose to £76.3bn last year and senior Labour figures have said an across the board debt moratorium could cost in the region of £100bn.
Many believe Labour's pledge to scrap university tuition fees for future undergraduates and help existing students was one of the factors behind its better-than-expected election performance last month.
An unexpectedly large turnout among students helped Labour win seats such as Canterbury, which it took for the first time in 100 years, and increase its majority in cities such as Cambridge, Bristol and Leeds.
Mr Corbyn has been accused of using students as "election fodder" after he claimed during the campaign that he would also look at ways to lengthen the period of paying existing debt off or "some other means of reducing that debt burden".
He told the music and lifestyle title NME he didn't see "why those that had the historical misfortune to be at university during the £9,000 period should be burdened excessively compared to those that went before or those that come after".
In recent weeks, senior Labour figures have distanced themselves from talk of a debt amnesty, saying that while it remains a long-term ambition, they do not yet know how it could be funded.
Speaking on the Andrew Marr show, Mr Corbyn said his remarks during the election did not amount to a "commitment" to erase student debt and the party would be expanding on its position in the near future.
"I did not make a commitment we would write it off because I couldn't at that stage," he said.
"I pointed out we had written the manifesto in a short space of time because there was a surprise election but that we would look at ways of reducing that debt burden, recognising that a lot of it is never going to be collected anyway and try and reduce that."
"We never said we would completely abolish it because we were unaware of the size of it at the time," he added.
Universities minister Jo Johnson said Labour was abandoning what he called "a welter of outlandish promises" made to young people during the election.
"It is becoming ever clearer that Jeremy Corbyn is looking to walk away from a host of undeliverable pre-election promises to students, making this the most blatant example of switch and bait in recent political history," he said.
Under the current system, loans that are not repaid after 30 years are written off for graduates who began their degree courses after 2012 and after 25 years for those who studied from 2006 to 2012.
Recent research from the Institute for Fiscal Studies suggested students in England are set to graduate with average debts of £50,800, with many poorer students incurring much higher sums.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-40697326
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Follow Blair's stance on Labour rebels, Corbyn urged - BBC News
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2017-07-23
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A former Labour chief whip says ex-PM Blair was reluctant to discipline Corbyn when he was a backbencher.
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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. Former chief whip Baroness Armstrong says Jeremy Corbyn was "the greatest rebel ever"
A former Labour chief whip has urged Jeremy Corbyn to "reflect" on Tony Blair's approach when party leader by ruling out the de-selection of MPs.
Baroness Hilary Armstrong told the BBC Mr Corbyn was "the greatest rebel ever" as a backbencher but Mr Blair was reluctant to discipline him.
She said the then prime minister felt that Labour was "a broad church".
Amid claims Mr Corbyn's opponents could be forced out, Baroness Armstrong said he needed to show he is "tolerant".
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's The Westminster Hour, Baroness Armstrong said she was pleased the Labour party chairman Ian Lavery had said de-selection was not the way forward.
But she added: "I know MPs where basically there is a process of harassment, where at every meeting they are criticised, they are challenged, they are told that they don't represent the people in the room.
"And all this is meant to do is grind them down, is wear them down, and get them to believe they shouldn't be in the Labour party any more."
She said "sectarianism" was "ruling" in some areas.
Baroness Armstrong added: "Jeremy has the opportunity over the summer and at party conference to make it absolutely clear that he is not going to lead a narrow sectarian faction, he's going to lead a broad church that is tolerant.
"And the real test for Jeremy is, is he up to it?"
Mr Corbyn voted against his own government more than 500 times and Baroness Armstrong said at the time there was upset among party members in his Islington North constituency,
"I had a couple of folk from Jeremy's constituency come to see me and say 'People are a bit upset with Jeremy always being against the Labour government, what if we try to de-select him?'".
She advised them they would not be supported by the leadership.
Baroness Armstrong said: "The prime minister was very clear about that when Jeremy was a backbench MP. And he was right, we shouldn't have worked to de-select him.
"But I hope that Jeremy will now reflect on that and I hope that he will be absolutely determined to make sure it doesn't happen under his watch."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-40694882
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James 'Ginger' Lacey: Battle of Britain pilot remembered - BBC News
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2017-07-23
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James Lacey is thought to have downed at least 28 enemy planes during World War Two.
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Leeds & West Yorkshire
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. James Lacey is thought to have downed 28 enemy planes during WW2
World War Two fighter pilot James Harry "Ginger" Lacey is being honoured with a blue plaque this weekend at his birthplace - now the site of a German-owned supermarket. While WW2 pilots like Douglas Bader and Guy Gibson became household names, Lacey's story is less well known.
With a nickname straight out of a Biggles adventure book, and a life story to match the fictional pilot, Ginger Lacey went from learning to fly to becoming one of the heroes of the Battle of Britain in just three years.
One of "The Few", Lacey downed at least 28 enemy planes during World War Two and was a rare example of someone who served in the RAF on both the first and final day of the war.
Due to both skill and luck, in his own words, he survived nine crash landings and famously shot down a German plane that had just bombed Buckingham Palace.
Lacey died in 1989 and his achievements have been honoured with a blue plaque on the land where his childhood home once stood in Wetherby, West Yorkshire.
The site is now home to an Aldi supermarket, with the plaque displayed at the store's entrance.
"Dad would have enjoyed the irony," said his daughter Min Lacey.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Ginger Lacey was one of the pilots described as the "backbone of RAF Fighter Command"
Born on 1 February 1917 at Fairfield Villas in Wetherby, West Yorkshire, Lacey had a rural upbringing, with his father adamant he would join the family business.
Ms Lacey, 57, said: "He desperately wanted to join the RAF, but his dad wanted him to be a farmer - it wasn't until his father died that he managed to convince his mum.
"He was a pale and skinny kid and his mum thought he would fail the medical, but of course he didn't."
While working as a trainee pharmacist in Leeds, Lacey learnt to fly with the RAF Volunteer Reserve at weekends and became an instructor at the Yorkshire Flying School in Yeadon in 1938.
As war broke out in 1939, he had amassed 1,000 hours of flight time and was sent to France as an RAF flight sergeant to support the British troops.
Lacey attended Crossley Street Primary School, seen in this photograph sitting in the front row second from the left
Flying a Hurricane with Number 501 Squadron, on the morning of 13 May 1940, he shot down two German planes over the Ardennes region.
Ms Lacey said: "When he landed, no-one believed him. He later shot down another in the afternoon - three in his first combat of World War Two."
For his bravery during the Battle of France, he was awarded the French Croix de Guerre medal, but was not presented with it until the 1980s.
"The Germans marched into Paris on the day he was due to collect it, so they had to put that on hold," his daughter said.
Ginger Lacey was stationed at Gravesend Airport during the Battle of Britain
Lacey, seen on the left, served in the RAF for the duration of World War Two
By the summer of 1940, France had surrendered to Germany, and Adolf Hitler had turned his attention to Britain, but the Nazi leader needed the Luftwaffe to take control of the skies above the south of England before he could contemplate a ground invasion.
Gordon Leith, curator at the Royal Air Force Museum, said: "It was a critical time. Following the defeat at Dunkirk they must have been aware that invasion was impending and a lot depended on their efforts."
As the Luftwaffe started to bomb airfields and factories, Lacey was ordered back to Britain and was stationed at Gravesend Airport for the majority of the Battle of Britain.
Ginger Lacey's thoughts on the Luftwaffe, from a 1978 BBC radio interview
We called them bandits... which meant either unidentified or enemy aircraft. It was never meant to describe the people in it or anything like that.
I much preferred to kill someone without them even knowing I was there - the first indication he was being shot at was when bullets were coming out of his chest.
You were there to get rid of his aeroplane, it didn't cross your mind that it was a man You were firing at an aeroplane of a different kind wearing the wrong markings and flying in our sky.
We had been told to get rid of them, so we got rid of them; there was no feeling about it.
I didn't go round hating Germans or liking Germans. I had never met a German in my life so I couldn't have any preconceived opinion of what one looked like, acted like or sounded like.
In a 1978 BBC interview, he recalled waking up in a hut by the runway as the pilots waited for the phone to ring.
"You would have a cup of tea, some breakfast, you would go out to your aircraft, a couple of hundred yards, check the aircraft, get our parachutes out, fit our helmets in the aircraft, hang them over the control column and make ourselves as comfortable as possible waiting for the first call," Lacey said.
Number 501 Squadron lost 17 men during the Battle of Britain, with Lacey's roommates regularly changing as comrades were killed.
Asked by the BBC's Norman Tozer how he ended up still alive and holding one of Britain's highest "scores" of the battle, Lacey said it was down to experience and "an awful lot of luck".
"I was shot down nine times in 16 weeks. Twice I got out with my aeroplane burning from end to end, once with no tail on it," he said.
"When someone has done that to your plane, you've got to have had a lot of luck to have avoided the bullets which mangled the aeroplane."
His daughter thinks his survival and hit rate was down to his shooting skills, with ammunition in short supply at the time.
She said: "He was a very good marksman, he brought down aircraft with five shots, so he was never going to run out of ammunition, was he?
"He was also able to conquer sheer terror day after day: can you imagine being in that tiny cockpit, frozen, terrified, doing seven flights a day and not knowing if you were going to come back from any of them?"
During the Blitz, Lacey was scrambled to stop a Heinkel He 111 plane that had flown above the capital and bombed Buckingham Palace.
"He was injured when the rear gunner fired back at him and he had to crash land. He was actually forced to glide the aircraft back to Gravesend," Mr Leith said.
Lacey was presented with the first parachute to be manufactured in Australia in 1941
Despite still being in his early 20s, Lacey was one of the more experienced pilots of the Battle of Britain.
Mr Leith said: "He was one of the famous sergeant pilots which made up the backbone of RAF Fighter Command.
"He isn't as well known as some of the officer pilots, but for those who study it he is given the respect he deserves as one of the leading pilots of the battle."
He added: "Not many survived the entire war, most were either killed, injured or taken prisoner, so for an aircrew member to have a record like that, it must have been pretty scarce."
Lacey was asked to be a technical adviser on the 1969 film Battle of Britain
Bianca Jagger and Michael Caine, pictured on the set of the film
After the Battle of Britain, Lacey was promoted to flight lieutenant and awarded a Bar to his Distinguished Flying Medal.
He continued flying fighter missions until the end of the war, including a transfer to India where he took on the Japanese.
At the end of World War Two, he was credited with having shot down 28 confirmed planes, four "probables" and nine damaged - one of the highest tallies of all the RAF's British fighter pilots.
Lacey, pictured on the left, returned to Yorkshire to be a flying instructor after he left the RAF
Married with three children, Lacey went full circle after the conflict and started to teach flying again in Yorkshire.
His daughter recalls a particularly memorable 16th birthday present, after he had told her he had not planned anything special.
"He flew a plane up and I jumped out of it with a parachute," Ms Lacey said.
"It's the third scariest thing I've done in my life, behind going on Mastermind and showing my dog around the Crufts arena."
Ginger took his daughter Min for a parachute jump on her 16th birthday
Lacey was asked to be a technical adviser on the 1969 film Battle of Britain, starring Michael Caine, as director Guy Hamilton - who had a distinguished war record himself - wanted the movie to be as true to real life as possible.
Living in Bridlington, East Yorkshire, Ginger later became an instructor at Hull Aero Club, helping more than 4,000 flyers attain a private pilot's licence.
Peter Spencer, club secretary, said: "His style was unorthodox but very accomplished on account of his experience flying RAF fighter aircraft in the war.
"In 2016, we dedicated our new training facility at Beverley Airfield in his memory."
The plaque has been installed at the site where Lacey was born in Wetherby
Peter Catton, of the Wetherby Civic Society, which was behind the move to award the blue plaque, said: "It sounds like he had a very wry sense of humour and was a practical joker, so I think that he would have found it quite funny that he was being commemorated in a German-owned supermarket.
"I get the impression that he loved flying, and I think he was a genuine hero, but I doubt that he would have recognised himself as one."
A Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Lancaster bomber performed a flypast above the plaque-unveiling ceremony in Wetherby
The blue plaque was officially unveiled on Sunday, with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight performing a flypast.
Clare Vause, store manager at Aldi in Wetherby, said the team were pleased to "play our part in marking this important historical milestone".
Attempting to sum up Lacey's legacy, Mr Leith said: "He was a very popular, influential person who served his country, was keen to get people into flying and a real RAF enthusiast."
• None How was the Battle of Britain won?
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-40660077
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Man charged with kidnap, rape and murder of teenager - BBC News
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2017-07-23
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A 33-year-old man is charged after a 19-year-old woman was found dead at a house in London.
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London
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Police found the body of the 19-year-old at this property in Kingston Upon Thames
A man has been charged with the kidnap, rape and murder of a 19-year-old woman.
The Metropolitan Police said the 33-year-old had also been charged with the rape, attempted murder and kidnap of a woman in her 20s.
Another man, 28, has been charged with the kidnap of both women.
The teenager's body was found at an address in Coombe Lane West, in Kingston Upon Thames, on Wednesday night, three hours after she had been reported missing, police said.
The second woman had earlier been treated for stab or slash wounds at a south London hospital.
Police had visited the women's addresses in Sutton and Merton following a concerned call about their safety at about 17:00 BST on Wednesday.
The teenager's name has not yet been released, but her next of kin have been informed.
A post-mortem examination revealed the cause of death was a neck wound.
The two men, who have not been named by police, will appear at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court on Monday.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-40700005
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Crossrail 2: Support by government 'outrageous' after northern snub - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham says the go-ahead for London will cause "widespread anger".
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UK
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The Department for Transport says London will have to fund half the upfront costs of Crossrail 2 and the government had not yet committed to public funding
Government support for a new London rail line after scrapping projects in Wales and the north of England has been described as "frankly outrageous".
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said there would be "widespread anger" at the decision to back the railway line, which will run through London.
Liverpool City Region's mayor said there needed to be "balanced spending".
The government said it was spending billions on infrastructure elsewhere.
On Friday it was announced that the rail link between Manchester and Newcastle may not be fully electrified, despite promises from the previous government.
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said: "We can't wait forever, we need improvements now, that's why the electrification is important, and it's also why we need more capacity at Manchester Piccadilly.
"People travelling [to Manchester] across the northern cities who will have a long commute home, I think, will be furious... that the government has cut back on rail investment in the north on the day that it's green light to Crossrail 2.
"They're not governing for the whole country."
The Liverpool-Newcastle link was to be fully electrified, according to the previous government
Crossrail 2, a north-east to south-west railway, which would tunnel beneath central London, could be running by 2033.
It is estimated the scheme will cost about £30bn at 2014 prices and construction could start in the early 2020s.
It would link Hertfordshire and Surrey, passing through Tottenham Hale, Euston-St Pancras, Tottenham Court Road, Victoria and Clapham Junction.
Announcing the decision to back Crossrail 2, the Department for Transport (DfT) said Transport Secretary Chris Grayling and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan had agreed there was "no doubt London needs new infrastructure to support its growth and ensure it continues as the UK's economic powerhouse".
Mr Grayling said: "I am a supporter of Crossrail 2, but given its price tag we have to ensure that we get this right.
"The mayor and I have agreed to work together on it over the coming months to develop plans that are as strong as possible, so that the public gets an affordable scheme that is fair to the UK taxpayer."
Last week, the government was criticised for scrapping the planned electrification of railway lines in parts of England and Wales.
At the time, Mr Grayling said the government would instead introduce faster trains with more seats and better on-board facilities.
On Monday Mr Burnham tweeted: "On Friday, Tories say they can't afford rail schemes in the North.
"On Monday, they find billions more for London. Are these 2 things linked?"
He said: "People here have had to put up with sub-standard rail services for decades and will simply not accept that spending billions more on London is the country's highest priority for transport investment.".
He added that the fact the announcement had been made after Parliament had broken up for the summer was "denying any real scrutiny" of the decision.
Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram said that while he did not "begrudge" the investment in London and the South East, there needed to be balanced spending to "support growth in the North as well".
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: "Crossrail 2 is essential for the future prosperity of London and the South East, so I'm pleased that the transport secretary and I have reached an agreement to take this vital project forward."
A DfT spokesman said that while it had agreed to work further with Transport for London on Crossrail 2, it said London needed to pay half of the upfront construction costs and that the government had not committed any public funding yet.
The spokesman added that the government was spending £57bn on HS2, £1bn to improve rail infrastructure in the north of England and £800m on new road schemes.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-40708531
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Liam Fox downplays UK-US chlorinated chicken differences - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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The UK minister says chlorine-washed poultry is an issue for "the very end stage of one sector" of trade talks.
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UK Politics
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Chlorinated chicken is a familiar feature on US shelves but is banned in the EU
Liam Fox has downplayed talk that a future US-UK trade deal after Brexit could be threatened by disagreements over chlorinated chicken imports.
The international trade secretary said the issue of whether the current UK ban on chlorine-washed poultry would be lifted was "a detail of the very end stage of one sector" of future talks.
The EU bans imports on health grounds but free market groups want a rethink.
Downing Street said any trade deal must work for both consumers and farmers.
Mr Fox is in Washington DC for two days of talks with US officials about the existing transatlantic trade relationship and how this will change once the UK leaves the EU in March 2019.
Although the UK cannot seal a free trade deal of its own with the US until it leaves the EU, both sides have expressed a desire to make quick progress and to scope out some of the barriers to an expedited deal.
The EU currently bans imports of poultry meat which is rinsed in chlorine and it will be up to the UK to decide, after it leaves the EU, whether this ban stays in place.
Environmental campaigners have expressed concerns that the UK's desire for a quick deal could pave the way for the ban to be lifted as well as a loosening of other restrictions on imports of unlabelled genetically modified (GM) foods and beef from cattle implanted with growth hormones.
Concerns about differing EU and US standards were among issues that resulted in the two sides failing to agree a comprehensive trade and investment partnership last year.
In the US, it is legal to wash chicken carcasses in strongly chlorinated water.
Producers argue that it mitigates the spread of microbial contamination from the animal's digestive tract to the meat while regulators agree
The practice is banned in the EU on health grounds, arguing it could increase the risk of bacterial-based diseases such as salmonella on the grounds that dirty abattoirs with sloppy standards would rely on it as a decontaminant rather than making sure their basic hygiene protocols were up to scratch.
There are also concerns that such "washes" would be used by less scrupulous meat processing plants to increase the shelf-life of meat, making it appear fresher than it really is.
Asked whether he would be happy eating chlorinated chicken, Mr Fox suggested that the British media was "obsessed" by the issue and asked whether reporters would be shunning US chicken during their visit.
In what he described as the "complex" process of negotiating an over-arching deal to advance the mutual prosperity of the US and UK people, he suggested the issue ranked low down on his list of current priorities.
Speaking more broadly, Mr Fox said discussions about global trade too often focused around talk about the interests of producers and jobs rather than the needs of consumers as people.
"We have to make the case for free trade and consumer gains," he said.
On Sunday, he conceded that reciprocal access to markets for agri-food products were one of the hardest-fought elements of trade deals and often among the last areas to be agreed.
There have been reports of disagreement in the Cabinet over the issue of chicken imports.
Mr Fox said the UK and the US had to make the case for the further liberalisation of global trade
Environment Secretary Michael Gove has said the UK will retain existing standards of environmental and animal welfare outside of the EU and that his goal was to improve them further.
Speaking last week, he said there would be "no compromise" on standards and that he believed being a world leader in free trade and animal welfare should not be incompatible.
Free market economists have called for the UK to permit imports of chlorinated chicken as a goodwill gesture to help facilitate a comprehensive trade deal.
The Adam Smith Institute said there was no evidence that eating chlorinated chicken in moderation posed any risk to human health.
In a report published on Monday, it said lifting restrictions would be good for hard-pressed consumers as a kilo of chicken was 21% cheaper in the US than its UK equivalent.
"Trade critics like to suggest that signing a deal with the USA will mean that Brits will be forced to eat unsafe produce," said its author Peter Spence.
"In reality, chlorinated chicken is so harmless that even the EU's own scientific advisers have declared that it is "of no safety concern."
"Agreeing to US poultry imports would help to secure a quick US trade deal, and bring down costs for British households. European opposition to US agricultural exports has held up trade talks for years."
Asked whether the government was guaranteeing to maintain EU-level food standards after Brexit, a Downing Street spokesman said: "Our position when it comes to food is that maintaining the safety and public confidence in the food we eat is of the highest priority
"Any future trade deal must work for UK farmers, businesses and consumers."
• None UK and US to start trade deal talks
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-40703368
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Switzerland chainsaw attack: Police hunt Schaffhausen attacker - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Five people were injured in the town of Schaffhausen after being attacked with a chainsaw.
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Europe
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Central parts of Schaffhausen have been sealed off by police
Police are hunting for a man who attacked five people with a chainsaw in the Swiss town of Schaffhausen.
Franz Wrousis is alleged to have launched his assault at a health insurance office shortly after 10:30 local time (08:30 GMT).
The attack sparked a manhunt involving more than 100 officers from both Switzerland and Germany.
Police say the 51-year-old, who lives in the woods, is dangerous and believed to be still armed with the chainsaw.
His exact motives are still not clear, but police Major Ravi Landolt told a news conference: "This is not an attack against a hypothetical person. This is clearly against people from the insurer."
Swiss police are searching for this man
Mr Wrousis, who has two previous convictions for weapons offences, is reported to have entered the offices in Schaffhausen on Monday morning.
He then allegedly attacked a number of people working in the branch of health insurance company CSS.
At least one employee was left with serious injuries, but is now out of danger.
On Monday afternoon, police said the vehicle he was believed to be driving - a white Volkswagen - had been found, but Mr Wrousis remained at large.
People living near the woods just outside the city confirmed to Switzerland's 20 Minuten (in German) that Mr Wrousis had been living in the area for at least a couple of weeks.
One resident told the news site they had reported him to police on two occasions after he verbally attacked them.
Schaffhausen is the capital of the Swiss canton of the same name.
About 36,000 people live in the historic town.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-40705621
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Flint iron ring sculpture plans met with criticism - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The sculpture, which could potentially stand 7m high and 30m wide, symbolises a giant rusted crown
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North East Wales
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The sculpture will be part of a £630,000 investment project at Flint Castle.
Plans to create an iron ring sculpture at Flint Castle have been described as "insulting to Wales".
The design, said to represent the relationship between the medieval monarchies of Europe and the castles they built, was unveiled on Friday.
But critics including Plaid Cymru's North Wales AM Llyr Gruffydd said it symbolises the oppression of Welsh people.
Monuments body Cadw said the plans were "about investing in Flint".
Flint was one of the first castles to be built in Wales by Edward I - construction began in 1277.
The winning design was selected by a panel following a nation-wide competition, and the architects said it demonstrated "the unstable nature of the crown".
But Mr Gruffydd said a sculpture celebrating the conquest of Wales by Edward I was "inappropriate and insulting".
"The 'ring of steel' is the description given to the chain of castles across Wales that were built to conquer and subjugate Wales," he said.
"From a Welsh perspective, this is certainly not something to celebrate. It does not either reflect the many rich Welsh legends that could have been the source of a far more appropriate sculpture."
A petition has also been launched calling the design "extremely disrespectful". By Monday it had attracted more than 2,000 signatures.
People have also criticised the sculpture on social media.
TJ Buck tweeted: "I think even a 'balloon made of lead' would have gone down better than this idea", while Carolyn Hitt posted: "Flint has rich history of female factory workers. Turn those into legends rather than remember Edward I's Iron Ring."
But Andrew Barratt said: "It symbolises the role of castles, we were subjugated, it's history, sad but let's get over it living in the past won't forge our new Wales."
In response, a spokeswoman for Cadw said it recognises "that art divides opinions, encourages debate, and can be interpreted in many ways".
"These plans are about investing in Flint, increasing visitor numbers and growing the local economy. The proposed sculpture would also provide a unique opportunity to promote Welsh steel, as well as tell powerful stories that continue to shape our lives today," the spokeswoman said.
"We will continue to listen to a range of views on this important project as it evolves, and ensure that decisions over issues such as the words inscribed on the sculpture reflect local opinions and the complex and often difficult history of Wales."
A spokeswoman for Arts Council of Wales said its role was to "assist with advice in setting up the tender process and selecting the work" alongside other panellists from Visit Wales and Cadw.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-east-wales-40703954
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Pick-up truck driven at people in Manchester city centre - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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A man was struck during the incident, but it was not terror-related, police said.
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Manchester
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The incident happened in Well Street on Sunday night
A pick-up truck was driven at pedestrians in Manchester city centre, police have said.
A man was hit when the Isuzu D-Max Fury vehicle was "deliberately" driven at people on Well Street at about 23:20 BST on Sunday.
Police say it was a "targeted attack" but "not terror-related". The man who was struck left the scene in a BMW and the truck chased him for a short time.
The car window was smashed but the man was not seriously injured.
"This was the city centre and there were lots of people in the area who would have witnessed the commotion," he said.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-40704536
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Doctor Who Christmas special: First look at Peter Capaldi's final outing - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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New trailer shows the Twelfth Doctor's final outing, as well as the return of Bill Potts.
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Entertainment & Arts
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The Christmas episode is called Twice Upon A Time and features the return of Pearl Mackie as Bill Potts.
Details of Peter Capaldi's final outing in Doctor Who have been revealed as the first trailer for the Christmas special was released online.
The one-minute clip for the episode, titled Twice Upon A Time, sees Capaldi and the First Doctor team up.
It features the return of Pearl Mackie as Bill Potts, who had seemingly left the show at the end of series 10.
The clip also showed a guest appearance from Mark Gatiss, who plays a World War One soldier called The Captain.
The release of the trailer coincided with the cast appearing at Comic-Con in San Diego on Sunday, where they talked about the upcoming episode, the last series and looked back at Capaldi's time on the sci-fi drama.
Gatiss described the Christmas special as being "a Christmas episode without being overtly Christmassy - it's very happy-sad".
He added: "[It's] a fantastic episode and we had a great time doing it. It was a lovely way out."
It will be the third time the Sherlock actor and writer has appeared on Doctor Who, after previously starring in episodes in series three and six.
Mackie also confirmed the festive episode will be her last appearance on the show.
Twice Upon a Time is the final episode for Peter Capaldi's Twelfth Doctor and for outgoing showrunner Steven Moffat. Both have been huge Doctor Who fans for most of their lives, and their final story is clearly a love letter to a show that means a huge amount to both.
This first trailer begins with original footage of the First Doctor, William Hartnell, from 1966's The Tenth Planet (episode two if you're interested), which then mixes through to David Bradley who plays him in this story.
But it also shows a glimpse of a scene with the First Doctor and his assistant Polly from episode four - Hartnell's final episode before Patrick Troughton took over. Sadly that episode is one of the dozens that are still missing from the BBC archives.
The minute-long teaser also makes clear that this Christmas story won't just be accessible to long term fans. Bill will be back, after she was last seen heading off to travel the universe with student-turned-space and time traveller Heather.
The trailer also shows actor and writer Mark Gatiss making another Doctor Who appearance. In 2007 he played Professor Lazarus, and he also briefly popped up playing a different character in 2011.
Comic-Con fans were shown a three-minute goodbye video for Capaldi, thanking him for his time on the show, which led to a standing ovation.
The actor praised writer and executive producer Steven Moffat, saying: "Every shot you saw there came through his gentleman's mind. The message of the show comes from his heart."
Whittaker was announced in a trailer on BBC One after the Wimbledon men's final
The team also addressed the casting of Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor and first female to take on the role.
Capaldi called it "a great choice", adding: "I think Jodie's going to be amazing and she's so full of excitement and full of passion about the show.
It's really thrilling to know it's in the hands of somebody who cares for it so deeply and is going to do exciting things with it."
Meanwhile, Moffat criticised the "imaginary backlash" in the media on the issue.
"There's so many press articles about a backlash among Doctor Who fandom against the casting of a female Doctor. There has been no backlash at all," he said.
"[Jodie has] an 80% approval rating on social media. I wish every single journalist who is writing the alternative would shut the hell up - it's not true."
The outgoing writer and executive producer also cleared up the issue of whether the character's name is Doctor Who or the Doctor.
"There isn't any doubt about it, I'm sorry," Moffat said. "It was established in The War Machines (episode) that his name is Doctor Who."
He provided evidence to back up his point, including signing letters "Doctor W" and the third Doctor having a "Who" licence plate.
"He doesn't often call himself Doctor Who because it's a bloody stupid name," Moffat added.
On Saturday, Capaldi told Empire he was both sad to be leaving the series and excited for its future.
"[The Christmas special] is a wonderful episode and I couldn't have wanted for any more.
"It's an emotional and moving end to my time as Doctor Who."
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-40700897
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Man charged with kidnap, rape and murder of teenager - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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A 33-year-old man is charged after a 19-year-old woman was found dead at a house in London.
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London
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Police found the body of the 19-year-old at this property in Kingston Upon Thames
A man has been charged with the kidnap, rape and murder of a 19-year-old woman.
The Metropolitan Police said the 33-year-old had also been charged with the rape, attempted murder and kidnap of a woman in her 20s.
Another man, 28, has been charged with the kidnap of both women.
The teenager's body was found at an address in Coombe Lane West, in Kingston Upon Thames, on Wednesday night, three hours after she had been reported missing, police said.
The second woman had earlier been treated for stab or slash wounds at a south London hospital.
Police had visited the women's addresses in Sutton and Merton following a concerned call about their safety at about 17:00 BST on Wednesday.
The teenager's name has not yet been released, but her next of kin have been informed.
A post-mortem examination revealed the cause of death was a neck wound.
The two men, who have not been named by police, will appear at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court on Monday.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-40700005
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South West Trains warns of London Waterloo disruption - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The company said delays and cancellations could continue until the end of the day.
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London
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South West Trains is warning of severe disruption across the whole network for the rest of the day.
The train company said delays were still ongoing on journeys towards London Waterloo after a loss of all signalling in the Earlsfield area of south-west London.
It said trains could be cancelled, delayed by up to 90 minutes or revised until the end of service.
SWT had already warned of disruption because of a track defect on a set of points between Woking and Surbiton, which blocked the London-bound fast line.
A company spokesman said: "Services are still recovering from a major signal failure on mainline services through Clapham Junction to Waterloo."
Network Rail apologised for the disruption and said it would continue to work to resume a normal service as quickly as possible.
South West Trains passengers are set to face severe disruption next month when work begins to extend platforms at Waterloo, meaning many services will not be running and some commuter stations will be closed altogether.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-40702353
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Orange Order calls on Protestants not to use the phrase 'RIP' - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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It said the phrase is unbiblical, un-Protestant, and connected to Catholicism.
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Northern Ireland
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The Orange Order is the largest Protestant organisation in Northern Ireland
The Orange Order has asked its members to stop using the term 'RIP' to express grief or sympathy after a death.
It said the phrase is unbiblical, un-Protestant, and a form of superstition connected to Catholicism.
RIP is an abbreviation of 'rest in peace' or in Latin, 'requiescat in pace'.
In a publication marking the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, the order called on Protestants to stop using the phrase.
Wallace Thompson, secretary of Evangelical Protestants Northern Ireland, wrote a Facebook post on which the article was based.
He told the BBC's Talkback programme: "Observing social media, we have noticed that the letters RIP are used a lot by Protestants, and by some evangelical Protestants."
Mr Thompson explained that for him, 'RIP' is a prayer and he did not encourage prayers for the dead.
"From a Protestant point of view, we believe, when death comes, a person either goes to be with Christ for all eternity, or into hell.
Wallace Thompson believes that the phrase 'RIP' is effectively a prayer for the dead and therefore un-Protestant
"That's what we believe the gospel to be and in this 500th anniversary year of the Reformation, I think Luther, when the scales fell off his eyes, realised that it was all by faith alone, in Christ alone, the decision is made during life, on this earth, so that when death comes it has been made and no decision has been made after death," he said.
Speaking on the same programme, former Presbyterian moderator Dr Ken Newell said he did not use the phrase very often.
"I think when people use [RIP] in social media, there's a remembrance and a good wish in it, almost a blessing," he said.
He disagreed that people are praying for the dead when they used the phrase.
"If folk in the Orange Order want to take this line that's perfectly up to them, they are making a good point.
"I think ordinary people have not worked out the issues. This comes out of the human heart," he added.
In response to a request for a spokesperson of the issue, the Orange Order referred the BBC to comments made by the county grand master of County Fermanagh Grand Orange Lodge, Stuart Brooker, in the Impartial Reporter newspaper.
In it he said: "I think the message in the article is very clear and well put together, and I couldn't add anything further to it.
"This article clearly explains why we as Protestants, and members of the Orange Institution, shouldn't use the term 'RIP'.
"It also reminds us that if we need guidance in any matter, we should refer to what the bible teaches."
The Orange Order is the largest Protestant organisation in Northern Ireland.
It regards itself as defending civil and religious liberties of Protestants and seeks to uphold the rule and ascendancy of a Protestant monarch in the United Kingdom.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-40705687
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Quorn booms as 'flexitarians' increase - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The meat substitute maker says it has seen "unprecedented" global growth this year, with sales up 19%.
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Business
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Meat substitute company Quorn Foods says it has seen "unprecedented" global growth in the first half of this year, with sales up 19% worldwide.
The firm says it is benefiting from the rise of the "flexitarian" diet.
This means more people have been reducing meat consumption in favour of more sustainable protein sources.
As a result, it is investing £150m to double production at its main plant in Teesside and expects to create 300 new jobs there in the next five years.
"We are proud to be contributing to the UK's export drive and to be investing in a British innovation that is vital to addressing the future need for protein across a growing global population," said Quorn chief executive Kevin Brennan.
"Our growth will continue as expected, regardless of the Brexit deal that is reached.
"In fact, today's investment is indicative of our confidence in becoming a billion-dollar brand in the next 10 years."
The firm, which has been owned by Monde Nissin of the Philippines since 2015, says it made a pre-tax operating profit of £13.7m in the first six months of 2017.
Quorn, a meat substitute made from fungus, is sold on its own for use in recipes at home or in ready meals and products that mimic items such as burgers and sausages. It is available in 15 countries.
Quorn Foods has 650 employees on three UK sites and internationally: Stokesley in North Yorkshire, Billingham on Teesside and Methwold in Norfolk, as well as Frankfurt in Germany and Chicago in the US.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40686484
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IMF downgrades UK and US growth forecasts - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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Lower activity in the first quarter of 2017 suggests both will underperform the global economy.
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Business
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The IMF's forecast for UK growth in 2018 is unchanged
The UK and US economies will expand more slowly in 2017 than previously predicted, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
It said "weaker-than-expected activity" in the first three months of the year meant the UK would grow by 1.7%, compared with an earlier 2% forecast.
The IMF also revised down its US growth forecast from 2.3% to 2.1%.
However, its overall global economic predictions - of 3.5% growth in 2017 and 3.6% in 2018 - remain unchanged.
The UK growth forecast for 2018 remains unchanged at 1.5%, but US growth for next year is now predicted to come in at 2.1%, instead of the 2.5% previously forecast.
In its latest World Economic Outlook, the IMF said the "pick-up in global growth" that it had anticipated in its previous survey in April remained "on track".
But it added that while the global growth projection was unchanged that masked "somewhat different contributions at the country level".
The IMF's chief economist, Maurice Obstfeld, told the BBC that the organisation was watching closely the impact of Brexit on the UK's future economic health.
"We have long predicted that Brexit would have some negative long-term effects, but in the case of this year's forecast [downgrade] we are basing it purely on the observation of data for the first part of this year which has been weaker than expected.
"Our projections for long-term British growth are actually based on a pretty optimistic assessment of how the negotiations are likely to turn out, so if things are worse than that it will turn out to be correspondingly worse for the British economy."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The IMF has warned on the Today programme that Brexit will be a "mild negative" to the British economy
A UK Treasury spokesperson said the IMF forecast underlined why the government's plans to increase productivity and get "the very best deal with the EU" after Brexit were "vitally important".
"Employment is at a record high and the deficit is down by three quarters, showing that the fundamentals of our economy are strong," they added.
Economists warned that IMF forecasts were not always right.
"The IMF, a multi-lateral institution, takes a step back and looks at a broad range of activities across the world, but they do sometimes get things wrong and we wouldn't want to put too much emphasis on what's been released today," said Lucy O'Carroll, chief economist of Aberdeen Asset Management.
The downgrade in the UK's forecast reflects the weak start to the year.
The economy grew by 0.2% in the first three months. That is all we get by way of explanation from the IMF.
It is a short report - just seven pages - and it updates the IMF's assessment for the whole world economy so there isn't much space to spell it out.
The IMF is well known, some would say notorious, for warning before last year's referendum of the adverse economic consequences of leaving the European Union.
Do the agency's economists think that the downgrade reflects evidence suggesting that they were right? The report doesn't say. The IMF's chief economist told the BBC that the revision was based purely on the weakness at the start of the year.
We will get a bit of hard evidence on how justified the downgrade was or was not later this week, when the Office for National Statistics publishes its first estimate of economic growth in the second quarter of the year.
The IMF said that the main factor behind its downward revision for US growth in 2018 was "the assumption that fiscal policy will be less expansionary than previously assumed, given the uncertainty about the timing and nature of US fiscal policy changes".
"Market expectations of fiscal stimulus have also receded."
President Donald Trump's administration had been widely expected to pursue policies including tax cuts and infrastructure investment to try to boost the US economy.
However, the chances of the administration being able to push through these policies now appears less likely.
The eurozone is seeing "stronger momentum", the IMF said
The IMF's outlook for several eurozone economies was brighter than initially thought, with countries including France, Germany, Italy and Spain seeing growth forecasts revised up.
The biggest eurozone revisions were for the Spanish and Italian economies. Spain is now forecast to grow 3.1% this year, up from the previous prediction of 2.6%. Italy's 2017 growth forecast has risen from 0.8% to 1.3%.
The euro area as a whole is expected to grow by 1.9% this year, up from 1.7%.
The IMF said first-quarter growth in many of those countries was better than expected, and that there was evidence of "stronger momentum in domestic demand than previously anticipated".
China's growth projections have also been revised up, reflecting, the Fund says, "a strong first quarter of 2017 and expectations of continued fiscal support".
Its 2017 forecast has risen from 6.6% to 6.7%, while growth in 2018 is now expected to be 6.4% instead of 6.2%.
The IMF hailed China's "policy easing and supply-side reforms", including efforts to reduce excess capacity in the industrial sector.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40697473
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Electricity shake-up could save consumers 'up to £40bn' - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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New rules will encourage UK consumers to generate and store their own power, ministers say.
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Business
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Consumers in the UK could save billions of pounds thanks to major changes in the way electricity is made, used and stored, the government has said.
New rules will make it easier for people to generate their own power with solar panels, store it in batteries and sell it to the National Grid.
If they work, consumers will save £17bn to £40bn by 2050, according to the government and energy regulator Ofgem.
The rules are due to come into effect over the next year.
They will reduce costs for someone who allows their washing machine to be turned on by the internet to maximise use of cheap solar power on a sunny afternoon.
And they will even support people who agree to have their freezers switched off for a few minutes to smooth demand at peak times.
They'll also benefit a business that allows its air-conditioning to be turned down briefly to help balance a spell of peak energy demand on the National Grid.
Among the first to gain from the rule changes will be people with solar panels and battery storage. At the moment they are charged tariffs when they import electricity into their home or export it back to the grid.
The government has realised that this rule must change because it deters people from using power more flexibly in a way that will benefit everyone.
Thanks to improvements in digital technology, battery storage and renewables, these innovations in flexibility are already under way with millions of people across the UK generating and storing electricity.
The new rules have been designed to cash in on this.
The government will set up a "battery institute" to fund firms seeking major breakthroughs in battery research and development.
Its critics say it has been slow to support the burgeoning battery industry - and has allowed South Korea, Japan and China to take a lead.
The tiny energy savings of millions of people and firms will be pulled together into packages by traders, who will offer substantial chunks of energy saving to the National Grid at the click of a computer.
Under the new system you should be able to tell your machine to do the washing when the sun comes out, to take advantage of solar power
So instead of predicting peak demand then building power stations to meet it, energy managers will be able to trade in Negawatts - negative electricity.
In a speech made in Birmingham, Business Secretary Greg Clark outlined further a £246m investment in the UK's industrial strategy, with energy at its heart.
He gave details of a competition for innovation in battery technology, which he says will help make the UK a world leader in battery design and manufacture.
Nicola Shaw, executive director of National Grid, previously told BBC News that between 30% and 50% of fluctuations on the grid could be smoothed by households and businesses adjusting their demand at peak times.
"We are at a moment of real change in the energy industry," she said.
"From an historic perspective, we created energy in big generating organisations that sent power to houses and their businesses.
"Now we are producing energy in those places - mostly with solar power."
An Ofgem source told BBC News the current rules on trading energy are not fit for the digital age because they often discourage people using energy flexibly.
The rules were made before the digital revolution and before the boom in variable renewable energy.
Industry figures talk about the seismic change that's sweeping them along.
At a recent UK conference, energy managers were asked which of them could foresee the shape of the industry in a decade; only half a dozen people raised their hands.
Some will urge a degree of caution amongst the enthusiasm: the more the energy industry embraces the digital age, the more vulnerable it will be to hacking.
Recent reports suggest that Russian hackers may already have tried to compromise the system.
Ofgem says the new rules will put measures in place to combat interference.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40699986
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Justin Bieber apologises after cancelling rest of Purpose World Tour - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The pop star bows out of the remaining 14 dates because of "unforeseen circumstances".
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Entertainment & Arts
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Bieber had been expected to play another 14 dates in Asia and North America
Justin Bieber has apologised to his fans after cancelling the remaining dates of his Purpose World Tour because of "unforeseen circumstances".
The move affects 14 dates in Asia and North America which were coming up over the next three months.
Bieber told celebrity news website TMZ.com: "I'm sorry for anybody who feels disappointed or betrayed."
The singer has performed more than 150 shows on the tour, promoting his 2015 album Purpose, since March 2016.
The tour grossed $93.2m (£71.5m) in the first half of 2017, with an average of almost 40,000 ticket sales per date.
Bieber added: "I have been on tour for two years. I'm looking forward to just resting, getting some relaxation and we're going to ride some bikes."
The singer's manager, Scooter Braun, posted on Instagram: "To Justin, who gave it his all night after night, thank you.
"And to those that won't be able to see it... on behalf of myself, Justin, and the team, we are sorry. That was never our intent. But a man's soul and wellbeing I truly care about came first and we must all respect and honour that.
"Justin will be back and I know he looks forward to performing for you and with you all again. One chapter ends and another begins."
A statement on Bieber's website read: "Justin loves his fans and hates to disappoint them.
"He is grateful and honoured to have shared that experience with his cast and crew for over 150 successful shows across six continents during this run.
"However, after careful consideration he has decided he will not be performing any further dates. Tickets will be refunded at point of purchase."
Most of Bieber's remaining dates were in the US, but he was also due to play in Japan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Singapore and Indonesia.
Chinese officials said last week that the Canadian pop star had been banned from mainland China because he had engaged in what they described as "bad behaviour".
Bieber's decision comes a few weeks after British singer Adele cancelled the last two shows of her world tour on medical advice after damaging her vocal cords.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-40711774
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How Bite Beauty is building an all-natural lipstick business - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Beauty entrepreneur Susanne Langmuir decided to concentrate on one thing and do it well - lips.
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US & Canada
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When Susanne Langmuir faces a big problem at Bite Beauty she asks herself: "What would Louis do"?
Louis is Louis Vuitton, the French designer who in the late 19th Century turned a small box-making shop into a global luxury brand.
For Ms Langmuir, 48, "What would Louis do?" means: what's the correct course of action that won't compromise Bite's original values?
The Bite founder says: "Not compromising for me is about knowing what the pure idea is, and finding a way to get rid of obstacles that would interfere with that."
Her "pure idea" was to create line of lip products made solely from all-natural, food-grade ingredients. "You are what you eat. What you put on your lips, you eat," she says.
Bite Beauty was launched in 2012 in partnership with Sephora, the France-based chain of global cosmetics stores which began selling the products in its outlets. The firm also has "lip labs", where people custom-make their own lipstick.
Bite's Lip Labs are where people can custom-make their lipstick
Karen Grant, a beauty industry analyst at market research firm The NPD Group, says Sephora is a "great incubator" for small businesses. Bite's launch was master class in getting it right, she says, praising the sleek and edgy product design.
Bite's success did not come without hurdles, however, says Ms Langmuir. The Canadian beauty entrepreneur, born and raised near Toronto, hit two early roadblocks.
Major cosmetics production facilities said they could not produce formulas without at least some synthetic ingredients - a deal-breaker for Ms Langmuir. So she built a lipstick factory in Toronto, where the products are still handmade.
The first chemist that Ms Langmuir hired almost torpedoed the project by quitting without notice shortly before the company had to show early formulas to Sephora.
Ms Langmuir, who sold Avon as a teenager and later worked as a cosmetics consultant for several companies, including Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters, had some experience creating formulas.
So she "made a bunch of things in the lab" and headed off to the Sephora meeting, telling them: "You don't want to get too attached to the formula, but this is where we are heading." She eventually recruited a former Estee Lauder chemist.
Ms Langmuir says she and her 140 Bite staff are used to handling challenges. "We find humour in them, we find a way to figure them out. We've got good perspective on what we do next," she says. "It's a good sign when there are significant challenges."
Bite was not her first entrepreneurial challenge. Almost 20 years ago, she developed an organic face oil, but it never caught on with consumers. She also launched a perfume shop that was flooded with sewage water on its first day.
She describes herself as "a weeble-wobble" toy that bounces back after being knocked down. "There's always another way," she says.
The idea for Bite came from a gut feeling that there was an underserved market for all-natural cosmetics with an edgy, contemporary style.
In the spring of 2013, Bite held a promotional pop-up shop in a Toronto Sephora store. She was given a window space to set up lab equipment and showcase how Bite's small batches of handmade lipsticks were made.
People were captivated. Three weeks later she leased a shop in the SoHo district of Manhattan to set up the inaugural Bite Lip Lab, where people could create shades on the spot, and select the finish and scent within half an hour.
There are now four Lip Labs in the US and Canada, and plans to open more in Los Angeles and other cities.
The Lip Labs have placed Bite at the forefront of what the industry considers a growing trend - bespoke beauty - and will be "a crucial, fundamental part of our growth," Ms Langmuir says.
Having clients who like to personalise products means Ms Langmuir can tap into the latest trends in the fast-moving cosmetics marketplace.
"For us, we learn about our clients, we learn about trends, we have lots of 'aha moments' where things that are not even on my radar (come up)," she says.
More The Boss features, which every week profile a different business leader from around the world:
A year after launching the SoHo Lip Lab, Bite was bought by Kendo, which, like Sephora, is part of the French multinational luxury goods conglomerate Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy. The sale price has not been disclosed.
However, Ms Langmuir remains in day-to-day control as chief creative officer, and the products are still handmade in Toronto, in the community where her kids go to school.
The purchase gave Bite the resources to scale-up the business, and Ms Langmuir has no regrets about selling. It will enable the company to "grow ten times as big", she says. "I get to focus on the creative stuff, and that's the icing."
The search for the perfect red
The challenge is to stay relevant in a industry where trends never stop changing - sometimes very quickly.
She grabs a sample lipstick from her desk and swipes a bright white pearlescent colour on her hand. "This is like, whoo! I toned that one down because it was a little too crazy. It's finding that balance," she says.
NPD Group's Karen Grant says Bite must avoid just churning out more products to make scale. "A brand can't get too detached or too comfortable," she says.
Ms Langmuir knows that walking this tightrope will determine how relevant the company will be in 10 or 20 years. "It's finding the balance between core and things that are new and exciting," she says.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-39970721
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England's World Cup win: The transformation of women's cricket - BBC Sport
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2017-07-24
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The 2013 Women's World Cup barely registered with the public. England's glorious 2017 triumph could not be more different.
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If you're going to win the Women's World Cup, it might as well be the biggest ever staged.
When Heather Knight got her hands on the ultimate prize in women's cricket on an emotional Sunday afternoon at Lord's, it marked a triumph not only for England, but the sport itself.
For Knight, kissing the silverware is a world away from four years ago, when she was clinging on to a place in an England side that failed to reach the final.
But her personal transformation, and her team under coach Mark Robinson, is nothing compared to that of the women's game from a 2013 World Cup that was barely befitting of the name.
Held in India, mainly Mumbai, it hardly registered with the locals in a nation where cricket is loved like no other.
Its very staging came under threat over a row about the presence of the Pakistan team, who were eventually shifted to the other side of the country - 1,000 miles away in Cuttack - and forced to sleep at the Barabati Stadium.
The women were due to play at Mumbai's iconic Wankhede Stadium, only to be evicted to make way for men's matches. Facilities at venues were shoddy and publicity non-existent.
Although global TV audiences were up, matches were played to near empty stadiums, despite entry being free of charge.
"It was shocking in India," former England batter Ebony Rainford-Brent told BBC Sport. "In a cricket-crazy country, you would expect to see something - posters, adverts - but there was nothing.
"The only people in the grounds were a few family members. It was almost like the cricket wasn't happening."
Now, the World Cup doesn't just seem like a different event, but women's cricket is an entirely different sport.
• None In Short: 'There's never been a better time to be a woman in cricket'
The final at Lord's was a fitting conclusion to a tournament that has catapulted women's cricket into the national and international consciousness.
What began with a marketing campaign on the London Underground and in cinemas ended in a sold-out Lord's and the most-watched game of women's cricket in history.
Across the tournament, all matches were shown live for the first time, with more than 50 million watching the group games alone. Over the course of the event, the International Cricket Council expects an 80% increase in worldwide viewership.
More than one million users followed England's final victory on the BBC Sport website, while the hosts' nerve-shredding semi-final victory over South Africa was also front-page news. In the host cities - Bristol, Leicester, Derby and Taunton - 30,000 people visited fan zones.
"Everything you could think of to promote the tournament has been done," added Rainford-Brent. "The investment and energy that has gone into has been incredible. To finish with a packed Lord's ticked the final box."
The audience is a new one, too, riding a wave that perhaps began with last year's launch of the Twenty20 Super League, a competition that attracted an average attendance in excess of 1,000, larger than the inaugural season of its football equivalent in 2011.
At the World Cup, 50% of ticket-buyers were women, while 31% of those in attendance were under the age of 16. About 13,000 tickets were given away to schools and every child at Lord's on Sunday received a plastic bat as a souvenir of the incredible final.
Marie, from Surrey, was at the game with seven-year-old daughter Lucy and said: "Lucy's dad played cricket but she has become more aware that women play too.
"We've heard a lot about women's cricket on the radio and now she is more aware that there are opportunities for her in the future if she wants to play sport."
Tom, from London, brought daughters Connie, five, and Cissie, three, to their first game of cricket.
"I thought it would be a fun game for them, with lots of entertainment going on around the edges," he said.
'Women's cricket is everywhere - now is the time'
Youngsters may have Knight, Tammy Beaumont and Anya Shrubsole as their new England heroes and be keen to try their hand at Natalie Sciver's Nat-meg, but India's surprise run to the final could turn out to be far more important for the future of the women's game than England's fourth world title.
Four years ago, interest in the tournament on home soil was so low that, when India were dumped out in the first round, journalists (not many of them) could wander up to a lonely Mithali Raj for their own private audience with the captain.
Now, even if the impressive Raj is unlikely to reach the demi-god status of Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, her country actually knows who she and her exciting team are.
When India's men pulled off a shock triumph in the 1983 World Cup, it began a boom in one-day cricket. When the same team won the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007, a nation previously pretty sniffy about the shortest form of the game threw itself into the Indian Premier League.
Might India now follow the example of Australia and England to launch its own T20 league for women? Raj, Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur are stars that could take women's cricket to the masses.
"Why not start a league of our own in India?" said Raj. "Now is the right time to create that in India because women's cricket is everywhere.
"If more girls participate in leagues like that, they will improve their game and gain valuable experience."
The man who helped make it happen
If the women's game is about to face greater commercialisation, exposure and expectation then England are lucky to have Robinson, a man who should take his share of credit for their triumph.
When the former fast bowler made the surprise switch from Sussex's men's side, England's results had been patchy for some time. Although they had won two of the previous three Ashes series, they were without a global trophy since 2009.
When that record was extended with a semi-final exit at the 2016 World T20, Robinson made his move.
If his public attack on the players' fitness raised eyebrows, then the axing of captain Charlotte Edwards was genuinely stunning - not least to some inside the England and Wales Cricket Board.
Edwards was (and still is) a fine player, one of the greatest there has ever been in the women's game, but her maternal, dominant presence could be stifling and suffocating. Too often, England were reliant on the performances of a handful of players, with the rest left to feel like they were making up the numbers.
In the past year, Beaumont, Lauren Winfield, Fran Wilson and Alex Hartley have all established themselves at international level. Knight averages more with the bat as captain than she did in the ranks and Sarah Taylor has returned from a break enforced by an anxiety problem.
• None Tears and a house called Alan - inside story of England's band of sisters
But it is not just on the field where Robinson has made changes.
In a game just getting to grips with professionalism, players previously signed one-year contracts. Recognising that meant they were faced with the threat of unemployment on an annual basis, Robinson successfully pushed for the security of two-year deals.
He has also created an environment of honesty, openness and acceptance in a bid to make sure the players do not lose their identities to the rigors of the game. One player was comfortable enough to bring her teddy bear to a team meeting.
"Mark has been brilliant," said Knight. "He has encouraged us to be honest and that has made us as a team.
"He has annoyed us at times with tough love, but he has pushed us, improved us and made us believe. We're very thankful."
Robinson, though, will not be in the limelight in the aftermath of England's triumph, and nor should he be.
The adulation goes to Knight and the 14 other players that have triumphed in the biggest tournament, match and spectacle women's cricket has ever seen. They are role models in a game that is taking its place at global sport's top table.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/40701196
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Microsoft signals end of Paint program - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Paint has been part of the Windows operating system since its release in 1985.
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Technology
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Microsoft's graphics program Paint has been included in a list of Windows 10 features that will be either removed or no longer developed.
Paint has been part of the Windows operating system since its release in 1985 and is known for its simplicity and basic artistic results.
Paint's successor, Paint 3D, will still be available.
The list was issued as part of the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, which rolls out in the autumn.
Microsoft says that features on the list will be either removed from Windows 10 or "not in active development and might be removed in future releases".
Other features facing the axe include the Outlook Express email client, which is replaced with the built-in Mail app, and the Reader app, which will be integrated into Microsoft Edge.
The BBC has contacted Microsoft for comment.
People have expressed disappointment at the news on social media, with many tweeting "RIP" messages.
Welsh YouTuber Chaotic described Paint as "the greatest thing to have ever existed" - perhaps with tongue in cheek.
The artist known as Jim'll Paint It uses the program to create artwork on outlandish themes, commissioned by strangers. He has nearly 700,000 followers on Facebook.
"Paint hasn't been all that since they messed about with it anyway. I'm running XP on a virtual machine because it's the best one," he tweeted.
"They should just release the source and make it public domain," tweeted games developer Mike Dailly, creator of Lemmings and Grand Theft Auto.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-40705466
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More than 2,500 products subject to shrinkflation, says ONS - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Consumers have been paying the same amount for thousands of products that have shrunk in size.
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Business
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Some Andrex toilet rolls have got shorter
As many as 2,529 products have shrunk in size over the past five years, but are being sold for the same price, official figures show.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said it was not just chocolate bars that have been subject to so-called "shrinkflation".
It said toilet rolls, coffee and fruit juice were also being sold in smaller packet sizes.
Andrex admitted its rolls were smaller, but said they were now better quality.
At the same time the ONS said 614 products had got larger between 2012 and 2017.
The ONS said the phenomenon of shrinkflation had not had an impact on the overall inflation figures. However, in the category of sugar, jam, syrups chocolate and confectionery, the rate of inflation when adjusted for shrinking products was significantly higher.
Since 2012, the inflation rate for products such as chocolate was actually 1.22 percentage points higher, when the smaller size was taken into account.
Andrex toilet tissue, which used the catchline "Soft, strong and long" alongside the famous Labrador puppy, has shrunk its rolls from 280 sheets originally, first to 240 sheets, and more recently to 221 sheets, according to Which?
The company told the BBC that even though the roll was smaller, the product itself was better.
"Reducing the roll by a number of sheets has helped us make this multi-million pound investment in product performance possible," a spokesperson said.
"Consumer pricing is solely in the domain of the retailer."
Dozens of chocolate bars and sweets have already got smaller.
Packets of Maltesers have shrunk from 121g to 103g, a reduction of 15%. Makers Mars have said it was a way of helping consumers afford the product.
Toblerone has shrunk by 12%, with larger spaces between the triangular "mountains".
The manufacturers, Mondelez - formerly Kraft - said they changed the shape "to keep the product affordable". It said it was experiencing higher costs for "numerous" ingredients.
The 150g Toblerone features larger gaps between its distinctive triangles
The ONS has cast doubt on whether raw material costs are really rising.
The European import price of sugar has been falling since the middle of 2014, and reached a record low in March 2017, the ONS said.
The price of cocoa, another major ingredient, reached a five-year high in December 2015, but has fallen sharply over the last year.
The ONS also dismissed Brexit as a reason for recent shrinkflation, even though it has contributed to an increase in the price of some imported goods.
"Our analysis doesn't show a noticeable change following the referendum that would point to a Brexit effect," the ONS said.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40703866
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Ben Needham: Blood found on sandal and inside toy car - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Police say the findings "corroborate" the theory Ben died in an accident involving heavy machinery.
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Sheffield & South Yorkshire
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Ben Needham vanished on the Greek island of Kos in July 1991
Signs of blood have been found on part of a sandal and on soil inside a toy car recovered by police searching for missing Sheffield toddler Ben Needham.
Ben was 21 months old when he disappeared on the Greek island of Kos in July 1991.
South Yorkshire Police said forensic work was being carried out in Aberdeen to try to extract DNA from the items.
Det Insp Jon Cousins said it was still his "professional belief" Ben died in an accident at the farmhouse.
Details of the findings have been released on the 26th anniversary of Ben's disappearance.
The car found in Kos is thought to be similar to this one
Ben was last seen playing near to a farmhouse his grandfather was renovating
Ben went missing while playing near a farmhouse, which was being renovated by his grandfather in Iraklis.
An extensive 21-day search of land around the building and a second site 750m (820 yards) away took place in October after it emerged the toddler may have been crushed to death by a digger working on the site.
About 60 items discovered during the search were brought back to the UK for analysis, some of which were sent for testing at the James Hutton Institute in Aberdeen.
South Yorkshire Police were assisted by members of the Hellenic Rescue Team and Red Cross
The search of the two sites was carried out over 21 days in October
Professor Lorna Dawson, head of the soil forensics group, said the team of scientists had discovered the "profile indicative of human blood decomposition on a fragment of a sandal."
The profile had also been found on soil from inside a toy car, however, the stronger signal had been found on the footwear sandal, she said.
Professor Dawson said the discovery was the "chemical finger print" of compounds left behind "when there has been decomposition or decay".
"There's a strong indication from this chemical profile that this was present on those items as a result of blood decomposition," she said.
"It's significant in identifying that there had been a human who had bled in contact with those items.
"The biologist has to come in now and identify who left that blood on that item by extracting the DNA."
Professor Lorna Dawson was part of the team responsible for analysing the items
Det Insp Cousins said: "Based on the facts and the information obtained, as previously stated it is still my professional belief that Ben died as a result of a tragic incident at the farmhouse involving heavy machinery.
"It's my belief that [the findings] corroborate and strengthen that theory."
The Needham family has been informed and the force would continue to assist the Greek authorities with any ongoing enquiries, South Yorkshire Police said.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-40684276
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The communist soldier using charity sites to fund his war - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Several Americans and Brits are using charity donation websites to finance their war efforts in eastern Ukraine.
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BBC Trending
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Charity donation websites, often used to support victims of violence, are being employed by a number of Westerners to finance their personal war efforts.
Fighting continues in eastern Ukraine, as pro-Russian separatists battle Ukrainian government forces. More than 10,000 people have died since the conflict erupted in April 2014, and recently a rebel leader declared a state called "Malorossiya" (Little Russia) in Donetsk.
Among the separatists are a number of Westerners, drawn to the country by the conflict and financing their adventures using charity crowdfunding websites - sometimes in apparent violation of website rules and Ukrainian laws.
One of the most prominent is Russell Bentley, a Texas native who describes himself as a pro-Russian communist. When the conflict started, Bentley was working as an ordinary lumberjack in Austin. Yet by December 2014 he had reached the epicentre of the conflict - armed with a rocket propelled grenade launcher and tasked with repelling Ukrainian forces at Donetsk airport, a key strategic position.
From the start, Bentley has relied on crowdfunding websites to finance his exploits. Crowdfunding websites such as GoFundMe, JustGiving and Indiegogo are typically used for charitable purposes - including to raise money for the victims of tragedies. People can donate money in exchange for small gifts or 'perks'. For example, the Manchester Evening News raised over £2.5 million through JustGiving for the families of those killed and injured in the recent Manchester terror attack in the UK.
However, Bentley and others have been using these crowdfunding websites to fund their own personal war efforts in Ukraine. In November 2014, Bentley launched a GoFundMe page to finance a "fact finding mission" to Donbas, the conflict zone that includes the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. Bentley raised $2,000 and hasn't returned to the United States since.
After spending six months fighting with separatists on the front line, Bentley was reassigned and now works, he says, as an "information warrior" - producing regular pro-separatist propaganda videos on the Ukrainian war.
Bentley is affiliated with the Essence of Time movement - a Russia-based communist group which seeks to create "USSR 2.0", involving the break-up of Ukraine. Bentley's videos are hosted on the group's YouTube page, which has 25,000 subscribers.
In the videos, Bentley encourages fellow Americans to join him in eastern Ukraine. One of his recommendations is for volunteers to raise money via crowdfunding before they travel. Bentley states in one video: "Don't show up here broke… You can do a crowd fundraiser - a GoFundMe or an Indiegogo. Say you're coming here to help. Say you're coming here to find the truth. Don't say you're coming here to fight."
Russell Bentley has spent nearly three years in Donbass after crowdfunding his initial journey to Ukraine
But most crowdfunding websites - including GoFundMe and Indiegogo - strictly prohibit campaigns designed to raise money for violent purposes.
Despite the site's rules, Bentley's most recent campaign, hosted on Indiegogo, features a video of him touring the conflict areas with an automatic weapon - at one point firing at a Ukrainian military drone. He talks about his time on the front line, while encouraging armed resistance against "Ukrainian Nazis".
Bentley's current crowdfunding effort is raising funds to publish a self-authored book about his war experiences in Donbas. The Texan offers military shoulder patches and T-shirts for donations of between $100 and $999. Before BBC Trending contacted Indiegogo about Bentley's campaign, "secret" perks were offered for larger donations.
These perks could only be revealed by emailing Bentley directly, though he did disclose that a donation of $15,000 would have earned contributors a tour of Odessa and Kiev "after we liberate them". Bentley is asking for a minimum of $9,000 for the book project, and at the time of writing has raised more than half that amount.
BBC Trending approached Bentley for an interview and he declined to talk to us, but after contacting him and Indiegogo, all mention of the secret perks on his campaign have now been removed.
Bentley broadcasts his videos on YouTube via Essence of Time, a communist group
Bentley isn't a one-off. Other Westerners have been using online crowdfunding to finance their activities in eastern Ukraine since the conflict started.
Among them is 38-year-old Graham Phillips from Nottingham in the UK. Since November 2013, Phillips has been covering the conflict, broadcasting amateur videos from Donbas, often in the midst of tearing bullets and toppling buildings. His daredevil style has drawn the attention of audiences, and he boasts 86,000 subscribers on YouTube. From 2014 to 2015, Phillips was employed by Zvezda - a media channel run by the Russian Ministry of Defence, and he also freelanced for the state-operated TV channel RT.
Phillips is highly critical of the Ukrainian government and appears to back the break-up of the country. Speaking on camera to Bentley in September 2015, Phillips accuses the Ukrainian government of "lies and propaganda", before adding: "I absolutely believe that we'll win in the end."
Since May 2014, Phillips has been forbidden from entering Ukraine, on the grounds of "national security". The Ukrainian government even took the unusual step of issuing an open letter to UK authorities, condemning Phillips' actions.
Phillips says that he's an independent journalist and claims that he has financed his activities entirely through crowdfunding from January 2016 onwards - although existing records indicate he's raised less than £7,500 through crowdfunding campaigns during that time.
Graham Phillips is currently crowdfunding for a new period of reporting in eastern Europe
At least three of his campaigns have been created to fund work in Donbas, and despite being banned from the country, he's travelled to the region frequently since May 2014. On his blog, he says he enters the region via Russia, although travelling to the area via separatist controlled border crossings is currently illegal under Ukrainian law.
Because of his actions, the crowdfunding website JustGiving removed one of Phillips' appeals in July 2015. After the company was notified that Phillips was unable to legally re-enter the region, JustGiving refused to release the £2,000 that Phillips had raised through his campaign.
Although Phillips also declined to speak to BBC Trending, he has disputed the company's actions, and his campaigns remain active on Indiegogo.
Unlike Bentley, Phillips has not engaged in combat, although he has been filmed navigating a drone with the help of soldiers in Donbas and has interviewed Ukrainian prisoners of war.
Phillips is not the only Brit who has travelled to the Ukraine conflict region. Earlier this month, Benjamin Stimson, from Manchester in the UK, was sentenced by Manchester Crown Court to five years and four months in prison for assisting separatist forces in Donbass.
Phillips works with a third pro-separatist video maker - American-born Patrick Lancaster. Lancaster also describes himself as an independent journalist, and says his work is entirely funded through crowdfunding. Despite this, he seems to have raised less than $6,500 in the past eight months.
Lancaster's videos have been featured by mainstream media outlets and he has contributed to The Telegraph and Sky News.
However, some of his reporting has been openly hostile towards Ukraine and the West. Speaking on RT in February 2015, Lancaster said that the Ukraine's current president, Petro Poroshenko, is an enemy of the people.
In November 2016, Lancaster set up an Indiegogo campaign to raise $2,000 for his reporting in eastern Ukraine. Donation incentives included a guided trip from Russia into the battle zone, which would have violated the Ukrainian border crossing law, although there's no evidence that anyone took up the offer. Lancaster recently removed this perk, after BBC Trending contacted both him and Indiegogo.
On the same crowdfunding page, Lancaster offered military souvenirs from the Ukrainian war, including pieces of shrapnel or rubble from Donetsk airport. Yet, in an email to Trending, Lancaster distanced himself from Bentley, and said that he is not a fighter or an activist in the conflict.
Indiegogo released a statement on the campaigns of Bentley, Phillips and Lancaster, telling Trending: "Indiegogo's Trust and Safety team has reviewed these campaigns in detail and has taken steps to ensure they comply with our terms of use."
You can follow BBC Trending on Twitter @BBCtrending, and find us on Facebook.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-40647061
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Tourists warned over exchange rate costs - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Holidaymakers face unnecessary charges when they use their credit and debit cards overseas.
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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. Why you should make credit card payments in the local currency when abroad
British holidaymakers are paying hundreds of millions of pounds in unnecessary charges when they use their credit and debit cards overseas.
Shops, restaurants and cash machines are offering tourists the option of paying in pounds rather than the local currency and applying a poor exchange rate if they take up the offer.
This costs UK tourists about £500m a year, analysis for the BBC has found.
The lower rates are equivalent to charging about 6% on each transaction.
But currency trader FairFX found that on some transactions tourists can lose up to 10% by paying in sterling rather than the domestic currency.
The practice of offering a pay-in-sterling option is called dynamic currency conversion.
Most tourists are on their guard against being stung by high prices. What they don't expect is that they could be trapped by the payment system itself.
One of the biggest danger areas at the moment is the Netherlands, so much so that the Dutch consumer organisation, the Consumentenbond, is urging visitors to take extra care.
"Let me warn those that are being offered to pay by card and the shop owner says: 'Would you like me to give you the exchange rate of what it will be in pounds' - don't do it", says Sandra de Jong, who speaks for the group.
A high proportion of shops and bars in Amsterdam, the ones popular with tourists, offer dynamic currency conversion.
Dynamic currency conversion is sold as an extra convenience. But in practice, many British tourists are utterly non-plussed by the choice they are being offered.
"To be honest I find it very confusing," Jim Begg from Belfast told me as he was setting out on a bike tour round the city, "I never know which is the right one to choose, though I know one gives a much better rate."
Ollie, a student from Bristol, told me he was caught out when using a card for hotel bills.
"Initially I chose to pay in pounds because I thought that paying in home currency might be better for some reason, but we ended up paying quite a significant amount more."
At a cheesemonger, once my card went into the payment machine, up popped a choice: a price in euros and a price in pounds.
What happens is that if you buy in euros the transaction goes through a standard route, with the exchange rate set by Mastercard or Visa, although your bank can impose an additional charge.
But if you choose to pay in pounds, your money is changed on the spot by the shop's bank or payment processor. And they decide on the rate.
With the cheese I was buying, that meant a loss of 3.5% compared with the Mastercard rate.
Then, in a bar for lunch, I was offered an exchange rate which hacked a 5% slice out of my money.
And at a cash machine in a shop, the hit if I chose to pay in pounds for a cash withdrawal was nearly 10%. Less than 1.02 euros for each of my pounds, rather than the 1.13 euros available that day via Mastercard.
The lesson is a clear one: it's almost always better to pay in the local currency.
The BBC asked the currency card and foreign exchange provider FairFX to estimate how much people were being charged for dynamic currency conversion, by analysing its customers' overseas spending.
It says that based on the average fee of 6%, UK travellers are being charged just under £500m a year.
Overall, one-in-five foreign transactions are affected, but in some countries and with some transactions the proportions are much higher.
At least half of the UK spend on cards in the Netherlands and Hungary is subject to the charges, and more than half of cash withdrawals in Sweden.
Thailand, Malta, Spain, Cyprus and Turkey all come high in the list of countries where people should be careful.
Dynamic currency conversion is legal in the UK and across Europe, as long as traders display not just the price but also the exchange rate being used before the payment is made.
But often the rate isn't shown in the form British tourists are used to and, in any case, most people find it hard to assess a rate on the spot.
"The way it is pushed is abhorrent," says James Hickman from FairFX, "The amount they charge should be capped."
Who benefits? The gains are usually split between the trader and the trader's bank or payment processor.
That means dynamic currency conversion can be sold to shops and other businesses as a way of recouping their banking costs and even make a profit on top.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40702496
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Charlie Gard: Parents face 'backlash' over hospital threats - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Charlie Gard's parents say they have faced a "backlash" after GOSH said staff had been threatened.
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London
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Connie Yates and Chris Gard want Charlie to receive an experimental therapy called nucleoside
The parents of Charlie Gard say they have been victims of a "backlash" after Great Ormond Street Hospital revealed staff had received death threats.
The hospital said police were called after families and staff were harassed.
The hospital and Charlie's parents are in a legal battle over continuing life support for the 11-month-old, who has a rare genetic disorder.
Connie Yates and Chris Gard said they had suffered "the most hurtful comments from the public".
In a statement, Mr Gard said: "Without the excellent care of the doctors at GOSH [Great Ormond Street Hospital] our son would not even be alive and not a day goes by when we don't remember that."
Ms Yates said: "We do not, and have not ever, condoned any threatening or abusive remarks towards any staff member at GOSH."
However, she criticised the hospital for not asking the public "not to say anything hurtful to us as well as their doctors and other members of staff".
Responding to Charlie's parents' statement on Sunday night, a spokesperson for GOSH said: "We are grateful for what Charlie's parents have said, and agree wholeheartedly that any abuse of anybody involved in this case is unacceptable.
"This is a heartbreaking time for Charlie's loving parents when they should be given every support."
Great Ormond Street Hospital said "unacceptable behaviour" had been recorded "within the hospital"
Charlie, who was born on 4 August 2016, has a form of mitochondrial disease, a condition that causes progressive muscle weakness and irreversible brain damage. His parents want to take him to the US for pioneering treatment.
They have lost a succession of court cases to overturn the hospital's decision that it would be in the best interest of Charlie to be allowed to die with dignity.
The latest court battle involves new testimony from a US neurologist who has visited Charlie in hospital to decide whether he should travel to America for therapy.
Charlie's parents want to take him to New York for experimental treatment, which the US doctor said might give him a 10% chance of improving his health.
The case is due back before a High Court judge on Monday.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-40700294
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Women's World Cup: England win over India can be 'springboard' for women's cricket - BBC Sport
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2017-07-24
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England's World Cup victory can be a "springboard" for women's cricket around the world, according to captain Heather Knight.
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Last updated on .From the section Women's Cricket
England's World Cup triumph can be a "springboard" for women's cricket around the world, according to captain Heather Knight.
The hosts beat India by nine runs at Lord's in front of a sell-out 26,500 crowd, the second biggest in Women's World Cup history.
More than 50 million people worldwide watched the group stages.
"What a tournament it has been - the support, the cricket and everything about it," said Knight.
Anya Shrubsole took 6-46 - the best figures in a World Cup final - as India collapsed from 191-3 to 219 all out in pursuit of England's 228-7.
"Women's cricket has gone through the roof since 2009," she told BBC Sport.
"This is a watershed moment, to be playing at Lord's in front of a sell-out crowd in a World Cup final.
"You just don't think those things are going to happen. It's unbelievable."
England coach Mark Robinson said: "It has captured the imagination of everybody as the tournament has gone on.
"Hopefully, the women's game will go from strength to strength. It is getting the recognition, getting its proper place. People take it seriously and give it respect."
• None In Short: 'There's never been a better time to be a woman in cricket'
The superb Shrubsole took five wickets in 19 balls to hasten India's collapse, sealing England's fourth World Cup title by bowling number 11 Rajeshwari Gayakwad with eight balls to spare.
"Anya Shrubsole, what a hero. I thought about taking her off and I'm really glad I kept her on," said Knight.
"It's been an extraordinary game. To win with some of my best mates, I'm absolutely delighted."
India needed only 38 runs from 43 balls before Shrubsole dismissed Punam Raut for 86 to spark a collapse of seven wickets for 28 runs.
"One of the great things about this team is we never give up," said Shrubsole. "It is a fitting final of what was a brilliant World Cup.
"There was a huge amount of pressure. It's without doubt the most significant spell I've ever bowled."
Shrubsole and team-mate Tammy Beaumont said they had never experienced such a passionate crowd.
"I've never played in a game where you can't hear the person who's 15 metres away from you," said Shrubsole.
"Trying to get Heather's attention, I was having to scream at her because the crowd made that much noise - pretty much from start to end."
Beaumont, who was named player of the tournament after topping the batting charts with 410 runs, said: "I have lost my voice. I was trying to scream over the crowd.
"It almost felt like half England on one side and India on the other. I don't think that atmosphere will be replicated in a number of years."
Knight added: "At times I had to pinch myself and concentrate on the game.
"The noise when we got the last wicket was a really special moment. It was incredible to be part of."
India skipper Mithali Raj said her side "panicked" as they lost seven wickets for 28 runs in the space of seven overs to miss out on a first major trophy.
"There was a time when the match was in the balance. It wasn't easy for England but credit to them - they kept their nerve," she said.
"I would like to tell the girls I am very proud of them. They didn't make any match look easy for the opposition."
Wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor was one of five England players - along with Knight, Shrubsole, Jenny Gunn and Laura Marsh - who were part of England's World Cup-winning squad in 2009.
She returned to the team at this World Cup after taking a break from the game last year to deal with anxiety problems.
"It has been a rollercoaster. To be part of this team is incredible," Taylor said.
"It was a case of getting healthy. It was pot luck to be back for this World Cup. This is amazing."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/40700480
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Skegness ad 'slur' woman won over by 'best of British' resort - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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Gina Parkin now describes the seaside resort as "the best of British".
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Lincolnshire
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Gina Parkin said she only made the off-the-cuff comment as a joke, but it was then featured in the Lotto advert
A woman featured in a TV advert saying she would holiday "anywhere but Skegness" has been won over by the resort after a VIP tour with the mayor.
In the Lotto ad, people were asked where they would go on a getaway if they won a large sum of money, with Gina Parkin then making the comment.
After apologising for the off-the-cuff remark, she was invited to see what the Lincolnshire seaside town had to offer.
After an extensive tour, Ms Parkin described it as "the best of British".
On her only previous trip, she said the town's nightlife had been "a bit too boozy and raucous for my liking".
Town mayor Danny Brookes accompanied Ms Parkin, her boyfriend and a group of friends as they ticked off some of Skegness's top attractions.
The 40-year-old from Leeds said: "I've had an absolutely amazing weekend, they did everything to try and win me over and they have.
"It was all first class; we were treated like royalty and everyone was so lovely and just super friendly."
Gina Parkin was given a grand tour by Skegness mayor Danny Brookes
Ms Parkin recently returned from 18 months of travelling the world, visiting 21 countries, but said feeding the tigers at Lincolnshire Wildlife Park rivalled the best things she had experienced on the trip.
She said: "When I got back from travelling I had a renewed sense of respect for Britain in general, it was like I was seeing everything again with new eyes.
"I felt a bit bad; Skegness is a beautiful, traditional seaside town with its bright colours, deck chairs - it's the best of British, we should be very proud of it."
Ms Parkin and her boyfriend Simon Saintly gave the resort the thumbs up
The pair dressed up as pirates at Skegness Aquarium
The Lonely Planet travel guide described the resort as "the ABC of the English seaside - amusements, bingo and candy-floss, and added that "culture vultures will probably run a mile".
Tourism bosses in Skegness previously came under fire themselves for using unflattering images of Blackpool and Brighton in a bid to promote the resort.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-40697957
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How formula milk shaped the modern workplace - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Since the first commercial substitute for breast milk was launched in 1865, formula has shaped the workforce.
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Business
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It sounded like cannon fire - pirates, probably. The British East India Company's ship Benares was docked at Makassar, on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. Its commander gave the order to set sail and hunt them down.
Three days later, the crew still hadn't found any pirates. What they had actually heard was the eruption of a volcano called Mount Tambora.
A cocktail of toxic gas and liquefied rock roared down the volcano's slopes at the speed of a hurricane, killing thousands. Mount Tambora was left 4,000ft (1,220m) shorter.
The year was 1815. Slowly, a vast cloud of volcanic ash drifted across the northern hemisphere, blocking the Sun.
In Europe, 1816 became "the year without a summer". Crops failed. Desperate people ate rats, cats and grass.
In the German town of Darmstadt, the suffering made a deep impression on a 13-year-old boy. Justus von Liebig loved helping out in his father's workshop, concocting pigments, paints and polishes.
Liebig grew up to be a brilliant chemist, driven by the desire to help prevent hunger. He did some of the earliest research into fertilisers. He pioneered nutritional science and invented beef extract.
He invented something else, too: infant formula.
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy highlights the inventions, ideas and innovations that helped create the economic world.
Launched in 1865, Liebig's Soluble Food for Babies was a powder comprising cow's milk, wheat flour, malt flour and potassium bicarbonate.
It was the first commercial substitute for breast milk to come from rigorous scientific study.
As Liebig knew, not every baby has a mother who can breastfeed.
Justus von Liebig was inspired by the hunger he witnessed while a young man
Indeed, not every baby has a mother: before modern medicine, about one in 100 childbirths killed the mother. It's little better in the poorest countries today.
Some mothers can't make enough milk - the figures are disputed, but could be as high as one in 20.
What happened to those kids before formula?
Parents who could afford it employed wet-nurses - a respectable profession for the working girl, and an early casualty of Liebig's invention. Some used a goat or donkey.
Many gave their infants "pap", a bread-and-water mush, from hard-to-clean receptacles that must have teemed with bacteria.
No wonder death rates were high: in the early 1800s, only two in three babies who weren't breastfed lived to see their first birthday.
Germ theory was increasingly well understood, and the rubber teat had just been invented. The appeal of formula quickly spread beyond women who couldn't breastfeed.
Liebig's Soluble Food for Babies democratised a lifestyle choice that had previously been open only to the well-to-do.
It's a choice that now shapes the modern workplace. For many new mothers who want - or need - to get back to work, formula is a godsend.
And women are right to worry that taking time out might damage their careers.
Recently, economists studied the experiences of the high-powered men and women emerging from Chicago University's MBA programme and entering the worlds of consulting and high finance.
At first, the women had similar experiences to the men - but over a time, a huge gap in earnings opened up. The critical moment? Motherhood. Women took time off, and employers paid them less in response.
Ironically, the men were more likely than the women to have children. They just didn't change their working patterns.
Mark Zuckerberg is one of the few high-profile chief executives to take paternity leave
There are biological and cultural reasons why women are more likely than men to take time off when they start families.
We can't change the fact that only women have wombs, but we can try to change workplace culture.
More governments are following Scandinavia's lead by giving fathers the legal right to take time off. More leaders - such as Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg - are setting an example by taking it.
And formula milk makes it a whole lot easier for Dad to take over while Mum gets back to work. There is, of course, the breast-pump option. But for some, it's more of an effort than formula.
Studies show that the less time mothers have off work, the less likely they are to persevere with breastfeeding. That's hardly surprising.
There's just one problem. Evolution has had thousands of generations to optimise the recipe for breast milk.
And formula doesn't quite match it, especially in the developing world, where clean water and sterilised equipment is not always available.
A series of articles published by the medical journal the Lancet in 2016 lists the risks. Formula-fed infants get sick more often than breastfed children, leading to costs for medical treatment, and parents taking time off work.
Researchers believe breastfeeding could help prevent more than 800,000 child deaths a year
It's thought that nearly half of all diarrhoea episodes and a third of all respiratory infections could be prevented by breastfeeding.
That, combined with the risk of using formula in less than ideal circumstances, can even lead to deaths.
According to the Lancet's analysis of more than 1,300 studies, breastfeeding could prevent about 800,000 child deaths a year.
Justus von Liebig wanted to save lives. He would be horrified.
Of course, in rich countries, contaminated milk and water are far less of a concern.
But formula has another, less obvious economic cost.
Again, according to the Lancet, there is evidence that breastfed babies grow up with slightly higher IQs - about three points, when you control as best you can for other factors.
What might be the benefit of making a whole generation of children just that little bit more clever?
The Lancet calculated it to be about $300bn (£232bn) a year. That's several times the value of the global formula market.
Consequently, many governments try to promote breastfeeding. But nobody makes a quick profit from that. Selling formula, on the other hand, can be lucrative.
Which have you seen more of recently: public service announcements about breastfeeding, or formula ads?
Liebig himself never claimed that his Soluble Food for Babies was better than breast milk: he simply said he'd made it as nutritionally similar as possible.
But he quickly inspired imitators who weren't so scrupulous. By the 1890s, adverts for formula routinely portrayed it as state-of-the-art.
Meanwhile, paediatricians were starting to notice higher rates of scurvy and rickets among the offspring of mothers whom the advertising swayed.
The controversy peaked in 1974, when the campaigning group War on Want published a pamphlet called The Baby Killer about how Nestle marked and sold infant formula in Africa. Nestle boycotts lasted years.
By 1981, there was a World Health Organization (WHO) International Code of Marketing Breast-milk Substitutes, which Nestle says it drew on to devise its own marketing code, the first manufacturer to do so.
But the WHO code is not hard law, and many campaigners argue that it is still widely flouted.
What if there was a way to get the best of all worlds: equal career breaks for mothers and fathers, and breast milk for infants, without the faff of breast pumps? Perhaps there is - if you don't mind taking market forces to their logical conclusion.
Breast milk can be frozen and used at a later date
In Utah, there's a company called Ambrosia Labs. Its business model? Pay mothers around the world to express breast milk, screen it for quality, and sell it on to American mothers.
Milk is pricey - over $100 (£77) a litre (1.75 pints). But that could come down with scale - and maybe formula could be taxed, to fund a breast-milk market subsidy.
Not everyone likes this idea. Indeed, the government in Cambodia, where Ambrosia used to operate, has banned the export of breast milk.
Still, more than 150 years after Justus von Liebig sounded the death knell for wet nursing as a profession, perhaps the global supply chain could find a way to bring it back.
• None BBC Future: Are there downsides to "breast is best"?
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40281403
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San Antonio: Truck found in Texas with dozens inside - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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They were among dozens of people found inside the back of the vehicle suffering from dehydration.
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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. Migrant deaths: How one Texas county is struggling to cope
Police in the US state of Texas have arrested a truck driver whose vehicle was found in a Walmart car park with dozens of people in the back of it.
Nine men had died inside, and 28 others, including children, were taken to hospital.
They were inside the trailer in San Antonio without access to air conditioning or water while outside temperatures hit 38C (100F).
Police say they believe the incident is linked to people smuggling.
The truck's driver, named by authorities as James Mathew Bradley Jr, 60, of Clearwater, Florida, is expected to appear in court later.
Video footage from the store reportedly showed a number of vehicles arriving to pick up some of the survivors. Several others may have managed to escape on foot into the woods nearby.
One person found in the woods was being treated, local officials said.
Mexico's government said it was working closely with US authorities to identify the nationalities of the victims.
San Antonio is a few hours' drive from the border with Mexico, and the US immigration department is trying to establish the victims' legal status.
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg told the BBC that caring for the victims was the authorities' first aim.
"Our most important focus right now is to deliver compassionate care," he said.
"You know our first responders immediately were on the scene, delivering first aid, transporting - sometimes by air - critical condition patients to local hospitals, and trying to prevent more loss of life than what had already occurred."
"We are working with authorities, we are working with... witnesses to understand the magnitude of these crimes.
"But in this case, where we are witnesses to a human tragedy in our city, our first response and our response as local officials is to render aid."
Eight people were found to be dead at the scene while another died in hospital, immigration officials said.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Police Chief William McManus and Fire Chief Charles Hood told reporters about the discovery
Officials were brought to the trailer by a man who had approached an employee of the Walmart and asked for water.
The driver would be charged in connection with the "horrible tragedy", said San Antonio police chief William McManus in a press briefing.
He said the people ranged from school age to in their 30s.
Local fire chief Charles Hood said the survivors had heart rates of over 130 beats per minute and were very hot to touch. In addition to the 20 people in a critical condition, eight others were taken to hospital in a less severe state.
The fire chief confirmed at least two of the victims were school-age children. Their condition is not clear.
"We're very fortunate that there weren't 38 of these people who were all locked inside this vehicle dead," he added.
The truck was towed away from the scene hours after the discovery
The US attorney for the Western District of Texas, Richard Durbin, said the authorities were working to identify those responsible for the incident.
"These people were helpless in the hands of their transporters. Imagine their suffering, trapped in a stifling trailer in 100-plus degree heat," he said in a statement.
They were victims of "ruthless human smugglers indifferent to the wellbeing of their fragile cargo", he added.
Thirty-three migrants were found in a trailer in the same part of Texas earlier this month
Experts say people smuggling is a serious issue in southern Texas, and there have been a number of similar cases in the area just in this past month.
On 7 July, US Border Patrol agents found 72 undocumented immigrants from Central American countries locked inside a trailer "with no means of escape".
The next day 33 people were found locked inside a trailer at a checkpoint on the road to San Antonio.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-40696306
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Charlie Gard parents end legal fight for 'beautiful' baby - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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Letting "gorgeous" Charlie go is "the hardest thing we'll ever have to do", his parents say.
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London
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Chris Gard: "We are so sorry we could not save you"
The parents of terminally ill baby Charlie Gard have ended their legal challenge to take him to the US for experimental treatment.
A lawyer representing Chris Gard and Connie Yates told the High Court "time had run out" for the baby.
Mr Gard said it meant his "sweet, gorgeous, innocent little boy" will not reach his first birthday on 4 August.
"To let our beautiful little Charlie go" is "the hardest thing we'll ever have to do", his mother said.
Charlie's parents said they made the decision because a US doctor had told them it was now too late to give Charlie nucleoside therapy.
Charlie has a rare genetic condition and would not live to see his first birthday, his father said
"We only wanted to give him a chance of life," Ms Yates told the court in a statement.
"A whole lot of time has been wasted," she added.
"We are sorry we could not save you."
Their lawyer Grant Armstrong said the parents' worst fears had been confirmed.
He told judge Mr Justice Francis US neurologist Dr Michio Hirano had said he was no longer willing to offer the baby experimental therapy after he saw the results of a new MRI scan last week.
He added Mr Gard and Ms Yates, from Bedfont, west London, now hoped to establish a foundation to ensure Charlie's voice "continues to be heard".
Several supporters of Charlie's parents' campaign gathered outside the court
In a statement outside court, Mr Gard said Charlie was an "absolute warrior" and they "could not be prouder of him."
"Charlie has had a greater impact on and touched more people in this world in his 11 months than many people do in a lifetime.
"We could not have more love and pride for our beautiful boy.
"We are now going to spend our last precious moments with our son Charlie, who unfortunately won't make his first birthday in just under two weeks' time."
They had raised £1.3m in donations to take their son abroad for treatment.
Charlie has encephalomyopathic mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome. He has brain damage and cannot move his arms or legs.
Some supporters shouted after hearing the news from inside the court
Katie Gollop, the lawyer representing Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) where Charlie has been treated since October, said doctors disagreed with the parents who believed MRI scans in January had shown "treatment could have been effective at that time".
"All aspects of the clinical picture and all of Charlie's observations indicated that his brain was irreversibly damaged and that [the therapy] was futile," she said.
The hospital paid tribute to the "bravery" of the decision made by Charlie's parents.
In a statement, it said: "Over the weekend, they communicated their desire to spend all the time they can with Charlie whilst working with the hospital to formulate the best possible plan for his end of life care.
"The agony, desolation and bravery of their decision command GOSH's utmost respect and humble all who work there."
Mr Justice Francis paid tribute to Charlie's parents and said no-one could comprehend their agony and no parents could have done more.
In his judgement, the judge said last week's MRI scans had shown "Charlie has no muscle at all" on parts of his body and was "beyond help".
He said Mr Gard and Ms Yates were now prepared to accept Charlie should be moved to palliative care and be allowed to die with dignity.
The judge also decried the "absurd notion which has appeared in recent days that Charlie has been a prisoner of the National Health Service", calling it "the antithesis of the truth".
"In this country children have rights independent of their parents," he said.
Occasionally there were circumstances when a hospital and the parents were unable to agree what course of action was in the best interest of the child patient, in that instance the decision is referred to an independent judge, he continued.
Charlie has been in intensive care at GOSH since October
Outside court, Charlie's Army campaigners reacted angrily and chanted, "shame on you judge" and "shame on GOSH".
Falling to the ground, one female supporter said: "He had a chance and you took it away."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-40708343
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US F-15s and RAF tanker in near-miss over north Norfolk coast - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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A mid-air near-miss between an RAF tanker and US F-15s is blamed on military air traffic control.
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Norfolk
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Two F-15 fighter jets like these were not prevented by military air traffic control from entering same airspace as an RAF Voyager
Two US fighter jets and an RAF tanker aircraft came within seconds of a mid-air crash, a report has revealed.
The pilot of the RAF Voyager tanker claimed one of the US F-15s flew as close as 50m (160ft) before roaring past to avoid a collision.
The tanker pilot claimed he could the feel turbulence from the F15 flying at 402mph as it boosted its speed.
The Airprox Board blamed the near-miss on a military air traffic controller becoming distracted by a phone call.
It added confusion had also been caused over the geographic naming of the refuelling area in the Wash.
The incident happened in January this year at a height of 16,000ft, about 10 miles off the coast of north Norfolk, after the Voyager from RAF Brize Norton had refuelled two RAF Typhoons in mid-air.
The pilot of the RAF Voyager, like the one pictured here, reported the encounter immediately
The report found that a military air traffic controller based at Swanwick, Hampshire, misunderstood the flight path of the F15 pilots, thinking they were flying south in the geographic Wash area.
But the US crews from RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk, were referring to the Wash Aerial Tactics Area (ATA) further north, which was also the refuelling area where the tanker was flying.
The report said the controller was further distracted after he "answered a landline that was not his responsibility, and had became embroiled in a distracting and complicated" call.
It added this "served to further increase his workload and resulted in him focusing on that task rather than on the F15s".
The investigation found that pilots of the F15s had been flying visually at the time so had failed to spot the Voyager on their radar.
The UK Airprox Board concluded that given that the F15 pilot was unaware of the Voyager until it was so close, there was a "serious risk of collision where luck had played a major part" in avoiding one.
It was classified as a Category A - the highest risk.
The Board welcomed the joint US and UK air force investigation which recommended changes to "include a review of the naming of the Wash ATA areas to avoid future confusion".
• None Welcome to the UK Airprox Board - UK Airprox Board The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-40703042
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The city that makes the most expensive boats in the world - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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How Italian seaside city Viareggio became a hub for the superyacht manufacturing industry.
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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. When it comes to superyachts, the bigger the better
Wandering along the beach in Italy's Viareggio you could be forgiven for thinking it's simply a holiday resort.
Yet the umbrella-lined, sandy beaches dotted with tourists mask another role, one at the heart of the shipping industry.
This unassuming seaside city is where some of the world's largest and most exclusive vessels are made.
Its speciality is the superyacht. These giant crewed vessels start at about the length of an average swimming pool - 24-metres. But the biggest can stretch to five or more times this.
It's a world that belongs to only the very wealthiest of the wealthy - to buy a superyacht you have to be super rich.
Just 370 superyachts were sold last year around the globe, yet collectively these sales were worth a staggering 3.4bn euros (£3bn; $4bn).
The most expensive superyacht sold so far this year cost 155m euros, according to Boat International which collates the industry data.
Viareggio is where about a fifth of these gigantic elite boats are made. It's the "cradle of shipbuilding" is how the city's mayor Giorgio del Ghingaro sums it up.
Tourism isn't the only big industry in Viareggio
In fact, the town's involvement in the industry goes back almost 200 years to 1819 when the first dock was built. Viareggio started to build large, strong wooden ships to transport the marble from the region's famous quarries. This laid the foundations for what would eventually become a major international shipping industry with a history of carpentry and craftsmanship.
The growing popularity of the superyacht has meant Viareggio has evolved again, shifting from making the wooden boats it was once famous for to constructing these giant metal and fibreglass vessels.
Vincenzo Poerio, the chief executive of shipbuilding firm Benetti, which is headquartered in Viareggio, believes the region's artistic roots have helped to drive its success in the industry.
Tuscan cities such as Lucca, Pisa, Siena and Florence are renowned for their craftmanship in marble, wood, leather and architecture. And people in the market for buying a superyacht expect everything - the interior as well as the exterior - to look perfect.
A superyacht is "probably the most expensive toy in the world," says Benetti boss Vincenzo Poerio
Of course you need more than artistic flair to build a superyacht. For such large and expensive projects, engineering skills are crucial as are project management expertise to ensure the boat is built on time and on budget.
But Mr Poerio says the most important attribute to be successful in this industry is people skills to enable them to deal with the often "challenging" demands of the super rich.
Maintaining good relations matter because it's a personal transaction, not a business one, he says:
"At the end of the day, you are building a big toy, probably the most expensive toy in the world."
In contrast to similar industries such as luxury cars or private aircraft, it's much harder to build these vessels in a standardised way.
"In our case most of the time we start from scratch. So the client is not buying a product, he's building a product which makes a huge difference… Most of the time it's not easy to manage these requests," says Mr Poerio.
When it comes to superyachts, the interior is as important as the exterior
This approach is now starting to shift, with some shipbuilders including Benetti and Perini Navi, building smaller superyachts without first receiving an order.
For their wealthy customers, used to getting things when they want them, an instantly-available boat is a big attraction.
But for the firms investing millions when they don't yet know if they'll be able to find a customer it is a risky strategy.
Yet Burak Akgul, a managing director at shipbuilder Perini Navi, says he's not worried.
"We are an indulgence. There's always someone who's ready to indulge, it's just a matter of whether or not we manage to get hold of them," he jokes.
In fact, he says, the brand Perini has become a sort of status symbol, marking a certain level of achievement.
"We started seeing people expressing themselves as having reached the point where they now need to have their Perini.
"They didn't know what they wanted yet, but they had this feeling that they had come to the point of their personal success that time had come for them to build a Perini this was something they had to add to their stable," he says.
One other advantage for Viareggio is that it is already well equipped to cope with the vagaries of the superyacht industry, which because it is so small and specialised can see demand fluctuate wildly depending on the wider economy.
The skills required to build a superyacht are similar to those for a military boat with both of similar sizes.
Massimo Perotti, owner of ship builder San Lorenzo, says this is a useful balance, with demand for pleasure yachts naturally reducing when military vessels are required and vice versa.
Nonetheless, the extreme wealth of their clientele means they're also more cushioned from the impact of world events. Even in the financial crisis, San Lorenzo managed to expand, selling about 20 yachts, partly by targeting new markets in Russia, South America, Brazil and India.
The crisis did, however, mark a shift in their customer base. Instead of getting people who wanted a superyacht to show how rich and powerful they were he says, most customers are now genuinely interested in boating.
Yet even with a flow of wealthy customers ready to indulge, the Italian industry is facing competition from other rivals within Europe and even China. Lower labour costs and raw materials mean these countries are able to produce a cheaper boat.
"If you want a piece of art you go to Italy," says San Lorenzo's Massimo Perotti
But Benetti's Mr Poerio says that for the "very, very, very rich people" they cater for, price isn't what matters.
When people are spending millions and millions of euros "the brand has to mean something," he says.
He believes things like the customer relationships and service they offer, as well as the guarantee of a certain level of quality, means they should be able to keep customers from going elsewhere.
San Lorenzo's Mr Perotti agrees: "If you buy a superyacht it's for yourself. You like technology, design, luxury; you know, it's not cheap and you are not looking to to have it at the lowest cost."
In the end, it comes back to what Viareggio has always been renowned for - artistic flair.
"The characteristic of the Italians is individualism and creativity. Maybe you buy a German car because the Germans are better in organisation. But if you want to buy a piece of art you probably go to Italy."
This feature is based on interviews by series producer Neil Koenig, for the BBC's Life of Luxury series.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40681345
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Car stolen with mother and baby inside in Solihull - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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A man got into the woman's car as she attended to her baby, and drove off.
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Birmingham & Black Country
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As the woman stopped at traffic lights, four men demanded she get out the car
A man who stole a woman's car while she and her baby were still inside is being sought by police.
He was among group of four men who confronted the woman and demanded she get out of the car when she stopped at traffic lights in Solihull.
As she attended to her baby, one of them got into the Audi RS6 and drove off.
She escaped with the infant when the driver pulled into a side road before driving off again. No-one was hurt.
The woman had stopped at lights on Lode Lane when the men pulled up behind her at about 18:00 BST on Saturday.
The offender drove the car at speed down Seven Star Road towards Warwick Road.
Det Sgt Stew Lewis said: "Luckily the woman and her baby were not hurt but the woman is very shaken by what happened."
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-40698236
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Canadian police end hunt for missing hiker, family confirms - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The Australian woman had set out with her partner, who was later found dead near a waterfall.
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Australia
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Gregory Tiffin's body has been found, but Sophie Dowsley remains missing
Canadian police have called off a search for an Australian woman who went missing while hiking earlier this month, according to her family.
Sophie Dowsley 34, and her Canadian partner Gregory Tiffin, 44, had left for a day-long walk in British Columbia on 8 July.
Police began a search after they did not return. Mr Tiffin's body was found near a waterfall last week.
Ms Dowsley's relatives have said she "may never be found".
Her brother, Jamie Dowsley, said the Royal Canadian Mounted Police had "no plausible or conceivable areas left to search" in the rugged landscape near Harrison Lake.
"After visiting this area and gaining an understanding of the terrain and conditions our family fully accept this decision," Mr Dowsley wrote on social media.
Ms Dowsley's sunglasses and some of Mr Tiffin's personal items were found near the waterfall.
The missing woman's family thanked search teams for putting their "lives at risk".
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has been contacted for comment.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-40701110
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Germany's big businesses' Brexit worries - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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How are Germany's economic giants viewing the UK's negotiations to leave the EU?
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Europe
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It must be serious. They've deployed the Royals.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been on tour in Germany with a very specific purpose: to reassure the country that Brexit doesn't mean the break-up of a beautiful relationship.
Prince William, after speaking a few words in German, told guests at a British embassy garden party: "This relationship between UK and Germany really matters, it will continue despite Britain's recent decision to leave the European Union. I am confident we will remain the firmest of friends."
But since the British election, German politicians are more troubled than ever about Brexit. The German council for foreign relations' director, Daniela Schwarzer, told me: "Policymakers in Berlin are surprised and worried at the degree of confusion in London, the lack of clarity as to the strategy the UK wants to follow.
"There is a lot surprise about how the negotiations are being handled and the somewhat incoherent messages which come out of London."
Of course, Germany is just one country in the European Union - but it is first among equals, its chancellor by far the most senior politician, with a new and determined ally in President Macron, who's refreshed the Franco-German alliance.
Even before Brexit became a reality, there's been an argument, almost an assumption, that German industry would put pressure on German politicians to argue for a good deal for the UK - access to the European market without having to abide by the rules.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge recently toured Germany
So far, Mrs Merkel has been adamant: no cherry picking. Will German industry push her to change her mind?
I visited the Trumpf company in Stuttgart, a concern with a turnover of 3bn euros (£2.7bn) a year that makes sheet metal, laser cutters and machine tools. It employs 4,000 people in Germany and another 8,000 globally: in the USA, China, Japan, South Korea - and in Luton, Southampton and Rugby.
The company's Heidi Maier tells me orders from the UK are up because people have got used to the idea of Brexit.
"Despite political insecurities and decisions we don't like and we don't back, our business is doing very well," she says.
We stand in front of the True Punch 5000. The machine is swift and certain, precise and elegant, all the qualities that make Germans so proud of their engineering prowess.
The exact opposite of these qualities - slowness and uncertainty - is what worries German industry about Brexit.
I ask Ms Maier what they want Mrs Merkel to push for. "What would help is decisions, and fast decisions," she says.
"As soon as we know the new rules, we can go ahead. We are actually preparing for tariffs, which is the implication [of what the British government is saying], which would worsen our business. The goods we produce in Great Britain would become more expensive due to the tariffs, and we don't know how our customers would react to that."
Most German businesses tend to lobby government through powerful trade associations. And one industry has more horsepower than any other.
Germany's glittering car industry is an industrial giant with immense political clout and a 400bn euro turnover, employing 800,000 people. And the relationship with the UK is very important. One in seven cars exported from Germany goes to the UK, its single biggest market.
The Trumpf machine is just one example of German high-tech engineering
Ever since Brexit was a speck on the horizon, enthusiasts for leaving have argued the mighty German auto industry wouldn't allow politicians to punish Britain, a point I put to Matthias Wissman, the president of the VDA, the German automotive industry association.
"What we want is to keep the European Union of the 27 together," he says. "That is the first priority. Second priority is to have a trade area with the UK with no tariff barriers, no non-tariff barriers. That is possible if the UK understands what the preconditions are.
"We want a good deal for Britain, but the best deal for Britain would be to stay in the customs union. Anything else would be worse for both sides. The best thing would be to stay in the internal market, like Norway."
He accused pro-Brexiteers of making "totally unrealistic" promises. "I see a lot which is astonishing for a friend of Great Britain. I miss the traditional British pragmatism. We would like to have it in the future, but I see more and more ideological points of view which make pragmatism very difficult and unfortunately in both parties, Conservative and Labour."
The UK is the German auto industry's biggest export market
When I put to him Liam Fox's view that a trade deal with the EU could be "one of the easiest in human history", he laughs and says it would take years and years but "time is running out".
"You need a transition period. And if you want an easy solution, stay in the customs union and the internal market.
"A transition period would also be very pragmatic. We hope that on the British side that gets deeper and deeper into the intellectual capabilities of those who decide."
This is not just the view of one man, or one industry. There seems to be a consensus among the industrial powerbrokers.
Klaus Deutsch of the federation of German industry, the BDI, makes it clear they did not want Brexit in the first place and would like the UK to stay in the single market and observe all the rules.
But that's not the government's intention, so what follows?
"We would favour a comprehensive agreement. But the most important thing is legal certainty in the period from A to B. If you don't have a transition period of many years, then there will be a huge disruption to all sorts of businesses.
"The concern of business is unless you get a clear cut and legally safe agreement, you can't sell pharmaceuticals, or cars or what have you, across the Channel, you have to stop business, divest, change business models."
Will Germany prioritise EU unity over its economic relationship with the UK?
He makes it clear only the British government can decide what it wants, but what about the idea they'll push Mrs Merkel to soften her approach?
"That's completely unlikely," Mr Deutsch says. "The importance of the European Union for German corporates is even higher than the importance of a bilateral relationship with the United Kingdom. So, the priority of safeguarding… the unity of the European Union is much more important than one economic relationship. There are a lot of illusions - it won't happen."
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's The World This Weekend programme, Owen Paterson, the former cabinet minister, who recently visited Germany, told me he had felt a "sense of denial" in the country over Brexit.
"It is hugely in everyone's interest that we maintain reciprocal free trade and as we have absolute conformity of standards, everyone should get their head round that," he told me.
"Whereas [the Germans] are still thinking entirely in terms of remaining in the current institutions and that's clearly what we are not going to do.
"We're not going to stay in the single market. We are not going to stay in the customs union. We're certainly not going to stay under the remit of the European Court of Justice. I found that that was something they had not really got their heads round."
And my overriding impression of the view of the big beasts of Germany industry?
Frustration that they don't know where the British government wants to head and a strong sense that any outcome will be worse than what exists.
But also, a total rejection of the idea that the economic relationship with the UK outweighs the German interest in European unity.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-40683091
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Hunt for HIV cure turns to cancer drugs - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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Scientists say new immunotherapy drugs may help researchers "unlock" treatment for the virus.
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Health
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Antiretroviral drugs are currently used in HIV treatment to kill any active virus
The outstanding progress in boosting the immune system to treat cancer may help unlock a cure for HIV, according to scientists meeting in Paris.
The body's normal defences struggle to clear the body of HIV and cancer.
But the rapidly emerging field of immunotherapy has seen some patients with terminal cancer go into complete remission.
The hope is that a similar approach could clear someone of HIV, although some experts have urged caution.
HIV treatment requires daily antiretroviral drugs to kill any active virus. Left unchecked, HIV can destroy the immune system, causing Aids.
A cure is currently impossible because drugs and the immune system fail to detect the sleeping or "latent" HIV hiding in the body's cells.
Nobel Prize winner and co-discoverer of HIV, Francoise Barre-Sinoussi, told the BBC: "One of the mechanisms why [latently infected cells] persist is the fact they are proliferating very similar to tumour cells.
"Those cells are expressing molecules that are the same molecules that are expressed on tumour cells.
"So that raises the question whether we could develop a strategy for HIV-cure similar to the novel treatment in the field of cancer."
She is one of the scientists attending the HIV and Cancer Cure Forum in Paris.
Prof Sharon Lewin, the director of the Doherty Institute in Australia, agrees there is much to learn from cancer.
She said: "There are a lot of parallels… I think it's huge."
Cancers evolve tricks to survive an assault by the immune system.
They can produce proteins on their surface, such as PD-L1, which disable immune cells attacking the tumour.
A new class of immunotherapy drugs called "checkpoint inhibitors" allow the immune system to keep on fighting and the results have been remarkable.
In one trial, a fifth of patients with terminal melanoma had no sign of the disease after immunotherapy.
However, only about 50 people with HIV have been given immunotherapy to treat their cancer.
So there is little evidence of immunotherapy drugs and their effect on HIV.
Prof Lewin has started doing the research in the laboratory and thinks immunotherapy drugs could reinvigorate an immune system that has become tired of fighting HIV.
She said: "The parts of the immune system that recognise HIV are often exhausted T-cells, they express immune checkpoint markers.
"In the laboratory, if you then put those cells in with an immune checkpoint blocker, the T-cells do regain function."
Antiretroviral therapy combines three or more drugs which stop the HIV virus from progressing
She said there was emerging evidence that the drugs also activated HIV lying dormant inside immune cells.
Prof Lewin said: "We want the virus to wake up, any virus that wakes up gets killed [by antiretroviral drugs]."
However this is a new concept in HIV that has so far delivered nothing for patients.
And there are important differences between the challenges of cancer and HIV immunology.
In cancer, the immune system can recognise the threat but is not powerful enough to do anything about it, but the immune system does not recognise latently infected HIV cells at all.
Dr Anthony Fauci, the head of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the area is "very hot" right now in cancer.
But he cautioned: "We have to be careful we don't assume that things that work in cancer are going to work in HIV.
"HIV is so different, that even though it's worth exploring, I wouldn't want people to think this is going to be equally successful in HIV."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-40700770
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Asda Little Angels nappy withdrawn after baby 'left blistered' - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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The supermarket has withdrawn the product for newborns for tests after a family complained.
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UK
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Asda has withdrawn an own-brand type of newborn nappy after a family complained their baby had suffered a "chemical reaction" to the product.
Jordan Bartliff, from South Yorkshire, put images showing his premature son's red and blistered skin on Facebook.
The father is warning other parents he fears there is a "bad batch" of the Little Angels newborn nappies.
Asda said "our hearts go out to the Bartliff family", adding it had withdrawn the product for tests.
Facebook post from the father of the three-week old baby
In his first post Mr Bartliff said his child, who he does not name, had been wearing Little Angels newborn nappies for three-weeks "with no problems whatsoever" and that "he's not allergic to them".
But he said that following what appeared to be a "chemical reaction" his son, born five weeks premature, had needed hospital treatment on Saturday morning and was moved on to a ventilator after experiencing breathing difficulties.
"I wouldn't want it happening to any other little soul, so please be vigilant and careful with these nappies as it obviously is a bad batch," he added.
And in a later post he said Asda had "recalled" the nappies and that his son was in the process of being transferred to another hospital in Sheffield.
Facebook update about three-week old baby posted on Monday evening
Asda said the supermarket chain had started investigating and had made a "nationwide call to remove the product on Monday afternoon".
Lizzy Massey, the chain's vice president of own brand, said: "Our hearts go out to the Bartliff family and hope their baby son makes a full recovery soon.
"We're in touch with his dad and have collected the nappies so that we can test them along with others in the batch.
"We take our responsibility to parents seriously and as a precaution we have decided to remove our Little Angels newborn nappies from sale until we know why this happened."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-40711191
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Kayla MacDonald named as girl killed by logs in Argyll forest - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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The eight-year-old was described by her family as "precious and fun-loving" whose smile lit up a room.
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Glasgow & West Scotland
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Kayla MacDonald died after logs fell on her
A "precious and fun-loving" eight-year-old girl who died after logs fell on her in an Argyll forest has been named by police.
Kayla MacDonald, from Dunbeg, had become trapped by the logs near the village of Benderloch, north of Oban, at about 14:40 BST on Sunday.
Her family said Kayla was fluent in Gaelic and her smile would "light up a room".
A 12-year-old girl was also injured and is in a stable condition in hospital.
She was airlifted to Lorn and Islands Hospital in Oban but was then transferred to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow.
Kayla was pronounced dead at the scene.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The incident happened near the village of Benderloch on Sunday afternoon
In a statement her family said: "Kayla was a precious fun loving eight-year-old who was loved by everyone around her. Kayla's smile would light up a room. She attended Rockfield's Gaelic Medium where she was fluent in Gaelic.
"Our wee girl loved music and dance as well as doing hair, nails and make up. Kayla has two younger brothers who, along with the rest of her family and friends, will miss her dearly."
A joint investigation between Police Scotland and the Health and Safety Executive will take place to establish the full circumstances surrounding the death, however, it is not being treated as suspicious.
The area where the incident happened is part of the Barcaldine Forest, where there has been logging activity recently.
Margaret Adams, convenor of the local community council, told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme that the tragedy would have a "massive" impact on the community.
"Even if people don't know the child they will know the family, in a small community," she said.
"It really will have quite an affect on the locals."
Ms Adams said logging had been going on in the area for several months, with signs up warning of the dangers.
She added: "The signs make it very clear that they don't want people to go up because there will be heavy machinery and logs stacked."
Local resident Elaine Walton told BBC Scotland there had been plenty of warnings about forestry operations but it was possible to access the area by avoiding the fenced-off tracks.
"The Forestry (Commission) sent every household in the area a letter telling us the plans for the works, that the place would be sealed off and that there were other walks down at Sutherland's Grove," she said.
"But if you live in the area you know that there are little ways to get up on the hill if you want to and young people explore and find these ways."
A spokesman for Forest Enterprise Scotland said: "Our thoughts are with the family and their friends at this very difficult time and we offer them our deepest condolences.
"We will now focus on working with the site contractor, Tilhill Forestry, and the Health and Safety Executive as investigations into this tragic incident continue."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-40699919
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Rashan Jermaine Charles dies after Hackney police pursuit - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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Rashan Jermaine Charles was taken ill after "trying to swallow an object" in a shop in east London, police say.
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London
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. CCTV shows Rashan Jermaine Charles being apprehended by police inside a shop, as the BBC's Andy Moore reports.
A 20-year-old man has died after being apprehended by a police officer in an east London shop.
The Met Police said the man, named by his family as Rashan Jermaine Charles, was followed on foot after officers tried to stop a car in Kingsland Road, Hackney, at 01:45 BST on Saturday.
Mr Charles was taken ill after trying to swallow an object and was pronounced dead in hospital, police said.
Footage apparently showing the incident has been shared on social media, along with the hashtag #JusticeForRash.
The film, recorded by a security camera, shows Mr Charles entering a shop pursued by a uniformed police officer.
In the footage, there is a struggle on the floor, and Mr Charles appears to put his hand to his mouth.
Another man in plain clothes is seen helping the officer. Mr Charles is seen handcuffed with his hands behind his back.
Members of the local community have been laying flowers and lighting candles at the scene of the incident
Scotland Yard said the officer "intervened and sought to prevent the man from harming himself".
A force medic provided first aid at the scene before London Ambulance Service paramedics arrived.
Mr Charles was taken to the Royal London Hospital in east London and pronounced dead at 02:55 BST.
Police said next of kin had been informed and a post-mortem examination would be held.
A makeshift memorial to Mr Charles has sprung up by the scene of the incident as members of the local community have laid flowers and lit candles outside the shop.
Simon Laurence, the Met's borough commander for Hackney, said: "There is likely to be speculation over the next few days regarding what led to this man becoming ill, so I would encourage people to keep up-to-date with the IPCC's statements, as and when they are released.
"All police officers are fully aware that they will be asked to account for their actions - officers are not exempt from the law and we would not wish to be."
The IPCC confirmed it had begun an independent investigation, taking evidence from eyewitnesses and police officers.
It said CCTV footage from inside the shop and police body-worn video evidence had been gathered and viewed.
"The IPCC has obtained evidence which indicates an object was removed from [Mr Charles's] throat at the scene," a spokesman said.
He appealed for information from witnesses who were in the Kingsland Road and Middleton Road area of Hackney.
Campaigners from Hackney Stand Up To Racism have announced a vigil for Mr Charles outside Stoke Newington police station on Monday evening.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-40696004
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Sea level fears as Greenland darkens - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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Scientists worry that the melting of the Greenland ice sheet could accelerate and raise sea levels more than expected.
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Science & Environment
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The Greenland ice sheet covers an area about seven times the size of the UK
Scientists are "very worried" that the melting of the Greenland ice sheet could accelerate and raise sea levels more than expected.
They say warmer conditions are encouraging algae to grow and darken the surface.
Dark ice absorbs more solar radiation than clean white ice so warms up and melts more rapidly.
Currently the Greenland ice sheet is adding up to 1mm a year to the rise in the global average level of the oceans.
It is the largest mass of ice in the northern hemisphere covering an area about seven times the size of the United Kingdom and reaching up to 3km (2 miles) in thickness.
This means that the average sea level would rise around the world by about seven metres, more than 20ft, if it all melted.
That is why Greenland, though remote, is a focus of research which has direct relevance to major coastal cities as far apart as Miami, London and Shanghai and low-lying areas in Bangladesh and parts of Britain.
Algae were first observed on the Greenland ice sheet more than a century ago but until recently its potential impact was ignored. Only in the last few years have researchers started to explore how the microscopically small plants could affect future melting.
A five-year UK research project known as Black and Bloom is under way to investigate the different species of algae and how they might spread, and then to use this knowledge to improve computer projections of future sea level rise.
The possibility of biologically inspired melting was not included in the estimates for sea level rise published by the UN's climate panel, the IPCC, in its latest report in 2013.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. "Like stepping onto the Moon": Life on the ice
That study said the worst-case scenario was a rise of 98cm by the end of the century.
One concern now is that rising temperatures will allow algae to flourish not only on the slopes of the narrow margins of the ice-sheet but also on the flat areas in the far larger interior where melting could happen on a much bigger scale.
We joined the latest phase of research in which scientists set up camp on the ice-sheet to gather accurate measurements of the "albedo" or the amount of solar radiation reflected by the surface.
White snow reflects up to 90% of solar radiation while dark patches of algae will only reflect about 35% or even as little as 1% in the blackest spots.
When we flew by helicopter onto the ice sheet, the rolling landscape seemed surprisingly grey - my first impression was that it looked dirty.
Scientists are investigating the different species of algae and how they might spread
Much of the surface was covered with what looked like patches of soot and it was pockmarked with countless holes at the bottom of which were pitch-black layers of a mix of algae, bacteria and minerals known as cryoconite.
Prof Martyn Tranter of Bristol University, who is leading the project, told me:
"People are very worried about the possibility that the ice sheet might be melting faster and faster in the future.
"We suspect that in a warming climate these dark algae will grow over larger and larger parts of the Greenland ice sheet and it might well be that they will cause more melting and an acceleration of sea level rise.
"Our project is trying to understand just how much melting might occur."
Over the last 20 years, Greenland has been losing more ice than it gains through snowfall in winter - a change in a natural balance that normally keeps the ice-sheet stable.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. David Shukman explains how scientists live on an ice sheet - and how you go to toilet
Biological darkening has not been built into scientists' climate projections
And one of the project scientists, Dr Andrew Tedstone, a glaciologist and also of Bristol University, said that over much of the same period, images from the MODIS satellite showed a darkening trend with the years of greatest dark producing most meltwater.
He said: "We still don't think we've reached a point where we've seen the maximum darkness that we're going to see in this area so the fieldwork we're doing is to try to find out in a warming climate 'do we think the area is going to get any darker than we've already seen in the last 15 years?'"
Earlier research had found that the ice sheet is covered with a range of contaminants carried on the winds including dust and soot from as far away as Canadian prairie fires and the industrial heartlands of China, America and Europe.
But studies over the past five years have shown that the majority of the dark material may be biological with different kinds of algae turning the ice black, brown, green and even mauve.
"This is a living landscape," according to Dr Joe Cook, a glacial microbiologist at Sheffield University.
"This is an extremely difficult place for anything to live but, as we look around us, all this darkness we can see on the ice surface is living - algae, microbes, living and reproducing in the ice sheet and changing its colour."
Ice retreat does not have to be total to have a damaging impact
"We know they're very widespread and we know that they're very dark and we know that that's accelerating melt but that's not something that's built into any of our climate projections - and that's something that needs to change."
The final phase of the Black and Bloom project involves weaving the new factor of biological darkening into climate models to come up with revised estimates for future sea level rise.
And, as Dr Cook explained, the retreat of the Greenland ice sheet does not need to be total to have a widespread and damaging impact.
"When we say the ice sheet is melting faster, no one saying it's all going to melt in next decade or the next 100 years or even the next 1,000 years but it doesn't all have to melt for more people to be in danger - only a small amount has to melt to threaten millions in coastal communities around world."
Meanwhile, another factor that may be driving the melting has been identified by an Austrian member of the team, Stefan Hofer, a PhD student at Bristol.
In a paper recently published in Science Advances, he analysed satellite imagery and found that over the past 20 years there has been a 15% decrease in cloud cover over Greenland in the summer months.
"It was definitely a 'wow' moment," he told me.
Although temperature is an obvious driver of melting, the paper estimated that two-thirds of additional melting, above the long-term average, was attributable to clearer skies.
What is not known is how this might affect the algae. Their darker pigments are believed to be a protection from ultra violet light - so more sunshine might encourage that process of darkening or prove to be damaging to them.
The Black and Bloom project, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (Nerc), aims to publish its new projections for sea level rise in two years' time.
Follow David on Twitter. and Join him for a live Facebook chat at 15:30 with Arctic explorer Pen Hadow ahead of his mission to sail to the North Pole.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-40686984
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Richard Dawkins' Berkeley event cancelled for 'Islamophobia' - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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A California radio station accuses the celebrated biologist of "abusive speech against Islam".
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US & Canada
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Dawkins has previously written: "Islam is the greatest force for evil in the world today"
Evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins has denied Islamophobia after a US radio station cancelled his forthcoming speech.
The best-selling author had been due to address an event hosted by KPFA Radio in Berkeley, California, in August.
Organisers accused him of "abusive speech against Islam" when scrapping his appearance, an allegation he denied.
He called on the station to review his past remarks and apologise.
In a letter to ticket-holders, the publicly funded radio station wrote: "We had booked this event based entirely on his excellent new book on science, when we didn't know he had offended and hurt - in his tweets and other comments on Islam, so many people."
The station, which is not affiliated with the University of California, said in a letter - which Mr Dawkins published online - that it does not support "hurtful" or "abusive speech".
It also apologised "for not having had broader knowledge of Dawkins views much earlier".
Local media report that Bay Area residents had brought attention to statements made by the author of the anti-religion book The God Delusion, including a 2013 tweet saying "Islam is the greatest force for evil in the world today".
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. 'It gets lonely': Being conservative on a liberal campus
In an open letter to organisers, Professor Dawkins wrote that he "never used abusive speech against Islam".
He said harsh statements he has made in the past have been directed at "IslamISM" - apparently referring to those who use the religion for political objectives - and not adherents of the faith.
"I have criticised the appalling misogyny and homophobia of Islam, I have criticised the murdering of apostates for no crime other than their disbelief," Professor Dawkins writes.
He also pointed out that he has been a "frequent critic of Christianity but have never been de-platformed for that".
He describes listening to KPFA "almost every day" during the two years he lived in Berkeley, adding that "I especially admired your habit of always quoting sources".
"You conspicuously did not quote a source when accusing me of 'abusive speech'.
"Why didn't you check your facts - or at least have the common courtesy to alert me - before summarily cancelling my event?"
Professor Dawkins' book about the study of evolution, The Selfish Gene, was named last week by the Royal Society as the most inspiring science book of all time.
Known as the home of the Free Speech moment in the 1960s, Berkeley has recently left that reputation in doubt as far-left protesters have sought to silence speakers and academics with whom they disagree.
Conservative authors Ann Coulter and Milo Yiannopoulos have each clashed with the University of California after events where they were due to speak were cancelled by the college administration out of fear for public safety.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-40710165
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High risk of 'unprecedented' winter downpours - Met Office - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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A new analysis suggests there's a greater chance of the heavy rain that led to extensive flooding in 2014.
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Science & Environment
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Rainfall in January 2014 was unprecedented in Met Office records
There is an increased risk of "unprecedented" winter downpours such as those that caused extensive flooding in 2014, the UK Met Office says.
Their study suggests there's now a one in three chance of monthly rainfall records being broken in England and Wales in winter.
The estimate reflects natural variability plus changes in the UK climate as a result of global warming.
But a supercomputer was needed to understand the scale of increased risk.
Across the winter of 2013-14, a series of storms hit the UK leading to extensive flooding in many parts. The amount of rain that fell in much of southern England and the Midlands was the heaviest in 100 years. Cleaning up from the resulting floods took time and money - the bill for the Thames valley alone was over £1bn.
Met Office researchers say that there was nothing in the observational record to indicate that such an unprecedented amount of rainfall was possible.
However, by using a climate model that takes the current climate period from 1981-2015 as its base, and running it hundreds of times on the Met Office supercomputer, researchers were able to find many modelled months with similar or greater rainfall to January 2014.
Their analysis also showed a high risk of record-breaking rainfall in England and Wales in the coming decade.
"We found many unprecedented events in the model data and this comes out as a 7% risk of a monthly record extreme in a given winter in the next few years, that's just over Southeast England," Dr Vikki Thompson, the study's lead author told BBC News.
"Looking at all the regions of England and Wales we found a 34% chance of an extreme event happening in at least one of those regions each year."
Not only is there a greater risk, but the researchers were also able to estimate that these events could break existing records by up to 30%.
"That is an enormous number, to have a monthly value that's 30% larger, it's a bit like what we had in 2014, and as much again," said Prof Adam Scaife from the Met Office.
Key to developing this new understanding of the risk of record rainfall has been adding the power of a supercomputer to create hundreds of realistic UK winter scenarios in addition to the observational record. Other experts believe that the new work will be very important to policy makers.
"Although this year has been particularly dry, generally our winters are getting wetter and the rainfall heavier, so we are seeing more flooding and records broken," said Prof Piers Forster from the University of Leeds who was not involved with the study.
"We expect the odds to shorten on future rainfall extremes but the first stage to predict this is knowing the current odds - and this is what this new paper gives us."
One of the key questions though is how much of a role does climate change play in increasing the risk of these large scale downpours?
"There's a good chance of a record and there's a good chance that it would be much bigger than the current record," said Prof Scaife.
"We are not attributing this directly to climate change, what we are saying is that if you take in everything that's in the climate system today then that is the risk. Climate change is already happening and we've already got some and that is folded in here."
The Army was needed to help with the scale of flooding in January and February 2014
The new research approach has been dubbed the UNSEEN method, to emphasise that this work anticipates events that have not yet been seen. It was also used as part of the UK government's National Flood Resilience Review (NFRR) when the Met Office were asked to estimate the potential and severity of record breaking rainfall over the next decade.
That review led the government to adopt new stress tests to assess the risk of flooding from the rivers and seas.
However there were concerns that the NFRR didn't consider surface water flooding which can affect more homes and businesses. Some critics believe that in light of this new research, the review should be re-visited.
"It should be an urgent priority for the Environment Secretary to re-open the National Flood Resilience Review with the aim of improving the UK's preparedness against surface water flooding caused by heavy rainfall, the risks of which are clearly spelled out in this paper," said Bob Ward, from the the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change.
The Met Office study is published in the journal Nature Communications.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-40683302
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Skull found during missing Corrie Mckeague search 'was not his' - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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A skull found while police searched a landfill site was a woman's from before 1945, police say.
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Suffolk
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Corrie Mckeague was last seen in Bury St Edmunds on 24 September
A skull found amid the large-scale search for Corrie Mckeague was not that of the missing airman, police said.
It was found at a landfill site in Landbeach, Cambridgeshire at a time when police were trawling another landfill at nearby Milton for the missing 23-year-old.
Police said the skull was female and dated back to pre-1945. Mr Mckeague's family was informed of the find.
Mr Mckeague, of Dunfermline, was last seen in Bury St Edmunds in September.
A spokeswoman for Cambridgeshire Police said: "On April 14 a human skull was discovered at a landfill site in Ely Road, Landbeach, near Cambridge.
"Early indications of the age of the skull meant it was highly unlikely to be that of Corrie Mckeague, however Suffolk Police and Corrie's family were informed.
"It has since been established that the skull is female and dates back to before 1945.
"There are no suspicious circumstances therefore the investigation has been closed."
The spokeswoman said the skull was found by workers at the site and had been traced back to a house clearance of a man who "collected curios". The coroner was made aware of the discovery, she said.
Thousands of tonnes of waste have been searched and sifted at the landfill site in Milton
On Friday, Suffolk Police confirmed it had ended its search of waste at the Milton landfill site.
Police also said on Friday an external force was reviewing the investigation.
On Monday, Suffolk Police said that until this review was completed the area of the landfill site searched would be left in "its current state" and would not be used for further waste disposal.
Corrie's mother Nicola Urquhart has urged the force to reconsider and is considering seeking an injunction to stop the site being backfilled.
More than 21,000 people have signed a petition calling on police to continue searching the waste site.
Mr Mckeague's girlfriend April Oliver gave birth to their baby daughter Ellie in June
The RAF serviceman has not been seen since a night out in the Suffolk town when CCTV showed him entering a bin loading bay.
Suffolk Police said Mr Mckeague was known to "sleep in rubbish on a night out".
Det Supt Katie Elliott said the landfill search for Mr Mckeague had been "systematic, comprehensive and thorough".
Mr Mckeague's girlfriend April Oliver gave birth to their baby daughter Ellie in June.
On Facebook she wrote on Monday: "My little Ellie brings so much joy and happiness even at the hardest of times. Love you always."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-40706307
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Devon drugs death girl 'paid ultimate price' - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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The family of 15-year-old Leah Kerry say she knew the dangers but "thought she was invincible".
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Devon
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Leah Kerry died in Torbay Hospital after apparently suffering from an adverse reaction to a psychoactive substance she had taken
A girl who is thought to have died because of an adverse reaction to what used be called a legal high "paid the ultimate price", her family has said.
Leah Kerry, 15, who attended school in Salisbury, died in hospital on 16 July having been found unconscious at an address in Newton Abbot, Devon.
In a statement, her family described her as "a courageous and confident young woman."
She knew the dangers of drugs, but "thought she was invincible", it said.
"Sadly, despite being well aware of the risks, she thought she was invincible and she rolled the dice and has paid the ultimate price", the statement said.
Leah Kerry's family said she "rolled the dice and paid the ultimate price"
A statement given to Devon and Cornwall Police on behalf of the family said: "Leah lit up any room she walked into with her incredible personality, sense of humour, striking looks and demeanour.
"Those who know her will ache to hear the words 'You allriiight' one last time."
The family warned other people against taking "dangerous NPS (new psychoactive substances) tablets" and urged "the government to place the dangers of psychoactive substances at the top of their agenda for discussion on the back of their Drugs Strategy for 2017."
Jacob Khanlarian, 20, from Newton Abbot, who was charged with intent to supply drugs in connection with the incident, will appear before Exeter Crown Court on 10 August.
• None Legal highs and chemsex to be targeted
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-40706683
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Man jailed for stalking Radio 2 DJ Sara Cox - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Anthony Collins told Sara Cox he was disturbed with a criminal past but she was "kind and sexy".
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England
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Radio 2 DJ Sara Cox was sent letters handwritten in felt-tip pen
A convicted paedophile who stalked BBC Radio 2 DJ Sara Cox has been jailed.
Anthony Collins, 50, from Chatham, who admitted harassment, sent letters to Cox and told her he was psychologically disturbed and had a criminal past but wanted her to invite him to the BBC.
When police arrested him, they found he had a fake BBC visitor's pass, Cox's sister's work address, and indecent images of girls aged four to 15.
Collins, of Afghan Road, was jailed for 16 months at Maidstone Crown Court.
Sentencing, Judge Martin Joy told him: "You have an obsessive personality."
The court heard Collins bought Cox's address online and sent her letters written in felt-tip pen.
Anthony Collins wrote that he was "tall with green eyes" but unsuccessful in his life
In one letter, he told her he was living unhappily in a bedsit and asked her, to invite him to the Radio 2 studios, saying she was "lovely, warm, kind and sexy".
He wrote: "I'm 49, tall with green eyes. I know you are married to Ben Cyzer and know he is a successful man. I'm unsuccessful in my life."
He also wrote to Cox's husband at his workplace - the letter included a picture of Cox holding a child, and a diagram with the words "Cancer Analysis" in capital letters.
Prosecutor Mary Jacobson said: "Needless to say that when Ms Cox found out her husband had received a letter she was immediately much more scared, as she put it, and the matter was reported to the police."
The court heard when Collins was arrested he said he "wanted to be in the news" and admitted his actions amounted to harassment.
Officers found the indecent images in Collins's bedside drawers and discovered more unposted letters as well as pictures and press cuttings.
Collins had pleaded guilty to possessing indecent images and making indecent images of children.
The court was told he had a criminal history that included an 18-month jail term for poisoning a 13-year-old girl in a bid to sedate her and have sex with her.
Collins had also broken a restraining order by speaking to two girls aged six and seven and making lewd comments.
In mitigation, defence counsel Ian Dear said Collins's actions towards Cox amounted to harassment but had not intended to cause alarm or distress, adding it was "a cry for help".
Collins was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a restraining order.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-40702806
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Ryanair warns of airline fares war this summer - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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The airline says it might cut fares as much as 9% on some routes as competition intensifies.
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Business
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Ryanair says it could cut fares by as much as 9% on some routes as competition in the airline industry intensifies in the next few months.
The warning from Europe's largest carrier by passenger numbers follows similar comments about price pressures from Ryanair's rivals in recent weeks.
Competition was growing as airlines switched capacity from Turkey and North Africa, Ryanair said.
Separately, Ryanair said it had made a "non-binding offer" for Alitalia.
On Friday, Italian media reported that about 10 offers had been made for the loss-making airline.
In a statement, Dublin-based Ryanair said it was "important we are involved in the process" given that Alitalia is Italy's largest carrier.
Ryanair's comments came as it reported a 55% rise in pre-tax profits to 397m euros (£356m) in the three months to 30 June. Revenues were up 13% to 1.68bn euros.
The average fare during the quarter rose 1% to 40.3 euros, although Ryanair said this was a blip due to the much stronger Easter trading. Easter, a peak-time for holidaymakers, fell in April this year, inside the carrier's reporting period. In 2016, it fell in March.
The airline said it expected fares to fall by 5% in the six months to the end of September and by 8% in the six months to the end of March 2018.
"We expect the pricing environment to remain very competitive" chief executive Michael O'Leary said in a statement. EasyJet and Wizz Air have both said that fares will be under pressure this summer.
The warning sparked a 3.5% fall in Ryanair's share price. EasyJet shares fell 3.4%, while the owner of British Airways, IAG, fell 2.7%.
In a bid to recoup some lost revenues, Ryanair is considering limiting the number of passengers eligible to take a second free carry-on bag. Revenues from people paying to take luggage have fallen at the airline.
Mr O'Leary told analysts that it was possible that only passengers who paid for priority boarding would be eligible. However, he added that no decision had been made.
Ryanair executives also repeated warnings of major flight disruptions between the UK and Europe if Brexit talks fail to agree a bi-lateral deal on flights. The airline has warned it may cancel flights and move operations abroad if there is no agreement well in advance of Brexit.
"We need clarity so that we can plan our schedules for 2019," chief financial officer Neil Sorahan told the BBC.
EasyJet announced last week that it had secured an air operator's certificate in Austria to enable it to keep flying across the EU following Brexit.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40702493
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Glastonbury gap year to be filled by new BBC Music festival - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The Biggest Weekend is taking place next May as Glastonbury has a year off.
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Entertainment & Arts
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The Biggest Weekend will run from 25-28 May
With Glastonbury taking a year off in 2018, there's already one new festival hoping to fill the mud-and-music gap.
The BBC has announced plans to host The Biggest Weekend while Glasto has its traditional fallow year.
The four-day festival will take place in May across four sites in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The last time Glastonbury had a year off, in 2012, BBC Radio 1 brought its Big Weekend festival to Hackney.
It coincided with the London Olympics, which took place in the capital a few weeks after the festival.
The Biggest Weekend is scheduled for the late May bank holiday weekend (25-28 May) - earlier than when Glastonbury normally is.
More than 175,000 tickets will be made available, which is more than the number sold for Glasto, but this one is across four locations.
The BBC said it will bring "the biggest artists in the world" to the event - but headliners won't be announced for some time yet.
Those who don't fancy the mud and rain will be able to watch and listen to the coverage on various BBC outlets.
More than 175,000 tickets will be made available for the event
Radio 1, Radio 2, Radio 3 and 6 Music will all broadcast live sets from the weekend, while BBC Two and BBC Four will lead the TV coverage.
Don't worry if you're away that weekend - because all the sets will also be available on BBC iPlayer.
Bob Shennan, director of BBC radio and music, said the corporation "has a strong history of bringing the nation together for some special moments, and this is the biggest single music event ever attempted by the BBC".
"We will be celebrating the diversity of music from four different corners of the country, bringing the best UK music to the world and the best global music to the UK."
The festival will be for one year only and there are no plans for it to become an annual event.
Glastonbury takes a break every five to six years to prevent excessive damage to the site.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-40703541
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Everton to host Bradley Lowery charity match - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Although a Sunderland fan, six-year-old Bradley Lowery moved Everton before his death from cancer.
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Tees
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Sunderland fan Bradley Lowery was a mascot against Everton then for them
Everton will host a charity football match in celebration of Bradley Lowery, the club has announced.
Although a Sunderland fan, six-year-old Bradley made a real impact on Everton when he was a mascot first against them, then for them.
Bradley died on 7 July having been diagnosed with neuroblastoma when he was 18 months old.
Bradley's mother Gemma said the support the family had received was "fantastic".
Evertonians formed a special bond with the youngster, initially during Everton's match at Sunderland in September 2016 and then when he was a guest at Goodison Park for two matches in January and February this year.
Everton Chairman Bill Kenwright said: "I didn't know him for long but from the second he walked out onto the pitch with his beloved Sunderland against us, I felt an overwhelming need to support him.
"He was the loveliest lad - still an imp, but with the biggest heart."
Funds are being raised for the Bradley Lowery Foundation, a charity set up by his family which aims to help other families with children with cancer.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-40708268
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South African child 'virtually cured' of HIV - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The nine-year-old has no active HIV in the body after catching the infection at birth.
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Health
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The child caught the infection from its mother around the time of birth
A nine-year-old infected with HIV at birth has spent most of their life without needing any treatment, say doctors in South Africa.
The child, whose identity is being protected, was given a burst of treatment shortly after birth.
They have since been off drugs for eight-and-a-half years without symptoms or signs of active virus.
The family is said to be "really delighted".
Most people need treatment every day to prevent HIV destroying the immune system and causing Aids.
Understanding how the child is protected could lead to new drugs or a vaccine for stopping HIV.
The child caught the infection from their mother around the time of birth in 2007. They had very high levels of HIV in the blood.
Early antiretroviral therapy was not standard practice at the time, but was given to the child from nine weeks old as part of a clinical trial.
Levels of the virus became undetectable, treatment was stopped after 40 weeks and unlike anybody else on the study - the virus has not returned.
Early therapy which attacks the virus before it has a chance to fully establish itself has been implicated in child "cure" cases twice before.
The "Mississippi Baby" was put on treatment within 30 hours of birth and went 27 months without treatment before HIV re-emerged in her blood.
There was also a case in France with a patient who has now gone more than 11 years without drugs.
Dr Avy Violari, the head of paediatric research at the Perinal HIV Research Unit in Johannesburg, said: "We don't believe that antiretroviral therapy alone can lead to remission.
"We don't really know what's the reason why this child has achieved remission - we believe it's either genetic or immune system-related."
Some people are naturally better at dealing with an HIV infection - so-called "elite controllers". However, whatever the child has is different to anything that has been seen before.
Replicating it as a new form of therapy - a drug, antibody or vaccine - would have the potential to help other patients.
It is worth noting that while there is no active HIV in the child's body, the virus has been detected in the child's immune cells.
HIV can hide inside them - called latent HIV - for long periods of time, so there is still a danger the child could need drug treatment in the future.
The team in Johannesburg performed the study alongside the UK's MRC Clinical Trials Unit.
Prof Diana Gibb, who is based in London, told the BBC News website: "It captures the imagination because you've got a virtual cure and it is exciting to see cases like this.
"But it is important to remember it is one child.
"HIV is still a massive problem around the world and we mustn't put all our eyes on to one phenomenon like this, as opposed to looking at the bigger issues for Africa."
Worldwide, 36.7 million people are living with HIV and only 53% of them are receiving antiretroviral therapy.
Dr Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said: "Further study is needed to learn how to induce long-term HIV remission in infected babies.
"However, this new case strengthens our hope that by treating HIV-infected children for a brief period beginning in infancy, we may be able to spare them the burden of lifelong therapy and the health consequences of long-term immune activation typically associated with HIV disease."
The results are being presented at the IAS Conference on HIV Science.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-40703306
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Newspaper headlines: Corbyn on student debt and Needham 'breakthrough' - BBC News
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2017-07-24
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Labour's leader discussing student debt, and a Ben Needham case development make the front pages.
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The Papers
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Jeremy Corbyn's claim on Sunday that he had never promised to write off student debt from loans for university tuition fees, during the election campaign, makes front page headlines.
For the Sun, it's a jaw-dropping U-turn.
The Daily Express says it's small wonder that thousands of students queued at the polling stations in the false hope that if Mr Corbyn were prime minister, he would shake the magic money tree at them.
The Daily Mail describes the Labour leader's argument that he didn't know how much it would cost to do so, as a risible excuse.
On the second day of its cyber crime series, the i paper leads on a report that the computer systems of dozens of public sector organisations - from hospitals and councils to museums and watchdogs - have been attacked more than 400 times in the last three years.
It says cyber criminals have been seeking to extort money, cause disruption or extract data.
An investigation by the paper has found that the vast majority of the incidents have not previously been made public - and many are not being reported to the police.
According to the Guardian's main story, doctors are warning that almost 63,000 people in England will die over the next five years from liver problems linked to heavy drinking, unless ministers tackle the scourge of cheap alcohol.
It says senior members of the medical profession and health charities are urging the government to bring in minimum unit pricing and crack down on drink advertising to avert what they claim is a public health crisis of liver disease deaths.
England's dramatic victory over India in the Women's Cricket World Cup final is reported on many front pages - as well as the sports pages.
The Times says women have not always been made to feel welcome at Lord's - female members were permitted to enter the pavilion only in 1999.
But in front of more than 26,000 paying spectators on Sunday, there was a sense that women's cricket had come of age.
The Financial Times says the tournament has marked a breakthrough for the women's game, with extensive media coverage and avid crowds.
Increasingly - the Daily Telegraph says - spectators are tuning in to women's sport to find skill and spectacle every bit the equal of the men's game.
Meanwhile, the Telegraph says it can disclose that the BBC is planning to take men off radio and television programmes and replace them with women in an attempt to close the gender pay gap.
Quoting "insiders", the paper reports that the BBC will seek to boost women's pay by giving them plum jobs when contracts of male presenters come up for renewal.
With the budget for BBC talent constrained by strict spending controls, the corporation can only increase women's pay by cutting that of men, it adds.
Several papers report that there's been a third shark alert off the coast of Majorca this summer.
The Mail says swimmers were ordered to leave the water at Estanys beach in Colonia de Sant Jordi, on Saturday and a red flag was hoisted to ban bathing.
According to the Express, a tourist was left with a grazed arm after the shark brushed against him.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-40701131
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Oxford City Council threatens homeless with £2.5k fine over bags - BBC News
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2017-07-25
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Oxford City Council is threatening to fine or prosecute rough sleepers who leave bags in doorways.
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Oxford
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Homeless people who keep possessions in doorways in Oxford can face fines of up to £2,500.
Homeless people who keep possessions in doorways in Oxford have been warned they face fines of up to £2,500.
Notices have been attached to piles of bags in Oxford city centre which belong to people sleeping rough.
Green Party councillor David Thomas said it was an "outrageous" bid to "intimidate" the homeless.
Oxford City Council said the abandoned bags posed a hazard by blocking fire exits and lockers were available to those who sought help.
The notices issued by the authority said prosecution could follow if the items were not removed.
Notices issued by the council last week warned fines or prosecution could follow
Neo, who sleeps rough in Oxford, said he had his possessions confiscated by the council.
"Most of the stuff which was taken was stuff that the public donated... it's a shame," he said, adding he now carries his possessions around in a trolley.
Oxford City Council said those issued with notices had two days to collect their belongings, and everything was taken by the owners except "a soiled duvet and pieces of cardboard" which were removed.
Neo said he has been forced to carry his belongings around on a trolley
The local authority also said homeless people who engage with aid services could access lockers to store their belongings.
However, Ashley, another homeless man from Oxford, said the lockers were not big enough.
"What Oxford needs is a just a space for stuff to be stored" he said.
If prosecuted the individual could face a maximum fine of £2,500
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-40713992
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'It's quite freaky, like something's prodding my brain' - BBC News
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2017-07-25
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Dodie describes how she plucked up the courage to try a new treatment for depersonalisation.
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Health
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Vlogger Dodie tells BBC Radio 5 live she is raising awareness of mental health issues by filming her treatment
Depersonalisation disorder, sometimes known as DPD, leaves sufferers feeling like they're not part of the world they live in.
"I feel spaced out a lot of the time. I feel like I'm not really here, like I'm living in a dream," says Dodie Clark, a 22-year-old musician and vlogger from London.
"I can't open my eyes wide enough or see things properly."
The mental health disorder can lead to severe depression as emotions, empathy and wellbeing give way to a detachment and distance from daily life.
Dodie says: "It's caused me to have depression and anxiety. I noticed suicidal thoughts creeping in and that was definitely the point where I thought I need some help."
What causes the condition is not yet understood - and treatments such as medication and counselling aren't always effective.
Dodie has suffered from depersonalisation for about two years, and is now trying out a fairly new treatment called trans-cranial magnetic stimulation.
Known as TMS, it is currently available in only two NHS trusts and a handful of private clinics. It is a mainstream treatment in the US, but not the UK.
Dodie allowed BBC Radio 5 Live to accompany her for a treatment at the Smart TMS clinic in Chelsea.
At first sight, the therapy looks similar to electro-convulsive therapy, a controversial intervention that passes electric shocks through the brain to cause a minor seizure, modifying brain activity.
However TMS is very different. No pads or probes actually touch the patient's head.
Instead, an electromagnetic coil sits a few inches above the targeted area.
Electromagnetic pulses are then generated that target the specific area of the brain thought to be causing the problem.
One effect of the electromagnetic pulse is unintended movement.
Dodie Clark is receiving treatment for feeling spaced out much of the time
In Dodie's case, the pulses make her jaw twitch with a regular clicking motion.
"At first, I was quite panicked by the whole situation, because it's quite freaky - like something's prodding your brain and making your face twitch when you don't want it to.
"A lack of control can be quite scary, but now I'm used to it," she says.
"When I first started getting ill, if I could see myself now, I'd be terrified. This is bizarre. But now that I'm here, I know it's not that bad. It's just a different kind of treatment, and it's important to show this."
"There's no shame in any of this. There's no shame in mental health or seeking treatment at all."
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) says the treatment shows no significant safety concerns.
The institute says evidence about its effectiveness in the short term is "adequate" but "variable".
Dr Chris Kelly, a consultant psychiatrist and a fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, is an experienced practitioner of electro-convulsive therapy and is familiar with the TMS treatment.
He says much more research is needed into its effectiveness in the field of depression.
"It may be useful to some people, particularly those who are intolerant to standard treatments," he says.
"At present, we know that it is of some use and not of particular harm.
"But the question is whether it's any better than established treatments that are already used to treat conditions like this - and that's what we don't yet know."
After completing her course of transcranial magnetic stimulation, Dodie hasn't so far found any improvement, and is undertaking other treatment.
However, she says she would still recommend that others consider it.
"For me, I didn't find any difference, and that's difficult to talk about. But I think it needs more recognition and for people to know about it."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-40705512
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Crossrail 2: Support by government 'outrageous' after northern snub - BBC News
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2017-07-25
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham says the go-ahead for London will cause "widespread anger".
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UK
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The Department for Transport says London will have to fund half the upfront costs of Crossrail 2 and the government had not yet committed to public funding
Government support for a new London rail line after scrapping projects in Wales and the north of England has been described as "frankly outrageous".
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said there would be "widespread anger" at the decision to back the railway line, which will run through London.
Liverpool City Region's mayor said there needed to be "balanced spending".
The government said it was spending billions on infrastructure elsewhere.
On Friday it was announced that the rail link between Manchester and Newcastle may not be fully electrified, despite promises from the previous government.
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said: "We can't wait forever, we need improvements now, that's why the electrification is important, and it's also why we need more capacity at Manchester Piccadilly.
"People travelling [to Manchester] across the northern cities who will have a long commute home, I think, will be furious... that the government has cut back on rail investment in the north on the day that it's green light to Crossrail 2.
"They're not governing for the whole country."
The Liverpool-Newcastle link was to be fully electrified, according to the previous government
Crossrail 2, a north-east to south-west railway, which would tunnel beneath central London, could be running by 2033.
It is estimated the scheme will cost about £30bn at 2014 prices and construction could start in the early 2020s.
It would link Hertfordshire and Surrey, passing through Tottenham Hale, Euston-St Pancras, Tottenham Court Road, Victoria and Clapham Junction.
Announcing the decision to back Crossrail 2, the Department for Transport (DfT) said Transport Secretary Chris Grayling and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan had agreed there was "no doubt London needs new infrastructure to support its growth and ensure it continues as the UK's economic powerhouse".
Mr Grayling said: "I am a supporter of Crossrail 2, but given its price tag we have to ensure that we get this right.
"The mayor and I have agreed to work together on it over the coming months to develop plans that are as strong as possible, so that the public gets an affordable scheme that is fair to the UK taxpayer."
Last week, the government was criticised for scrapping the planned electrification of railway lines in parts of England and Wales.
At the time, Mr Grayling said the government would instead introduce faster trains with more seats and better on-board facilities.
On Monday Mr Burnham tweeted: "On Friday, Tories say they can't afford rail schemes in the North.
"On Monday, they find billions more for London. Are these 2 things linked?"
He said: "People here have had to put up with sub-standard rail services for decades and will simply not accept that spending billions more on London is the country's highest priority for transport investment.".
He added that the fact the announcement had been made after Parliament had broken up for the summer was "denying any real scrutiny" of the decision.
Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram said that while he did not "begrudge" the investment in London and the South East, there needed to be balanced spending to "support growth in the North as well".
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: "Crossrail 2 is essential for the future prosperity of London and the South East, so I'm pleased that the transport secretary and I have reached an agreement to take this vital project forward."
A DfT spokesman said that while it had agreed to work further with Transport for London on Crossrail 2, it said London needed to pay half of the upfront construction costs and that the government had not committed any public funding yet.
The spokesman added that the government was spending £57bn on HS2, £1bn to improve rail infrastructure in the north of England and £800m on new road schemes.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-40708531
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Cotswold Wildlife Park shot wolf may have climbed fence - BBC News
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2017-07-25
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The park's managing director says the charge on an electric fence was not high enough.
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Oxford
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The three-year-old Eurasian wolf was found outside the park fence
A wolf shot dead after escaping from Cotswold Wildlife Park may have climbed an electric fence.
Visitors to the park were told to stay indoors when the female animal, named Ember, was discovered outside the perimeter fence at 11:00 BST on Friday.
The park's managing director said staff were too far away to tranquilise the three-year-old Eurasian wolf.
An ongoing investigation by the park has found an electric fence was not properly charged.
Earlier this year Ember gave birth to five cubs, the first wolves to be born at the park in its 47-year history.
Ember gave birth to a litter of five cubs earlier this year
Managing director Reggie Heyworth said the park was still investigating how the wolf escaped, as there was no obvious breach in the fence.
He revealed the charge on the electric fence was not at the level it should have been and said it was possible she climbed over the barrier.
When keepers realised the animal was not in its enclosure the park's "emergency plan" was activated immediately.
Mr Heyworth added: "As a precaution, all visitors and other staff were notified immediately. Those that were indoors were asked to remain where they were.
"At no time were members of the public in any danger as the wolf was away from the visitor area throughout."
The wolf was found just outside the park's perimeter fence, towards the A361, and was shot by a member of staff.
Cotswold Wildlife Park said there was no other option as its staff were too far away to guarantee a tranquiliser dart would work safely.
Ember and two-year-old male wolf Ash arrived at Cotswold Wildlife Park from Sweden in October 2016 as part of a breeding programme.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-40714001
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Charlie Gard: Court hears hospice best option for baby - BBC News
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2017-07-25
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The judge will rule by 14:00 BST on Wednesday whether his parents can take Charlie home to die.
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London
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Connie Yates and Chris Gard's lawyer said Great Ormond Street Hospital was obstructing attempts to take Charlie home
Moving Charlie Gard to a hospice to die would be the best option for the terminally-ill baby, a court has heard.
The 11-month-old's parents had returned to the High Court to seek permission to take him home for "a few days of tranquillity outside the hospital".
But Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) said there were practical problems with that proposal, for example his ventilation equipment would not be able to fit through their front door.
The judge will rule on Wednesday.
At Tuesday's hearing, the judge said hospital managers had suggested a hospice would give Charlie and his parents the space, privacy and protection they needed.
Chris Gard and Connie Yates have pleaded for a paediatric intensive care doctor to come forward to help their son die at home.
"We promised Charlie every day we would take him home. It seems really upsetting after everything we've been through to deny us this," Ms Yates said.
Grant Armstrong, representing the parents, told Mr Justice Francis that his clients' "last wish is that Charlie dies at home".
He suggested a portable ventilator and oxygen supply could be used but accused GOSH of "putting up obstacles".
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Chris Gard: "We are so sorry we could not save you"
Lawyers for the hospital told the judge they "would like to be able to fulfil the parents' wishes... if it is safe and practicable and in Charlie's best interests".
However, Katie Gollop QC, who leads the hospital's legal team, said providing intensive care for Charlie away from a hospital was not simple.
Charlie's condition requires air to be forced into his lungs. She said as far as the hospital was aware invasive ventilation was only provided in a hospital setting.
Ms Gollop said Charlie would need to be "monitored by an ITU trained nurse at all times, with an ITU doctor on call and close at hand".
Such resources "cannot be provided by GOSH to Charlie at his parents' home", she said.
Charlie has been in intensive care at Great Ormond Street Hospital since October
Mr Justice Francis said: "If going home can be achieved within reason then I would like to achieve that for them."
He said he would make a final decision, about whether Charlie can be taken home, at 14:00 BST on Wednesday.
Charlie's parents, from Bedfont, west London, said they had been spending their "last precious moments" with their son.
Charlie has encephalomyopathic mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome. He has brain damage and cannot move his arms or legs.
His parents had asked Mr Justice Francis to rule that their son should be allowed to undergo a trial of nucleoside therapy in New York, a move opposed by medics at GOSH who argued the treatment would be "futile".
The Family Division of the High Court heard on Monday that US neurologist Professor Michio Hirano was no longer willing to offer the experimental therapy after he had seen the results of a new MRI scan.
In a statement to the High Court, GOSH said Professor Michio Hirano had not taken the opportunity to see Charlie until last week, despite being offered the chance to do so by the hospital in January.
The hospital said it was also concerned the professor had declared a financial interest in some of the treatment he had proposed prescribing for Charlie.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-40716292
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Student Emily Hughes denied loan due to namesake - BBC News
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2017-07-25
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Emily Hughes was told someone with the same name, born on the same day in the same area has already applied.
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Birmingham & Black Country
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Emily Hughes said she is "appalled" at the way Student Finance England functions
A student has been unable to get a loan for university because someone with the same name, birthday and born in the same area has already applied for one.
Emily Hughes, from Smethwick, West Midlands, was told by the Student Loans Company in April she could not be registered on its system.
She has now sent them her passport in the hope of being recognised in time to study medicine in Birmingham.
Miss Hughes, 18, said she was fed up with the way she had been treated.
"It's been chaos," she said.
"Just so much unnecessary stress and it's quite embarrassing as all my friends are sorted with their loans, but not me."
When she applied for a loan in April, Miss Hughes was told she could not get a customer reference number because there was someone with the same name registered on the system.
Although her name is not that unusual, Miss Hughes said she was surprised to discover there was someone who was also born in Birmingham on the same date as her.
"I don't know anything about her," she said.
"I'd love to meet her, but at the same time I wouldn't."
Student Loans Company said once her passport arrives her application will be processed
Miss Hughes finds out if she has got her place at the University of Birmingham on 17 August, depending on her A level grades, and then she would need to enrol in September and pay £9,250.
"I am now currently living with the fear of not having the means to finance my prospective degree.
"I am appalled with the way this organisation functions."
Student Loans Company said once her passport arrives her application will be processed.
"We apologise to Miss Hughes for any distress caused as a result of the delay in processing her student finance application.
"This was the result of a human error when transferring Miss Hughes' paper application to her online account."
One man, who asked not to be named, contacted the BBC to say he fell victim to the same situation when trying to help his son get a loan last year.
"I had to go on the website and put in my income details so that he could be means tested," he said.
"It wouldn't let me register on the website. I rang them up and apparently there was already an account in my name. Same name, including middle name, same date of birth and same place of birth.
"The only thing is I have never been to university and so never set up an account. It took many phone calls and a letter to prove who I was. Eventually it got put right but you do wonder."
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-40707719
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Refugee children on Lesbos helped to face fear of drowning - BBC News
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2017-07-25
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The lifesavers tackling refugee children's trauma of the sea head on.
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Europe
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Drawings like this one prompted Lesbos volunteers to treat children's water trauma
"I call it reconciliation," says Manuel Elviro. He is part of a Spanish volunteer group that felt compelled to act after seeing some of the dramatic drawings by children who survived the perilous sea crossing from Turkey to Greece.
"There were monsters in the sea and people drowning."
The volunteers' task was to try to entice traumatised children on the island of Lesbos back into the sea to help them tackle their fears. As well as the terror of the crossing, the children had depicted the war zones they had fled and the filth of the refugee camps, rife with violence and sexual abuse.
They say the sessions are not so much swimming lessons but a "reconciliation" with the sea
"Worst of all, they drew hopelessness," recalls Mr Elviro, a technology researcher from Spain's Balearic Islands University who volunteered for charity Proem-aid.
"As I am from Mallorca, a Mediterranean man, I love my sea. It was like an affront. We had to do something."
In 2016, some 173,000 people reached the Greek islands from Turkey. At one point, 2,000 migrants and refugees were reaching Lesbos every day and Proem-Aid says it saved about 50,000 lives.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. About 1,300 migrants have been sent back to Turkey since the EU deal in 2016
But an EU deal with Turkey last year has dramatically slowed that number to an average of up to 70 a day. The "pull factor" that some accuse NGOs of providing to migrants off the coast of Libya is not currently an issue on Lesbos.
The period of relative calm gave the group more time to work with survivors in makeshift immigrant camps such as Pikpa, home to some of the most vulnerable individuals who have lost relatives or suffer disabilities.
"Many of the children are from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, and had never seen the sea before. It's a hostile environment for them," says Lara Lussón, a volunteer who left her native Madrid for Lesbos in January.
For Sahaar, 15, and her five-year-old brother Satria, their journey from Afghanistan to the gates of Europe ended in tragedy when their mother and two brothers aged eight and 12 were washed overboard.
"Sahaar screamed every time she saw the water," says Manuel Elviro. "They were like koalas, clinging to us, saying 'Blue no good, blue no good'."
"Now the danger is that they will get hypothermia because we can't get them out the water," he laughs. "Sahaar said 'I'm going to Turkey', and I had to grab her by the leg and pull her out."
Child psychologists believe the best way of dealing with such trauma is to confront it
The volunteers work with about a dozen children at a time on spring and summer afternoons, when the water is warm. "They are not swimming lessons; it's not like a summer camp," he explains.
Adam, a six-year-old Iraqi Kurd, arrived at Pikpa camp with an eye problem. His eyelids were glued together, possibly due to exposure to chemical munitions.
"We took him to the water to relax him while his eyes were getting better."
The best treatment for trauma is to confront it, argues Essam Daod, a child psychiatrist and co-founder of Humanity Crew, an NGO that addresses mental health issues among migrants in Greek camps.
"Swimming gives them a sense of control where they had none and fear was the sole master," Dr Daod told Spanish website eldiario.es.
Manuel Elviro tells the story of a Syrian boy who lost his entire family in a bombardment.
"He told me: 'When I come with you to swim, that night I can sleep all right'."
The idea has recently been extended to include some of the children's mothers. The man-free sessions, known as "women's own water" have benefited migrants like Fahtia, who arrived from Somalia with a new-born baby.
The work of the Spanish charity off the shores of Lesbos is not without controversy.
Three Proem-Aid volunteers will face jail terms of up to 10 years if a trial due next April upholds charges of people smuggling and possession of illegal weapons.
Manuel Blanco, Julio Latorre and Enrique Rodríguez, all firefighters from Seville, were arrested by Greek coastguards in January 2016 on the waters off Lesbos as they were mounting a search-and-rescue mission for migrants.
The Greek authorities consider that the knives the Spaniards were carrying constitute "illegal weapons". The volunteers argue the knives were the minimum blade length required to cut through ropes, nets or other material when rescuing people from the sea.
Two Danish volunteers were arrested at the same time.
A note on terminology: The BBC uses the term migrant to refer to all people on the move who have yet to complete the legal process of claiming asylum. This group includes people fleeing war-torn countries such as Syria, who are likely to be granted refugee status, as well as people who are seeking jobs and better lives, who governments are likely to rule are economic migrants.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-40580529
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Sperm count drop 'could make humans extinct' - BBC News
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2017-07-25
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Sperm counts in men from North America, Europe and Australia halve in less than 40 years, research warns.
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Health
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Humans could become extinct if sperm counts in men continue to fall at current rates, a doctor has warned.
Researchers assessing the results of nearly 200 studies say sperm counts among men from North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, seem to have halved in less than 40 years.
Some experts are sceptical of the Human Reproduction Update findings.
But lead researcher Dr Hagai Levine said he was "very worried" about what might happen in the future.
The assessment, one of the largest ever undertaken, brings together the results of 185 studies between 1973 and 2011.
Dr Levine, an epidemiologist, told the BBC that if the trend continued humans would become extinct.
"If we will not change the ways that we are living and the environment and the chemicals that we are exposed to, I am very worried about what will happen in the future," he said.
"Eventually we may have a problem, and with reproduction in general, and it may be the extinction of the human species."
Scientists not involved in the study have praised the quality of the research but say that it may be premature to come to such a conclusion.
Dr Levine, from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, found a 52.4% decline in sperm concentration, and a 59.3% decline in total sperm count in men from North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
The study also indicates the rate of decline among men living in these countries is continuing and possibly even increasing.
In contrast, no significant decline was seen in South America, Asia and Africa, but the researchers point out that far fewer studies have been conducted on these continents. However, Dr Levine is concerned that eventually sperm counts could fall in these places too.
Many previous studies have indicated similar sharp declines in sperm count in developed economies, but sceptics say that a large proportion of them have been flawed.
Some have investigated a relatively small number of men, or included only men who attend fertility clinics and are, in any case, more likely to have low sperm counts.
There is also concern that studies that claim to show a decline in sperm counts are more likely to get published in scientific journals than those that do not.
Another difficulty is that early methods of counting sperm may have overestimated the true count.
Taken together these factors may have created a false view of falling sperm counts.
But the researchers claim to have accounted for some of these deficiencies, leaving some doubters, such as Prof Allan Pacey of Sheffield University, less sceptical.
He said: "I've never been particularly convinced by the many studies published so far claiming that human sperm counts have declined in the recent past."
"However, the study today by Dr Levine and his colleagues deals head-on with many of the deficiencies of previous studies."
But Prof Pacey believes that although the new study has reduced the possibility of errors it does not entirely remove them. So, he says, the results should be treated with caution.
"The debate has not yet been resolved and there is clearly much work still to be done.
"However, the paper does represent a step forward in the clarity of the data which might ultimately allow us to define better studies to examine this issue."
There is no clear evidence for the reason for this apparent decrease. But it has been linked with exposure to chemicals used in pesticides and plastics, obesity, smoking, stress, diet, and even watching too much TV.
Dr Levine says that there is an urgent need to find out why sperm counts are decreasing and to find ways of reversing the trend.
"We must take action - for example, better regulation of man-made chemicals - and we must continue our efforts on tackling smoking and obesity."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-40719743
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Flint iron ring sculpture plans met with criticism - BBC News
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2017-07-25
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The sculpture, which could potentially stand 7m high and 30m wide, symbolises a giant rusted crown
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North East Wales
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The sculpture will be part of a £630,000 investment project at Flint Castle.
Plans to create an iron ring sculpture at Flint Castle have been described as "insulting to Wales".
The design, said to represent the relationship between the medieval monarchies of Europe and the castles they built, was unveiled on Friday.
But critics including Plaid Cymru's North Wales AM Llyr Gruffydd said it symbolises the oppression of Welsh people.
Monuments body Cadw said the plans were "about investing in Flint".
Flint was one of the first castles to be built in Wales by Edward I - construction began in 1277.
The winning design was selected by a panel following a nation-wide competition, and the architects said it demonstrated "the unstable nature of the crown".
But Mr Gruffydd said a sculpture celebrating the conquest of Wales by Edward I was "inappropriate and insulting".
"The 'ring of steel' is the description given to the chain of castles across Wales that were built to conquer and subjugate Wales," he said.
"From a Welsh perspective, this is certainly not something to celebrate. It does not either reflect the many rich Welsh legends that could have been the source of a far more appropriate sculpture."
A petition has also been launched calling the design "extremely disrespectful". By Monday it had attracted more than 2,000 signatures.
People have also criticised the sculpture on social media.
TJ Buck tweeted: "I think even a 'balloon made of lead' would have gone down better than this idea", while Carolyn Hitt posted: "Flint has rich history of female factory workers. Turn those into legends rather than remember Edward I's Iron Ring."
But Andrew Barratt said: "It symbolises the role of castles, we were subjugated, it's history, sad but let's get over it living in the past won't forge our new Wales."
In response, a spokeswoman for Cadw said it recognises "that art divides opinions, encourages debate, and can be interpreted in many ways".
"These plans are about investing in Flint, increasing visitor numbers and growing the local economy. The proposed sculpture would also provide a unique opportunity to promote Welsh steel, as well as tell powerful stories that continue to shape our lives today," the spokeswoman said.
"We will continue to listen to a range of views on this important project as it evolves, and ensure that decisions over issues such as the words inscribed on the sculpture reflect local opinions and the complex and often difficult history of Wales."
A spokeswoman for Arts Council of Wales said its role was to "assist with advice in setting up the tender process and selecting the work" alongside other panellists from Visit Wales and Cadw.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-east-wales-40703954
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How a winemaker is taking on Sicily's rural Mafia - BBC News
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2017-07-25
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The EU anti-fraud office is cracking down on Mafia fraud involving farm development funds in Sicily.
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Business
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Rural Sicily can be a difficult place to run a business because of threats from the Mafia
From the terrace of his winery near the baroque town of Caltagirone in south-eastern Sicily, Cesare Nicodemo surveys his fields of ripening vines - a glass of his finest spumante in hand.
It's a warm July evening and the surrounding hills glow golden in the setting sun amid the chirruping of swallows and the song of cicadas.
It should be an image of rural peace and contentment, but on closer inspection, all is not quite as it seems.
Security cameras on high stilts dot the perimeter of his land. The metal gates leading into his winery remain securely shut throughout our interview, and inside the winery's main building, images from across his vineyard flicker on a bank of screens.
This, he says, is what it takes to run a modern business in Sicily in 2017.
Winemaker Cesare Nicodemo says the Mafia is trying to drive him off his land
Cesare has been threatened, his land has been repeatedly trespassed on, his buildings have been damaged and trees cut down or set alight. He's even been physically attacked.
"The rural Mafia was trying to drive us off our land and destroy our business," he says between careful sips of wine.
So who are the rural Mafia? Well, they're shepherds in the main - but some officials believe they're acting in cahoots with local lawyers, accountants and possibly even local politicians.
Cesare believes the battle against them pits modern Italy against forces that want Sicily to remain rooted in the ways of the past.
Driving out of his winery, he points out wooden stakes in the ground. "See that?" he says. "They're the signs of the rural Mafia"
The stakes are dotted across the land around his vineyard. They're about a metre-long, distinctive for the strip of white cardboard wrapped round them.
There are more about 100km (60 miles) away from Cesare's winery, in the foothills of Mount Etna, where Sebastiano Blanco is rebuilding a house on his plot of land.
"What those stakes say is 'this land belongs to us'," Sebastiano says. "They, the rural Mafia, see all this land as their own, regardless of who has legal title to it."
Sebastiano Blanco in the ruins of his burnt-out house
Like Cesare, he says there are local clans who believe that they, and not the Italian state, set the laws.
Last year, Sebastiano's house was burnt down. The police and fire brigade said the fire was probably started by a homeless person who'd come inside to warm up.
But Sebastiano thinks it's no coincidence that the fire happened soon after stakes appeared on his land. He believes the rural Mafia took revenge when he wouldn't hand over his land.
He cuts a forlorn figure, kicking at the blackened rubble strewn across the charred ground of what were once his bedroom, with the early evening's purple sky visible through the exposed beams of his shattered roof.
Sebastiano believes the Mafia burnt his house when he refused to had over his land
So, what exactly is it that the Mafia wants?
Giuseppe Antoci, president of Sicily's largest national park, Nebrodi, and co-ordinator of Federparchi Sicilia, the Federation of Sicilian National Parks, has been investigating the matter for the past few years.
What he's uncovered is widespread fraud involving European Union farm and rural development funds.
In an investigation conducted together with the deputy police commissioner Daniele Manganaro of the district of Messina, Mr Antoci found that local crime networks were falsely claiming land as their own - or presenting forged documents saying they had leased it - in order to make applications for EU subsidies.
Police commissioner Daniele Manganaro says the Mafia's business now is in defrauding the EU
"We've seen an evolution of Mafia here," he says.
"This is not the Mafia of the illegal drugs trade or the trafficking of arms. It takes a lot of work and research to commit this sort of fraud. We're not talking about the Mafia that existed 30 years ago, where the shepherd demanded a ransom or protection payment from a tradesman.
"What we have here is a Mafia whose business is to commit fraud with EU funds. And to carry out this sort of fraud, you need more than just a shepherd.
"What it requires is a network of people, people with schooling and education, people who know how the system works, because the first step in perpetrating this sort of fraud is to set up a company," says the police commissioner.
Mr Antoci has tried to put a stop to it.
He's set in motion a new law that states that anyone claiming EU subsidies on land must now show anti-Mafia certification. In Italy, this means complying with regulations that require that a company's shareholders and directors have no restrictions, limitations and bans according to anti-mafia regulations.
Giuseppe Antoci has led moves to pass new anti-mafia legislation
Sceptics say this is hardly enough to stop the fraud from being repeated, pointing out that many will simply make use of proxies to make claims on their behalf.
The European Union's anti-fraud office, Olaf, says it is reviewing 35,000 applications for agricultural subsidies in Italy covering some 500m euros in disbursements going back all the way to 2006.
It has also started nine criminal proceedings, all of which involve a network of organised crime. But this 500m euros (£447m) that the EU is looking into is far less than the 3.5bn euros that Mr Antoci and the local police force say may have been fraudulently claimed.
"I can tell you that there is a very strong commitment at the level of the EU as well as the level of national authorities to fight this kind of phenomenon," says Francesco Albore, the head of the Olaf unit investigating the matter.
Another 2.2bn euros have been earmarked in EU and Italian government funds for rural and agricultural development in the six years to 2020. So what guarantees are there that all those funds will be properly distributed?
Mr Albore says it's difficult to guarantee but points out the EU also demands guarantees that payments go to the correct recipients. Where this is not the case, he says, "payments can be stopped."
Meanwhile, back in Sicily, Mr Antoci's efforts to fight this fraud have come at a high personal price.
In response he was ambushed last year - luckily he survived
He's suffered death threats and now lives under permanent armed guard.
Last year, as he was being driven home through the Nebrodi national park following a late night dinner, his car came under a volley of gunfire.
If he's alive today, he says, it's only thanks to his armed guard and the fact that his car was being followed by that of the deputy police commissioner Daniele Manganaro who managed to scupper the attack by firing back.
In the aftermath, there were attempts to discredit his investigation. Some Italian media reports questioned the authenticity of the attack, suggesting Mr Antoci and the local police force had made it up. But it's only made him more determined.
"You know, afterwards, they found petrol bombs hidden in nearby bushes," Mr Antoci says. "They wanted me dead. But my first thought as I was being saved that night was for my family and for all the police officers who guard me - the sacrifices they have to make for this battle I've chosen to wage."
Still, one businessman I speak to, who's been subjected to similar threats for not handing over land, complains that he's had little support from local Sicilian political authorities in his fight to protect his land.
How can this intimidation be happening, says Sebastiano Blanco
Which is why, back in the foothills of Mount Etna, Sebastiano Blanco wears a T-shirt emblazoned with the words: "Rural mafia - a protected species".
"It's 2017," he says. "How can this be happening in our day and age?"
He gestures at the smoking volcano, looming large in the distance over his land.
"This is a Unesco world heritage site," he says. "But as long as we're intimidated this way, how can we possibly build on the economic value of our land and property?"
In collaboration with Diego Gandolfo and Alessandro di Nunzio
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40645146
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Netflix to air Simpsons' creator Matt Groening's new show - BBC News
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2017-07-25
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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His new adult animated comedy fantasy series Disenchantment will premiere in 2018.
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Entertainment & Arts
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The first of more than 600 episodes of The Simpsons aired in December 1989
Simpsons' creator Matt Groening has a new adult animated comedy fantasy series heading to Netflix next year.
Disenchantment is set in the crumbling medieval kingdom of Dreamland and according to Groening, is about "life and death, love and sex".
It will be released 10 episodes at a time. Groening is also an executive producer on the show.
"Matt's brilliant work has resonated with generations round the world," said Netflix vice-president Cindy Holland.
"We couldn't be happier to work with him on Disenchantment.
"The series will bear his trademark animation style and biting wit and we think it's a perfect fit for our many Netflix animation fans."
Among the characters in the new series are hard-drinking young princess Bean, her feisty elf companion Elfo and her personal demon Luci.
The series will feature the voice talents of Broad City's Abbi Jacobson (Bean), Academy Award-winning screenwriter Nat Faxon (Elfo) and Man Seeking Woman's Eric Andre (Luci). The Mighty Boosh star and new Great British Bake Off host Noel Fielding will also voice a character.
Groening said: "It is also about how to keep laughing in a world full of suffering and idiots, despite what the elders and wizards and other jerks tell you."
There have been more than 600 episodes of The Simpsons, which was first broadcast in December 1989.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-40718091
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Alice Cooper finds Warhol artwork after decades rolled up in storage - BBC News
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2017-07-25
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Alice Cooper had forgotten about the $10m artwork, which was found tucked away with tour equipment.
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US & Canada
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Alice Cooper's manager said the singer's jaw dropped when told of the discovery
US rock musician Alice Cooper has found a classic Andy Warhol artwork rolled up in storage after more than 40 years tucked away alongside tour equipment.
The singer had forgotten about the work, entitled Little Electric Chair, presented as a gift in the 1970s.
"It was a rock 'n' roll time, none of us thought about anything," Cooper's long-time manager, Shep Gordon, said.
A similar version of the Warhol artwork sold at Christie's in New York in 2014 for $10.5m (£8m).
Cooper's find, a red silkscreen on canvas, was part of Warhol's Death and Disaster series and was discovered "rolled up in a tube" in a locker along with a collection of 1970s stage props, Mr Gordon told BBC Radio 5 live.
It was the decade that Cooper and Warhol met and became friends. "It was all a swirl of drugs and drinking," said Mr Gordon, who has been the singer's manager for more than four decades.
Cooper, real name Vincent Furnier, moved to New York with his late girlfriend Cindy Lang, where they were introduced to Warhol and spent time together in New York's famed Studio 54 nightclub, according to Mr Gordon.
Ms Lang, who appeared on the second cover of Warhol's magazine Interview, later asked Mr Gordon to purchase the work on her behalf for about $2,500 as she planned to present it to Cooper as a birthday gift.
"He was a very heavy drinker in those days," Mr Gordon told the BBC, adding that Cooper's career was "like a rocket ship taking off back in the early 70s - he was working 100 shows a year".
Mr Gordon said the rock singer was "getting electrocuted" at the time in his live shows using a prop electric chair that looked "very much" like the chair in the painting.
He said that Cooper later entered rehab as a result of his drinking and "never really moved into his apartment in New York". The painting, he said, was forgotten.
"Nobody really ever thought about it, life went on," Mr Gordon said.
Years later, Mr Gordon was having dinner with friends, one of whom happened to be an art dealer, when the conversation turned to a piece of work by Warhol that had sold for a large sum.
"So I got hold of Alice and I said: 'Do you still have that Warhol?' And he said: 'I don't think so'."
Mr Gordon said it was months before they tracked it down to the storage facility. "And then we found a tube, like the type you keep posters in, and there it was - oops!"
He said that back in the early 1970s the artwork was not considered particularly valuable. "Andy Warhol was not 'Andy Warhol' back then," he said.
The artist died in 1987 at the age of 58.
In an interview with the Guardian, Mr Gordon said that Cooper had a vague recollection of discussing the artwork with Warhol.
"He thinks the conversation was real, but he couldn't put his hand on a Bible and say that it was," Mr Gordon said.
The work has been confirmed as authentic by Warhol expert Richard Polsky.
"You should have seen Alice's face when Richard Polsky's estimate came in," Mr Gordon said, adding: "His jaw dropped and he looked at me: 'Are you serious? I own that!'"
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-40715105
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HIV-prevention ring trial a success among US teens - BBC News
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2017-07-25
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Teens in the study said the vaginal ring, which cuts HIV infections by 56%, was easy to use.
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Health
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A vaginal ring to prevent HIV infection is popular with teenage girls, US scientists say.
Women and girls aged 15-24 account for a fifth of all new HIV infections globally. Nearly 1,000 are infected every day in sub-Saharan Africa.
Infused with microbicides, the ring, which sits on the cervix, has been shown to cut infections by 56%.
Experts say it frees women from relying on men to wear condoms and allows them to protect themselves confidentially.
Dr Anthony Fauci, the director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told the BBC: "If you can give women the opportunity to protect themselves in a way that is completely confidential - that's a long and big step to helping them.
"In societies where women are, unfortunately but true, somewhat second-class citizens, that makes women extremely vulnerable to getting infected with HIV."
The flexible ring, similar in size to the contraceptive diaphragm, releases an antiretroviral drug called dapivirine for a month.
But scientists were unsure it would work in teenagers, who can be notoriously difficult when it comes to health advice.
The six-month US trial gave the ring to 96 sexually active girls aged 15 to 17, who had not used it before.
Data presented at the IAS Conference on HIV Science, showed:
There were some concerns before the trial that the girls' partners would not like the feel of the ring, but it reportedly enhanced pleasure.
Prof Sharon Hillier, one of the researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, said: "HIV doesn't distinguish between a 16-year-old and an 18-year-old.
"Access to safe and effective HIV prevention shouldn't either, young women of all ages deserve to be protected."
There are now plans to test the ring with teenagers in Africa.
If the ring gets regulatory approval, it would be the first method of prevention exclusively for women.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-40715295
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Time, not material goods, 'raises happiness' - BBC News
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2017-07-25
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Contentment comes from paying others to take on chores such as cleaning and cooking, a study says.
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Science & Environment
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Using money to free-up time is linked to increased happiness, a study says.
In an experiment, individuals reported greater happiness if they used £30 ($40) to save time - such as by paying for chores to be done - rather than spending the money on material goods.
Psychologists say stress over lack of time causes lower well-being and contributes to anxiety and insomnia.
Yet, they say even the very wealthy are often reluctant to pay people to do the jobs they dislike.
"In a series of surveys we find that people who spend money to buy themselves more free time are happier - that is they have higher life satisfaction," said Dr Elizabeth Dunn, a psychologist professor at the University of British Columbia, Canada.
Rising incomes in many countries has led to a new phenomenon. From Germany to the US, people report "time famine", where they get stressed over the daily demands on their time.
Psychologists in the US, Canada and the Netherlands set out to test whether money can increase happiness levels by freeing up time.
More than 6,000 adults in the US, Canada, Denmark and the Netherlands, including 800 millionaires, were asked questions about how much money they spent on buying time.
The researchers found that fewer than a third of individuals spent money to buy themselves time each month.
Those who did reported greater life satisfaction than the others.
The researchers then devised a two-week experiment among 60 working adults in Vancouver, Canada.
On one weekend, participants were asked to spend £30 ($40) on a purchase that would save them time. They did things like buying lunches to be delivered to work, paying neighbourhood children to run errands for them, or paying for cleaning services.
On the other weekend, they were told to spend the windfall on material goods. Material purchases included wine, clothes and books.
The research, published in the journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found time saving compared with material purchases increased happiness by reducing feelings of time stress.
"Money can in fact buy time. And it buys time pretty effectively," said Prof Dunn, who worked with colleagues at Harvard Business School, Maastricht University and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
"And so my take home message is, 'think about it, is there something you hate doing that fills you with dread and could you pay somebody else to do that for you?' If so, then science says that's a pretty good use of money.''
The psychologists say the study may help those who feel obliged to do a "second shift" of household chores when they come home from work.
"I think our work perhaps provides an escape route out of the second shift," Prof Dunn added.
Past research has found that people who prioritise time over money tend to be happier than people who prioritise money over time.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-40703519
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Orange Order calls on Protestants not to use the phrase 'RIP' - BBC News
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2017-07-25
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It said the phrase is unbiblical, un-Protestant, and connected to Catholicism.
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Northern Ireland
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The Orange Order is the largest Protestant organisation in Northern Ireland
The Orange Order has asked its members to stop using the term 'RIP' to express grief or sympathy after a death.
It said the phrase is unbiblical, un-Protestant, and a form of superstition connected to Catholicism.
RIP is an abbreviation of 'rest in peace' or in Latin, 'requiescat in pace'.
In a publication marking the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, the order called on Protestants to stop using the phrase.
Wallace Thompson, secretary of Evangelical Protestants Northern Ireland, wrote a Facebook post on which the article was based.
He told the BBC's Talkback programme: "Observing social media, we have noticed that the letters RIP are used a lot by Protestants, and by some evangelical Protestants."
Mr Thompson explained that for him, 'RIP' is a prayer and he did not encourage prayers for the dead.
"From a Protestant point of view, we believe, when death comes, a person either goes to be with Christ for all eternity, or into hell.
Wallace Thompson believes that the phrase 'RIP' is effectively a prayer for the dead and therefore un-Protestant
"That's what we believe the gospel to be and in this 500th anniversary year of the Reformation, I think Luther, when the scales fell off his eyes, realised that it was all by faith alone, in Christ alone, the decision is made during life, on this earth, so that when death comes it has been made and no decision has been made after death," he said.
Speaking on the same programme, former Presbyterian moderator Dr Ken Newell said he did not use the phrase very often.
"I think when people use [RIP] in social media, there's a remembrance and a good wish in it, almost a blessing," he said.
He disagreed that people are praying for the dead when they used the phrase.
"If folk in the Orange Order want to take this line that's perfectly up to them, they are making a good point.
"I think ordinary people have not worked out the issues. This comes out of the human heart," he added.
In response to a request for a spokesperson of the issue, the Orange Order referred the BBC to comments made by the county grand master of County Fermanagh Grand Orange Lodge, Stuart Brooker, in the Impartial Reporter newspaper.
In it he said: "I think the message in the article is very clear and well put together, and I couldn't add anything further to it.
"This article clearly explains why we as Protestants, and members of the Orange Institution, shouldn't use the term 'RIP'.
"It also reminds us that if we need guidance in any matter, we should refer to what the bible teaches."
The Orange Order is the largest Protestant organisation in Northern Ireland.
It regards itself as defending civil and religious liberties of Protestants and seeks to uphold the rule and ascendancy of a Protestant monarch in the United Kingdom.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-40705687
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Love Island breaks ITV2 audience record - BBC News
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2017-07-25
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An average of 2.4 million viewers tuned in to see Kem and Amber crowned the winning couple.
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Entertainment & Arts
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Kem and Amber were crowned the winners on Monday's final
The final episode of Love Island helped ITV2 reach its biggest ever audience on Monday night.
An average of 2.43 million viewers tuned in live to see Kem and Amber crowned the winning couple - a huge figure for the network.
A further 150,000 watched the show on ITV2+1, and the total number of viewers is likely to rise dramatically when catch up services are included.
ITV2 have already confirmed the show will return for another series in 2018.
This year's Love Island has been something of a surprise hit for the channel, and has developed a cult following since this series launched at the beginning of June.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. A look back at the last 20 years of reality television.
Last year's Love Island final was watched by 1.3m viewers, while the final of the first series was watched by 737,000 viewers in 2015.
Monday night's highest-rated programme was Diana: Our Mother Her Life and Legacy which was on ITV.
The documentary was watched by 6.5 million viewers (rising to 6.9 million when ITV+1 figures are included).
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-40714726
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Rise in personal loans dangerous, Bank of England official says - BBC News
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2017-07-25
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Household debt is rising much faster than incomes, the Bank of England's Alex Brazier says.
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Business
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A sharp rise in personal loans could pose a danger to the UK economy, a Bank of England official has warned.
Outstanding car loans, credit card balance transfers and personal loans have increased by 10% over the past year, the Bank's financial stability director Alex Brazier said.
In contrast household incomes have risen by just 1.5%, he said.
"Household debt - like most things that are good in moderation - can be dangerous in excess", Mr Brazier said.
Mr Brazier, in a speech to the University of Liverpool's Institute for Risk and Uncertainty, added that this increase in debt was "dangerous to borrowers, lenders and, most importantly from our perspective, everyone else in the economy".
He warned that High Street banks were at risk of entering "a spiral of complacency" about mounting consumer debt levels.
"Lending standards can go from responsible to reckless very quickly.
"The sorry fact is that as lenders think the risks they face are falling, the risks they - and the wider economy face - are actually growing," Mr Brazier added.
Mr Brazier hinted that the Bank of England could force banks to take further safeguards against the risk of bad debts if it was deemed necessary.
Just last month, the Bank of England told banks to beef up their finances against the risk of bad loans.
They were told to set aside £11.4bn in the next 18 months in case future economic shocks meant some borrowers could not keep up their repayments.
Mr Brazier said by September the Bank will have assessed whether the rapid growth in consumer lending "has created any small gap in the line".
"If it has, we'll plug it," said Mr Brazier.
In June, Bank of England governor Mark Carney said lenders appeared to have forgotten some of the lessons of the financial crisis.
Despite these concerns, Mr Carney stressed that the UK financial system was far stronger than at the time of the great banking crash in 2008-09.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40712573
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Justin Bieber apologises after cancelling rest of Purpose World Tour - BBC News
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2017-07-25
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The pop star bows out of the remaining 14 dates because of "unforeseen circumstances".
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Entertainment & Arts
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Bieber had been expected to play another 14 dates in Asia and North America
Justin Bieber has apologised to his fans after cancelling the remaining dates of his Purpose World Tour because of "unforeseen circumstances".
The move affects 14 dates in Asia and North America which were coming up over the next three months.
Bieber told celebrity news website TMZ.com: "I'm sorry for anybody who feels disappointed or betrayed."
The singer has performed more than 150 shows on the tour, promoting his 2015 album Purpose, since March 2016.
The tour grossed $93.2m (£71.5m) in the first half of 2017, with an average of almost 40,000 ticket sales per date.
Bieber added: "I have been on tour for two years. I'm looking forward to just resting, getting some relaxation and we're going to ride some bikes."
The singer's manager, Scooter Braun, posted on Instagram: "To Justin, who gave it his all night after night, thank you.
"And to those that won't be able to see it... on behalf of myself, Justin, and the team, we are sorry. That was never our intent. But a man's soul and wellbeing I truly care about came first and we must all respect and honour that.
"Justin will be back and I know he looks forward to performing for you and with you all again. One chapter ends and another begins."
A statement on Bieber's website read: "Justin loves his fans and hates to disappoint them.
"He is grateful and honoured to have shared that experience with his cast and crew for over 150 successful shows across six continents during this run.
"However, after careful consideration he has decided he will not be performing any further dates. Tickets will be refunded at point of purchase."
Most of Bieber's remaining dates were in the US, but he was also due to play in Japan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Singapore and Indonesia.
Chinese officials said last week that the Canadian pop star had been banned from mainland China because he had engaged in what they described as "bad behaviour".
Bieber's decision comes a few weeks after British singer Adele cancelled the last two shows of her world tour on medical advice after damaging her vocal cords.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-40711774
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The ex-Jehovah's Witnesses shunned by their families - BBC News
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2017-07-25
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For many ex-believers, leaving the religion means they can no longer speak to their children or parents.
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UK
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For some former Jehovah's Witnesses, leaving the faith is not just the mark of losing your religion - it can also mean losing your loved ones. In many cases, friends and family are told to cut all ties with ex-believers, leaving them isolated and sometimes suicidal.
"I don't speak to any of my family," Sarah - not her real name - tells the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme.
"Because of being 'disfellowshipped', I can have no contact."
Last year, Sarah - in her 20s - was excluded by the Jehovah's Witnesses in a process known as "disfellowshipping", she says sparked by her refusal to live in an abusive relationship.
She claims her partner at the time had been violent towards her, at one stage leaving her with broken ribs.
Going to the police - and involving those from outside the religion - is heavily discouraged by Jehovah's Witnesses, she says, claiming that elders within the faith refused to punish her ex-partner's behaviour.
It was only when work colleagues noticed the bruising, and convinced her not to put up with the abuse, that she says she fled the relationship.
Sarah claims she was consequently disfellowshipped by the religion, and that her friends and family cut all ties with her.
This is because Jehovah's Witnesses believe those outside the religion can be of detriment to their faith.
In a statement the religious group told the BBC: "If a baptised Witness makes a practice of breaking the Bible's moral code, and does not given evidence of stopping the practice, he or she will be shunned or disfellowshipped.
"When it comes to shunning, Witnesses take their instructions from the Bible and on this subject the Bible clearly states, 'Remove the wicked man from amongst yourselves.'"
The night she was disfellowshipped, Sarah says her mother refused to talk to her. Her father woke her up at 07:00 to kick her out of their home.
Responding to Sarah's claims, the Jehovah's Witnesses said that while it could not comment on individual cases, "violence, whether physical or emotional, is strongly condemned in the Bible and has no place in a Christian family".
Sarah and John (front of shot) told Victoria Derbyshire they had been shunned by their family and friends
John - not his real name - became a Jehovah's Witness as a young child when his parents decided to join the religious group.
But two years ago, he was disfellowshipped after he missed a Jehovah's Witness memorial service - seen in the religion as an important event.
He had also begun to privately have doubts about some of the religion's teachings - questioning the faith's assertion that the end of the world is imminent, and that only 144,000 human beings will go to heaven.
His view on the religion was also tarnished after ones of his friends died, when a blood transfusion - which is not allowed in the faith - might have saved him.
"It was a waste of a life," he says.
John says he later discovered his wife had testified against him during the process that led to his disfellowship, which he believes placed a great strain on their relationship.
He left the family home - living temporarily in tents and caravans.
"It was a very isolating time. I didn't have anyone, I felt quite suicidal," he says.
He has now lost contact with his two adult children and siblings.
"Sometimes I send them a message saying, 'I love you, I'm still thinking of you.' But usually there's no response," he says.
Terri O'Sullivan was kicked out of her home by her mother
According to the Jehovah's Witnesses, the faith has more than 138,000 members in the UK, and more than eight million internationally.
Terri O'Sullivan left the religion 17 years ago, aged 21, and was kicked out of her home by her mother.
She now runs a support network for those who leave or are excluded from it.
She says she is yet to find a former Jehovah's Witness who has not experienced depression, alcoholism, suicidal feelings or self-harm.
She adds that while not everyone goes through a formal disfellowship when they leave, their relationships seldom go on unaffected.
"With some ex-Witnesses," she says, "some of their families will still talk to them - but it will always be strained."
Sarah says the loss of her closest family ties has been "very, very difficult" to cope with.
She is engaged, and aware she is "having to plan a wedding where your parents won't attend".
"I would class myself as an orphan, which is quite sad," she says.
Her support network comes from her friends at work. When she left the faith, she says, they "rallied around" her, in contrast to what she had expected.
"These people I'd been told [by the religion] were awful, were bad association, and God was going to smite them all at Armageddon.
"Yet these people opened up their homes."
Sarah is still, however, complimentary about most of the people within her former faith.
"There are good people in the religion, who believe they are saving people's lives [by spreading the faith's message]," she says.
"I look back with some happy memories, because they were the last memories I have with my family and siblings.
"But then I do have to look back and feel a lot of heartbreak that I'm never going to be able to sit down with them for a Sunday meal again.
"When they die, I probably won't be invited to the funeral either."
Watch the Victoria Derbyshire programme on weekdays between 09:00 and 11:00 on BBC Two and the BBC News channel.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-40704990
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Eight Humboldt penguins killed by 'urban fox' at Chessington - BBC News
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2017-07-25
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Chessington World of Adventures said the fox broke into the penguins' water enclosure.
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Surrey
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Five adult and three infant Humboldt penguins died
Eight penguins have been attacked and killed by an "urban fox" that broke into their water enclosure at Chessington World of Adventures.
Assistant zoo manager Lisa Britton said it "infiltrated" their home at Penguin Bay during the night.
Five adult and three infant Humboldt penguins died in the attack. A ninth was injured but made a full recovery after treatment from a vet.
The remaining 20 penguins have since been moved to a secure location.
Ms Britton said staff at the zoo, which has only just released details of the June attack, were "shocked and saddened" by the loss.
"We are investigating why this happened, as Penguin Bay, only built in 2015, had special measures put in place specifically to deter foxes," she said.
Penguin Bay has been closed while additional security measures are undertaken.
A note on the adventure park's website reads: "Our Humboldt penguins are currently enjoying their other home behind-the-scenes while we make alterations to Penguin Bay."
Chessington World of Adventures features a theme park with more than 40 rides as well as a zoo and sea life centre.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-40718427
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The extraordinary life of a 91-year-old beauty queen - BBC News
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2017-07-25
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Krystyna Farley is a pageant star in the US state of Connecticut, but her life was not always this glamorous.
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Magazine
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Krystyna Farley is a 91-year-old beauty pageant queen in the US state of Connecticut, but her life was not always this glamorous. Although she grew up in a loving home in rural Poland, her childhood was cut short by the outbreak of war. This is her story.
"My skin is beautiful," Krystyna Farley says. "So I don't wear any makeup, just lipstick - that's all."
Krystyna, who will soon turn 92, has spent the last year as the incumbent Ms Connecticut Senior America.
"People think that if you're over 60 you're finished - it's not true," Krystyna says, describing what she likes about beauty pageants.
"You're showing people you are still alive and you still can do it - you can dance, you can sew, you can paint, you can do anything you want."
Krystyna's optimism and joie de vivre is all the more remarkable, bearing in mind the harrowing experiences of her teenage years.
She was born in eastern Poland in 1925, the second of five children. Her family lived on 35 acres of land her father had been given in return for his military service during World War One, in a house surrounded by cherry trees.
"That life was terrific because we didn't have any worries," Krystyna remembers. "We were young and we always had a good time."
Krystyna with her cousin in 1938
But when Krystyna was 14 Germany and the Soviet Union invaded Poland - triggering World War Two.
"In 1940 there was a knock on the door," Krystyna says.
Krystyna and her family, like hundreds of thousands of other Polish people, were rounded up on a bitingly cold night by the Russian military and Ukrainian police and bundled into cattle trains for a month-long journey into the frozen forests of the Ural mountains.
"The train had no windows," Krystyna says. "There was a hole for the bathroom and there was a coal stove in the corner, and that was about it. There were about 60 people in each carriage and all we had to eat was bread."
Krystyna's family were put to work harvesting timber in a Russian labour camp on a starvation diet.
"We didn't think about anything else apart from food," Krystyna remembers. "We had nothing to eat, just black bread."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Krystyna Farley explains her life-affirming philosophy to Outlook on the BBC World Service
The family spent two dreadful years there, until Germany attacked the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941. Stalin, in need of as many allies as he could find, then suddenly released tens of thousands of Polish prisoners of war, including Krystyna and her family.
Krystyna's father, Andrzej, along with many thousands of others, joined a new army, the Polish Army in Exile. But all of the women and children were left behind and since Hitler had now invaded eastern Poland they couldn't return to their homes.
Krystyna, her mother Walentyna, and siblings squeezed on to a boat full of sick, malnourished deportees and sailed across the Caspian Sea, to find work picking cotton near the Uzbek capital, Tashkent.
There their diet expanded to include flat bread, blackberries, hard cheese and dried melon. But life was still very hard, so Walentyna made the heart-breaking decision to send her children - with the exception of her eldest child, Alice, who was too old - to the safety of the Persian orphanages set up by the Polish Army in Exile.
To reach Iran the children travelled by boat across the Caspian and then joined a convoy of lorries on the journey south to Tehran. They did not know then that they would never see their mother or eldest sister again.
After the dismal conditions they had endured in Russia and Uzbekistan, life in Tehran was much improved. There were clean beds and there was plenty of food - but Krystyna fell terribly ill.
Believed to be dead, her body was sent to the mortuary, where only by chance a nurse saw Krystyna move and realised that she was still alive.
"I had pneumonia in two sides of my lungs," Krystyna says. "I was half dead, so I don't remember too much in Tehran."
When she recovered, Krystyna arranged for her brothers, Teddy and Chester, to join the cadets and sent sister, Natalie, who was just eight, to an orphanage in Africa. Then she enlisted in the Polish Army in Exile.
"I wanted to be in the army to drive a car," she explains. "That was my own stupidity - you see if you're young, you're stupid."
Krystyna visited Jerusalem with her father’s division in 1943 - Krystyna is 5th from the left on the top row, Andrzej is on the far right of the second row from the front
Krystyna was about to turn 18, but lied about her age, as 19 was the minimum age to join the army. However, she wasn't selected to become a military driver, and instead was sent to train as a nurse's aide in Iraq.
Krystyna's five years of military service - for which she received a King George medal - took her to Egypt, and then to Iraq, where she was reunited with her father. Later they were both stationed in Jerusalem together.
"That was a very nice feeling, but you see, if you're young you really just think about food and money, not family," Krystyna admits.
"So I came to my father and I just said, 'Pops, do you have some money?' And I looked in his pocket and he had plenty, so I took some because we just wanted to buy ourselves makeup and stuff like that."
Krystyna and her father were among the troops who crossed the Mediterranean under constant threat from Nazi bombers to join the battle at the hilltop monastery of Monte Cassino, south of Rome.
While patching up the injured and mutilated soldiers coming off the mountain Krystyna met a man who was to become her first husband - a soldier called Stanley Slowikowski - who was sent to her ward with a leg injury.
When the war ended Krystyna and Stanley settled in England, and it was here that Krystyna's family were all finally reunited - her father, brothers and younger sister.
Krystyna later learned that her mother had died from malaria. Nothing was ever heard of her elder sister, Alice, who had also stayed behind in Uzbekistan.
"I think my sister is still alive, if she's healthy like I am," Krystyna says.
Krystyna and Stanley had three children together but Stanley drank heavily, possibly as a result of his experiences in the war, and Krystyna was widowed in 1949, leaving her with three young children and very little money.
She began to teach children the dances that she had learned as a child, and in 1953 her dance troupe was invited to perform at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth, wearing costumes that Krystyna had designed and made.
Dressed to dance for the Queen’s Coronation in 1953 – Krystyna is second from the left on the front row
Before she left the UK, Krystyna had another child, Elizabeth. The father had proposed marriage, but she wasn't ready to marry again, and says that a sense of curiosity took her to the US, where she arrived in 1955 with a fur coat on her back, a few hundred dollars in her pocket and four young children by her side.
There Krystyna built a new life for herself and her children, working for many years as a dental hygienist.
With her children, George, Little Krystyna, Elizabeth, and Alice in New Britain, Connecticut in 1955
She remarried in 1956 and had another daughter, named Eva.
It wasn't until she was in her late 50s, though, that Krystyna met the man who she describes as the love of her life, Ed Farley. They married in 1979 and have been inseparable ever since.
Krystyna is very active in the Polish community in Connecticut.
"I joined all kinds of clubs," she says. "I was teaching children Polish folk dances, and I took groups to Poland to the international dance festival."
But late in life she also embraced the very American tradition of beauty pageants, entering the Ms Connecticut Senior America competition for the first time at the age of 70.
That time she was second runner-up. At her next attempt, a few years later, she was first runner-up. At her third attempt, in 2016, she was crowned queen.
"You have to have a regular dress, you have to have a talent, then you have a gown, and you have to talk about your philosophy of life," Krystyna explains.
"I have three or four different talents - I can read poetry, I can dance, I can do Carmen Miranda," she says, referring to the singer famous for Chica Chica Boom Chic.
"And my philosophy of life is to love everybody and be good to everybody."
She adds: "You have to love people and be with people, because if you don't have people around you, you're a dead pigeon."
In last year's Ms Senior America finals, Krystyna competed against 44 other state queens - and lost to a woman roughly 30 years her junior.
Krystyna, left, with all the finalists at the 2016 Ms Senior America pageant
She handed on her Ms Senior Connecticut crown to 2017's queen back in May and, with her 92nd birthday approaching on 19 August, she says now may be the time to hang up her tiara for good.
"No more pageants for me," she says.
But with nine grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and a fifth on the way, she still has plenty to keep her busy.
"Right now I'm dressed, I have earrings on - I'm always ready for something to happen," Krystyna says.
"Sure, nothing is happening, but I'm always ready."
Listen to Krystyna Farley talking about her philosophy of life on Outlook, on the BBC World Service
Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-40709840
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England's World Cup win: The transformation of women's cricket - BBC Sport
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2017-07-25
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The 2013 Women's World Cup barely registered with the public. England's glorious 2017 triumph could not be more different.
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If you're going to win the Women's World Cup, it might as well be the biggest ever staged.
When Heather Knight got her hands on the ultimate prize in women's cricket on an emotional Sunday afternoon at Lord's, it marked a triumph not only for England, but the sport itself.
For Knight, kissing the silverware is a world away from four years ago, when she was clinging on to a place in an England side that failed to reach the final.
But her personal transformation, and her team under coach Mark Robinson, is nothing compared to that of the women's game from a 2013 World Cup that was barely befitting of the name.
Held in India, mainly Mumbai, it hardly registered with the locals in a nation where cricket is loved like no other.
Its very staging came under threat over a row about the presence of the Pakistan team, who were eventually shifted to the other side of the country - 1,000 miles away in Cuttack - and forced to sleep at the Barabati Stadium.
The women were due to play at Mumbai's iconic Wankhede Stadium, only to be evicted to make way for men's matches. Facilities at venues were shoddy and publicity non-existent.
Although global TV audiences were up, matches were played to near empty stadiums, despite entry being free of charge.
"It was shocking in India," former England batter Ebony Rainford-Brent told BBC Sport. "In a cricket-crazy country, you would expect to see something - posters, adverts - but there was nothing.
"The only people in the grounds were a few family members. It was almost like the cricket wasn't happening."
Now, the World Cup doesn't just seem like a different event, but women's cricket is an entirely different sport.
• None In Short: 'There's never been a better time to be a woman in cricket'
The final at Lord's was a fitting conclusion to a tournament that has catapulted women's cricket into the national and international consciousness.
What began with a marketing campaign on the London Underground and in cinemas ended in a sold-out Lord's and the most-watched game of women's cricket in history.
Across the tournament, all matches were shown live for the first time, with more than 50 million watching the group games alone. Over the course of the event, the International Cricket Council expects an 80% increase in worldwide viewership.
More than one million users followed England's final victory on the BBC Sport website, while the hosts' nerve-shredding semi-final victory over South Africa was also front-page news. In the host cities - Bristol, Leicester, Derby and Taunton - 30,000 people visited fan zones.
"Everything you could think of to promote the tournament has been done," added Rainford-Brent. "The investment and energy that has gone into has been incredible. To finish with a packed Lord's ticked the final box."
The audience is a new one, too, riding a wave that perhaps began with last year's launch of the Twenty20 Super League, a competition that attracted an average attendance in excess of 1,000, larger than the inaugural season of its football equivalent in 2011.
At the World Cup, 50% of ticket-buyers were women, while 31% of those in attendance were under the age of 16. About 13,000 tickets were given away to schools and every child at Lord's on Sunday received a plastic bat as a souvenir of the incredible final.
Marie, from Surrey, was at the game with seven-year-old daughter Lucy and said: "Lucy's dad played cricket but she has become more aware that women play too.
"We've heard a lot about women's cricket on the radio and now she is more aware that there are opportunities for her in the future if she wants to play sport."
Tom, from London, brought daughters Connie, five, and Cissie, three, to their first game of cricket.
"I thought it would be a fun game for them, with lots of entertainment going on around the edges," he said.
'Women's cricket is everywhere - now is the time'
Youngsters may have Knight, Tammy Beaumont and Anya Shrubsole as their new England heroes and be keen to try their hand at Natalie Sciver's Nat-meg, but India's surprise run to the final could turn out to be far more important for the future of the women's game than England's fourth world title.
Four years ago, interest in the tournament on home soil was so low that, when India were dumped out in the first round, journalists (not many of them) could wander up to a lonely Mithali Raj for their own private audience with the captain.
Now, even if the impressive Raj is unlikely to reach the demi-god status of Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, her country actually knows who she and her exciting team are.
When India's men pulled off a shock triumph in the 1983 World Cup, it began a boom in one-day cricket. When the same team won the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007, a nation previously pretty sniffy about the shortest form of the game threw itself into the Indian Premier League.
Might India now follow the example of Australia and England to launch its own T20 league for women? Raj, Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur are stars that could take women's cricket to the masses.
"Why not start a league of our own in India?" said Raj. "Now is the right time to create that in India because women's cricket is everywhere.
"If more girls participate in leagues like that, they will improve their game and gain valuable experience."
The man who helped make it happen
If the women's game is about to face greater commercialisation, exposure and expectation then England are lucky to have Robinson, a man who should take his share of credit for their triumph.
When the former fast bowler made the surprise switch from Sussex's men's side, England's results had been patchy for some time. Although they had won two of the previous three Ashes series, they were without a global trophy since 2009.
When that record was extended with a semi-final exit at the 2016 World T20, Robinson made his move.
If his public attack on the players' fitness raised eyebrows, then the axing of captain Charlotte Edwards was genuinely stunning - not least to some inside the England and Wales Cricket Board.
Edwards was (and still is) a fine player, one of the greatest there has ever been in the women's game, but her maternal, dominant presence could be stifling and suffocating. Too often, England were reliant on the performances of a handful of players, with the rest left to feel like they were making up the numbers.
In the past year, Beaumont, Lauren Winfield, Fran Wilson and Alex Hartley have all established themselves at international level. Knight averages more with the bat as captain than she did in the ranks and Sarah Taylor has returned from a break enforced by an anxiety problem.
• None Tears and a house called Alan - inside story of England's band of sisters
But it is not just on the field where Robinson has made changes.
In a game just getting to grips with professionalism, players previously signed one-year contracts. Recognising that meant they were faced with the threat of unemployment on an annual basis, Robinson successfully pushed for the security of two-year deals.
He has also created an environment of honesty, openness and acceptance in a bid to make sure the players do not lose their identities to the rigors of the game. One player was comfortable enough to bring her teddy bear to a team meeting.
"Mark has been brilliant," said Knight. "He has encouraged us to be honest and that has made us as a team.
"He has annoyed us at times with tough love, but he has pushed us, improved us and made us believe. We're very thankful."
Robinson, though, will not be in the limelight in the aftermath of England's triumph, and nor should he be.
The adulation goes to Knight and the 14 other players that have triumphed in the biggest tournament, match and spectacle women's cricket has ever seen. They are role models in a game that is taking its place at global sport's top table.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/40701196
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Back from the Front: Tracking down WW1 grave markers - BBC News
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2017-07-25
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The battlefields of WW1 were once marked by thousands of wooden crosses - but what happened to them?
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Norfolk
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Volunteers have located and photographed hundreds of WW1 grave markers brought back from the front, like this one at Garboldisham, Norfolk
Manicured lawns and gleaming white headstones now welcome visitors to the World War One cemeteries of France and Belgium. But a century ago, these soldiers' graves were marked with simple wooden crosses. What happened to them and who are the people tracking them down?
On the wall of St Anne's Church in Sale, Greater Manchester, hangs one such cross. Made from two pieces of wood nailed together, with a sharp, earth-stained point, it has a metal strip reading: "UNKNOWN BRITISH SOLDIER".
It was one of hundreds of thousands of markers indicating the graves of Commonwealth soldiers all along the Western Front. Some are cracked and water-damaged. Many have woodworm. Some even have the original Somme mud varnished on to them.
Others are ornate, hand-carved and painted, made in the field by comrades, often from scrap wood or old packing crates, and bearing personal inscriptions. Aviators' graves were often marked by propellers.
This cross at St Anne's Church, Sale, is one of hundreds being catalogued by the Returned from the Front project
Heritage specialist Nick Stone and a band of dedicated volunteers are tracking down the repatriated grave markers to photograph and catalogue them and create an ever-growing online map and database.
Nick, of Norwich, jokes that when the Returned from the Front project began in July 2016, he thought "it would all be over by Christmas" - just as people reputedly said about the war itself.
Visitors to WW1 cemeteries, like this one at Ypres, will be familiar with the uniform Portland stone headstones
During the war, graves were usually marked with simple wooden crosses
During the war, soldiers were typically buried where they fell or close by. The sheer volume of casualties, and the fact that units were still sometimes under fire, meant this was often done hastily.
Graves were marked for later identification, sometimes by sticks or rifles pushed into the ground, or by wooden crosses. Such was the scale of the killing that crosses were mass-produced and shipped to the front.
Maj John Burgh Talbot Leighton MC, Scots Guards, Royal Flying Corps, is commemorated by a propeller cross at St Michael and All Angels Church at Alberbury, Shropshire
Later, under the authority of the Imperial War Graves Commission - now the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) - these bodies were exhumed and reburied in larger cemeteries, marked with the now-familiar uniform Portland stone gravestones.
The now-redundant wooden markers were then offered to the dead men's families, with each responsible for either collecting them or shipping them home. According to CWGC records, at least 10,000 were returned to next of kin.
Some were given to churches or other organisations, but most of the unclaimed markers were destroyed. Often they were burnt and the ashes scattered across the burial grounds.
Nick Stone, the man behind the Returned from the Front project, has been fascinated by WW1 since he was a boy
Trips to WW1 battlefields and cemeteries, including Bernafey Wood on the Somme, helped inspire Nick's project
Of the crosses that survive today, most are in churches but others are in museums, memorial halls, private collections and even schools.
Nick's interest came through a lifelong fascination with World War One. His birthday is on Armistice Day, when his mother would often take out a tin containing her late father's medals, a few lace postcards and his "Dead Man's Penny" commemorative plaque.
"Handling this huge penny with my grandfather's name, Percy James Parr, on it left an indelible mark. I've chased who he was ever since," he says.
Nick's grandfather was 37 when he was killed at Messines Ridge on 7 June 1917.
But there is no marker for him. As Nick writes on his blog, he "did actually vanish, totally, no evidence, no meat or bone, nothing to sew in a blanket and bury in a cemetery".
He is, however, commemorated on the Menin Gate in Ypres, along with the other men in his company who died in the same attack - all of them missing.
Nick's grandfather, Percy James Parr, pictured with his wife Jesse, daughter Grace (Nick's mother) and son Tom, was killed in 1917, aged 37
Nick's grandfather is commemorated on the Menin Gate at Ypres
Nick's idea for Returned from the Front came through "thinking out loud on Twitter", and he harnessed social media to recruit volunteers to survey, catalogue and photograph the grave markers.
"The volunteers are great. They are from all walks of life. The youngest is four - she went with her dad - and the adults are from 18 up to 80. Everybody's been pretty marvellous, really," he says.
Maj George F Molineux-Montgomerie, killed at the Hohenzollern Redoubt in northern France on 22 October 1915, is commemorated by a cross at Garboldisham, Norfolk
So far, about 70 volunteers have sent in photographs and surveys, with many more providing other helpful information.
Margaret Draycott, a phlebotomist from Liverpool, and colleague Bev Goodwin have catalogued 85 markers, mainly around the north-west of England, but as far away as north Wales, Shropshire and Sussex.
When not visiting the grave marker sites, Margaret is often conducting internet research. "If my family want to find me, they know I'm 'crossing'," she says.
Colleagues Bev Goodwin (left) and Margaret Draycott, pictured on a battlefield tour in Belgium, have catalogued 85 markers between them
Lt Col Philip Vaughan Holberton, who was mentioned in despatches five times, is remembered at St Mary's Church, Bitterley, Shropshire
Another of the more ornate crosses is at the Army Training Centre in Pirbright, Surrey, and commemorates members of the Grenadier Guards
Some churches are not aware of the significance of the markers, or even what they are. "People have engaged with us and are absolutely blown away that what they have are from soldiers' graves," says Margaret.
Among the markers she has photographed is that of Ellis Humphrey Evans, better known as Hedd Wyn, the Welsh poet killed on the first day of the Battle of Passchendaele on 31 July 1917.
A cross for Ellis Humphrey Evans, better known as Welsh poet Hedd Wyn, is on display at the Llys Ednowain Heritage Centre at Trawsfynydd, Gwynedd, north Wales
Hedd Wyn, who was 30 when he died, wrote his famous poem Yr Arwr (The Hero) before leaving for the front
One unusual marker is a wooden Star of David, at Broadgreen Cemetery, Liverpool, commemorating an unknown Jewish soldier.
Often it was impossible to identify an individual soldier's remains, and Merseyside has a particular concentration of markers for so-called "unknowns", probably brought back during pilgrimages by churches and other groups.
Although most markers were crosses, Jewish soldiers' graves were sometimes indicated by a Star of David
Capt WHM Kersey, who was killed near Ypres on 17 October 1917, is commemorated by a cross at St John the Baptist Church, Felixstowe, Suffolk
Capt Kersey's cross was originally at The Huts Cemetery, Dikkebus, Belgium
After the war, crosses at The Huts Cemetery were replaced by Portland stone headstones
Ministry of Defence colleagues Samantha Fryer, from Swindon, and Dr Alison Wilken, from Lambourn, Berkshire, have surveyed markers in Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, Berkshire and Gloucestershire.
"It's quite nice to know that you are part of a project that's being published that schools and researchers might find useful in the future," says Samantha.
Samantha Fryer is often accompanied by Arthur the terrier on her visits
Gnr Harry Varney is commemorated by a cross featuring an inscription scratched on a piece of tin
St Mary the Virgin Church at Wootton, Oxfordshire, has eight crosses, including one for Gnr Harry Varney, killed in September 1917, aged 30.
It bears an inscription scratched on a piece of metal, possibly from a tobacco or pilchard tin. "To see somebody's writing like that was quite poignant," says Samantha.
"There is an enormous contrast between a lowly gunner's cross with a piece of tin tacked to it and the impressive carved and painted crosses of the officers."
Returned from the Front builds on work by Imperial War Museums (IWM). "It's an absolutely first-class project, worthy of our fullest support," says Ian Hook, who runs IWM's War Memorials Register of more than 68,000 memorials, including 610 battlefield markers.
Only recently, he says, has their significance has been properly appreciated. Many were lost, possibly thrown away by "trendy vicars", who felt that their presence was a tacit endorsement of war, he says.
The organisation that became the Commonwealth War Graves Commission was set up by Sir Fabian Ware
Many crosses would not even have made it back to Britain at all. "They were offered back to families, but many soldiers were just working lads and the families had lost their breadwinner," he explains.
"Given the opportunity to acquire a cross or buy food or shoes for the kids, what were they going to do?"
Others were lost or destroyed as the fighting shifted and the makeshift cemeteries became battlefields once more.
The fact that any markers found their way home is testament to the work of the CWCG, whose founder Sir Fabian Ware was determined to ensure the resting places of the war dead would not be lost.
"It's important to preserve these relics of the war," says the organisation's chief historian Glyn Prysor.
"They're physical objects brought all the way back from the battlefield and they can help us to connect with that in a tangible way."
Nearly 12,000 Commonwealth servicemen are buried at Tyne Cot Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in Passchendaele, Belgium
"The body may be far away in a cemetery but the marker may be in a local church or somewhere else significant. It's making that link between the local area and a global conflict. It's a very special thing."
For now, the work of Nick and his volunteers continues. They hope it will help the markers survive even longer.
Although the many events that have been held to commemorate the war's centenary will conclude next year, Nick says: "I think it's important we don't stop remembering after 11 November 2018."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-40446229
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