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Robert Fleming, 21, is believed to have been involved in an altercation outside Bakers nightclub in John Finnie Street between 00:30 and 01:00 on 7 February. He was later found dead at his home in the Ayrshire town's Lammermuir Road. Officers will speak to people outside the club between 23:00 on Saturday and 02:00 on Sunday 14 February. Det Ch Insp Allan Burton said: "A young man has lost his life and it is of the utmost importance that we establish exactly what happened and get answers for Robert's family. "Officers have viewed the CCTV and it is critical we identify the people who were outside Bakers during this incident. "To do this we need to speak to anyone who was at this location last Saturday night to assess if they have information that could assist with our investigation." Det Ch Insp Burton added: "It is critical that we speak to absolutely everyone to ensure that we have the full picture of the circumstances, so, if you are planning to be out again this weekend, please come and speak to us or any officer who will be in the area."
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Much of it was targeted against the ethnic Tharu community in Tikapur, whom they blame for violence on Monday in which seven policemen and a child died. Tharu protesters had been at a rally demanding greater rights under a new constitution when the clashes erupted. A man, 18, has died in the south after police fired at a similar protest. In that incident, officers used tear gas and fired warning shots in the air on Tuesday when ethnic Madhesi protesters had entered the town of Gaur, in the southern plains of Rautahat district, where such demonstrations had been banned, the local chief district officer, Madan Bhujel, said. Minority ethnic groups have been demonstrating across Nepal, saying the new constitution, which would divide the country into seven federal states, would discriminate against them and give them insufficient autonomy. In Tikapur town, in north-western Kailali district, protesters attacked a radio station and a guest house, regional police chief Ram Kumar Khanal told the BBC Nepali service. The angry mob also vandalised the home of a lawmaker belonging to the Tharu ethnic group, the deputy inspector general said. Police fired warning shots more than a dozen times to disperse the crowd, he added. In the capital, Kathmandu, hundreds of people attended the funeral for Laxman Neupane, the most senior policeman to lose his life on Monday in Tikapur. The ethnic Tharu protesters had encircled the officers, attacking them with spears and axes and burning one person alive, officials said. According to the Associated Press news agency, many of the protesters fled into the jungle and nearby villages in Kailali district after the clashes. Security personnel, including the army, have been deployed to Tikapur, which is about 400km (250 miles) north-west of Kathmandu, in an attempt to calm the situation. Meanwhile, Nepal's four major parties have met and said they will hold talks with dissatisfied groups to address their political demands, the BBC's Phanindra Dahal reports from Kathmandu.
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"Kids are becoming addicted to drugs because the drugs are being sold for less money than candy," he claimed, blaming Mexico as the drugs source. "I won New Hampshire because New Hampshire is a drug-infested den," said Mr Trump, the leaked transcript shows. New Hampshire Senator Maggie Hassan called the comments "disgusting". "Instead of insulting people in the throes of addiction, @POTUS needs to work across party lines to actually stem the tide of this crisis," she wrote in a series of tweets. Like many American states, New Hampshire is suffering from an acute problem with drugs, especially opioids. In the past 24 hours, two men were arrested for drugs offences in two different public parks in Manchester, the state's largest city. One man was injecting in plain view of officers, and the other had just suffered his second overdose in four hours, the New Hampshire Union Leader reports. Jeanne Shaheen, the other US senator from New Hampshire, called for Mr Trump to apologise to state residents. End of Twitter post by @SenatorShaheen End of Twitter post 2 by @SenatorShaheen Mr Trump actually lost New Hampshire to Hillary Clinton during the presidential general election. However, he did beat more than half a dozen other Republicans to win the state's first-in-the-nation primary vote. Mr Trump's comments were also attacked online by the New Hampshire Democratic Party. End of Twitter post by @NHDems The party's Twitter account also began retweeting scenic landscape images of the mountainous New England state. Republican Governor Chris Sununu was also quick to respond, issuing a statement saying "Mr Trump is wrong." "It's disappointing his mischaracterisation of this epidemic ignores the great things this state has to offer." Donald Trump is president in large part because of the voters of New Hampshire. Although he lost the state in the general election, his Republican primary victory there last February cemented his frontrunner status, crushed opponent Marco Rubio's momentum and mortally wounded the candidacy of Jeb Bush. It opened a pathway to the White House that had seemed absurd up until then. Mr Trump succeeded by appealing to working-class, non-educated white voters in the state - the kind of people who have been hit hard by spread of opioid drugs. The president acknowledged this in his conversation with the Mexican president, but some New Hampshire residents may find his language dismissive in the extreme. Then again, Trump voters flocked to their candidate because he was blunt; because he didn't say the sort of things politicians usually do. Time and time again, his supporters heralded his verbal stumbles and gaffes not as a flaw but as a sign of honesty. No politician in his right mind would refer to a US state as a "drug-infested den". But at this point it goes without saying that Mr Trump is no ordinary politician. End of Twitter post by @NHKathySullivan Earlier this week a White House commission urged Mr Trump to declare the epidemic a "national emergency". Since 1999, the number of deaths involving
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Perry, 29, helped Brighton to promotion to WSL 2 last season via the Premier League Championship play-off final. The Republic of Ireland international was also an FA Cup finalist with Chelsea in 2012. "Sophie is an experienced defender and has proven herself both in the WSL1 and at international level," Reading manager Kelly Chambers said.
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Gary MacDonald Graham, 57, from Borras, Wrexham, had been walking on the A534 at Llan-y-Pwll link road, which serves Wrexham Industrial Estate. The road remained closed on Friday following the incident on Thursday night. Mr Graham's family said: "He was a beloved father, brother, grandfather, uncle and friend." They added he would be "sorely missed by all who knew him. He is reunited at last with his wife, Sian Graham, who was his first love." Mr Graham was a former member of the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards who fought at the battle of Tumbledown during the Falklands War. Police said he had been walking between Holt Road roundabout and Wrexham Industrial Estate roundabout near to Wrexham Golf Club just after midnight when he was hit. The vehicle did not stop. Officers have appealed for witnesses to the collision and advised motorists to avoid the area on Friday. Ch Insp Darren Wareing said: "I am appealing for the driver of the vehicle involved to come forward. "I am also appealing for any witnesses who would have been in the area at the time or who may have witnessed the collision to call police."
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Kathy Wiles, who was due to stand in the 2015 Westminster election, said she wanted to highlight the dangers of using children in political campaigns. Her initial tweet was responding to a picture showing children at the demo wearing pro-independence T-shirts. Ms Wiles has apologised and resigned as a candidate for the seat of Angus. The Labour Party said it would swiftly get a replacement. Ms Wiles posted the contentious Nazi picture in relation to a social media debate about a protest outside BBC Scotland on Sunday afternoon about the corporation's coverage of the independence referendum. She was responding to a photo from the protest which showed children standing underneath a promotional banner for pro-"Yes" blog Wings Over Scotland. Replies to the tweet likened the photo to the Hitler Youth, to which Ms Wiles responded with an image showing children gathered around a swastika. Ms Wiles was criticised by the father of two of the children in the protest photograph. He tweeted: "How dare you compare my children to the Hitler youth, despicable." Ms Wiles apologised through her Twitter page @KathyWforAngus on Tuesday morning, writing: "I tweeted a picture on Sunday which has caused offence for which I apologise unequivocally. "My intention was to make a point about the dangers of using young children in political campaigns, not to make any inference about those in the photo." She has since deleted her account. Scottish Labour later confirmed it had accepted Ms Wiles's resignation as a parliamentary candidate. A party spokesman said: "We believe that Kathy Wiles has taken the right decision to withdraw in Angus and we will move swiftly to get another candidate in place. "The debate about Scotland's future should be held in a respectful and positive way and we will take robust and immediate action if any of our members fall below these standards."
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The Boundary Commission does not have an easy task. The constraints imposed by the law are very tight - each seat must be composed of the rough building blocks of the new local government wards, to reach the designated number of voters with only 5% leeway. Previous revisions were allowed much greater variation, which led to some anomalies but did tend to mean less disruption. It could have been worse. A proposed reduction from 18 seats to 16 was killed off at the last moment in the last parliament due to a row inside the then coalition government. But the legislation put in place then has not been repealed, so the goal of reducing the overall size of the House of Commons to 600 seats remains. Thanks to changes in the electoral registration process across the water, Northern Ireland now loses only one seat rather than the two that would have been abolished in 2012. Even so, the changes are drastic. Every constituency is changed, in some cases changed utterly, as Yeats might have put it. Banbridge and Carryduff will be united in the new West Down constituency; the new North Tyrone will sweep from Strabane to Lough Neagh, swerving to include Omagh; the ancient kingdom of Dalriada is resurrected in parliamentary form, pivoting between Coleraine and the Glens; sandwiched between Dalriada and North Tyrone, a new Glenshane seat links Limavady and Magherafelt. The SDLP will not be happy. South Belfast, which their former leader, Alasdair McDonnell, retained in 2015 with the lowest ever vote share of a successful Westminster candidate, is to be divided four ways, mostly between an expanded East Belfast and a new South West Belfast. The SDLP's two other seats, Foyle and South Down, are barely changed, but this may be small comfort. The UUP also have little cause for cheer. Fermanagh and South Tyrone, narrowly won by former party leader Tom Elliott in 2015, loses Dungannon town and instead acquires less Unionist-friendly territory to the west. South Antrim, the UUP's other 2015 gain, loses its northern half to the new West Antrim seat and stretches south to include the urban core of Lisburn, which was once solid UUP but has been much better for the DUP of late. The DUP may therefore be able to make a strong challenge in both the new South Antrim and West Antrim. They also look strong in the proposed new East Antrim, Dalriada, Upper Bann and Blackwater, West Down and Strangford seats. Elsewhere, however, the new boundaries are less good for them. East Belfast, regained in 2015, becomes a tougher defence against the Alliance Party, with Dundonald out and the River Lagan as the new boundary. North Belfast, transformed into North-West Belfast by the amputation of most of its Newtownabbey end and the shift of its boundary deep into the Lower Falls, will also be a tougher defence against Sinn Féin. And farther west, the old East Londonderry loses Coleraine town but gains Magherafelt; another tempting prospect for Sinn
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The 21-year-old Belgian, the younger brother of Palace record signing Christian, has made one appearance for the Eagles since signing in August. Palace manager Alan Pardew said the injury news was "disappointing" for both club and player. Pardew, whose team visit Everton in the Premier League on Friday, said: "His meniscus on his knee is the problem."
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Former CBI boss John Cridland has been appointed to lead the review, the first of regular five-year assessments. Those under the age of about 55 will be affected by the shake-up, which will consider what the state retirement age should be from April 2028. The results will be published next May. The government said the review, required under existing legislation, would consider changes in life expectancy as well as wider changes in society and "make sure that the state pension is sustainable and affordable for future generations." It said it would also consider whether "the current system of a universal state pension age" rising in line with life expectancy was "optimal in the long run". This suggests the review will look at whether the retirement age should rise even if life expectancy slows. Currently, the state pension age is set to be 67 for both men and women by 2028. "It's not just about raising it [state pension age], it's about considering the best way to manage the state pension age policy," Pensions minister, Baroness Roz Altmann, told the BBC. But Tom McPhail, head of retirement policy at financial services firm Hargreaves Lansdown, said the review meant state retirement age would increase faster than currently expected. "We fully expect state pension ages to go up faster than currently planned, and those joining the workforce today are likely to find themselves waiting until their mid-70s to get a payout from the state system," he said. Shadow work and pensions secretary Owen Smith also warned that "the terms of this review may suggest that the Tory Government is set to speed up rises in the state pension age, throwing into chaos the retirement plans of millions of British workers."
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As a 19-year-old student on a night out in Chester, he had been brutally stabbed and mugged, near his home. "I couldn't let it go in my head. It was always there," he says. "It started creeping into my nightmares." He bottled up the fear and trauma for four years, before a suicide attempt prompted him to seek help, perhaps surprisingly, from his manager at work. But Oliver is by no means typical. Around half of us would not be happy to speak up at work if we had a mental health problem, according to a survey conducted by Comres for BBC Radio 5 live. The survey asked 1,104 British adults in full-time employment about their attitudes to mental health. And 49% said they would be unlikely to tell their boss about problems such as anxiety, depression or bipolar disorder. Only 35% said they'd be happy to tell colleagues. Despite his dreadful experience, Oliver is one of the lucky ones. His employer at the time was the construction firm, Laing O'Rourke; he was working on the Crossrail project in London. His manager was one of the first people he turned to, and because the company has a positive approach to mental health in the workforce, they were able to have a very open and frank conversation. "He helped point me in the right direction in terms of who to speak to at work, a confidential advice line we have at Laing O'Rourke, who helped me start therapy and has really helped me since then in terms of getting my career on track and do what I can to really help myself," he says. But according to Sue Baker, director of mental health charity, Time to Change, turning to your boss is not always the best course of action. "We wouldn't encourage people to routinely disclose," she says. "Because obviously there's really poor practice still. "It can result in people being passed over for promotion, not being offered opportunities to develop themselves, and to outright discriminatory comments." She advises people to speak up only if it's clear your employer is supportive of mental health programmes. But there are, she says, now more than 500 employers taking positive action, including signing up to the Time To Change pledge, which commits them to address the taboos around mental health. Ms Baker says about one in six people suffer some kind of mental health problem making it an issue for the entire workforce. "There are millions of people who are less productive because they are not getting help," she says. "It costs industry more to ignore mental health and shove it under the carpet than to deal with it." Pizza Hut Restaurants is one of the firms that has signed up to the charity's pledge. "We have 8,000 people from age 16, to people who've worked for us for 30 years," says the firm's head of communications Gareth Hopley. "A lot of our managers are 21-year-olds who you're asking to run multimillion pound restaurants.
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On Monday its shares dived 30% after a note from analysts at Investec said its equity value could be "eliminated". Investec's Laura Lambie told the BBC Glencore faced "severe problems" if it did not cut its debt and commodity prices do not recover. But a Glencore spokesperson said the firm had no solvency issues. "Glencore has taken proactive steps to position our company to withstand current commodity market conditions, " the spokesperson added. "Our business remains operationally and financially robust. "We have positive cash flow, good liquidity and absolutely no solvency issues." Glencore has been hit by a slowdown in the wider commodities markets, with copper, aluminium and nickel all down more than 25% compared with a year ago. In recent weeks chief executive Ivan Glasenberg has tried to reduce the company's debt by selling shares and assets, as well as scrapping a series of dividends. Glencore hopes to generate up to $12bn (£7.9bn) from the sale of its grains business to reduce its debt burden. But it has done little to allay fears over Glencore's £20bn debt pile which have seen its shares dive in the past month and the cost of insuring that debt soar. Speaking to the BBC, Investec's Laura Lambie said: "Miners grew hugely to meet the demand from China and they borrowed heavily to find it and the cost of servicing that debt and the schedule of repayments are really putting companies such as Glencore under the spotlight. "The risk is if commodities don't recover then companies like Glencore will be in trouble trying to repay its debt." Investec has also questioned how much Glencore could raise from selling its agriculture division, as "valuing such a volatile business is likely to be tough". Glencore's stock has fallen by more than 85% since the company went public in 2011 at a price of £5.30 a share. On Tuesday its shares rallied after the firm's statement, closing up nearly 17% at 80.24p, but it is still a long way off its flotation price. Nigel Wilson, the chief executive for Legal and General, which is a shareholder in Glencore, said the mining company was facing a "quasi-Lehman moment", referring to the collapse of the US investment bank during the 2008 financial crisis. Mr Wilson called on Glencore's management to clarify information about the company's viability to stem further falls in its stock. "There's a lot of noise and there's not enough signalling. That lack of information causes a huge amount of uncertainty at Glencore which is having a massive contagion effect across the world," Mr Wilson said. However, analysts at Citigroup said the sell-off in Glencore shares had been overdone. Citigroup said that there was still value in the business, and that Glencore should even consider going private via a management buyout if the market rout continued. "In the event the equity market continues to express its unwillingness to value the business fairly, the company management should take the company private, whereby restructuring measures can be taken easily
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Media playback is not supported on this device The main topics on the post-match agenda were, once again, captain Wayne Rooney's continuing worth to England and whether this was the sort of display Southgate needed to aid his bid to land the England manager's job on a permanent basis. Rooney's worth to England was subjected to another forensic examination in the build-up to Southgate's first match in charge - and the 30-year-old was given a strong vote of confidence by the new manager. Southgate sympathised with the sole focus on Rooney and admitted he could not understand the audible frustration of England's fans when he shot wildly off target near the end. He said: "It's fascinating to get an insight into his world over the last 10 days. Every debate seems to focus on him. The onus on him is enormous, the criticism of him is, at times, unfair and yet he ploughs on and plays with pride and represents his country with pride." Southgate compared Rooney to long-term England servants such as John Terry, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole as he added: "They kept turning out and really put themselves on the line. Some other players have not put themselves forward at those moments and withdrawn from squads when the going has got tough. "Those guys are the people that really desperately wanted to play for England again and again and again and put their necks on the block. Wayne falls into that category." Southgate's faith was clear as Rooney was kept on as captain and started against Malta, and all the indications are that he will keep his place in the next qualifier in Slovenia on Tuesday. The Manchester United man may not be the force he once was but he is a player and personality who never hides irrespective of any personal struggles for form and his determination to always be involved was in evidence once more at Wembley. This was, however, another indifferent performance that once again gave the impression that Rooney is increasingly being shoe-horned into England's plans rather than acting as a fulcrum for a manager's policy. Here Rooney, who is 31 later this month, was operating in a deep-lying midfield role spraying "Hollywood" passes left and right to the flanks but not providing any killer creativity, other than two shots which brought saves from Malta's heroic keeper Andrew Hogg. He was figuring in a role that Tottenham's Eric Dier has played better in recent months - he was one of the relative successes amid the fiasco that was Euro 2016 - and the Spurs player will surely adopt the role regularly once more in the future. Dele Alli, on target once and a danger on several other occasions, is best suited to the "number 10" role Rooney once fitted into neatly, while Harry Kane and Daniel Sturridge are ahead of England's captain as striking options. So will Rooney now simply move around where he is needed and become England's bit-part player throughout this
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Leah Washington, 17, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, was on the front row of the Smiler ride, which crashed into an empty carriage in front of it. She posted the picture of herself with 15 people on her Facebook page. The teenager's left leg was amputated above the knee and she also fractured her hand in the crash on 2 June. Miss Washington was among five people seriously injured in the collision, which led to 16 people on the ride being trapped for up to four-and-half hours. Vicky Balch, from Lancashire, who was also sitting on the front row of the carriage, had her right leg amputated below the knee following seven rounds of surgery. Merlin Entertainment Group, which owns the theme park, said all 16 passengers on board would receive compensation. A law firm representing eight of those injured said interim payments were released to help with the victims' rehabilitation at the end of June. Miss Washington's new picture was "liked" by several hundred people on Facebook. The teenager was at Alton Towers with her 18-year-old boyfriend Joe Pugh, who shattered both knees and suffered hand injuries in the incident.
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State-owned CalMac, which currently operates the services, and Serco Caledonian Ferries Limited are the only two companies competing for the work. The new contract covers an eight-year period. Scottish ministers are expected to make a decision before the end of May on who will run the services. The routes involved link the west coast mainland with the Inner and Outer Hebrides. The tendering process was the source of a dispute between unions and CalMac and the Scottish government last year. Following the row, an independent panel was set up to provide assurances about the process reported that it was being done in a "fair and open" manner. Martin Dorchester, managing director of CalMac Ferries Ltd, said: "I believe the bid we submitted last week is an outstanding piece of work and makes a compelling case for CalMac to win this hugely important contract. "I'm confident we will be the clear winner when a decision is reached in May and, if so, I'm determined that we'll deliver our best service levels yet." Jonathan Riley, Serco bid director for Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services (CHFS), said: "After two years of eating, sleeping and breathing CHFS I am delighted to confirm that we have submitted our communities-led ferries proposal. "My team have put their hearts and souls into this. I have worked in the UK transport industry for over 30 years but I have to admit that I was humbled by the knowledge and passion from the people who rely on these lifeline services."
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Impeccably dressed and coiffed, she is one of Singapore's success stories, having started her career in banking more than two decades ago. She now runs the wealth management and consumer banking team at DBS, one of Singapore's most valuable firms. But she admits she couldn't do this without help. "When I got pregnant I moved very close to my parents," she told me. "They were literally a stone's throw away so they were always there for me or my children. "I also had a [domestic] helper, which is possible in Singapore because it's relatively affordable, and I had very supportive bosses at work who allowed me to juggle my time and my flexibility." Ms Tan is one of a small but powerful group of women helping to run some of the biggest companies in Singapore. At telecom giant Singtel, female employees make up one third of the senior management positions - including the group chief executive, and investment, technology and operating heads. Over the last decade Singapore has outperformed its Asian peers in closing the gender workplace and pay gap - but still very few women end up joining what is essentially a men's club in the business world here. When it comes to gender equality in the workplace, the city-state still has a long way to go. Experts say women are still being held back because the corporate culture in Singapore penalises them if they decide to spend a few years out of the workforce. "Some women do take time off for their own family issues and then the companies would say - oh you took two years off so you're not getting as much exposure as the man who didn't take the time off," says Prof Annie Koh of Singapore Management University (SMU), who has been working on the issue of gender equality for years. As a mother of two herself, she says women often feel they deserve less than men, because of their family commitments. "Women aren't good at asking. We keep telling ourselves that our bosses will tell us when we deserve more, that perhaps because we came back after giving birth we shouldn't be paid as much as men," she says. "Women shouldn't be penalised for stepping out of the workforce." Singapore regularly ranks as one of Asia's worst countries in terms of work life balance, and experts say that's why it's suffering from a declining birth rate. "Some women end up having the 'either/or' mentality", Prof Koh said, "choosing either the life of a professional or the life of a mother". "But it doesn't have to be like that. The government is encouraging companies to bring women into the workforce, because it's good for business, and for the economy." But by some accounts, the workplace is only getting more competitive in an already highly stressful Singapore. Vithiya Gajandran is a 24 year-old postgraduate student. Ambitious and keen to succeed, she is the epitome of the Singaporean millennial. But while she does plan to have
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Marcella Jean Lee, 56, was detained on Thursday about 100 miles (160km) south of Goldsboro, where her mum's remains were discovered. She faces a felony charge of failure to report a death, according to police. Police had been searching for Ms Lee for more than three months after a neighbour discovered the body of Arma Roush, 75, inside the freezer. A post-mortem examination showed no signs of foul play in Ms Roush's death. A neighbour bought the freezer for $30 (£23). Ms Lee told the buyer not to open the appliance, which was taped shut. She told the neighbour that members of a local church would come by to collect the contents of the freezer, which she referred to as a time capsule. A few weeks later in May, the neighbour opened the freezer and found the body. Ms Lee's mother had been living with her and was last seen in August 2015.
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Scott Sinclair and Leigh Griffiths scored in the first half. Callum McGregor, Dedryck Boyata and Mikael Lustig struck after the break as the champions picked up their biggest victory at Ibrox. "It was a very comprehensive win," said Rodgers. "The only disappointment is that we should have scored more goals." Celtic's unbeaten domestic run now stretches to 42 games, with four league games and the Scottish Cup final remaining. In six Old Firm derbies this season, Celtic have won five, with the aggregate score 16-4 in their favour. Rodgers' first experience of the fixture ended in the same scoreline at Celtic Park in September but he was much more satisfied with this display as they moved 36 points clear of Rangers in third place. "What I look for is improvement in performance, and from the first 5-1 to today's 5-1 there's a totally different dynamic to the team," he added. "I said when I came in my job was to build a team who could go into any stadium without fear and play. "Obviously this is one of the great rivals for Celtic, so for us to come here and show that was pleasing. "We had a couple of moments, like the goal at the end, which typify it. "Our defenders defend forward. They are aggressive, step in, and that's where the fifth goal comes from, with Mika [Lustig] winning it and then scoring like a winger or centre forward. "But you have to earn the right. Fundamentally in any game you have to defend, and how I like my team to defend is with that aggression and high level of pressing, and the players did it right the way through. "From the first to the last minute their physicality in the game was top class. "Rangers started off with a diamond and if you're not concentrated, not organised, you can get outnumbered and outpassed. But the players tactically were absolutely superb in the game. "So yeah, a big difference in terms of the 5-1 at the beginning of the season to the 5-1 today."
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In the week to 10 January only 75.9% of patients were treated within the four hours at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH), its worst ever figure. The figure for Glasgow Royal Infirmary (GRI) was 76.3%, also well below the Scottish government's 95% target. Across Scotland the average was 88.3%, with 85 patients waiting more than 12 hours in A&E. It was the second week in a row that Scottish hospitals fell short of the target. The period covered, just after the Christmas break, is a traditionally busy one for A&E departments. There were 24,161 attendances at emergency departments. A total of 527 patients waited more than eight hours. 95% Scottish Government target 75.9% Queen Elizabeth University Hospital 76.3% Glasgow Royal Infirmary 88.3% Scotland average The Scottish government said it was likely to have been the most demanding week of the year for Scottish hospitals. And it pointed out that the Scotland-wide figures represented a five percentage point improvement on the same week last year. Health Secretary Shona Robison said: "This is a time of substantial increased pressure on our NHS. "We know from previous experience that these weeks are always the period when the performance of our A&E departments are affected most significantly. "This week's figures show just how much A&E performance can fluctuate, not only from week to week, but also from hospital to hospital, particularly at this time of year." She added: "Our clear focus is now on supporting boards and hardworking staff to ease pressure across the system. We have already invested some £10.7m to help cope with extra winter demand and we have been providing expert support for boards where required." Patients waiting more than 12 hours in A&E University Hospital, Ayr - 11 University Hospital, Crosshouse - 15 Victoria Hospital, Fife - 9 Glasgow Royal Infirmary - 12 Hairmyres Hospital - 14 Wishaw General Hospital - 21 Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh - 2 Queen Elizabeth University Hospital - 1 Source: ISD Scotland, week to 10 January Scottish Labour said the figures showed that NHS staff were being overstretched "week in, week out". Public services spokesperson Dr Richard Simpson said: "Now more than ever we need a health service based on patient need, not the ability to pay, with the resources it needs to deliver the care Scots deserve. "We know that only a third of NHS staff think they have the support and the resources to do their jobs properly. This is the result of the SNP cutting the health budget. "We need to move away from crisis management in our NHS to a plan for the long term." The QEUH, a £842m "superhospital" which replaced four other hospitals, had previously enjoyed some success in cutting waiting times after repeatedly missing targets since opening in April 2015. In June, the Scottish government announced that a team of experts would be sent in to help staff improve A&E waiting times at the site. At the start of December it met the 95% target and only
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Margaret Lee flew from Tennessee to Amsterdam to meet someone she had been chatting with online. The 16-year-old was arrested by Dutch police in the city of Zwolle over the weekend on suspicion of identity theft. Police say she used her sister's passport to leave the country after hers was confiscated by her family. Ms Lee ran away from her home in Clarksville on 1 April, according to the Montgomery County Sheriffs office. She then flew to Amsterdam, via Iceland, by herself. Dutch police began searching for the girl near The Hague, based on her details from her social media accounts. Ms Lee was found by Dutch police at a train station in Zwolle, located about 75 miles (120km) east of Amsterdam. She was reunited with her mother, who flew to the Netherlands to join the search. Police have yet to reveal the identity of the person she travelled to meet. It is also unclear whether she will face any criminal charges in both the Netherlands and the US.
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David Byrne, 33, was shot dead during a gun attack at a boxing weigh-in event at the Regency Hotel on Friday 5 February. The funeral mass took place at St Nicholas of Myra Church on Francis Street. Armed police maintained a discreet presence near the church throughout the service. The shooting was carried out by a gang of six gunmen, one of whom is believed to be a paramilitary from County Tyrone. Detectives believe that Mr Byrne was murdered in retaliation for the shooting of Gary Hutch on the Costa del Sol last September. Before the service police carried out security checks in the area surrounding the church. A police helicopter also circled overhead. Mr Byrne is said to have had connections to an international drug gang which operates from the south of Spain. Police have said they are keeping an open mind over suspected dissident republican involvement in the hotel killing.
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The findings came to light during a study into the host range of the bacteria, which reached Europe in 2013. The findings offer hope of limiting the impact of Xylella fastidiosa that experts described as one of the "most dangerous plant pathogens worldwide". If it is not controlled, it could decimate the EU olive oil industry. The study, carried out by Italian researchers and funded by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA), began in 2014 and consisted of two main types of experiment: artificial inoculation (via needle) and inoculation via infected vectors (insects) collected from the field. The tests were carried out on a variety of species, including a range of olive, grape, stone-fruit (almond and cherry) and oak varieties. "The first results are coming from the artificial inoculation because the field experiments began in the summer so it is only six months old, therefore only part of the results are available," Giuseppe Stancanelli, head of the EFSA's Plant and Animal Health Unit, told BBC News. "The key results are that, 12-14 months after artificial inoculation on different olive varieties, the team found that young plants typically grown in the region displayed symptoms of the dieback. "The research team also found evidence of the bacterium moving through the tree - towards it root system as well as towards the branches." But he added: "What has also been shown is that some varieties have shown some tolerance. They grow in infected orchards but do not show strong symptoms, as seen in more susceptible varieties. "They are still infected by the inoculation but this infection is much slower so it takes longer for the infection to spread, and the concentration of the bacterium in the plant is much lower. "This shows the potential for different responses (to the pathogen) in different varieties." Dr Stancanelli added that these results were important in terms of providing information for tree breeders. However, it was too early to say whether or not the olive yields from the varieties that have displayed tolerance to the infection are nonetheless reduced or adversely affected, he observed. The EFSA Panel on Plant Health produced a report in January warning that the disease was known to affect other commercially important crops, including citrus, grapevines and stone-fruit. However, the results from the latest experiments offered a glimmer of hope. "Olives seemed to be the main host of this strain while citrus and grapes did not show infection, either in the field or by artificial inoculation," Dr Stancanelli said. He added that the infection did not spread through the citrus and grape plants that were artificially inoculated, and the bacterium was not found beyond the point it was introduced to the plant by injection. But he added that more research was needed on stone-fruit species. "The tests on the artificially inoculated varieties of stone-fruit need to be repeated because there is a mechanism in the plants that makes artificial inoculation difficult," Dr Stancanelli explained. "Another uncertainty we had was about (holm) oak. Quercus
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David Miller, 24, from Jersey, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, from Great Yarmouth, Norfolk were found dead at a beach on the island of Koh Tao last September. Burmese migrants Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo, both 22, deny killing the pair. Lawyers for the two men have asked the court to allow the DNA to be re-tested. The lack of eyewitness accounts has meant DNA profiling has become the most important evidence in the trial. Earlier this month the Thai police said all the DNA material had been used up in the original testing. The trial has also heard from the first police officer to reach the scene. In his evidence he described how the bodies, mostly unclothed, were found a few metres apart. The defendants, who also deny rape and robbery, were arrested several weeks after the bodies were found. They are said to have confessed to the crime shortly after the killings but have since retracted their statements. The investigation has been widely criticised amid allegations of police incompetence and officers from the UK were called in to assist with the case. The trial is expected to last until October.
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The party leader said there were "grave concerns" about language used in a BBC interview by the former London mayor. But Mr Corbyn said: "There's no crisis. Where there is any racism in the party... it will be rooted out." MP John Mann, who called Mr Livingstone a "Nazi apologist" in a public confrontation, has been reprimanded. The Labour MP had been referring to comments Mr Livingstone made about Adolf Hitler. The row was prompted by the suspension of Labour MP Naz Shah over comments she made about Israel on social media. Mr Livingstone appeared on BBC Radio London defending her and said he had never heard anyone in the Labour Party say anything anti-Semitic. He added: "When Hitler won his election in 1932 his policy then was that Jews should be moved to Israel. He was supporting Zionism before he went mad and ended up killing six million Jews." Labour MP John Mann then accused Mr Livingstone of being a "Nazi apologist" in front of a media scrum as he arrived at Westminster's media studios. Asked about the confrontation on the BBC's Daily Politics, Mr Livingstone said Mr Mann "went completely over the top" but Mr Mann stood by his remarks. Mr Livingstone said he was not suggesting Hitler was a Zionist, saying the Nazi leader was "a monster from start to finish", but he said he had simply been quoting historical "facts". Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said his long-time ally had been suspended amid "very grave concerns about the language he used in the interview this morning" and would face an investigation by the party. He told BBC deputy political editor John Pienaar: "Anybody that thinks this party is not cracking down on anti-Semitism is simply wrong. We have suspended where appropriate, we have investigated all cases. We will not tolerate anti-Semitism in any form whatsoever in the party." Asked if there was a crisis in the party, he said: "It's not a crisis. There's no crisis. Where there is any racism in the party it will be dealt with, it will be rooted out." He said those who suggested the party was in crisis were "nervous of the strength of the Labour Party at local level". Meanwhile, a Labour spokesman said John Mann was told it was "completely inappropriate for Labour Members of Parliament to be involved in very public rows on the television". For years it has been more surprising when Ken Livingstone hasn't raised hackles than when he has. That's why so many Labour MPs feared a miscalculation when their party's leader brought his old comrade back into the fold. But his staggering comments today about Hitler and anti-Semitism crossed a line - they were enough for Jeremy Corbyn to suspend him. But the problem for the leader doesn't end with that act. No one believes that Jeremy Corbyn himself tolerates discrimination against Jews. But on repeated occasions Labour has been slow and clumsy in closing down cases of anti-Semitism among its members when they
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An Old Bailey jury heard they had been accused of plotting an attack inspired by so-called Islamic State (IS). Yousaf Syed, 20, of High Wycombe, was found not guilty of preparing a terrorist act in 2014, after a retrial. Co-accused Haseeb Hamayoon, 29, of west London, was cleared by the judge after the jury failed to reach a verdict. Prosecutors confirmed they would not seek a highly unusual third trial for Mr Hamayoon. Mr Syed's cousin, Nadir Syed, 23, of Hounslow, west London, was convicted of preparing for the attack at the end of the first trial last year. The prosecution of the three men was the first case to come before the courts of an alleged attack plan in the UK linked to Syria in which none of the defendants had actually travelled there. The case was one of seven referred to in Parliament by Prime Minister David Cameron as part of evidence of the threat posed by IS, or its alleged supporters. But throughout both trials Yousaf Syed and Mr Hamayoon denied playing any part in planning an attack, saying that while they had shared gory IS-related material among friends online, there was no evidence of a plot in Britain. Mr Syed was acquitted on Wednesday but the outcome could not be reported while the jury continued to deliberate over Mr Hamayoon. When he was acquitted, Mr Syed was overcome with emotion and held his head in his hands. For his part, Mr Hamayoon stood up in the dock, smiled, and thanked both the prosecution and his defence team. Nadir Syed will be sentenced on 23 June and faces a potential life sentence. During the two trials, prosecutors said the three men shared an extremist mindset and an obsession with the killing of Fusilier Lee Rigby, in Woolwich. In the weeks leading up to Remembrance Sunday in 2014, the Syed cousins had recorded a video in which they stamped on a poppy and said it should go to hell. During his defence Yousaf Syed said he bore no ill will to British soldiers, but he had been angry about British foreign policy and the plight of Muslims around the world. The pair were also accused of trying to reach Syria in early 2014. At his first trial Yousaf Syed said that he had simply gone on a cultural holiday to Turkey - but admitted at the second he had wanted to fight against the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad. All three were arrested hours after Mr Hamayoon and Nadir Syed bought a large chef's knife, days before the annual commemorations. Yousaf Syed was not present when the knife was bought but prosecutors alleged that he had intimate knowledge of a developing plan. Mr Hamayoon said that as a trained cook he was buying professional kitchen equipment for his new family home and had been advising his friends to do the same. The Pakistani national, who had moved from Australia to the UK through marriage, said he regretted
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One of the men fell from a height and another was rescued from the top of the scaffolding in Harewood Street at 08:05 BST, according to the fire service. Det Insp Andy Welbourn, of West Yorkshire Police, said the man that fell had "serious injuries". The Health and Safety Executive was aware of the incident, he added. Harewood Street is part of the site of the Victoria Gate development that is to include a John Lewis store along with 30 other shops and an 800-space multi-storey car park. The development is due to open in 2016.
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One of them is Hani Mustafa, who is of Sudanese and Czech heritage, and moved to the UK when he was two. Hani is on the streets of Peterborough - a seat held by the Tories since 2001 - delivering the Conservative Party message door-to-door. He raps his knuckles on the front door of a house in the marginal constituency of Peterborough. "That was a strong and stable knock," he says with a smile. Hani is 16 years old and a passionate Tory supporter. Despite being too young to vote in next month's general election, he is still determined to make his mark. "I think Theresa May relates to people like me and that's why she would be such a good prime minister," he tells the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme. Hani chose to join the Conservatives after studying the different parties' manifestos during the 2015 general election. You can watch Catrin's full report on You Tube "I saw the Conservative mission of working hard, doing the right thing and contributing to society and that really appeals to me," he said. He describes campaigning for the Tories as the best vehicle to improve his community and, while he has had the odd door slammed in his face, he says the response from householders is generally positive. "I think when people see a younger person they're more inclined to listen to you," he says. "[They understand] I could be playing computer games, but I've gone to the effort of knocking on your door. "You get people making lovely comments. People thanking you for coming." Asked if he ever envisages becoming a politician he begins shaking his head, before swiftly adding "who knows?", as he breaks into a smile. In the constituency of Sheffield Central - a little more than 100 miles north - Luke Bassett is helping the Labour Party. He is also 16 and for him, the timing of the election could hardly be worse. "As soon as she [Theresa May] called the election I was like, 'Why has she done it in the middle of my GCSEs'? "She has done it because she hates me," he jokes. The Labour Party won Sheffield Central with a strong majority in 2015 and Luke is trying to convince voters to keep supporting them. "In government we had a very, very strong record," he says between houses. "We brought social justice on to the agenda, we invested in the NHS, we invested in infrastructure and I think that everyone should have that kick-start in life and the best possible beginning for them." Both his parents are unemployed and Luke has decided to try to forge a career in politics. But he understands this is an unusual path for someone of his age, which he believes is a product of the way politics is run. "Politics as a whole is quite exclusionary, because politicians don't need to angle for young people's votes - as we can't vote," he says. "Even 18 to 25-year-olds don't vote
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The Morris Commercial J-Type belonging to Lincolnshire-based Laughing Dog farm bakery went on show at the NEC. Its 1,750-hour restoration was overseen by 27-year-old William Grant, who named the van after his grandfather Ted Grant OBE, who set up the company. Its 40mph top speed - slower than some greyhounds - rules out long journeys. "It's almost dangerously slow now and it will be owned by the factory and used as a promotional vehicle," said Mr Grant. The restoration at Laughing Dog's site in Old Leake, near Boston, went ahead despite the front of the 1.5-litre J-Type - bought in 2013 - being badly rusted. Mr Grant sourced a rear section from a scrapyard in Stoke-on-Trent and reproduced other panels using more than 20 sheets of mild steel. The new panels were shaped by hand to produce parts indistinguishable from factory-made equivalents fashioned in 1951. Asked how the van performs when driven, Mr Grant added: "It's very, very noisy. It's got a very high back axle ratio, so it accelerates quickly but has a top speed of about 40mph.
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Two of the Palestinians attacked police officers with guns and knives while the third stabbed the policewoman, police say. The three were identified by police as two men aged 18 or 19 and another man, all from the West Bank. The Old City had been crowded with tens of thousands of Muslim worshippers. They were attending Friday prayers at al-Aqsa Mosque. During the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, Israeli restrictions have been eased for Palestinians from the West Bank to travel to Jerusalem. Police said there was "no indication" of a link between the suspects and a terror group. At least three other people were injured in the attacks, two of them Palestinian bystanders who were hit by gunfire, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports. A gun used by one of the attackers reportedly jammed. The dead policewoman was named as Hadas Malka, 23. Forty-two Israelis have been killed in knife, gun and car-ramming attacks by Palestinians or Israeli Arabs since October 2015. In late 2015 and 2016, such attacks happened with near-daily frequency but the rate has declined in recent months. More than 240 Palestinians - most of them attackers, Israel says - have also been killed in that period. Others have been killed in clashes with Israeli troops. Accounts differed as to the names and places of residence of the three attackers. Israel says Palestinian incitement has fuelled the attacks. The Palestinian leadership has blamed frustration rooted in decades of Israeli occupation.
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One side relied on the conventional wisdom, coined by Bill Clinton's campaign brain, James Carville, "It's the economy, stupid." But as one of Vote Leave's brains has revealed at length this week, they had something else - a new and powerful way of using technology to find and mobilise their support that helped them overturn the traditional political rules. In 2016, maybe it's the data, stupid. In the early days of the campaign, members of the Vote Leave team told me they hoped to find a way of mashing the mountain of data that we generate in daily life online with more normal ways of measuring political support. Their dream was of a system that could put information from Twitter, canvassing, polls, websites, apps, into one giant IT programme that would then churn out extremely sophisticated models that would reveal the areas most likely to vote Leave, down to the street. And to create models that could test the messages they were going to use, again and again and again, in a more detailed, more effective way than had ever been done before. Of course there were already sophisticated ways of using technology to monitor political mood and moves, and to target voters. But Vote Leave's hope was for something quite different, and much more bold. Essentially, from day one, as Dominic Cummings, Vote Leave's director, has written: "One of our central ideas was that the campaign had to do things in the field of data that have never been done before." In the last few years, the amount of information that's publicly available about what voters are feeling and thinking at any moment has multiplied beyond all expectations. If knowledge is power, developing ways of grabbing and using that information was a huge prize. The software didn't exist, so Vote Leave decided to build it themselves. They hired physicists, data experts and digital specialists and they succeeded. Knowing the potential of the programme, they kept it under wraps. The project was even clandestine enough to be hidden from some of the MPs involved in the campaign. "I kept the data science team far from prying eyes," writes Cummings, instructing what he describes as the "real experts" to tell those inquiring in the office: "I'm just a junior web guy." Over the weeks they managed to develop a programme called VICS, Voter Intention Collection System, building it from scratch, which made them able to respond to the twists and turns of the referendum in ways that no British campaign had previously achieved before, down even to the level of creating a star ratings system so that local teams on the ground knew exactly where the most fruitful door knocking session would be. It also made their online campaign incredibly focused, with the intelligence VICS delivered, they delivered one billion, yes, billion, targeted digital adverts, mostly through Facebook, that were tested and tailored in a "constant iterative process". Money matters in political campaigns, but so does what you do with it.
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Media playback is not supported on this device Kane will be making his first appearance for his country since 4 September 2016 because of injury. England's last permanent captain was Wayne Rooney, who has been left out of the squad. "I wanted to give him that boost," said England boss Gareth Southgate. "He was pretty chuffed. It's a great honour." Kane will be making his 18th appearance for the Three Lions, having made his debut for the senior side against Lithuania under Roy Hodgson on 27 March 2015. He came off the bench to score in the 4-0 Euro 2016 qualifying win at Wembley after replacing Rooney. "We have several players who have excellent leadership qualities," added Southgate. "Harry is a player who we have worked with in the Under-21s before. He's got a terrific mentality and I know he is delighted to be leading the team." Kane, England's 119th captain, scored 35 goals in 38 league and cup appearances for Premier League runners-up Spurs in 2016-17. England team-mate Adam Lallana said Kane deserved to lead his country. "I'm absolutely delighted for Harry, I've been so impressed by him. He's demonstrated why he's one of the world's best players," added the Liverpool midfielder. Group F leaders England are six points clear of fourth-placed Scotland with five games remaining. Analysis: Radio 5 live's football correspondent John Murray This is not a permanent appointment as England captain. Gareth Southgate was very keen to stress that they are developing a group of five or six leaders who can play that role for England. It is interesting that he has been chosen as captain for this game - which is the hardest game in the group.
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The university's alumni relations were forwarded the "amazing" image of the Chipmunks, which also shows Union Street and the Castlegate. It was then posted on social media. It is understood the building and courtyard that can be seen behind the Citadel in the picture is the old Castlehill barracks. In 1981, Aberdeen UAS was amalgamated with the resurrected St Andrews - now including the new Dundee University - University Air Squadron. Then, in 2004, they were further amalgamated with the UAS, serving the Edinburgh universities to form the current squadron East of Scotland UAS, now based at RAF Leuchars. The image, from Harry Mackay of Aberdeen UAS, was forwarded to the alumni relations department by Rob Christie who co-ordinates the society for former members of the air squadron.
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Sirena Seaways hit Harwich International Port in Essex as it arrived at about 12:00 BST. Owner DFDS said the vessel would probably be out of service until at least next Saturday. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch said a team was at the port conducting preliminary inquiries. A spokeswoman for DFDS said the ferry was being repaired in a dry dock. "As a result, it is likely that the vessel will be out of service until at least Saturday 29 June," she said. "We would like to apologise to passengers for any inconvenience caused during this time. "Our customer services team is working hard to find alternative transportation routes for all passengers booked on to the cancelled sailings." Eyewitnesses spoke of hearing a loud bang as the vessel hit the quay at the port. The 23,000-tonne ship started to let in water and began listing to its port side. Its crew plugged the hole in the vessel's hull from inside and built a compartment with watertight doors to stem the leak. Lifeboats and coastguard vessels were launched and an RAF search and rescue helicopter was sent to the scene. Police, firefighters and ambulances also attended but there were no injuries reported and no pollution.
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The blaze sent up a pillar of black smoke that could be seen across the city. There are no known injuries, and the facility has been evacuated, according to a GE official. About 200 fire-fighters were deployed to the facility, which is primarily used for storage and office space. GE Spokesman Dominic McMullan said that it is not yet known what caused the fire. "We feel very fortunate that due to Good Friday being a holiday for employees that there were limited personnel working in Appliance Park today," he said. Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said that the area has been evacuated. The Louisville Courier-Journal reported that "leaf-sized" pieces of charred insulation and soot were raining on residents up to three miles away from the scene. People living within a half mile of the fire were told to remain inside, the paper reported.
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From Friday 10 April, the veteran US performer will host a weekly show which airs from 1900 to 2100 BST. Iggy Pop said: "Having sat in for Jarvis Cocker last year on BBC Radio 6 Music, I found myself realising how good it was for me. I hope it was good for somebody else too." Tom Ravenscroft's 6 Music show is also moving to 21:00-00:00 BST. It had previously run from 19:00 to 22:00. The changes to the schedule mean the station will no longer be broadcasting 6 Mix, a weekly show featuring a range of resident and guest DJs delivering a two-hour set. Ravenscroft said: "It's great to have the creative freedom to explore music even more deeply in my new regular slot on 6 Music." Iggy Pop first presented two shows on the network in December 2013 and returned last year to front a weekly Sunday afternoon show, taking over Jarvis Cocker's Sunday Service slot. He also delivered the fourth John Peel Lecture with a speech on the subject of Free Music in a Capitalist Society. He said the new show will be "what we call in the USA the 'happy hour'. "It's kind of an edgy point right at the end of the designated work week, and I'll try to play quite a bit of music that's new and stimulating mixed with very old classics from the blues and jazz masters of the 1920s through 50s that are a little more moody. I'm gonna think of myself as a kind of atmospheric bartender. I'll try to do my very best." BBC 6 Music's head of programmes Paul Rodgers said that in the latest round of official radio listening figures, "Iggy had driven his Sunday afternoon show to a slot record of over 300k listeners". He added: "To welcome him back in a permanent slot on the network is a dream come true for me and our listeners, and we all look forward to hearing his eclectic musical selections each Friday evening."
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They are a 317-unit development in the Athletic Stores building on Queen Street and an 11-storey, 380-unit development on Little Patrick Street. The Athletic Stores scheme will involve retaining the building's facade and demolishing and rebuilding behind it. The Ulster Architectural and Heritage Society had objected to the scheme. It said a facade retention approach should only be used as a "last resort". However, the planners said that "on balance" the approach was appropriate and would not cause harm to the area's overall character or appearance. The council planning committee concurred with the planners' recommendation. A series of major student schemes, mainly close to Ulster University's Belfast campus, have been given planning consent in recent months. The Athletic Stores scheme will be developed by the same companies which have almost completed a student scheme in the former Belfast Tech building on College Avenue. The council also approved a number of office schemes including outline permission for a four storey building at the Weavers Court business park.
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In Queensland, helicopters rescued more than 1,000 people stranded in the city of Bundaberg as the Burnett River burst its banks, flooding 2,000 homes. In New South Wales, Grafton escaped the worst of the flooding as the Clarence River peaked below the city's levees. The waters are now beginning to drop gradually as troops prepare for a mammoth recovery effort and clean-up. Tropical Cyclone Oswald, which triggered the flooding, is now heading out to sea south of Sydney. Tens of thousands were left isolated or displaced by the torrent, which peaked in most areas late on Tuesday. Four people are now known to have died in the severe weather, after a toddler who was hit by a falling tree in Brisbane died on Monday. It comes two years after severe flooding in southern Queensland, including in the state capital Brisbane, that left 35 people dead and tens of thousands of homes flooded. "We're planning to have some troops on the ground hopefully within the next 24 hours. It looks like waters will recede and we'll be able to gain access," Brigadier Greg Bilton told reporters. "Severe major flooding is being experienced in the Burnett [river] catchment area," the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said in its latest statement. It added: "Record major flooding continues at Bundaberg with the river rising slowly above 9.5m (31ft) in the last few hours." The Burnett river is also running more than 1.5m (4.9ft) higher than the last serious flooding in December 2010. Queensland Police Minister Jack Dempsey said that the flood levels will be some of the highest recorded for the whole of the Bundaberg and Burnett region. "The main priority at the moment on the ground is life and we really do implore people to go to the highest points, listen to the emergency service workers and their directions," he said. Some 7,500 people are reported to have been displaced in the city of Bundaberg, with more than 1,500 taking shelter in evacuation centres. About 1,000 people were plucked from the roofs of their homes by helicopters in daring evening rescues after rivers broke their banks late on Monday. Two air force transport planes are evacuating patients from the local hospital and Prime Minister Julia Gillard said 100 military personnel were being sent to help out. Queensland State Premier Campbell Newman has praised the civilian and military rescue crews, saying their bravery was "what saved the day". The BoM has warned that "major flooding is continuing in the Logan River", with the towns of Waterford and Eagleby now threatened. In Brisbane, low-lying parts of the central business district were flooded but the impact on residential areas was less than expected, ABC News said. Officials in the city said that the flooding was not as bad as in 2011, when 22,000 homes were flooded and the damage to infrastructure cost $400m (£250m). However, Brisbane's Lord Mayor, Graham Quirk, told the Herald Sun newspaper that high tides in coming days would see river levels rise again.
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The stone memorial, remembering the 43,000 Gurkhas killed in World War One and World War Two is in Riversley Park, Nuneaton. The Queen's Gurkha Signals regiment is based in the town, and local people raised £40,000 for the memorial in only three months. The dedication ceremony included a march by veteran soldiers. Warwickshire County Councillor Bob Hicks said: "The Gurkhas have a long association with the borough - it is fitting for the monument to be in Nuneaton."
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In a speech to chief executives ahead of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit he sought to dispel concerns about the economy. "There are indeed risks (to growth), but it's not so scary," he said. China also announced a deepening of its energy ties with Russia, with the countries agreeing a major new gas pipeline linking the two nations. Apec is expected to be the venue to announce several international deals among Asia-Pacific nations. On Sunday, Mr Xi pledged $40bn to improve trade links with other nations in the region. The world's second largest economy has had a tough year, held back by a contraction in the property market, slower consumer demand, and unsteady exports. But Mr Xi pointed out that even if China's economy were to grow by 7%, that would still rank it at the forefront of the world's economies. He said the economy remained "stable". Official figures released on Saturday showed that growth in exports and imports slowed in October. Annual growth slowed to 7.3% in the third quarter of 2014, the weakest since the height of the global financial crisis. In a bid to bolster growth, the government has accelerated spending on infrastructure projects, while the central bank has injected money into bank to improve credit supply and cut mortgage rates for some homebuyers. Mr Xi said China's economic and social reforms would take time to have an impact, but were irreversible. "These reforms are gradually being put into effect project by project. Once the bow is drawn, the arrow cannot be put back in the quiver; we will resolutely deepen reform," he said. The two-day Apec summit opens on Monday. After a meeting on Sunday with several Asian leaders, Mr Xi promised $40bn to help countries to improve infrastructure and trade. "Efforts by a single or several countries are far from adequate," said Mr Xi. "Only by building extensive partnerships where all will think and work in unison can we expect to achieve positive results." Last month, China and 20 other Asian governments launched a $50bn bank to finance infrastructure in the region, despite US objections that it was an unneeded duplication of work by the World Bank. On Sunday, Mr Xi and President Vladimir Putin strengthened their energy links when the two signed a memorandum of understanding on the so-called "western gas route" from Russia to China. Russia has been shifting its focus to Asian markets after Western sanctions over the Ukraine crisis targeted a number of Russian banks and energy companies by limiting their access to funding. In May, Russia's state-controlled gas giant Gazprom agreed to ship 38bn cubic metres of gas to China in a deal worth $400bn, from eastern Siberia. Under Sunday's agreement, the two countries said they would explore plans to transport gas via fields in western Siberia. As part of the deal, China National Oil and Gas Exploration and Development is taking a 10% in Vancorneft, part of another Russian energy giant, Rosneft.
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The surprise reversal came despite China's decision earlier to cut its main interest rate to boost growth. It's the sixth consecutive day of falls for US stocks triggered by fears over China's slowing economy. The Dow Jones ended down 1.3% at 15,664.3, with the S&P 500 dropping 1.4% to 1,867. 62 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq losing 0.4% to 4,506.49. Analysts blamed fragile investor confidence for the volatile trading and said continuing fears over China's economy had eventually overruled the initial low values which persuaded investors to buy. Art Hogan, chief market strategist at Wunderlich Securities said investors were confused. "They are trying to figure out what the slowdown in China means to the global economy," he said. Xavier Smith, investment director at Centre Asset Management, said he didn't expect a steady rise in stocks until there was some positive economic data from China. "Only when we see that will the rallies be sustainable," he said. Both the Dow Jones and the S&P are on track for their worst monthly losses in six years. Investors globally are worried that firms and countries that rely on high demand from China - the world's second-largest economy and the second-largest importer of both goods and commercial services - will be affected by the country's slowing growth.
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It follows a lengthy campaign by a charity and by relatives of some of those who've disappeared. The new law will allow the families to apply for a Certificate of Presumed Death. Scotland and Northern Ireland already have similar legislation in force. About 250,000 people are reported missing every year in the UK. While most quickly reappear, the families of those who don't can face years of legal and financial difficulties, on top of emotional trauma. Even when it seems clear that a missing person is most likely to be dead, it can be difficult to register that person's death without proof. With no death certificate, families often struggle to administer the missing person's estate, claim pensions or benefits, or deal with their mortgage or life insurance. Families will now be able to apply for a Certificate of Presumed Death for a loved one who has gone missing and is presumed dead. It will mean that any marriage or civil partnership will come to an end in the same way as if the missing person had died, and that property can be inherited under the missing person's will. It will also mean that grieving families will also be able to close bank accounts, stop direct debits, cancel passports, and apply for probate. Kevin Fasting was 49 when he left home in Liverpool in 2003, never to return. Struggling with depression, he left a note to his son, also named Kevin, 32, and two daughters Becky, 23, and Sharon, 34, apologising for letting them down. "You could've thought it was a suicide note. We expected to find a body," said his son. But they never did. Seven years later, searching for closure and believing their father to have most likely died, his family tried to deal with his estate. But it proved to be a near impossible task. "It was catch-22. We wanted to declare him deceased, but without a body we couldn't do it. We hit a standstill." Luckily, Kevin's son found a specialist lawyer. But it was still two years before he could put the legal battles - and legal bills - behind him. "I was calling every solicitor in Liverpool. If you were on your own or your were dependent on the person missing, it would be impossible." The court will issue the certificate if the person has been missing for seven years or if there is good reason to believe he or she is dead. Justice Minister Lord Faulks said: "Today marks a crucial step forward for families facing up to the terrible situation of losing someone without a trace. "We have made sure that while they are dealing with the heartache of a loved one going missing, they no longer have to face such a daunting task to deal with the practical issues that are also created." After Richey Edwards of the band Manic Street Preachers disappeared in 1995, it took his family more than 13 years to deal with his finances and have him declared
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The ban follows other restrictive measures imposed by Russia and Ukraine on each other since Russia's annexation of Crimea in March 2014. They have barred each other's main TV channels on their territory. Ukraine has blacklisted 83 cultural figures, most of them Russian, whom it considers a national security threat. Those on the list - barred from visiting Ukraine - mostly support Russia's annexation of Crimea and the pro-Russian insurgency in eastern Ukraine. The list includes film directors Karen Shakhnazarov and Pavel Lungin and the actors Vasily Lanovoi, Valentin Gaft and Oleg Tabakov, Russia's Tass news agency reports. The cultural tit-for-tat war has escalated during the conflict in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists control much of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Ukraine accuses Russia of waging a propaganda war against it, and of helping the rebels with heavy weapons and professional soldiers. Moscow denies that, but says some Russian "volunteers" are helping the rebels. The international security organisation OSCE says there are many daily violations of the Minsk ceasefire accord by both sides. Ambassador Martin Sajdik, an OSCE special representative, spoke of 4,700 violations in just 24 hours, including deployments of heavy weapons that should have been stored. Russian is widely spoken in Ukraine - not just in the east - and millions of Ukrainians have ethnic Russian relatives. There was a shared culture in Soviet times, before 1991, and most Soviet-era films can still be shown in Ukraine. Similarly, Russia has banned many Ukrainian performers. That blacklist includes many Ukrainian pop and rock stars popular in Russia, BBC Ukraine specialist Olexiy Solohubenko reports. Last August, a Russian court jailed Ukrainian film-maker Oleg Sentsov for 20 years for plotting terrorist acts in Crimea. He pleaded not guilty. The new ban on Russian films was signed into law by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Wednesday. It also includes any Russian films made since 1991 that "glorify the work of [Russian] government bodies". It widens an existing Ukrainian ban on Russian films and TV series that, in Kiev's view, positively portray Russian secret police or other security forces. Dozens of Russian books are also on a Ukrainian blacklist, because they are perceived to contain Russian nationalist messages. Wide-ranging tit-for-tat trade embargos are also costing both countries billions of dollars. Ukraine has stopped exporting arms and military components to Russia and no longer buys gas from Gazprom. Russia and Ukraine have hit each other with food import bans, including dairy produce and vegetables.
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It said the drop was as a result of new rules introduced by the regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The FCA tightened the regulations in April 2014, and introduced a cap on payday loan charges in January 2015. Between January and March 2014, before the changes, Citizens Advice received 10,155 complaints about lenders. In the same period a year later, the number fell to 5,554 - a drop of 45%. "The drop in the number of problems reported to us about payday loans is good news for consumers," said Citizens Advice chief executive, Gillian Guy. "It demonstrates the impact a strong stance against irresponsible lending can have on people's lives." When the FCA took over regulation of the payday loan market in April 2014, it introduced new rules. These included a limit on the number of times a loan could be "rolled over", or continued from month to month; stricter lending criteria; and limits on advertising. Since January this year there have also been caps on repayments. No one has to pay more than 0.8% a day of the amount borrowed, and no one has to pay back any more than twice what they borrowed. Since April 2014, the size of the payday loan market has shrunk considerably. While there were up to 400 high-cost short-term lenders registered back then, just 247 applied to the FCA for authorisation in February. Two months ago Wonga - the largest payday lender - reported a 36% fall in the number of loans it was making. It said the number of customers had fallen from over a million to 575,000.
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Maria Gladys Arango, 51, disappeared after going to meet someone in the town of Guarne, in Antioquia province. Police managed to trace her last steps to a farm owned by 44-year-old Jaime Ivan Martinez Betancurt. Under questioning, Mr Martinez admitted killing Ms Arango, his wife and two children and at least 16 other people. The motive for the killings, which are thought to have happened over the past 10 years, is unclear. Most of the victims are thought to have been women. Police said that when they arrived at Mr Martinez's farm they found Ms Arango's jewellery neatly stowed away in a plastic box. Forensic experts are carrying out tests on human remains found buried in the grounds of the farm. After initially denying having had anything to do with Ms Arango's disappearance, Mr Martinez told police he had strangled his family in November. Neighbours said Mr Martinez had moved to Guarne, east of the city of Medellin, three and a half years ago. They said they were suspicious of him, especially after they did not see his wife or seven-year-old daughter and five-year-old son for months. Police said Mr Martinez used his wife's mobile phone to send messages to her family in her name, pretending she had left him with the children and moved to another area of the country. Officials said they would go through the reports of missing people in Guarne and other places where Mr Martinez had lived to see which ones could have been his victims. Last year, Colombians were shocked when a homeless man in the capital, Bogota, confessed to killing at least 11 women. Colombia, where almost seven million people have been internally displaced by decades of violence and armed struggle, has had a number of cases of serial murders which have gone undetected for a long time.
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A survey of Pope Francis's standing around the globe shows that he is seen positively by well over half the world. Some 54% say their opinion of him is favourable and just 12% see him unfavourably. That means that his overall rating in the WIN Gallup International poll, or net score, this Easter is 41% (with rounding taken into account) - higher than any secular world leader. US President Barack Obama topped a similar poll of political leaders by the same company. He was seen favourably by 59% but unfavourably by 29%, giving him a net score of only 30%. Last weekend, Pope Francis joined Instagram with a photo of himself at prayer, adding to the followers he already enjoys on Twitter (8.9 million at time of writing). Three years into his papacy, Francis has enjoyed enormous goodwill and positive PR around the globe, winning hearts and minds not just among Roman Catholics (85% have a favourable opinion of him), but also from other religions and non-religious people. He is regarded favourably by: However, the one constituency that was not polled in this survey, but whose results would have made for interesting reading, was the Curia itself, the Vatican bureaucracy in Rome that Pope Francis promised to shake up at the start of his papacy. Within the Curia, the Pope has polarised opinion, much as he has done between more conservative and liberal Catholics, even though he has not changed Catholic teaching and remains a staunch and vocal opponent of abortion, recently terming it a crime and "an absolute evil". While his focus on mercy and interpreting the gospel with compassion have been welcomed by many, not all of Pope Francis's reforms are proving so popular and some are encountering stiff internal resistance. Any honeymoon period within the Curia for this pope is long since over. Profile: Pope Francis Outside the Curia, some - especially those on the more liberal side of the Church - say that more substantial and concrete progress will be needed in Francis's fourth year in office on the main challenges facing this papacy if there is truly to be a "Francis Revolution". They cite the four most pressing issues as: Pope Francis began his reforms by assembling a special commission of cardinals to advise him (the "C9"), a kind of papal cabinet, and is gradually pushing through the restructuring of parts of the Curia. One of his first reforms was to the Vatican's own communications departments and more structural reforms or mergers of departments ("dicasteries") are due this year. So far, such structural reform at the Vatican has remained incremental, although the clean-up under Cardinal George Pell of Vatican finances and the Vatican Bank is perhaps the most advanced of those changes, with Pope Francis recently setting new financial and accounting guidelines for the department that creates saints. This pope has made very clear his dislike of clericalism and his wish for a "healthy decentralisation" of the Church is an idea that sends shivers down
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The ruling came days after the Court of Cassation quashed a death sentence relating to another case. Morsi was overthrown by the military in July 2013 following mass protests a year after he took office as the country's first democratically elected leader. Morsi was elected president a year after an uprising brought an end to Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule. During his 12 months in power, Morsi was seen by many Egyptians as preoccupied with establishing political control rather than tackling economic and social problems. On the first anniversary of his taking office, opponents of Morsi organised demonstrations that saw millions take to the streets to demand his resignation. Three days later, then military chief - and now president - Abdul Fattah al-Sisi overthrew Morsi. The authorities subsequently launched a crackdown on supporters of Morsi and the Islamist movement to which he belongs, the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood. So far, more than 1,400 people have been killed and tens of thousands detained. Morsi and his top advisers were held incommunicado by the military for several months before prosecutors began filing charges against them. He has since been detained at a high-security prison near the Mediterranean city of Alexandria. DETENTION AND TORTURE OF PROTESTERS Morsi was sentenced to 20 years of hard labour in April 2015 after being found guilty of ordering the unlawful detention and torture of opposition protesters during clashes with Muslim Brotherhood supporters outside the Ittihadiya presidential palace in Cairo in December 2012. Morsi was, however, cleared of inciting Brotherhood supporters to murder two protesters and a journalist - a charge that could have carried the death penalty. LEAKING STATE SECRETS In June 2015, Morsi was sentenced to 25 years in prison after being convicted of "leading a group established against the law" - the Brotherhood - and a further 15 years for "facilitating the leaking of classified documents to Qatar". Prosecutors alleged that Morsi's aides had been paid $1m (£800,000) to leak documents to Qatari intelligence and the Qatar-owned Al Jazeera TV network that included details on the location of, and weapons held by, the Egyptian armed forces and on Egypt's foreign and domestic policies. PRISON BREAKS In May 2015, Morsi was sentenced to death after being convicted of colluding with foreign militants - from the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas and Lebanon's Shia Islamist Hezbollah movement - to organise a mass prison break during the 2011 uprising. He was found guilty of the murder and kidnapping of guards, damaging and setting fire to prison buildings and looting the prison's weapons depot. In November 2016, the Court of Cassation ordered a retrial. CONSPIRING WITH FOREIGN ARMED GROUPS Morsi was also given a life sentence - equivalent to 25 years - in May 2015 after being convicted of conspiring to commit terrorist acts with foreign organisations to undermine national security. Prosecutors alleged that the Brotherhood had hatched a plan in 2005 to send "elements" to military camps run by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Revolutionary Guards
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Michel Sapin told parliament that Antoine Deltour was "defending the general interest". Mr Deltour is accused of passing information to a journalist. The LuxLeaks scandal cast light on how Luxembourg helped giant companies slash their global tax bills. Mr Deltour and his co-defendants could face up to 10 years in jail. The government and companies named say their tax practices are not illegal. It was the biggest leak of its kind until the Panama Papers this year showed how the rich and powerful use tax havens to hide their wealth. Q&A: Panama Papers How assets are hidden and taxes dodged Mr Deltour, a former auditor at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), is accused of passing information on clients to French journalist Edouard Perrin, who first broke the story on French TV in 2012, in collaboration with the BBC's Panorama. He faces charges of theft, revealing business secrets, violation of professional secrets and money laundering. Raphael Halet, another former PwC employee, is suspected of a separate leak and faces the same charges. Mr Perrin is accused of being an accomplice. Prosecutors say that together the data was later used by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists in their November 2014 story. The tax breaks involved 340 companies. As he arrived for the first day of his trial, Mr Deltour told AFP news agency he was "very calm, I acted in the public interest". Supporters gathered outside the courtroom chanted "thank you Antoine, thank you Antoine!" Addressing the French parliament, Mr Sapin said he had asked the French ambassador to Luxembourg to "assist [Mr Deltour] at this difficult time when he defends the general interest". It was thanks to Mr Deltour, he added, that an end was being brought to the opaque system that prevented European countries finding out the tax deals made by large companies in Luxembourg. "In turn I would like to offer him all our solidarity," he said. Mr Sapin has tabled a bill, due to be debated in June, which he says will promote economic transparency as well as protect the anonymity of whistleblowers. While Luxembourg has laws protecting whistleblowers, they are confined to exposing illegal practices. Civil rights groups have attacked the case. "Deltour should be protected and commended, not prosecuted," said Cobus de Swardt, the Managing Director of Transparency International. Nearly 130,000 people have signed an online petition in support of Mr Deltour. The scandal put pressure on European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who led Luxembourg when many of the tax breaks were implemented. He has denied wrongdoing and has backed new EU rules to make corporate taxation more transparent.
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Governor Jose Melo said Amazonas police were "at their physical and psychological limit" and federal troops should be sent as reinforcements. State police struggled to contain the violence as rival gangs clashed. Many jails in Brazil are overcrowded and underfunded. Last week, Gov Melo asked the federal government for electronic tags, body scanners and devices to block mobile phone signals within the state's prisons. But following Sunday's deadly clash in a prison in the city of Manaus, Governor Melo said he needed federal forces. He said that police in Amazonas had worked flat out not just to secure the prisons where the riots had taken place, but also to try to capture scores of inmates who had escaped during the riots. Since the start of the year: The rioting also spread to neighbouring Roraima state, where 33 prisoners were killed in the Monte Cristo rural penitentiary on 6 January. Officials say the spike in violence is due to the breakdown of a truce between two of Brazil's most powerful criminal gangs, First Capital Command (PCC) and Red Command (CV). The PCC has its power base in the city of Sao Paulo, while Red Command is based in Rio de Janeiro - although the two gangs' influence extends much further. For years, members of these gangs have been transferred to prisons in northern states in an attempt to break up their gang ties. But these remote prisons are often poorly equipped and badly staffed making it hard for officers to contain a riot once it has started. Raimundo Vidal Pessoa jail, where the latest riot happened, had been closed in October but was re-opened to house prisoners moved from the Anisio Jobim prison after a deadly riot there had left 56 dead. Gov Melo said the problem was at a national level and urged the federal government to help devise a restructuring of the prison system.
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The charity wants 10% of the 4.8 million Syrians displaced by civil war to be resettled by the end of the year. Ahead of UN talks in Geneva on the crisis, it highlighted figures showing only 1.4% had been helped so far. Oxfam said UK plans to resettle 20,000 Syrians by 2020 were "not good enough", but Britain says it is also focused on providing aid to people in the region. The UK's pledge of £2.3bn to help people affected by the humanitarian crisis caused by the civil war in Syria makes it the second largest bilateral donor in the world after the US. Oxfam says while Britain has been generous in providing financial aid for those displaced by Syria's civil war, it "can and should do more". It argues that countries with strong economies and developed infrastructures need to shoulder a greater responsibility towards refugees than nations such as Lebanon and Jordan, where thousands of Syrians are now based. The Geneva conference should, the UK-based charity added, result in "urgent solutions, offering people safe and legal routes to a welcome" in other countries. Oxfam examined the pledges of 28 nations that are members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and signatories to the 1951 Convention on Refugees. It says they have promised to take in almost 130,000 of Syrian refugees, although only 67,000 have actually arrived. The 10% of Syrian refugees Oxfam wants the rich nations to take in by the end of the 2016 represents the proportion the UN says are very vulnerable and in need of resettlement. According to Oxfam's analysis, only Canada, Germany, Norway have made resettlement pledges exceeding their "fair share", a measure based on the size of their economies. It says five other nations - Australia, Finland, Iceland, Sweden, New Zealand - have pledged more than half of their fare share. In contrast, the UK is set to take 22% of its fair share, the US just 7%, and France only 4%. Mark Goldring, chief executive of Oxfam GB said: "It's shocking that while people continue to flee Syria most countries have failed to provide a safe home for the most vulnerable."
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The trade gap narrowed to $45.61bn (£29.1bn), from a revised $45.63bn in July, the Commerce Department said. However, the politically-sensitive trade gap with China widened to a record high. US imports and exports both slowed in the month as the weakening in the global economy took hold. For August, exports slipped by $95m to $177.6bn, as sales of expensive industrial items like cars, aircraft engines and oil field equipment all declined. Imports fell by $111m to $223.2bn. China gap With China, which the US has accused of keeping its currency artificially low, imports into the US reached a record $37.4bn. Between January and July, the US trade deficit with China was running 10% higher than the same point last year - when the trade gap between the two ballooned. On Tuesday, the US Senate passed a bill that would mandate the imposition of tariffs on some Chinese goods if the US Treasury determines that China is manipulating its currency. Earlier this week, Congress also approved three free trade agreements - with South Korea, Colombia and Panama.
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Impress, established by press reform campaigners, received formal approval from the Press Recognition Panel (PRP). Campaign group Hacked Off has welcomed the decision, but bodies representing the press warned it will bring "state-sponsored" regulation of newspapers. Most newspapers have signed up to rival Ipso - the press-funded regulator which did not seek official recognition. Impress, which currently regulates 25 small specialist publications, has received funding from former Formula One boss Max Mosley, the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust and author JK Rowling. It was given the go-ahead by the PRP, which was set up in the wake of the Leveson Inquiry to ensure any future press regulator met certain standards. Analysis: Divisions persist on press regulation Evan Harris, joint executive director of Hacked Off, which campaigns for greater press regulation, said the decision paved the way for the "first regulator to have proven its independence and effectiveness" under the Leveson system of independent assessment. "The days of failed industry-controlled regulators like the PCC and its sham replacement Ipso are numbered," he said. "This decision makes Impress the only regulator which the public, readers and victims of press abuse can trust to regulate newspapers and safeguard freedom of the press, while offering redress when they get things wrong." However, Impress's bid for official recognition has angered many newspapers, who argue it would be a threat to press freedom. Lynne Anderson, deputy chief executive of News Media Association - which represents publishers - said she was disappointed by the decision to recognise Impress, saying it had been set up "to trigger punitive costs sanctions against Britain's press". She also defended Ipso - which represents most of Britain's main national and regional newspapers - saying it was "effective and independent". She added: "Not a single significant national or regional newspaper or magazine has signed up to the state-sponsored system of regulation under the PRP." Bob Satchwell, from the Society of Editors, said the PRP had been "set up by politicians with public funds" and has "no real work to do because Impress represents only a very small number of local publishers". An Ipso spokesperson said: "We have been regulating the overwhelming majority of the UK's newspapers, magazines and news websites for the last two years and will continue to do so." In 2011, it emerged that thousands of people, from celebrities to families of murder victims, including Milly Dowler, had been victims of phone hacking by the now-defunct News of the World. In response, then prime minister David Cameron set up a public, judge-led investigation - the Leveson Inquiry - to examine the culture, behaviour and ethics of the press. Lord Leveson recommended newspapers should continue to be self-regulated - as they had been by the Press Complaints Commission - but that there should be a new press standards body created by the industry, backed by legislation, and with a new code of conduct. Plans to set up a new press watchdog by Royal Charter were backed in 2013 by Mr Cameron and the
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The home secretary told MPs that "some work" had been done to ensure material was not included in the report which could damage national security. But she said claims she discussed it with US officials were "inaccurate". She said was not aware of "any evidence" the UK had been involved in torture, which she said was abhorrent. The US Senate report, which alleged the "brutal" interrogation and treatment of al-Qaeda suspects in the wake of 9/11, contained no reference to UK agencies. After it was published last week, Downing Street initially said no requests for redactions had been made but later stated that requests were made by British intelligence agencies to the CIA for reasons of national security. The government has insisted none of the details blacked out were related to British involvement in the mistreatment of prisoners. Appearing before the Home Affairs Select Committee, Mrs May said suggestions that she or her officials had met Senator Dianne Feinstein, who chaired the inquiry, on multiple occasions in recent years to discuss the report were "wrong and inaccurate". She added: "I have not asked for any redactions. Any such request will only have been in relation to the need to ensure that nothing damages our national security." Asked about the case for a public inquiry into any UK complicity in illegal activities, Mrs May said the US inquiry had been conducted by the US Senate and it was appropriate for Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee to continue its work. The security services, she stressed, would co-operate fully with the investigation, adding that the committee was "not tainted by party political issues in the way it does its job" and acted "with integrity and thoroughness". Keith Vaz, the Labour MP who chairs the cross-party Home Affairs committee, said he would be asking Mrs Feinstein to appear before MPs herself next year.
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The suspects include judges, lawyers, academics and student leaders. The attorney general alleges they formed a "secret society" with links to the Muslim Brotherhood that plotted to overthrow the government. Human rights groups say the trial is deeply flawed and have called it a "mockery of justice". Political parties and demonstrations are banned in the UAE, which comprises seven sheikdoms run by ruling families. Several of its Gulf neighbours - including Bahrain, Yemen, Oman and Saudi Arabia - have seen pro-democracy protests inspired by the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt in 2011. The activists were arrested last year during a campaign against civil society activists suspected of political dissent. Many are connected to the Islamist group al-Islah, which the authorities say has links to the Muslim Brotherhood. Al-Islah says it favours peaceful reform and denies links to the brotherhood. They are accused of using the media and social networking sites to try to turn people against the UAE's system of government and ruling families. "They launched, established and ran an organisation seeking to oppose the basic principles of the UAE system of governance and to seize power," the attorney general said. Human rights groups say the trial is a sham. They say the defendants were denied access to lawyers until the last two weeks before trial, and have not been shown documents detailing the charges and evidence against them. They also say they have been subjected to bright lights, hoods and insults from prison guards while in custody. "It appears the UAE authorities will drag scores of citizens through a shamelessly unfair judicial process that makes a mockery of justice," the international campaign group Human Rights Watch said in a statement. It has urged US Secretary of State John Kerry to use his visit to the UAE this week to raise concerns over a fair trial. The 94 are being tried in the UAE's highest court, which means the decision is final with no right of appeal.
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A state television announcement said the missile, which landed in the Sea of Japan on Tuesday, could hit targets anywhere in the world. But the US and Russia said the missile had a medium range and presented no threat to either country. North Korea has increased the frequency of its missile tests, in defiance of a ban by the UN Security Council. China and Russia called on Pyongyang to freeze its missile and nuclear activities. The announcement on North Korea state television said the Hwasong-14 missile test was overseen by leader Kim Jong-un. It said the projectile had reached an altitude of 2,802km (1,731 miles) and flew 933km for 39 minutes before hitting a target in the sea. North Korea, it said, was now "a full-fledged nuclear power that has been possessed of the most powerful inter-continental ballistic rocket capable of hitting any part of the world". It would enable the country to "put an end to the US nuclear war threat and blackmail" and defend the Korean peninsula, it said. While Pyongyang appears to have made progress, experts believe North Korea does not have the capability to accurately hit a target with an ICBM, or miniaturise a nuclear warhead that can fit onto such a missile. Other nuclear powers have also cast doubt on North Korea's assessment, with Russia saying the missile only reached an altitude of 535km and flew about 510km. The big question is what range it has, says the BBC's Steven Evans in Seoul. Could it hit the United States? David Wright, a physicist with the US-based Union of Concerned Scientists, says that if the reports are correct, this missile could "reach a maximum range of roughly 6,700km on a standard trajectory". That range would allow it to reach Alaska, but not the large islands of Hawaii or the other 48 US states, he says. It is not just a missile that North Korea would need, our correspondent adds. It must also have the ability to protect a warhead as it re-enters the atmosphere, and it is not clear if North Korea can do that. Once again North Korea has defied the odds and thumbed its nose at the world in a single missile launch. With the test of the Hwasong-14, it has shown that it can likely reach intercontinental ballistic missile ranges including putting Alaska at risk. Kim Jong-un has long expressed his desire for such a test, and to have it on the 4 July holiday in the US is just the icing on his very large cake. Despite this technical achievement, however, it is likely many outside North Korea will continue to be sceptical of North Korea's missile. They will ask for proof of working guidance, re-entry vehicle, and even a nuclear warhead. From a technical perspective, though, their engines have demonstrated ICBM ranges, and this would be the first of several paths North Korea has to an ICBM with even greater range. North Korea's missile programme South Korea's President Moon Jae-in has
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The Albatros aircraft suffered engine failure after it had performed a poppy drop in front of Prince Charles and other dignitaries in Longueval, France. It crashed in a field in Bethersden, near Ashford, at about 14:20 BST and ended up upside down. Kent Police said nobody was hurt in the crash. David Kember, duty controller at Headcorn Aerodrome in Kent, said the pilot had "tried to land in a field but caught a fence". He said the smash had caused "substantial damage to the plane's wings". Kent Police said the crash had been "passed to the Air Accident Investigation Board".
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Here's what we know now: What it is: The single market aims to make it easy for EU nations to trade with one another. It allows free movement of goods, workers, services and capital around the EU, without any tariffs, pretty much as if it was all one country. While it remains in the EU, the UK is a full member of the single market, and much of the Brexit debate has been about what will happen when it leaves. Some non-EU countries - such as Norway - have arrangements with the EU that allow them to be part of the single market if they meet certain conditions. UK government position: Having previously not publicly committed either way, Theresa May confirmed the UK cannot remain a member of the single market after it leaves the EU. She said this was because, as European leaders have stressed, the UK would have to accept EU rules and regulations and be bound by the European Court of Justice. Instead, she said, the UK will push for a new "comprehensive free trade agreement", giving it "the greatest possible access" to the single market. The deal might contain "elements" of the current arrangements, she said, singling out the the motor trade and financial services as examples. What it is: A customs union is an arrangement between countries who agree not to impose tariffs on each other's goods. They also agree to impose common external tariffs on goods from countries outside their customs union. Setting common external tariffs is what distinguishes a customs union from a free trade area, where members are able to set their own tariffs on goods from the rest of the world. As an EU member, the UK is currently part of its customs union. What we know: The PM specified that the UK will leave the EU customs union, saying elements of it (the Common Commercial Policy and the Common External Tariff) prevented the UK from striking trade deals around the world. At the same time, she said she wanted the UK "to have a customs union agreement with the EU". She added: "Whether that means we must reach a completely new customs agreement, become an associate member of the customs union in some way, or remain a signatory to some elements of it, I hold no preconceived position." The 28 member states are in the EU customs union, but the EU also has separate customs union agreements - which vary in scope, for example in relation to the type of goods covered, with a number of other countries. The government has made clear that there will be restrictions to EU migration as a result of the referendum. This was reiterated by Mrs May in her speech, saying: "The message from the public before and during the referendum campaign was clear: Brexit must mean control of the number of people who come to Britain from Europe. And that is what we will deliver." But the precise model to be used has
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Despite the city's violent reputation, much had been done to make Rio live up to its nickname, Marvellous City. Money was poured in to the city's favelas through projects such as Police Pacification (UPP). This put a police presence in the slum areas to try to wrest control from drug gangs. But the investments have widely been seen as a failure. Rio is facing challenges on several fronts. Former Mayor Eduardo Paes is being investigated for allegedly taking millions of dollars in bribes for Olympic Games contracts. And last year, Rio state declared a state of financial emergency. There are frequent criticisms that there is not even money to pay for the petrol in police patrol cars. The crisis in Rio is having deadly consequences. A police officer is killed on average every 54 hours in Rio state. According to the state's security secretariat, nearly 3,500 people were murdered in the first six months of this year, 15% more than last year. The number of people killed by police in shootouts rose by 45%. Every day, there are new headlines splashed across the papers reporting the growing violence. Jornal Extra has even created a pull-out war section that its journalists say is needed to be able to cover the stories. Thousands of soldiers have been deployed on the streets in recent weeks, a show of force perhaps but not everyone is convinced they will make a difference. "Things are out of control here," says Marcio Jorge who works in a supermarket on Copacabana. "We don't even want to leave the house because we don't feel safe. In my neighbourhood yesterday eight vehicles were robbed and now the crossfire can be heard everywhere, not only in the favelas. Insecurity is everywhere." Amid the violence, Dennis Coli and three of his friends came up with a bright idea. They developed an app called OTT (Onde Tem Tiroteio, or Where There Are Shootouts). It informs people about violence in the city. OTT has reliable sources in favelas and across the city. When they hear of a shoot-out or a police operation, they ask their contacts to confirm it, all within two minutes so they can alert their followers on their app, or on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. "We had to do something because the government wasn't doing anything," Mr Coli says. "Nobody knows how many shootings are happening, how many robberies are happening and we are showing this. We're exposing the violence in Rio at this point in time." Cecilia Oliveira, with the help of Amnesty International, works on another app called Fogo Cruzado (Crossfire). She is so overworked, she is having to hire more people to keep across all the shootings in the city. And she does not think it will get any better any time soon. "It's a hard situation and add to this, there is a new gang that used to work in Sao Paulo coming to Rio, we have a lot of guns on the streets," she says. She
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As voters go to the polls, the papers take the opportunity to give their opinions on the front pages. However, the BBC - like other broadcasters - is restricted to reporting only factual accounts of the election in line with polling day rules. With the election understandably hogging the headlines, it leaves an eclectic mix of other stories in the papers. The Daily Record leads with the claim that a Rangers fan who confronted Celtic's Scott Brown during last Saturday's Old Firm match was convicted of exposing himself to an 11-year-old girl in 2010. A failed businessman who conned friends and relatives - including his own daughter - out of more than £250,000 with a "catastrophic" betting scheme has been jailed for 27 months, reports The Courier. The Metro leads with the conviction of a man for planting a bag of explosives on a London tube train. Damon Smith was caught on CCTV dumping a bag containing a home-made bomb and deadly ball-bearing shrapnel. Like many of Thursday's papers, The Scottish Sun carries revelations from Hollywood star Brad Pitt, who has admitted that a drinking problem wrecked his marriage and tore his young family apart. Opening up in a candid interview with GQ Style magazine, the 53-year-old spoke about the repercussions of his divorce from Angelina Jolie, said the Daily Star. The parents of Madeleine McCann have vowed to never give up hope of finding their daughter as they mark the 10th anniversary of her disappearance from a holiday villa in Portugal, says the Scottish Daily Express. The Scottish Daily Mail claims that thousands of new mothers are left without food or pain relief in overstretched NHS maternity units, leaving many psychologically scarred. Shareholders in Royal Bank of Scotland have been urged to vote against the re-election of chairman Sir Howard Davies over the lack of female representation on the board, says The Herald. Edinburgh has been ranked second in a global quality of life survey - behind Wellington in New Zealand, according to a survey published in The Scotsman. A video of a Danish choir singing on top of a Scottish mountain has gone viral, reports The National. The Times writes that motorists will be urged to put their mobile phone in a car compartment that blocks signals under plans to prevent dangerous distractions at the wheel.
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Bobby Madden, and his assistants, are preparing for Saturday's Scottish Cup final between Celtic and Aberdeen at Hampden. BBC Sport Scotland caught up with the whistler ahead of the game at the National Stadium to ask him about life on and off the pitch. Has this been your best year as a referee? Absolutely. We get independent observers who watch us in every match. My marks would dictate that it's been my most successful season. It's gone very well and I think that's partly down to the fact that I'm totally focused on refereeing. How do you prepare for a cup final? I'm training as normal and going through the same training programme that I would for every match. Before every match, I also look at teams' tactics: how they set up at set-pieces and corner kicks. I think 28% of goals are scored from set-pieces so it's important that referees are aware of any potential tactics or scenarios teams may run through to try to gain any advantage. So, I'm putting a lot of attention into the way both teams are set up in recent matches and matches against each other this season. Do you identify players from both sides who can help you manage the game? We're under pressure but so are the players. Some players deal with that differently but some who you deal with are always the same and you can talk to them. There are players in both teams that I know I can talk to on Saturday if there's anything I want to address or get a message to a particular player, who I think is under more pressure. How do you get on with both managers? Great, I think both of them are good guys. First and foremost, they're very good coaches and I have had several discussions with Derek over the years. Brendan's come in this year and I've been involved in [Celtic] matches and as a fourth official, so, the managers are definitely good for our game. Additional assistants at the game. How do you feel about that? We only operate with them in Scotland in the semi-finals and final of the Scottish Cup, but in Europe we use them in the group stages of the Europa League and Champions League. So, I've got a lot of experience [with them], and the additional assistants we're using on Saturday - Steven McLean and Nick Walsh - have also got good experience. So, they obviously help deal with those important key match incidents in and around the penalty area. That extra bit of support gives me confidence to referee other areas of the field of play. Should video technology be used more? Additional [assistants] are a major benefit and I think video assistant refereeing could be another benefit. It's been trialled in other countries and at the Under-20 World Cup; we're seeing good results through that. Anything that can see the referee team reach the correct decision on the field of play would
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The incident happened at Icon Grocers in George Street on the morning of 31 October. Police Scotland said at the time that a sum of money was taken. No-one was injured. The teenager is expected to appear at Aberdeen Sheriff Court on Monday.
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Tulsa police said the death occurred inside a mobile home park near suburban Sand Springs on Wednesday. The park was nearly destroyed in the storm. "It could have been much worse," Sheriff's Capt Billy McKinley said. It was unclear whether the damage was caused by the tornado or just high winds. Mr McKinley said the exact number of people hurt was not known. Tornadoes were seen elsewhere in Oklahoma, as well as in Arkansas, but no injuries were reported from those. Until Tuesday, when a waterspout formed over an Arkansas lake, the US had not had a tornado in more than a month, marking a slow start to the season. Typically more than 100 twisters are recorded in the US by this time each year, but as of last week only two dozen had been reported.
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Sir Tom said he was given "no idea" and "no warning" he would not be returning to the BBC One talent show. The Welsh singer was a judge for the first four series, but will be replaced by Boy George for series five. "I've got huge respect for Tom and I'm truly sorry he's upset, because I am a big fan of his," said Cohen. "I think he's a gentleman, I think he's an extraordinary figure in music and you'll have seen the huge respect that all of the artists have had for him on The Voice throughout." Cohen added he was "excited" about the new-look panel, which will feature Boy George and Paloma Faith alongside Ricky Wilson and will.i.am when the show returns in September. When the line-up was announced two weeks ago, Sir Tom criticised producers in a post on his Facebook page, telling fans: "I was told yesterday, with no consultation or conversation of any kind, that I would not be returning. "In good faith, as part of the team, I'd put the time in my schedule to be involved in series five, as I've done for the last four years." He added: "Being informed, as a matter of duty and respect, is an important part of creative relationships. This sub-standard behaviour from the executives is very disappointing." Sir Tom also paid tribute to the performers and production staff, adding: "I wish the show well." A statement from the BBC said "no role was ever promised" to Sir Tom on this year's show. "These things happen over time," said Cohen, "but I would never would want Tom to be upset and I am sorry that's the case." He would not comment on whether he could see the singer returning to The Voice coaching panel for a later series, in a similar fashion to Cheryl Fernandez-Versini's X Factor return. However he added: "I'd like him to go out on the BBC this year in something else... I hope he's back on the BBC very soon, I really do."
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Archaeologists believe the bone was deliberately placed and could possibly be the remains of a respected original founder of the large complex. They added that there could be more bones still to be found. The University of the Highlands and Islands Archaeology Institute is leading the dig. Site director Nick Card said the bone was an important and exciting find. He said there were several theories as to who the arm may have belonged to, including the possibility that it was the remains of an original founder of the site. But he added that the ideas would need to be backed by scientific fact. Archaeologists have been carrying out excavations of the complex of buildings at Ness of Brodgar, the location of the Ring of Brodgar standing stones, since 2002. Since 2002, Neolithic buildings, artwork, pottery, animal bones and stone tools have been discovered. Six years ago, archaeologists found proof that Neolithic people were using paint to decorate their buildings as well as using stone as roofing material. Radiocarbon dates from parts of the site suggest the complex was in use for about 1,000 years from at least 3200BC to 2300BC. The University of the Highlands and Islands is also involved in another dig on Orkney. Excavations at The Cairns on South Ronaldsay involve an Iron Age broch. Human remains have also been found at this site, as well as 2,000-year-old fossilised animal dung.
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The teenager was crossing Barrhead Road, near its junction with Croookston Road, when the accident happened at about 18:40 on Thursday. He is currently being treated for serious injuries at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital. The 41-year-old driver of the Ford Fiesta involved was uninjured. Police have appealed for witnesses.
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The blaze broke out at the Earth's Crust Bakery in Laurieston, near Castle Douglas, in the early hours of Monday morning. Owners said an "unexplained electric fault" had caused the fire which ripped through the building. The business - which started three years ago and is estimated to have produced 12,000 loaves - has been forced to close for the time being. A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said it had receive a call shortly after 06:00 reporting the fire and had sent crews from Dalbeattie and Kirkcudbright. "They arrived to find a fire within a brick building approximately four by six metres in size and a team of four firefighters in breathing apparatus used two high pressure jets to extinguish the flames," he said. "Our crews then conducted dampening down operations and cleared debris that would have posed a danger to the public had it been left in place. "Both our appliances left the scene around 8:15am."
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The Troubles raged on. The Anglo-Irish Agreement was waiting to be signed by Margaret Thatcher and Garret Fitzgerald in November. The coal miners called off their year-long strike and the mines continued to be closed. It was the year of Live Aid when Bob Geldof inspired the pop world to raise millions for famine relief and ended up a Sir. In Russia, Mikael Gorbachev became the new Soviet leader and the Cold War thaw set in. The first mobile call in the United Kingdom was made on a phone that weighed just over 11 lbs. Hair was big and people could blame it on Duran Duran. The Cabbage Patch dolls, skateboards and care bears were big too. And one Tom King was about to travel over to Northern Ireland and take up the mantle of the new Secretary of State. In preparation, civil servants drew up a list of expressions never to trip off his tongue in Northern Ireland. It was confidential back then, but has now been released by the Public Relations Office of Northern Ireland (Proni). Many words are deemed "unacceptable". Talking about "the mainland" was not acceptable. "The six counties" was also "to be avoided", as was "the north of Ireland". Mr King could take refuge in referring to the United Kingdom as "these islands" and the words "the north" and "the province" were acceptable - although the latter was "not strictly accurate". Colour proved a big issue. The incoming secretary was warned that whilst it was common shorthand, the words "orange" and "green" should not be used in public. Londonderry/Derry proved another conundrum. "Londonderry is correct terminology for the city as it is enshrined in a Royal Charter, although usually used by Protestants and 'Derry' by Catholics. Both communities are, however, proud to be called 'Derrymen'," the brief states. When it came to the Republic of Ireland, calling it the 26 counties was "not acceptable", calling it the free state was "unacceptable" as was "Eire" and saying Ireland was "best avoided". Saying the "32 counties" was to be avoided as well. Stick with calling it the republic or the south, the civil servants advised. Various terms for Catholics and Protestants were taboo, the missive said - no Taigs, no Prods, no Fenians and no Orangemen (but feel free to say "Blackmen"). The word loyalist was "best avoided" as was the term "republican". If this did not leave Tom King a tad tongue-tied, there was plenty more. He was advised that the political leader of the Republic of Ireland (see copious advice above) was to be called the taoiseach - and this, they advised, was pronounced "Tee shuck". Under the heading "Security", it was pointed out that calling the Army, the "British Army" or "the Military" was not on. The Maze prison was the Maze, never the H-Blocks, Long Kesh or even the Kesh. There is also advice on the "UDR/UDA" - under that joint heading. The UDR, King was informed was an "important but controversial constituent
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Nyambe, 19, has made 29 appearances for Rovers, plus three games for the Under-23s in the Checkatrade Trophy. "I've got a lot more to learn. I just need to get my head down, work hard and listen to people," Nyambe said. "This new contract means a lot as I've been here for a long time and want to pay the club back."
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Didcot East councillor Patrick Greene put forward the motion to reduce accidents on the A34 between Junction 13 of the M4 and Junction 9 of the M40. Earlier at an Oxfordshire County Council meeting it received 51 votes in favour and nine abstentions. A letter will now be sent to the Secretary of State for Transport. Mr Greene said: "A lot of problems are caused by these HGVs overtaking each other and that frustrates the ordinary driver." His motion said the council was "concerned and alarmed at the recent number of major traffic accidents". But Rhys Williams, the Oxfordshire area manager for the Road Haulage Association, said new regulations would cause "mass congestion". "What you'll end up having is convoys of trucks tailgating... that's going to cause a safety hazard to other road users who can't enter or exit the A34."
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Media playback is not supported on this device Trott took the women's title in a sprint finish ahead of Dani King and defending champion Lizzie Armitstead. The men's race was also won in dramatic fashion as Kennaugh, 26, overtook his fellow Team Sky rider Ben Swift on the line. "Maybe out of the whole peloton I was the guy who wanted it the most," Kennaugh told BBC Sport. He added: "It feels amazing to finally win the race as for years I've been second, third, fourth. "I came here so focused. When I was in that mood today I thought if it doesn't happen this year it's probably never going to happen. "But today I rode it well tactically." Simon Yates of Orica Green Edge took bronze ahead of Wales and Team Sky's Luke Rowe. Trott, who also retained her Under-23 crown, said the victory was "up there with winning a World Championships". Boels Dolmans rider Armitstead was in front by 15 seconds at one point and still led with 5km to go of the 101km race. But she was caught by Trott, 22, and her Wiggle Honda team-mate King, 23, on the final lap. Double Olympic gold medallist Trott, a four-time world champion in the team pursuit, said she had been "really disappointed" after Thursday's time trial when she finished fifth behind Emma Pooley. "I woke up this morning and I just really, really wanted to win," Trott told BBC Sport. "To try and beat someone like Lizzie Armitstead - I just didn't really know how we were going to do it. "I didn't feel very good or strong enough. But she was only 10 seconds ahead and Dani King made the jump and it all came back together." Second-placed Armitstead said: "It was a case of being aggressive all day and then unfortunately I was in a solo break and got caught on the last lap and didn't quite have anything left for the sprint. "I'm gutted. It's not the biggest goal of my season so I'll get over it - but it's a disappointment." With defending champion Mark Cavendish absent from the men's race with bronchitis and Sir Bradley Wiggins pulling out through injury, the scene was set for double Olympic track champion Geraint Thomas to win on home soil. As the race entered Abergavenny, the Wales and Team Sky rider launched a solo attack in a bid to reel in the leading pack. But the 28-year-old failed to close the gap and eventually finished eighth. The hopes of the home supporters then turned to Thomas's team-mate Rowe, who opened up a nine-second lead as he tried to pull clear with five circuits of the town to go. But he was hauled back and had to settle for fourth, as Kennaugh and Swift made a decisive break to battle it out for the title. Manxman Kennaugh was omitted from Team Sky's line-up to compete at this year's Tour de France, which begins on 5 July in Yorkshire.
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A report by the Resolution Foundation says such employees are unfairly losing an average of £200 a year. It said those most affected are younger workers, many of whom will never benefit from the defined benefit pension schemes being protected. In 2016, UK firms spent roughly £24bn trying to plug their deficits, it said. Among the companies ploughing millions of pounds into their pension schemes were BT, Shell, Tesco, Unilever and Royal Bank of Scotland. The current deficit of all defined benefit schemes in the UK is currently thought to be about £500bn. The report says older workers, and those already in retirement, have the most to gain when companies top up their pension funds. Of the 11 million workers still in defined benefit schemes, less than 2% are under 30 and still contributing. Half the 6,000 schemes in existence are closed to new members, with a further third closed to further contributions. "This drag on pay has important implications across generations as low - and often younger - earners in affected firms are losing out on pay even when they are not entitled to the pension pots they are plugging," said Matt Whittaker, chief economist at the Resolution Foundation. "With average earnings still £16 a week below their pre-crisis peak and prospects for a return to strong pay growth looking shaky, it's important that younger and low- paid workers don't take a hit to their pay because of deficit payments to pension schemes that they're not even entitled to."
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At least 800,000 people have fled their homes and at one point, there were fears a new regional war could break out, with accusations that Rwanda and Uganda were backing the rebels - charges both countries denied. The advances by the Congolese army follow changes in the military structures and the intervention of a brigade of UN troops with a tough mandate. Who are the rebels? The group is made up of fighters who deserted from the Congolese army in April 2012 following a mutiny. They are mostly from the Tutsi ethnic group, a minority in eastern DR Congo but with ties to Rwanda's leaders. They were led by several top-ranking officers who were members of a former militia called the CNDP - including Col Sultani Makenga and Gen Bosco Ntaganda, who faces war crimes charges at the International Criminal Court. Their movement is called M23 in reference to a 23 March 2009 peace deal, which the CNDP signed with the Congolese government. Why did they rebel? The rebels, also known as the Congolese Revolutionary Army, say the government has not lived up to its promises in the 2009 deal. They say they were mistreated after being integrated into the army, were not paid enough and that the military lacked vital resources, with soldiers were going hungry. But analysts believe the real reason for their rebellion stems from comments made by Congolese President Joseph Kabila in January 2012, who under pressure from the ICC, said the Congolese authorities would put Gen Ntaganda on trial. Where is he now? Gen Ntaganda, known as "The Terminator", gave himself up to the US embassy in Rwanda in March 2013, after losing a power-struggle within the M23. He has since been transferred to the ICC in The Hague. Is that why they are now on the back foot? The internal rifts probably didn't actually make much difference. Most analysts point to two far more significant developments: Reduced Rwandan support for the M23 and the intervention of a tough new brigade of UN troops. Although this was always denied by Rwanda, UN investigators have long accused Rwanda of backing the M23. This led several donors to cut financial and then military aid to Kigali and the UN says Rwandan backing to the M23 has now fallen off. Meanwhile, the UN has sent a force of some 3,000 well-equipped troops with a tougher mandate than any other peacekeeping force, tasked with disarming and "neutralising" rebels forces in eastern DR Congo. Their use of helicopter gunships against the rebels is credited with making a huge difference, paving the way for the army to retake the territory seized by the rebels in 2012. Why did the UN send the extra troops? The UN has had a huge mission - currently some 18,000 troops - in DR Congo for many years but the unrest never seems to end. Many Congolese have derided them as "tourists" for many years and in 2012, they were unable to stop the M23 from
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Prosopagnosia, as doctors call it, affects around two in every 100 people in the UK and is the inability to recognise people by their faces alone. In its most extreme form, people cannot even recognise their family or friends. Milder forms, while still distressing, can be tricky to diagnose, which is why tests are needed. People with prosopagnosia often use non-facial cues to recognise others, such as their hairstyle, clothes, voice, or distinctive features. Some may be unaware they have the condition, instead believing they have a "bad memory for faces". But prosopagnosia is entirely unrelated to intelligence or broader memory ability. One [anonymous] person with prosopagnosia explains: "My biggest problem is seeing the difference between ordinary-looking people, especially faces with few specific traits. "I work at a hospital with an awful lot of employees and I often introduce myself to colleagues with whom I have worked several times before. I also often have problems recognising my next-door neighbour, even though we have been neighbours for eight years now. She often changes clothes, hairstyle and hair colour. When I strive to recognise people, I try to use technical clues like clothing, hairstyle, scars, glasses, their dialect and so on." Doctors can use computer-based tests to see if people can spot famous faces and memorise and recognise a set of unfamiliar faces. And now Dr Pundit Shah and colleagues at University College London have come up with a 20-item questionnaire to help measure the severity of someone's face blindness. Each question is scored out of five, giving a total score of up to 100, but the abridged version below, created with the help of Dr Shah, gives a score out of 50. Try our version of the prosopagnosia test here The test is a guide and cannot tell you definitively whether you have face blindness or not. If you think you have face blindness and would like to be involved in Prof Shah's Medical Research Council-funded work, you can get in touch via the Trouble with Faces website.
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Well-travelled tabby Bobby was taken in as a stray by Lawrence Gwynn after he turned up on his doorstep last summer. Mr Gwynn took Bobby to his vet and discovered he was registered as missing from Stoke-on-Trent in 2009. But despite calls to the owners, they cannot be traced and Mr Gwynn has appealed for them to come forward. Mr Gwynn, 49, of Llanishen, Cardiff, said: "I first found Bobby sitting in my garden when I came back from holiday in June. "Later on he started developing these polyps on his ears, so I took him to my vet. He told me the cat had a microchip. "He scanned him and found out his name was Bobby and he had been registered missing in Stoke-on-Trent in 2009. "Nobody knows how he ended up in Cardiff, 150 miles away. One theory is that he got inside a vehicle like a removal van that brought him down here. "But he was in quite a good condition when I found him, so it seems like someone had been looking after him in Cardiff before I found him." The vet was able to find two telephone numbers registered to Bobby's owner, but one was no longer valid, and there was no answer on the other. Mr Gwynn said: "If the owner does come forward and wants Bobby back, I'd be happy to hand him over."
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Chills had gone up some Blairite spines when Mr Lavery himself had suggested at the weekend the Labour "might be too broad a church". But he sought to calm nerves which had been further put on edge by comments from Mr Corbyn's close ally Chris Williamson, recently re-elected as the MP for Derby North having been narrowly defeated at the 2015 election. On Thursday, Mr Williamson said: "There are individual MPs in this party who think it's their God-given right to rule. "No MP should be guaranteed a job for life. Labour is a big church, but we currently have a large bulk of MPs who represent one relatively small tendency in the congregation... it's unreasonable to think we as MPs can avoid any contest." His words didn't sound like empty rhetoric to the MP for Liverpool Wavertree, Luciana Berger - seen as being on the moderate wing of the party. She had resigned as a shadow minister when, a year ago, 80% of Jeremy Corbyn's MPs were expressing no confidence in his leadership. A left-wing "slate" of candidates had succeeded in taking almost all of the key offices on her local party's executive. And one of the winners - Roy Bentham - had shared his thoughts with the Liverpool Echo. He suggested that Ms Berger, who was re-elected last month with an increased majority, publicly recant her criticism of the party leader and for the avoidance of doubt he declared: "She is answerable to us now." The local party secretary Angela Kehoe-Jones distanced herself from the remarks and suggested the branch was "united" in fighting the Tories. But there is little doubt that Ms Berger - who is on maternity leave - feels her job is under threat. And she is not the only one. A Labour MP who held her seat against the odds at the election told me she was threatened with de-selection within 48 hours of the result. And you only have to visit websites which purport to back the Labour leadership to view a "rogues' gallery" of MPs who are seen as disloyal. Featuring on most lists is Chuka Umunna, who upset those close to Mr Corbyn by pushing an amendment to the Queen's Speech to keep Britain in the EU single market - not official party policy. This was seen as forcing the party leader in to sacking frontbenchers and was the first tangible sign of disunity following the euphoria of the election result. And while he wouldn't want to see Mr Umunna unseated, even Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson regarded that amendment as bad politics. But some left-wing activists don't need new offences to be taken in to account. Some see those MPs who distanced themselves from Jeremy Corbyn as saboteurs of Labour's success. And they are building a narrative that had they been more loyal - and party officials more ambitious - they could have propelled the party from second to first place at the election. But don't expect a mass purge
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Until now it was thought that only mosquitoes and sex spread Zika, as well as the risk of mother-to-child transmission in the womb. The carer, from Utah, did not have any of these known risk factors. US officials say they are monitoring the situation carefully and carrying out more tests. They stress that the chance of spread from one person to another without sexual contact is still very unlikely or rare. Zika outbreak: What you need to know The Centres for Disease Control says the patient, who died in June, had travelled to an area where Zika-infected mosquitoes are present. Lab tests showed he had uniquely high amounts of the virus - more than 100,000 times higher than seen in other samples from infected people - in his blood. The CDC has sent out an emergency response team to investigate. They will be interviewing and testing family members of the carer and any health care workers who may have had contact with the deceased man. Gary Edwards, director of the Salt Lake County Health Department, said the infected individual was a family contact of the man who died. "We know that the patient had contact with the deceased patient while the deceased patient was very ill," he said. "The exact nature of that contact, we are still investigating." The investigators also plan to trap and test local mosquitoes to check that they are not carrying and spreading the virus. Tom Hudachko, from the Utah Department of Health, said state officials were not aware of any mosquitoes known to carry the Zika virus within Utah. He said there had been a few Aedes aegypti mosquitoes - the kind that carry Zika - discovered in traps in the south-western parts of the state several years ago, but there had not been any since. CDC expert Dr Erin Staples said: "The new case in Utah is a surprise, showing that we still have more to learn about Zika. "Fortunately, the patient recovered quickly, and from what we have seen with more than 1,300 travel-associated cases of Zika in the continental United States and Hawaii, non-sexual spread from one person to another does not appear to be common."
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Michael Blake, 28, died in hospital on 4 November after he was found injured near his Westhoughton home in Bolton. Nathan Quigley, 30, of Cleworth Walk, Hulme, will appear at Manchester Magistrates' Court later after he was charged with Mr Blake's murder. On Wednesday, Nathan Daniels, 27, from Stockport, appeared in court after he was charged with the same offence. Another man, aged 26, has been held on suspicion of murder, while a 27-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder and has been bailed until 16 December. A 52-year-old woman, arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, was bailed until 25 January.
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Pensions scheme members reported "hardship, distress and inconvenience" caused by the late payment of pensions, the NAO said. MyCSP said its performance was now back to a "steady state". The PCS union said the mutualisation had been "a textbook case in how not to reform public services". MyCSP, a joint venture between government and private sector firm Equiniti, took over civil service pensions administration from Capita in September 2014. In a report on Thursday Amyas Morse, head of the National Audit Office said the mutual "did not cope with the workload and a large backlog of work built up". "Some people were paid late and members struggled to contact MyCSP," he added. Due to a lack of staff, a backlog of work grew, peaking at 22,000 urgent cases in January 2015, and many thousands of calls went unanswered. Between September 2014 and March 2015, MyCSP failed to answer 99,408 calls, the NAO said. The mutual was unable to prioritise urgent cases once a backlog had built up because of the way its system ran, NAO added. In January 2015 the Cabinet Office told the mutual to develop a plan to tackle the backlog. By September 2015 MyCSP had managed to re-establish previous performance levels and was not hit with any financial penalties, the NAO added. MyCSP said: "We recognise the findings of the National Audit Office report published today. "It has been well documented that a number of factors led to the reduction in service levels, including a communication to 1.1 million members which resulted in significantly increased call volumes and a corresponding impact on 'business as usual' workload." It added that it had recruited new staff, increased call centre opening times, and started in-house training. "Call handling levels have been back to normal for the past six months, with a corresponding reduction in member complaints, significantly down from their peak at the time of the service challenges," it said. "Service to members remains our utmost priority and we will continue to work with... the Cabinet Office and employers to deliver towards that aim," MyCSP added. The PCS union said the NAO report had "exposed the failings of the government's only mutual venture in a damning verdict on the administration of civil service pensions". The new pension administration IT system, Compendia, was not fully ready when MyCSP took on the extra work, PCS said. Compendia was developed by Equiniti, which took over a controlling stake in the mutual in 2014, PCS added. PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: "The mutualisation of MyCSP has from the start been a textbook case in how not to reform public services."
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It follows news that some providers will not allow the over 55s to withdraw money from their pension pots as they wish. Other companies are charging hundreds of pounds for advice. But Ros Altmann, the pensions minister, said the reforms - which started in April - must be given a chance to work. "If things aren't working properly, we will take action," she told BBC Radio 5 Live. "But let's give these reforms a chance; let's see how they work; the idea is right." Under the government changes, anyone over the age of 55 now has the ability to withdraw as much money as they like from their pension savings, subject to income tax. But some companies are refusing to offer the full range of freedoms. Friends Life, for example, has written to 1300 customers, telling them they can either buy an annuity, or withdraw all their savings at once. But savers are not allowed to draw down a pension, or take out smaller amounts - something which would enable pensions pots to be used like bank accounts. The company told the BBC it was planning to offer partial withdrawals "in due course", but could not say when. It is not compulsory for providers to offer the full range of flexibility. However Lord McFall, a former chairman of the Treasury Select Committee, said the government ought to intervene. He said charges for customer advice could be excessive. "You can find that a third of the pension pot can be taken away in pension charges," he told the BBC. However pension providers are obliged to give consumers advice in certain circumstances - particularly with older-style defined contribution schemes, and defined benefit schemes where the pot is worth more than £30,000. Providing such advice can be time-consuming, so providers say they have to charge appropriately. Ros Altmann said the government might consider capping charges, if there is evidence they are too high. "We have powers in the legislation to impose caps on charges, and if necessary to force companies to behave much better."
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Flavien Moreau, 28, travelled to Syria and joined an Islamist militant group, but says he only stayed for a dozen days because he missed smoking - banned by the jihadist group he joined. A man who received money from Moreau was sentenced to four years in jail. France estimates that about 1,000 of its citizens are or have been involved with jihadist groups. Dozens have been arrested and are awaiting trial. In court on Thursday, Moreau was given the maximum sentence sought by prosecutors. Moreau's lawyer, Pierre Darkanian, described it as "a purely punitive response", Reuters news agency reported. Mr Darkanian did not say which militant group Moreau had joined, but said it was neither Islamic State or Nusra Front, Reuters added. Born in South Korea, Moreau was adopted by a French family in Nantes at a young age. He had 13 previous criminal convictions, and converted to Islam after leaving prison. He travelled to Syria at the end of 2012. Moreau told the court he found a smuggler to take him to a town controlled by Islamist fighters, where he bought a gun and ammunition. However, he denied taking part in any fighting. "I found it really hard not to smoke... so I gave my weapon to my emir and left," he said. Anti-terrorist authorities arrested him in January 2013 when they learned he was attempting a return to Syria. Farid Djebbar, 26, was also put on trial, and sentenced to four years in jail, with an 18-month suspended sentence. Djebbar was investigated after authorities found he was in regular correspondence with Moreau and accepted cash transfers from him. Convictions for involvement with radical jihadist groups are becoming commonplace in Europe. Separately on Thursday, a court in Germany jailed four men for being members or supporters of al-Qaeda, and planning a terrorist attack. In the UK, a woman was jailed for 28 months after being found guilty of funding terrorism in Syria. The EU's anti-terrorism chief has said that more than 3,000 Europeans have joined Islamist fighters in Syria and Iraq. France has the largest Muslim community in Europe outside Russia, and is thought to provide the biggest contingent of Western jihadists in Syria and Iraq.
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The sermon, written by the state-run Islamic Foundation, condemns the "unjust killing of any human being". It also urges parents to protect their children from "brainwashing". The move comes after two deadly Islamist attacks in Bangladesh in recent weeks, including a siege on a Dhaka cafe that left 20 people dead. That attack, and an attack on police guarding the country's largest Eid gathering in Kishoreganj, were both claimed by the Islamic State militant group. The sermon said: "The Prophet says the greatest of all sins is to kill a human being. No distinction between Muslim or non-Muslim has been made here." The foundation said it hoped imams would use the message, or take inspiration from it. Although the sermon is not mandatory for mosques, observers say they expect most clerics will deliver the message, which was approved by the government. The imam of the national mosque, Mohiuddin Quashem, read out the message in his Friday sermon. He told the BBC's Akbar Hossain: "I said no human being can kill another human being. Islam never supports this." The move is seen as part of the government's efforts to monitor activities in mosques, following concerns about radicalisation. Abdullah Hasan, who joined the prayer at the national mosque, told the BBC: "I support the government's move to have an identical khutba [prayer]. The imams should deliver this sermon to fight against militancy in the name of Islam." However, another worshipper, Muniruzzamn, argued that it was excessive regulation. "The imams should have their freedom, they should choose what they will speak about. It looks like government-controlled khutba. I don't think it will help." Bangladesh has seen a spate of attacks on secular bloggers, gay activists, academics and members of religious minorities, with more than 40 killed since February 2013. Many of those attacks were claimed by Islamic State militants or al-Qaeda affiliates, although the government has blamed local groups and the opposition instead. The opposition denies the claims.
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Media playback is not supported on this device Clubs are still able to sign free agents after the deadline, and the Football League loan window re-opened on Monday, 9 February. Signings confirmed in September, October, November, December and can be found on previous transfers pages. Conor Townsend [Hull - Scunthorpe] Loan Adam Chicksen [Brighton - Fleetwood] Loan Shamir Fenelon [Brighton - Dagenham & Redbridge] Loan Adlene Guedioura [Crystal Palace - Watford] Loan Nick Proschwitz [Brentford - Coventry] Loan Sam Saunders [Brentford - Wycombe] Loan Chris Wood [Leicester - Ipswich] Loan Nico Yennaris [Brentford - Wycombe] Loan Jamal Campbell-Ryce [Sheffield Utd - Notts County] Loan Shaun Harrad [Notts County - Cheltenham] Loan Jordan Hugill [Preston - Tranmere] Loan Jamie Jones [Preston - Rochdale] Loan Pablo Mills [Bury - Cheltenham] Loan Brendan Moore [Unattached - Fleetwood] Liam Moore [Leicester - Brentford] Loan Marco Motta [Unattached - Watford] Luke O'Neill [Burnley - Leyton Orient] Loan Karleigh Osborne [Bristol City - Colchester] Loan Matt Sparrow [Scunthorpe - Cheltenham] Loan Lewis Baker [Chelsea - MK Dons] Loan Ryan Bird [Cambridge - Hartlepool] Loan Oliver Burke [Nottingham Forest - Bradford] Loan Matt Crooks [Unattached - Accrington] Shwan Jalal [Unattached - Northampton] Alou Diarra [Unattached - Charlton] Matt Harrold [Crawley - Cambridge] Loan Thorgan Hazard [Chelsea - Borussia Monchengladbach] Undisclosed* Rory Loy [Falkirk - Dundee] Free* Paddy McCourt [Brighton - Notts County] Loan Jermaine Pennant [Unattached - Wigan] Raphael Spiegel [West Ham - Carlisle] Loan Chris Stokes [Forest Green - Coventry] Loan Richard Chaplow [Millwall - Ipswich] Loan Alan Gow [Unattached - St Mirren] Jeffrey Monakana [Brighton - Mansfield] Loan Paul Rachubka [Oldham - Crewe] Free Gary Taylor-Fletcher [Leicester - Millwall] Loan Luke Varney [Blackburn - Ipswich] Loan Richard Wood [Rotherham - Crawley] Loan Chris Eagles [Unattached - Charlton] Emmanuel Ledesma [Middlesbrough - Brighton] Loan Elliot Lee [West Ham - Luton] Loan John O'Sullivan [Blackburn - Barnsley] Loan Giorgio Rasulo [MK Dons - Oxford] Loan Byron Webster [Millwall - Yeovil] Loan Mickael Antoine-Curier [Unattached - Burton] Stephen Kingsley [Swansea - Yeovil] Loan Nathaniel Mendez-Laing [Peterborough - Cambridge] Loan Diego De Girolamo [Sheffield United - York] Loan Graham Dorrans [West Brom - Norwich] Loan Craig Eastmond [Unattached - Yeovil] [Swansea - Yeovil] Loan George Williams [Fulham - MK Dons] Loan David Martin [Luton - Stevenage] Free Cameron McGeehan [Norwich - Luton] Loan David Norris [Leeds - Peterborough] Free Harrison McGahey [Sheffield United - Tranmere] Loan Jordan Jones [Middlesbrough - Hartlepool] Loan Sean Newton [Lincoln - Notts County] Loan Kemar Roofe [West Brom - Oxford] Loan George Baldock [MK Dons - Oxford] Loan Ryan Inniss [Crystal Palace - Port Vale] Loan Rob Kiernan [Wigan - Birmingham] Loan Gary McDonald [St Johnstone - Peterhead] Free Abdoulaye Meite [OFI Crete - Ross County] Free Dani Osvaldo [Southampton - Boca Juniors] Loan Mark Wilson [Dundee United - Dumbarton] Free Dave Winfield [York - AFC Wimbledon] Loan Gary Madine [Sheffield Wednesday - Blackpool] Loan Harry Maguire [Hull - Wigan] Loan Jack O'Connell [Brentford - Rochdale] Loan Jeremy Balmy [Unattached - Oxford] Alan Bennett
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City were 3-1 winners at home while Forfar came back to salvage a draw at home to bottom side Edinburgh City. Third-placed Clyde also drew, against Stirling Albion at Broadwood Stadium, with Barry Ferguson's side still four points off top spot. And the division's third 1-1 tie of the day was between Berwick Rangers and Arbroath at Shielfield Park. First-half strikes by Brian Cameron and Archie MacPhee put Elgin in control against Cowden and Shane Sutherland added a third before Brian Ross converted a late free-kick as consolation. Leaders Forfar fell behind to Ouzy See's shot, but Edinburgh were denied their first win since being promoted to the division for the first time when Danny Denholm headed home midway through the second half. Clyde also trailed when Marc McKenzie fired in, but Peter MacDonald nodded the Bully Wee level before the break. Steven Thomson's set-piece goal early in the second half got Berwick level against Arbroath, who had led through David Gold's 20th-minute shot. Annan Athletic and Montrose were not in league action due to the former's Scottish Cup replay win over East Stirlingshire.
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Matthias Wissmann warned that prolonged uncertainty could damage investment in the UK, where German manufacturers have about 100 production sites. Mr Wissmann told the BBC that the UK leaving the single market could force companies to move business elsewhere. Germany also exports more vehicles to the UK than any other country. Mr Wissmann, president of the German Automotive Association, said: "We need, relatively soon, a clear answer... Will we have tariff and non-tariff barriers between Britain on the one hand and the European Union? "That means a long period of uncertainties will block future investments in Britain, and that makes me really concerned. "Therefore I hope that the British government, at a certain crossroads within the next 12 months, decides to go for the single market and not for any other regime which would need years to discuss and negotiate. "Five or 10 years of uncertainties would be not very positive for both sides, the European Union and Britain." On Tuesday, Brexit Secretary David Davis described his meeting with the European Parliament's chief negotiator Guy Verhofstadt as a "good start". Although they could not negotiate yet, he said their discussions had been able to cover structures and how both sides propose to approach the Brexit talks. He said a deal was possible that was in the interests of the EU and the UK. Mr Verhofstadt said he wanted an exit deal completed before the next European Parliament elections in 2019.
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Forfar won a seven-goal thriller against Cowdenbeath, while Elgin defeated new boys Edinburgh City 3-0. Berwick Rangers moved into third with a 2-0 win over Annan Athletic. Clyde had to settle for a 1-1 draw away to Stirling Albion, who picked up their first point of the season, while derby rivals Montrose and Arbroath also drew 1-1 at Links Park. Ryan McCord endured a mixed day for Arbroath; scoring his first goal for the club before being sent off early in the second half. Chris Templeman equalised for the hosts with his third goal in as many games. Ross Forsyth atoned for an earlier error to earn Stirling a draw against Clyde. His short back header allowed Sean Higgins to steal in and low over the goalkeeper, but six minutes later he fired a rocket of a shot into the back of the net, before his team-mate Ross Smith was dismissed near for a second bookable offence. Shane Sutherland claimed a first-half double to add to Craig Gunn's earlier effort as Elgin netted three times in eight minutes to beat Edinburgh. Gavin Swankie scored a late winner as Forfar beat Cowdenbeath 4-3 in an entertaining game at Station Park. Craig Sives opened the scoring for the Fifers before the hosts levelled within three minutes when James Lister headed in Danny Denholm's floated corner. Denholm then put Forfar ahead with a free-kick before Josh Peters added the home side's third early in the second half. Goals from Nikolay Todorov and Lewis Moore saw the visitors level with 10 minutes remaining, but Swankie had the last word with his 87th-minute strike. Berwick claimed a 2-0 win over Annan despite being reduced to 10 men early in the second half. Steven Thomson struck in the fourth minute after Allan Walker's mis-hit volley was worked into the six-yard box. The hosts took the slender lead into the half-time break but suffered a blow early in the second half when Johnny Fairbairn was shown a straight red card. However, despite being a man down, Berwick added their second in the 65th minute thanks to Michael McKenna, who scored with a low shot from close range.
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In the footage, men wearing uniform throw an unarmed man over a cliff. They then shoot his motionless body. An interior ministry spokesman said that if the video was authentic those responsible must be brought to justice. Human rights groups say they have received numerous witness reports of torture and executions in Mosul. Iraq's prime minister declared victory over IS in the city on Monday, after a nine-month battle that left large areas in ruins, killed thousands of civilians and displaced more than 920,000 others. Troops are still clearing parts of the Old City, where as many as a couple of hundred militants may be hiding, according to commanders of the US-led coalition that supported the operation. The BBC was unable to verify the authenticity of the video appearing to show the extrajudicial killing of a detainee, or say when or where it was filmed. But Human Rights Watch said it had verified the location with satellite imagery. The US-based group added that the video was one of four featuring alleged abuses that were posted online on Tuesday and Wednesday by an Iraqi man who regularly published information regarding security and military activities in and around Mosul. Belkis Wille, senior Iraq researcher at Human Rights Watch, told the BBC: "In the final weeks of the battle for west Mosul, the pervasive attitude that I have observed among armed forces has been of momentum, the desire to get the battle wrapped up as quickly as possible, and a collapse of adherences to the laws of war." Numerous witnesses had reported not only a significant increase in the torture and extrajudicial killing of IS suspects by armed forces, but also a feeling among personnel that they no longer needed to conceal such actions, she said. "These reports have been met with congratulations from Baghdad on the victory, only further fostering the feeling of impunity among armed forces in Mosul." At the end of June, Human Rights Watch published a report detailing allegations from four witnesses, who said they had seen Iraqi forces beat unarmed men and boys fleeing the fighting in Mosul and also obtained information about Iraqi forces killing unarmed men. One witness said that he had seen two Counter-Terrorism Service personnel take down the corpse of a suspected IS militant that had been strung up to an electrical pole, and stone the body before taking a few photos of each other posing with it. Later, he added, a CTS fighter showed him a video of a detainee being shot dead. The Swedish newspaper Expressen also cited an Iraqi federal police officer as saying that he had decapitated at least 50 men with knives and beaten others. The article said the officer had backed up the claims with photos and videos. Human Rights Watch has also said that Iraqi forces are detaining and holding thousands of men and boys in inhumane conditions without charge, under the guise of screening them for IS-affiliation. On Thursday, the group reported that at least 170
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And (the announcer tells us), the next president of the Republic of France is - Francois Hollande. Cue a very happy man strolling through the Elysee gardens. Of course today it sounds utterly implausible. France's head of state has given the word unpopularity a whole new meaning, the country is a strike-bound, demoralised mess. And yet the scenario is not totally to be dismissed. Certainly there is one person who believes it might come to pass. And that person is Francois Hollande himself. The last few weeks have seen the French press engage in a repetitive guessing game: will he, won't he, will he join the dance? (To quote The Lobster Quadrille). Will he, or will he not, take on once again the mantle of the left and stake a claim for re-election? Increasingly the Paris commentariat is of the view that yes, he most certainly will. Once again President Hollande's good fortune is working in his favour. As a politician he has made a career out of waiting. There was once a French prime minister (the forgotten Henri Queuille) who said: "There is no problem that cannot be brought to an end by the absence of a solution." President Hollande has taken this aphorism to heart. On the economy and unemployment, he has steadfastly refused to offer anything that might be called a solution. Instead he has tacked gently from left to right, doing his best not to offend. And now - with less than a year till the elections - his native optimism is paying off. The first signs of growth are re-appearing. Unemployment has fallen for two successive months. The cycle is coming round - just in time. Of course, all this could be knocked off course by this latest outbreak of strikes (against his extremely un-radical labour law). If the country is dragged to a standstill during the Euro 2016 championships, then it will indeed be another black mark. But here too, the president is sending out his customary waves of Zenitude - which may well prove more effective than any bracing clutch of actual policies. The chance of disruption during the Euros is minimal, he will have calculated. No union would be so mad as to wreck such a rare feel-good occasion. So the feelers will go out; various sectors - like the railways - will be bought off with offers on their specific grievances; and some fudge will be found for the law's contentious Article 2. And the games will begin. Another factor working in Hollande's favour is that he is, after all, the boss. The country has got used to seeing the president's authority challenged by left-wing rebels within his own party - not to mention by left-wingers outside it. But when it comes to nominating the man or woman to run in next year's election, what influence do these frondeurs have? Inside the Socialists there are three potential challengers. These are Emmanuel Macron, the liberal-minded economy minister; Arnaud Montebourg, the anti-globalising former
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The MPs donned reindeer hats and Santa antlers for their version of Band Aid's 1980s hit Do They Know It's Christmas? The lyrics have been adapted to draw attention to claims some big companies are ditching staff perks in order to comply with the National Living Wage, introduced in April. They accuse firms of cutting overtime payments and Christmas bonuses. Replacing the famous "feed the world" lyric with "keep their perks", the MPs urge employers: "Don't be Scrooge, it's Christmas time." The National Living Wage, announced by former Chancellor George Osborne, requires employers to pay staff aged 25 and over at least £7.20 an hour. Some firms cut overtime pay rates or benefits such as free lunches to fund the rise in basic pay rates. But several companies who reduced perks said the moves were unrelated to the National Living Wage. MP Siobhain McDonagh, who has been campaigning on the issue, organised the recording. She was joined by colleagues including shadow education secretary Angela Rayner and Barnsley Central MP Dan Jarvis. Writing in the Grimsby Telegraph, another of the singing MPs, Melanie Onn, said it was a "fun/highly embarrassing way of raising an important issue".
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President Uhuru Kenyatta said the service was vital to ensure they received swift treatment. The initiative is likely to boost the morale of security personnel facing multiple threats, a BBC reporter says. Some soldiers and policemen have bled to death or have died of dehydration in remote areas of Kenya because of long delays in getting them to hospital. The BBC's Wanyama Chebusiri in the capital, Nairobi, says the government has now reached a deal with the Red Cross and private firm AMREF Flying Doctors to despatch helicopters and vehicles as soon as distress calls are received. The new evacuation service will also be offered to civil servants, especially those who work in the security field in rural areas with few medical facilities, our reporter says. Somali Islamist group al-Shabab has stepped up attacks in Kenya in recent years. Last month, the militants killed 64 people in two attacks in the north-eastern region of Mandera, which borders Somalia. "This is a crucial service, especially for our security officers, who put themselves on the front line against our enemies, to ensure that Kenyans are safe wherever they are," Mr Kenyatta said at the launch in Nairobi. Our reporter says the security forces are also battling bandits and cattle rustlers in the north-western Samburu region, which is known as the "Valley of Death". In 2012, more than 40 security officers were killed in the area and it took more than two days to rescue the injured, he says.
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Forward Porter, 24, and defender Johnson, 21, both joined the club at the start of the season and have agreed extensions after helping secure a 10th-place finish in the National League. "I'm delighted to have Daniel on board for next season, he's had a fantastic season," manager Neil Smith said. "George has been brilliant in every position we've asked him to play, he gives 100% and deserves his new deal." Alan Dunne, Jack Holland and Jordan Higgs are the other players to remain contracted to Bromley for the 2017-18 season, but Connor Dymond and Lee Minshull have left the club.
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11 December 2015 Last updated at 17:07 GMT This is what might happen to kids living on the island of Kiribati, in the Pacific Ocean. Kiribati is a nation of about 105,000 people that sits, surrounded by water, halfway between Hawaii and Australia. The land there it just six metres above sea level and scientists think that it could be among the first places in the world to be affected by rising sea levels, as the planet heats up and melts ice in places like Antarctica. It's one of the things world leaders are hoping to tackle at the Climate Change Conference in Paris at the moment. Watch the video to learn more
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Members of the Community union at Clarks in Street voted by 4-1 to take action. The union said its members were angry at the imposition of a 3.5% rise linked to changes in pay which it said reduced the value of the rise to 2.6%. Clarks said it firmly believed the settlement was "fair and reasonable". "We are disappointed that this issue has resulted in Community deciding to work to rule. "This award is significantly higher than the best offers made by other members of the British Footwear Association members and is also considerably higher than average pay settlements in 2011 across the UK "Industrial action, or the threat of it, will not change our position," the company spokesman said. Union spokesman, Joe Mann, said the company wanted to impose new terms of employment without negotiation. "We would like to put the 3.5% [offer] to the workforce - but the issue isn't about pay its about the company arbitrarily implementing changes to terms and conditions outside of our agreements with them and then roughshod over that relationship. "Our members are saying we deserve that element of respect and we want to negotiate these terms and conditions rather than have them implemented. "We also balloted for strike action - at this stage they don't want to - but they really want the company to take the message that we're prepared to negotiate and we want an agreement or to go to arbitration," he added. The shoe company, which is still three quarters owned by the Clark family, was launched in 1825 when James Clark made a pair of slippers out of sheepskin from his brother's tannery.
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The 20-time Champion Jockey visited the club's training ground on Tuesday, as Saracens prepare for the Champions Cup final and the Premiership play-offs. "To get him in was a real coup for us," director of rugby Mark McCall said. "For our group to listen to a 20-time Champion Jockey was incredible. He spoke to the squad for an hour, and he was unbelievably engaging." Saracens regularly invite guests speakers to address the players, but McCall says McCoy has long been someone the club's management have admired. "AP McCoy was somebody we had talked about in meetings three years ago when he won his 17th title," McCall added to BBC Radio 5 live. "To see the sacrifices he had gone through to achieve what he has achieved, and how driven he was to achieve that, was enlightening for everybody."
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The artist, who has worked with the likes of Roxy Music and David Bowie, said the arts were dismissed as a "luxury" and called for a rethink of culture at the event. He called art "everything that you don't have to do". Eno follows Pete Townsend, Iggy Pop and Charlotte Church who have delivered lectures in previous years. Delivering the inaugural lecture in 2011, The Who guitarist Townsend accused iTunes of using its influence to "bleed" artists like a "digital vampire". He also argued against unauthorised file-sharing, saying the internet was "destroying copyright as we know it". Last year, Pop gave his backing to independent record labels involved in a royalties dispute with YouTube. Church accused the music industry of sexism when she spoke in 2013. Eno instead focused on the importance of art in society and how it helps humans to function and interact as individuals. He said ideas of art and imagination began at childhood during playtime. "Imagining is possibly the central human trick, that's what distinguishes us from all other creatures," he told an audience at the British Library. "We can imagine worlds that don't exist, so we can play out whole scenarios in our head and that helps us experience empathy." Eno, who has produced artists including U2, Talking Heads and Coldplay, also tackled education secretary Nicky Morgan, who claimed arts and humanities subjects did not offer job prospects as promising as the "Stem" subjects - science, technology, engineering and maths. "There's an idea around that those are actually the important things," said Eno. "Even the acronym gives it away - the idea of 'stem', the thing that's at the centre, which everything else grows off from. "So the idea is that those things are important. They're part of the economic mill, and they're part of what makes Britain great, and increases our GNP and what have you. "And the arts, on the other hand, are sort of nice, they're a bit of a luxury actually, something you might do when you're relaxing after you come home from a hard day's work at a proper job." "So I thought that attitude was part of what this comes from - this new idea of the arts as a kind of economic entity." Eno said a rapidly changing world highlighted a clear need to find ways of "keeping in sync, of remaining coherent". "And I think that this is what culture is doing for us," he added.
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Here are some of the films our stars have made promoting a cause close to them. A former Conservative leader said he "may vote no" and back the UK leaving the EU in his party's planned referendum if "we have not made significant changes" before 2017. A pressing challenge facing society is how to care for an ageing population in austere times, but a television scientist offers his own cashless solution. Consumers must have more rights and better information about food and other products before they decide what to buy, an MP claims. CPRE president and former Poet Laureate Andrew Motion climbs on a soapbox to claim homes can be built while protecting green areas as he spoke up for England's "beautiful precious irreplaceable countryside". Preston bus station is threatened with demolition, but campaigner John Wilson put the case for saving the 1969 "unique and iconic" structure from the wrecker's ball. Arts funding should be reviewed as it was a "price we all have to pay" said Philip Booth, of the Institute of Economic Affairs. There should be more effort to get women on TV and in the media, says the former BBC Radio Four announcer and newsreader Alice Arnold. The cost of housing in Britain has led to millions of young people priced-out of buying a home of their own with millions more hoping prices remain high to prevent a slide into negative equity. Videos have appeared on the internet showing women, gay people and others in the London borough of Tower Hamlets being subjected to abuse and told to get out of "Muslim areas". Broadcasters should look for more good news, rather than the disasters and grim happenings that lead TV bulletins, says designer Wayne Hemingway. Lord Saatchi - best known as an advertising guru - is introducing a bill aiming to help find a cure for cancer 18 months after he lost his wife to a rare form of the disease. Actor Geoffrey Palmer claimed the HS2 rail line that would pass his home in the Chilterns would be the most expensive railway in the world, equivalent to the cost of 60 hospitals. Former civil servant Martin Narey reckons MPs should be paid more money despite the revelations which saw some in court over their expenses. Actor Simon Callow explains why he backs the prime minister on gay marriage and how it would "set its seal" on his love for his partner. Consumer finance expert Martin Lewis makes a plea to save the pennies and shorten the present list. Former TV Apprentice Katie Hopkins believes people who eat, drink and smoke more than is good for them should pay more towards the NHS health care they need, as she calls for additional payments for some health services. Londoner Dwayne Fields, who has walked to the north pole and plans to venture to the south pole in a few weeks, hopes his fame could encourage other black people to explore the British countryside. One solution to unemployment is
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Deputy Mike Higgins said Deputy Andrew Lewis had "lied" at a secret States meeting in 2008 over his use of a police report to suspend Graham Power. In later reviews Deputy Lewis said he had never seen the police report, the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry heard. The inquiry is investigating historic child abuse in Jersey since 1945. The States of Jersey recently published transcripts of secret discussions about Mr Power's suspension in 2008, following a proposition lodged by Deputy Higgins. One transcript shows that in December 2008, Deputy Lewis told States members he used a preliminary report by the Metropolitan Police into the Jersey abuse investigation as a basis to "suspend" Mr Power. Deputy Lewis said he had acted within the remit of the "rule of law", despite the report not being meant for disciplinary procedures. However, he was accused of lying about his knowledge of the police report by Deputy Higgins, who cited a 2010 review into Mr Power's suspension which claimed Deputy Lewis had never seen the report. Deputy Higgins said: "I have always been of the impression that that they decided to suspend [Mr Power] and then look for the evidence afterwards. "Andrew Lewis' role in the whole affair is obviously open to question and in my view demonstrates explicit corrupt behaviour", Deputy Higgins said in his statement. He also criticised the "culture in Jersey" which he suggested discouraged people from coming forward with information about cases of child abuse. He said as a politician trying to help victims of abuse, he met "obstruction after obstruction" and that one of the things the inquiry needed to show was "the cover up" of incidents of abuse in Jersey. Deputy Lewis is yet to give evidence to the inquiry.
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Earlier this year Tim Daw, a steward at the site, said he had discovered the previously unknown alignment, involving a line of stones at 80 degrees to the axis of the monument. The theory was tested when the solstice sun set at 21:26 BST on Saturday. Mr Daw said he was "really thrilled" at the finding. "It wasn't the best evening for a sunset picture as a bank of cloud came in at the wrong moment but it was close enough to prove the point," he added. "I put forward this theory. I said 'this stone, the sun will set along its back' [on] Midsummer. Yes it did. "[There was] a wonderful sunset last night. We could see the sun going down directly in line with... the back of this stone. It was fantastic." Some 23,000 people attended the neolithic site at Stonehenge to watch the sun rise at 04:52 BST, while others gathered at the nearby Avebury stone circle. The figure was down on the estimated 36,000 who attended last year and the 30,000-40,000 expected this year. Wiltshire Police said the celebrations were "positive and peaceful".
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The 31-year-old joined the Championship side from Wigan in June 2015 and has made 64 appearances for the club. "It's great news that Scott has signed a new contract and a real boost too," said Rams manager Steve McClaren. "Good goalkeepers can win you 18-21 points in a season, if you are looking towards achieving something, and Scott is well on the way to that." Carson, who won the last of his four England caps in 2011, has played in all 23 of Derby's league games this season, keeping 13 clean sheets. McClaren added: "I don't know what you would have to pay for a goalkeeper of his quality right now, but it would cost us fortunes to replace him." Derby are seventh in the Championship.
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The 28-year-old, who was a youth at Arsenal, has faced Apollon playing for Cypriot champions APOEL of Nicosia. And he views Apollon as an improving side, pointing out that they have won the Cypriot Cup two years running. "I think Apollon have a better chance, maybe 60-40 over Aberdeen," he told BBC Scotland. "Apollon is typically the third or fourth best club in Cyprus behind the likes of APOEL and Omonia, but the last few years, they are very high. "They have won the cup and are finishing stronger all the time - very close to APOEL. "Apollon is a very good team at the moment and it will be quite hard for Aberdeen, especially in Cyprus." Efrem spent two years with Rangers after leaving Arsenal and, after failing to make a first-team breakthrough, spent half a season on loan with Dundee, playing eight times and scoring twice as the Dark Blues finished fourth in Scotland's second tier. He thinks that, although Scottish domestic football has the physical edge over the set-up in Cyprus, the technique on show is not so good. "The standard, quality-wise, might be better than Scotland, but it is tougher in Scotland," said Efrem, who has 36 caps for Cyprus. "When I was there, only two or three teams were of a high standard, quality-wise, for me. "The rest of the teams, it was more about the toughness of the game and the speed of the game. "When I was there, Celtic and Rangers were the best teams and another one was Hearts." Apollon finished third in the Cypriot First Division last season, one point behind AEK Larnaca and five adrift of APOEL, who were denied a league and cup double with a 1-0 defeat in the national knock-out final. Aberdeen's third qualifying round opponents have since added Andre Schembri, the 31-year-old Malta international who terminated his contract with Portuguese top-flight outfit Boavista. The striker repaid them with a goal in both legs of their 5-1 aggregate win over Zaria Balti of Moldova, with 33-year-old midfielder Alex da Silva chipping in with a double of his own from the penalty spot. Efrem views those two, plus striker Anton Maglica, a 25-year-old former Croatia Under-21 cap, as Apollon's main threats. "From the middle to the front, they have some good players," he said of the side coached by former Cyprus goalkeeper Sofronis Avgousti. "One is Alex da Silva. He is a Brazilian with a lot of technique and keeps the ball well and has a very strong shot. "And they have one or two good strikers, very good goalscorers. "One is Schembre and the other is Maglica, but it is more like a team because they are together the last two or three years they have good team spirit and they know each other and what the coach wants. "They are quite an attacking team, but they are compact." Efrem, who left Scotland in 2009 to take up a "very good offer" with Omonia Nicosia, admits he
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Negotiations are continuing between the former Celtic boss and the Scottish Championship club with a view to him succeeding Alan Stubbs. Stubbs left for Rotherham United last week after two seasons in charge and having just won the Scottish Cup. Lennon is believed to want Garry Parker as his number two at Hibs, who missed out promotion to the Premiership after a play-off defeat by Falkirk. The pair played together at Leicester City and Lennon had Parker as part of his coaching team at Celtic and Bolton Wanderers. Former Northern Ireland midfielder Lennon, who won the League Cup twice as a player with Leicester, served Celtic as a player for six-and-a-half years, winning five Scottish titles and six domestic cups. After a spell back in English football, Lennon rejoined Celtic as a coach in 2008 and eventually became manager in 2010. He enjoyed further success in the dugout at Celtic Park with three successive top-flight titles and two Scottish Cup triumphs before leaving in 2014. A move to Bolton followed later that year and, although Wanderers initially improved under Lennon, they were bottom of the Championship by the time he left in March, with the side eventually relegated. Hibs have spent the last two seasons in Scotland's second tier, having also lost out in the promotion play-offs in 2015. However, having ended their 114-year wait to win the Scottish Cup, the Edinburgh club will enter the Europa League qualifying rounds, with their first match on 14 July. On Sunday, Stubbs told BBC Scotland he thought that Lennon, his former Celtic team-mate, would be a "a good choice" for the Easter Road vacancy.
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Residents in the Rodney Drive area were moved from their homes after a suspicious object was discovered on Tuesday. The road was cordoned off while an Army bomb team examined the object. The area has since reopened and people have been allowed to return home. Police have appealed for anyone with information to contact them.
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Intense pressure finally paid off with Shay Logan's close range volley putting Derek McInnes' side in front. Julien Klein drew the visitors level after a corner was not cleared, and Ash Taylor had two goals disallowed. But McGinn's late shot squirmed home, before Rooney converted a penalty. This was potentially the easiest tie in Aberdeen's quest to reach the Europa League group stage but proved a genuine test, as will the return leg in Luxembourg. Stefano Bensi's shot off the post in the first half was a real scare, while Taylor saw the first of two goals ruled out after Jonny Hayes' cross has gone out of play. The home side's second half approach suggested Aberdeen would take some sort of lead with them; laying siege on their opponents goal with Taylor almost netting within minutes of the restart. McGinn saw a free-kick parried, a shot blocked then a close range header palmed behind. Substitute Rooney somehow couldn't net from a couple of yards, then struck a post form close range as the visitors looked like completely capitulating. When Logan's goal hit the net there was only one winner in most observer's eyes - if it was a boxing match it might have been stopped - but Fola Esch stunned Pittodrie with an equaliser. Poor defending from a corner allowed the ball to be cut back to captain Klein and he confidently powered the ball home. That knocked Aberdeen's confidence a little and Jakob Dallevedove found space to test Lewis but his shot was parried. Aberdeen regained their superiority and Taylor again had the ball in the net only for the referee to rule it out for a foul on the goalkeeper. And they thought they had been a denied when the flag went up after McGinn's shot slipped through, but this time the Danish referee overruled his assistant. Their passage to the next round was made considerably easier when Rooney confidently netted a penalty deep into the seven minutes of injury time. It was a fantastic spectacle, a genuine test for Aberdeen and they'll be mightily relieved to have achieved a two goal advantage at the end of it.
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