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The shortage of nurses worsened last year, with 17% of all London's registered nursing jobs vacant, up from 14% in 2014 and 11% in 2013.
The figure is much higher than the national average of 10%.
The Department of Health said it did not recognise the figures and London had 1,800 more nurses than a year ago.
The RCN said the new figures, which it gathered through Freedom of Information requests to all of London's NHS trusts, showed the city was facing a "critical shortage" of registered nursing staff.
A spokesperson said this put patients at risk and led to expensive solutions such as temporary agency staff or recruitment from overseas.
Bernell Bussue, the RCN's London regional director, said: "The problem is partly down to short-sighted workforce planning which saw training posts cut in the past, meaning there aren't enough home grown nurses coming through the system.
"Most importantly, the ongoing pay freeze imposed by the government means that nursing staff increasingly just can't afford to live and work in London.
He urged the government to give nurses a pay rise so they could settle in the capital, saying nurses' pay had "run 10% below inflation since 2010".
10,140
total vacancies
17% average vacancy rate
30% highest vacancy rate at an individual trust
3% lowest vacancy rate at an individual trust
Responding to the figures, London Mayor Boris Johnson told BBC Radio London "you can afford to be a nurse and live in London".
He added: "I won't deny the cost of living in London is incredibly high."
But he said the Conservative party has built record numbers of "affordable homes" and there are homes for part-buy, part-rent.
A spokeswoman for NHS England (London) said the July figures did not reflect reductions in agency spend since a cap on charges for agency staff was introduced in November.
"In London we are looking at new ways to recruit both new and returning nurses while retaining nurses already in post so that we are reaching our planned staffing levels," she said.
"This includes a programme in which senior nurses in the capital are working together to create innovative career pathways and making London a more desirable place to work."
A Department of Health spokesperson said: "Official statistics show that Londoners have already benefitted from 3,400 additional nurses since May 2010 and this is down to continued government investment in the frontline.
"We have 50,000 nurses in training and our recent changes to student funding will mean up to 10,000 more training places across the country by 2020." | More than 10,000 vacancies for nursing posts in London went unfilled in 2015, new figures from the Royal College of Nursing have shown. | 35242993 |
Ronaldo, 32, is said to want to leave Spain after being accused of tax fraud.
The forward, with the Portugal squad in Russia, signed a new five-year contract in November 2016, but has been linked with a return to Manchester United.
"The only thing I can say is Cristiano Ronaldo is a Real Madrid player," said Perez, who was re-elected on Monday.
Spanish prosecutors have accused Ronaldo of defrauding the authorities of millions of euros in tax, which he has denied.
"Obviously something has happened, something has affected him, his credibility," Perez told Spanish radio station Onda Cero. "I'm sure he will tell us and we will see.
"It's no coincidence that he's in a very important tournament, the Confederations Cup. It hasn't finished yet and I don't want to disturb the Portuguese team.
"He just wants to be the best player in the world. If Cristiano wants to leave Real Madrid, it won't be for money."
Perez said he is yet to receive an offer for Ronaldo - or striker Alvaro Morata or midfielder James Rodriguez, both of whom have also been linked with United.
"We want to keep all our players next season, including James," said Perez.
Speaking in a further interview with Spanish newspaper Marca, he added: "Cristiano is a good guy as a professional and as a person. This is very strange and in the next few days I'll talk to him.
"I must defend him at all costs, both as a player and as a person. What I will say is that everyone must fulfil their tax obligations. I have no doubt that Cristiano will be able to defend himself.
"What they have told me is that he has the same financial arrangements as he had in England, where he had no problems."
Ronaldo is said to be "upset" after being accused of tax fraud and wants to leave, a source close to the player told the BBC.
He is accused of evading tax to the value of 14.7m euros (£13m; $16m) between 2011 and 2014.
Real Madrid released a statement saying they had "full confidence" in their player, and they were convinced he would prove his innocence.
Ronaldo's discontent has alerted clubs all over the world but he has been linked most strongly with a return to United, or a transfer to PSG.
But the Portuguese would be costly - his Real contract has a 1bn euro (£874.88m) release clause.
In 2009, Perez - then in his second spell at the club - signed Ronaldo for Real for a then world-record fee of £80m.
The forward had helped United win three Premier League titles and the Champions League in his six years at the club, and had also won the Ballon d'Or.
He was presented at the Bernabeu in front of 80,000 fans, as Perez attempted to bring together a second group of 'Galacticos'.
Eight years on, Ronaldo has scored a club-record 406 goals in 394 appearances.
Only two weeks ago, he helped Real win their 12th European Cup, scoring twice in a 4-1 victory over Juventus in the Champions League final in Cardiff.
Victory meant Real became the first team to win back-to-back Champions League titles, with Ronaldo the competition's record goalscorer with 105.
A two-time La Liga winner, his 285 goals in 265 league appearances mean he is second only to Barcelona's Lionel Messi in that competition.
He won the Ballon d'Or award for a fourth time in December and signed a new deal with Real in November, saying he could continue playing for another 10 years
BBC Sport's Simon Stone
It was billed as Florentino Perez addressing the Ronaldo issue, but when Real Madrid's newly re-elected president gave a round of media interviews, the content was much the same - effectively 'I don't know what is going on'.
He did say Ronaldo is under contract, but everyone knows that. He also said he needed to speak to the Portuguese but, with the Confederations Cup in Russia under way, now was not a good time.
This was a politician's way of addressing a hot topic. Talking but saying nothing.
It merely adds to the air of uncertainty. Does Ronaldo really want to leave Real, or is he angling after a better deal?
Does he want to move back to Manchester United or is his preference Paris St-Germain?
For all the words written and spoken about the four-time Champions League winner, the only people who really know are Ronaldo himself and long-time adviser Jorge Mendes.
They will have the final say. And the wait may be a long one.
This content will not work on your device, please check Javascript and cookies are enabled or update your browser | Real Madrid president Florentino Perez says he has not spoken to Cristiano Ronaldo about his future, but will do so after the Confederations Cup. | 40331913 |
The new page shows real-time updates from celebrities and news websites, and lets people search through tweets.
The design was trialled in the US and Japan and will now roll out in a further 21 countries, including the UK.
One analyst said the company was trying to widen its appeal, but needed to tackle issues that could put people off using the service.
"The old homepage was targeted at getting people to sign up for an account or download the app," said David Wilkinson, managing partner at digital consultancy Soho Strategy.
"This is a bid to expand its appeal beyond the registered users, and get people to engage with content regardless of whether they're signed in.
"But it's also a recognition that algorithmic curation of content is beating human curation, and that its timeline model could be flawed."
Twitter has struggled with competition from rivals such as Snapchat and Facebook, and its share price has tumbled since its stock market debut in 2014.
The social network currently attracts about 500 million visitors every month, but has only 320 million registered members.
The redesigned homepage, which will roll out on the Twitter website and mobile site, draws in live updates from some of the website's most prolific tweeters.
"Starting today, anyone can explore and discover different topics and stories as they occur, including some that are tailored just for you based on your location," the company said in a statement.
Previously, the website's homepage outside the US and Japan displayed only a large photograph and a log-in panel, without indicating what registered users could do or see on the website.
"It shows Twitter's recognition that an algorithmic way of curating content, like on Facebook, is something that might interest people," said Mr Wilkinson.
"It's still a huge platform for brands and celebrities to communicate with the public, and they can now reach a larger audience outside of those who follow them.
"But they're playing catch-up when it comes to curating content, and this shows they're developing their own means of filtering." | Twitter is rolling out a new homepage designed to engage people who have not logged in to the website. | 35481975 |
An embassy official said the plane had taken off with all the affected personnel and their families aboard.
Mr Obama ordered the expulsion in response to alleged hacking of the US Democratic Party and Clinton campaign during the 2016 presidential election.
President-elect Trump has promised a revelation about the allegations.
A spokesperson for the Russian embassy in the US, quoted by the TASS news agency, confirmed the departure of the plane from Washington on New Year's Day.
The aircraft was part of the Rossiya airline's special flight detachment group - the carrier for the president of Russia and other government officials.
Mr Obama's order had given the affected diplomats just 72 hours to leave the country.
Russian president Vladimir Putin had been expected to respond in kind, with the expulsion of US diplomats from its territory.
However, he later said he would not "stoop" to "irresponsible diplomacy", but rather attempt to repair relations once Donald Trump takes office.
Mr Trump praised the decision as "very smart".
He has previously said Americans "ought to get on with our lives" rather than sanction Russia.
But on New Year's Eve, he said he would reveal details "people don't know" about the incident in the coming days.
"I know a lot about hacking,'' he told reporters, "and hacking is a very hard thing to prove, so it could be somebody else."
He also said that he knows "things that other people don't know. And so they cannot be sure of the situation."
But he refused to provide details, saying he would make an announcement on "Tuesday or Wednesday".
The president-elect also suggested that computers could not be trusted with sensitive information, and recommended using pen and paper.
"You know, if you have something really important, write it out and have it delivered by courier, the old-fashioned way," he said.
"Because I'll tell you what - no computer is safe." | Thirty-five Russian diplomats expelled from the United States by President Barack Obama have left the country, Russian news agencies report. | 38484735 |
Harambe, a western lowland gorilla, was killed at Cincinnati Zoo earlier this year after a three-year-old boy fell into his enclosure.
On Wednesday, Philadelphia Zoo said it would allow the public to vote on a name for the newborn.
Social media users quickly swamped the zoo with thousands of messages.
The newborn is the same subspecies - Gorilla gorilla gorilla - as Harambe.
Zookeepers, however, said the name will be put to a public poll from a selection chosen by staff members.
There has been no confirmation that Harambe will make that shortlist and the competition has not even opened yet.
That, however, has not stopped thousands of calls for the name online.
Philadelphia Zoo said they were "amazed and humbled" by the "outpouring of support and genuine excitement".
The newborn's sex is still unknown, as the baby is being held close by its mother, Honi.
Zookeepers said staff will make suggestions once they know if it is a boy or a girl - and rely on the public to vote from those choices in the coming weeks.
"We are very excited to welcome Honi's new baby," said Dr Andy Baker, the zoo's Chief Operating Officer.
"This birth is an opportunity to engage our visitors in caring about the future of gorillas in the wild."
Harambe's death in May this year, accompanied by sensational video footage of the three-year-old child in danger, made international headlines.
In the wake of the shooting, many questioned the need for killing the animal, despite the keepers at Cincinnati Zoo insisting they had no choice.
That led to a wide range of internet memes and an online campaign of "Justice for Harambe", which later became a joke in online circles.
The zoo itself said it was "not amused" by the online jokes and closed its Twitter account, after months of Harambe references being posted in response to every tweet. | Philadelphia Zoo has been inundated with suggestions to name its newborn baby gorilla Harambe after launching a naming contest. | 37243016 |
About 300,000 people in Northern Ireland are deaf or have hearing difficulties.
And an organisation that supports them is pressing for sign language legislation, making it a top priority in the general election campaign.
It is something that the British Deaf Association has demanded since 2001.
On Wednesday night, the organisation held a hustings in Belfast, with dozens of people attending the Question Time style event with the five main Northern Ireland parties.
Sign language interpreters were on stage to translate for deaf audience members, and a translator spoke on behalf of deaf people who wanted to ask a question.
Some of the deaf people at the event said that when parties come to their door to canvass, there's no way for them to engage.
That's because parties don't have sign language interpreters with them, nor British sign language interpretations of their manifestos.
British Deaf Association member Brian Symington told the hustings that sign language was a "language of need".
It deserved legislation to be prioritised over an Irish or Ulster-Scots act, he said, as many people who use it learn it through necessity rather than choice.
After the event, Colette Blair and Eamonn McCaffrey, who are both deaf, spoke to the BBC with the help of a sign language translator.
Colette said a sign language act, similar to what has already been introduced in Scotland, would "transform" her life and the lives of other deaf people.
"In education settings, in terms of access to the curriculum and if we want to have interpreters for meetings, we need to know what's going on," she said.
"Speaking as a mum who's tried to work for my child going through the system, we need to have it in law."
Eamonn, who teaches sign language, said he wants to see it taught in schools.
"Everyone learns German and French but they never use it again in their life," he said.
"People who would learn sign language here would have the opportunity to use it and speak to deaf people here in Northern Ireland."
Both Colette and Eamonn said the hustings was their only real chance to engage in debate around the general election.
"My neighbours talk to each other about politics - I don't get the chance to just chat to people, that's why tonight's so important," said Colette.
Wendy Newbrauner is a mum of three children who are all deaf, and she said it's been a real struggle for her family.
"The parties need to look at how to make lives easier for parents of deaf children," she said.
"It is a continuous fight to access services and support that are vital for their everyday lives and to make their lives easier."
Eamonn added that he and others like him are prepared to keep fighting to make sure sign language gets the recognition it deserves.
"We are a determined people - we will keep going.
"We have to think of the future generations coming through - they need a better future."
Facing a third election in 13 months, the TUV is feeling "the pinch in terms of finances", according to leader Jim Allister.
His decision to field a single candidate in this election was a strategic one, with one eye firmly on the future.
"There's the prospect of another assembly election in the autumn, so strategically we decided we'd preserve some of our resources for that," said Mr Allister.
"We're fighting in our heartland of North Antrim - I regret that we're not fighting wider than that."
Mr Allister was on the campaign trail with Ulster Unionist Tom Elliott in Fermanagh and South Tyrone this week, and in spite of his rasping criticism of the party in the past he saw no contradiction in joining its canvass.
That's because the battle for the constituency is on a "knife-edge".
"Not just unionists but democrats would want to see the election of somebody who's prepared to do the job and do it well as Tom Elliott has already done," he said.
"My presence there was a conscious demonstration of unionist unity in support of an agreed unionist candidate, far in preference to the return of somebody who wouldn't even go to represent the people.
"That's what abstentionism is - it's claiming to be an MP but doing it under false pretences."
Elsewhere on the campaign trail on Thursday...
BBC News NI's Campaign Catch-up will keep you across the general election trail with a daily dose of the main stories, the minor ones and the lighter moments in the run up to polling day on Thursday 8 June.
Hear more on BBC Radio Ulster's Evening Extra at 17:40 each weekday. | Talk of an Irish language act has been high on Northern Ireland's political agenda in 2017, but it's not the only language that's been up for discussion. | 40122799 |
Multiple world champion Lampkin will need to navigate more than 200 corners on his back wheel and climb 1,385 ft (422 m) above sea level.
Lampkin and his team of engineers have spent six months developing a specially modified machine for the challenge.
The Skipton rider said it would not be possible on a standard trial bike.
Lampkin's engineering team led by Francesco Romani and Blackie Holden have based the machine on a Vertigo Combat Ice Hell - 300cc Fuel injected single cylinder two-stroke machine.
The team have made modifications to the brakes, suspension, fuel consumption and gear box.
The changes include the addition of a small electric motor fitted to the hub to keep the front wheel spinning throughout the challenge.
Media playback is not supported on this device
The team said it is needed to allow the bike to be steered despite the front wheel being aloft for more that two hours.
They have also removed the front brake as it is not needed and the workings of the front forks to save weight.
Work has also been carried out to optimise fuel consumption and changes made to the gearbox which will mean that the majority of the TT course can be ridden in one gear.
Lampkin, who has won five consecutive World Indoor and seven consecutive World Outdoor Championships, said it will be one of his "toughest ever challenges."
The 40-year-old from North Yorkshire added that it will "push him and his machine to the absolute limit".
The Red Bull athlete hopes to complete the challenge in under two hours with an average speed of around 20 mph on 24 September. | English trials rider Dougie Lampkin has unveiled the bike on which he will attempt to continuously wheelie around the 37-mile Isle of Man TT course. | 37295867 |
In this business of the pantheon, there is, of course, Richie McCaw on 148 New Zealand caps, then Australia's George Gregan on 139, Brian O'Driscoll on 133 and All Black, Keven Mealamu, on 132. Given that his coach, Gregor Townsend, has said that Ford could play on at international level for at least another two years, you start doing the mental arithmetic.
Two injury-free years? There's the 2017 autumn Tests [three more caps], the 2018 Six Nations [another five], the summer tour that follows [add three], an autumn series [add three more] the 2019 Six Nations [plus five] and the World Cup in Japan [throw another five on top]. Fair enough, it's stretching things, but that little lot would send Ford rocketing into the top 10 caps-winners in history.
It is put to him, as he looks over Lami Bay in Fiji, that at the age of 33, and looking after himself the way he looks after himself, that there are a lot more caps out there for him. "I'm actually 32," he replies.
This, it has to be said, is a surprise. Every available online source says Ford was born on April 23, 1984, which would make him 33, and that at the age of 20 he made his Scotland debut against Australia in 2004, which would also make him 33. Upon consultation, the Scottish Rugby media team believe him to be 33. When asked, the Scottish rugby manager, Gavin Scott, says he reckons the hooker is 33, but that he has a photograph of his passport on his phone so he can check. That also says Ford is, indeed, 33.
The only person in Fiji who believes Ross Ford isn't 33 is Ross Ford. So on Thursday evening he's asked again.
"Ross, what age, are you?"
"I'm 32."
"You're not. You're 33."
"Am I? Ah, OK. It's only a number."
This story cuts to the heart of Ford, a man who just gets on with life without fuss or bother, without getting too high or too low, without concerning himself with incidentals such as his age.
He says that the whole record thing "creeped up on him". He never gave it any thought until people started asking. You talk about his international career span of 13 years and he says he can't remember a whole lot about it. Bits and pieces, yeah. But not much.
That first cap? "I was pretty nervous. I can remember the lineouts hadn't gone too well during the week and I was a little bit terrified to be honest." He'd come off the bench for Gordon Bulloch. As an illustration of how long ago it was, the Scotland full-back that day was Stuart Moffat [Ford thought it was Chris Paterson] and the Scottish blindside flanker was Scott Gray [Ford guessed it was Jason White].
"I enjoy it a lot more now," he says, before talking about what all of this means to those around him. "My mum and dad and my brother, my girlfriend, they're all very proud. I take it as is, but it's good for them to be able to enjoy it. A lot of it is for them. They've all made massive sacrifices. Laura [his partner] is very good when I'm not playing well, she knows how to buck up my ideas and get us going. They all play an important part in my life and I'm lucky to have them."
Ford had the fortune, and misfortune, to arrive on the international stage when he did. Fortune in that he went largely unchallenged as Scotland's pre-eminent hooker. The flip-side is that he went unchallenged in a team that found winning murderously difficult. A corner has been turned in recent years, but Ford was one of the few constants through the misery, the wooden spoons in the Six Nations, the near Shakespearean tragedy that was Scotland's back-play, the relentless negativity and lack of hope that must have tested his mental strength to the maximum.
Of the 55 Six Nations matches he has played he was won only 13. Five of those have come in the last two seasons. As first-choice, Ford may have been overtaken by Fraser Brown, but the fact is that he's now producing some of his best stuff in a Scotland jersey. He talks about this "bunch of boys" being the strongest squad he's been involved with. He says it in a way that tells you that he's not intending to ease-up any time soon.
Snapshots of the journey? His three biggest highs are listed as the win over Ireland at Croke Park in 2010, the win over Australia in Australia in 2012 and one of his Calcutta Cup wins - 2006 and 2008. Either will do, both were precious.
His lows are plentiful. The Six Nations wooden spoon of 2012 is number one, a season of horror that produced five losses and only four tries. In his day, there were two championships - 2008 and 2010 - when Scotland scored only three tries in their five games. If you're looking for an indication of how life has changed - and why he's enjoying it more now than he has ever done before - Scotland scored three tries in 80 minutes in their victory over the Wallabies in Sydney last Saturday.
He says Bismarck du Plessis of South Africa has been his toughest opponent - "a big confrontational, physical boy. In your face the whole time." For a man who doesn't lose his temper, a Test in Argentina in 2009 stands out as the angriest he has ever been on the field. "Somebody tried to feign that I hit them and I was raging after that. It happened just 20 minutes in and the referee bought it. Wish I had hit him. I was completely innocent. That gave me added oomph in everything I did that day."
His international coaches in a word - or three?
The most bonkers Scottish player in his time: "Ryan Wilson - unbelievable. Brilliant fun, full of energy." Greatest Scottish player: "Mike Blair, definitely," he says of the former scrum-half and now national team skills coach. "Spied a gap no problem. His knowledge of the game was outstanding. If they [Stuart Hogg, Finn Russell and the rest of the modern-day stars] get close to Mike then that's ideal for us."
Ford talks about the All Blacks both as the greatest team he has ever played against and the one team he would most like to beat. He's had four cracks at them, all at Murrayfield - a 32-6 loss in 2008, a 49-3 pummelling in 2010, a 51-22 rout in 2012 and, in 2014, the closest of them all, a 24-16 defeat. Scotland were ahead with 10 minutes to go, but couldn't hold out. "If you beat them then you've as near as damned played the perfect game. Beating them would be a career high. The closest we came was that last one. We've learned a lot since then, we've learned how to close out games. I'd like to think that the team now would close that game out."
He says the biggest lesson of all is just to enjoy what he has, to savour it for as long as it lasts. "There's no point in worrying. In a professional environment you can get stressed out and things can overwhelm you a bit, but once you get a little bit older you should be enjoying everything about it. It's been a massive privilege to play this game."
Ford, famously, doesn't say a lot, but, in many ways, he doesn't have to. Thirteen years and 109, going on 110, caps says enough. He's done a lot, but the way he sees it, he still has a lot left to do. | It was during a discussion about the most capped rugby players of all time that Ross Ford produced one of the most Ross Ford moments of his 109 and soon to be Scottish record-breaking 110-cap career. | 40376288 |
The county council said the aim was to improve the safety of children, "school crossing patrol personnel" and improve the flow of traffic.
The authority has pledged £35,000 to improve markings outside the schools and £33,000 to fund the cameras.
The CCTV will provide evidence for enforcement proceedings and start in January 2017.
The eight schools included the trial are: William Alvey Primary, in Sleaford; Westfield School and Bourne Grammar, in Bourne; St Thomas' School and Boston West Academy, in Boston; National Junior School, in Grantham; and St Francis Hill School and The Priory Whitham Academy, in Lincoln.
The council said: "The enforcement of the school zigzags will help to deter drivers from parking in an area that jeopardises the safety of children and school crossing patrol personnel."
It said previous ways of policing parking outside schools did not always provide conclusive evidence whereas CCTV footage would be "sufficiently robust". | Mobile CCTV cameras are to be deployed outside eight Lincolnshire schools to stop parents parking illegally. | 36072605 |
So the European Commission ruling - that the country should recover up to €13bn (£11bn) from Apple in back taxes - is a serious blow.
It is damaging in two ways: It hits the Republic's international reputation and it could make it less attractive as a destination for foreign direct investment (FDI).
Tax has been a key part of Ireland's success in attracting investment, particularly from US technology firms.
The 12.5% corporation tax rate is among the lowest in the developed world.
Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan makes no apologies for that rate, saying: "We do not hide it, in fact, we broadcast this rate as the defining element of our corporate taxation system.
"The Irish tax regime is fully transparent as our rules are clearly laid down in statute."
But aside from that headline rate Ireland has, on occasion, appeared very accommodating to the tax-planning needs of multinationals.
'Double Irish'
Most notoriously there was the "double Irish" structure which allowed multinationals to legally shift profits from Ireland to countries that are considered tax havens.
It worked by allowing one Irish-registered subsidiary to make payments, for using intellectual property, to another subsidiary which is tax resident in a country like Bermuda or the Cayman Islands.
Mr Noonan closed that scheme to new entrants in 2015 and it will be phased out by 2020.
So expect Irish ministers to emphasise the efforts they have made to close down loopholes.
At the same time, they will have to reassure companies that they will not be the next to face a huge tax bill based on historical arrangements.
There are also some tricky domestic politics in Dublin.
The minority centre-right government will appeal the ruling, in effect saying it does not want the money.
This comes on top of growing anger at the behaviour of so-called vulture funds in Ireland.
These funds bought billions of euros of property in the wake of the financial crash and have used perfectly legal loopholes to pay very little Irish tax. | "We are not a tax haven" has been a mantra of official Ireland for decades. | 37219372 |
In spring, there was a surge in calls about people taking the substance that is said to "zombify" users.
Dr Oliver Sutcliffe, a chemist at Manchester Metropolitan University, said the increased potency was probably due to a "manufacturing error".
He said the compound had caused "similar catatonic states" in New York.
"The potency of the products that were seen in Brooklyn matched the same levels of potency that we were seeing in Manchester samples," said Dr Sutcliffe, who is a lecturer in psychopharmaceutical chemistry.
"We think this has arisen through a manufacturing error on the part of the drug manufacturers rather than being put into the sample specifically to increase the potency."
A blanket ban on previously-called legal highs - also known as new psychoactive substances - came into force in the UK in May 2016.
They include spice, which is usually a brand name for synthetic cannabinoids that mimic the effects of cannabis.
"Synthetic cannabinoids have been chemically designed in a laboratory to be more effective [than natural cannabis]... therefore you are producing a much more profound effect at significantly lower doses," Dr Sutcliffe said.
In April, Greater Manchester Police said Spice-related incidents were putting pressure on public services, adding it was "a problem that we cannot afford to get any worse".
Anyone found in possession of the substance can be jailed for up to five years. | Samples of the illegal drug Spice that caused a spike in hospitalisations in Manchester were "10 times more potent than normal", an academic has said. | 40275585 |
Anthony Ferrie was being taken back to jail in a G4S vehicle following a visit to Livingston's St John's Hospital when he absconded.
The 33-year-old was an inmate at Addiewell Prison in West Lothian.
Police said "extensive inquiries" were carried out in West Lothian and North Lanarkshire to trace Ferrie, who went missing on 4 August.
He was arrested at a house in Bellshill and will appear at Livingston Sheriff Court on Wednesday. | A prisoner who escaped from a security van after a visit to hospital 12 days ago has been arrested. | 37099404 |
Several homes and a hospital were struck by mortar fire on Saturday.
The Shia group's advance on the capital has left scores dead this week and damaged many key buildings.
The showdown between the Houthis and forces loyal to the main Sunni party, Islah, has triggered Yemen's worst crisis since 2011.
The violence came as it emerged that a deal between the rival groups was under discussion.
One presidential source told a BBC Arabic correspondent in Sanaa that the Houthis - an armed Shia grouping - had signed a draft agreement proposed by President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi.
No confirmation was available, and details of any discussions were limited.
Much of the violence on Saturday was in the northern part of the capital, where the rebels tried to seize control of the Iman University from fighters loyal to Islah.
The capital's international airport remained closed for a second day. Hundreds have fled their homes.
Following serious clashes between armed groups on Thursday and Friday, hundreds of Yemenis have had to leave their homes. Many others are stranded in their houses unable to go out and buy food and supplies.
"Most of the neighbourhood has left and most shops have closed," says Samir al-Miqbaly, a small grocery owner near the headquarters of Yemen TV, the state broadcaster, where clashes have taken places for the past two days.
"The sounds of shelling are very strong and the fighting is so intense that we could feel our houses shaking."
Even in the relatively calm area of Hadda, one resident and mother-of-three is worried about sending her children to school next week.
"Where is the government in all of this?" she asks.
The Houthis, an armed Shia movement based in the mountainous northern province of Saada, have been advancing upon the capital for weeks, skirmishing with rivals and staging protests demanding political and economic reforms.
This week they attacked the offices of Islah and the headquarters of Yemen's state TV station. President Hadi has described the rebel offensive as a "coup attempt".
The Houthis, who belong to the minority Zaidi Shia community, have staged periodic uprisings since 2004 to win greater autonomy for Saada.
Yemen has remained unstable since an outbreak of anti-government protests in 2011, which forced the then-President Ali Abdallah Saleh from office. | Clashes between Yemen's Houthis and Sunni militias have continued in the capital, Sanaa, killing four people and leaving three hurt. | 29294766 |
North Wales Police said the animal was found with a single bullet wound in a field at Hope Mountain near Caergwrle on Sunday morning.
It was described as a "truly awful offence" in a tweet by the force's rural crime team.
An investigation is under way. | A horse has been shot dead in a Flintshire field. | 39769446 |
Mental health problems affected everyday activities such as budgeting and paying bills, the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute (MMHPI) said.
Setting spending limits on cards and allowing people to set how banks contacted them would help, it said.
The trade body for High Street banks has vowed to improve inclusion.
In its mission statement covering 2016-18, the British Bankers' Association (BBA) said that the "crucial part of the industry commitment to raising standards" should include working with mental health initiatives.
The MMHPI said one in four people could suffer from mental health issues in any one year. It has published research suggesting that periods of poor mental health put people at risk of financial trouble.
For example it found that people with depression or post-traumatic stress disorder were likely to struggle with short-term memory, making Pin numbers harder to remember.
Those experiencing bipolar disorder or ADHD often struggled to resist impulses, potentially leading to dramatic spending sprees, it said.
People with borderline personality disorder or psychosis could find it very difficult to compare financial options and found it more difficult to plan ahead.
Extreme anxiety could also stop people opening letters or taking calls from banks.
Dan, aged in his 40s, says his finances are affected by his bipolar condition and anxiety. This led to a phobia of opening letters and answering the telephone, fearing his "safe space was being invaded".
As a result, bills went unpaid and bank charges built up, leading to debts which he is still repaying after 15 years. "I'm still playing catch-up," he says.
Although conditions are very individual, he says he would have been helped by correspondence through e-mail which would have allowed him to compartmentalise his financial matters and "take away the emotion" by dealing with it in work mode.
"Senior managers want to put measures in place, but this does not always filter down to branches and call centres," he says.
He would like to see better training in place. Clearer literature from banks, on what assistance is available for customers with mental health problems, would also allow people to make an informed decision on revealing their condition to bank staff.
The MMHPI is challenging banks to adapt some systems already available to help those with mental health problems. For example
Polly Mackenzie, the Institute's director, said: "For too long, it has been assumed that when people with mental health problems get behind on bills, or struggle to stick to their budget, it is because they are lazy or incompetent. Our research proves beyond doubt that's just not true.
"Mental health problems can severely affect consumers' ability to stay on top of their finances, shop around, or manage a budget.
"It is time for the financial services industry to adapt its services to help support people when they are unwell - just as they do to help people with physical disabilities who struggle to access a branch or engage on the phone."
A spokeswoman for the BBA said: "The industry is committed to supporting customers in vulnerable circumstances, and will consider these recommendations carefully alongside the pioneering work already done with the Royal College of Psychiatrists and others on debt and mental health issues.
"It is vital that vulnerable customers are offered the right support, although we recognise that balancing this support with respect for customers' privacy is a difficult and sensitive issue.
"The industry is continually looking at ways to help vulnerable customers, and develop alternatives to make everyday banking arrangements easier, with useful information and suggestions on different types of payments a key part of these developments." | Banks must offer basic account options, as given to other vulnerable people, to assist those struggling with mental health conditions, a think tank says. | 38722210 |
The video for the NSPCC and the FA explains how parents and children can raise concerns they may have about adults working in football.
The men's, women's and cerebral palsy team captains - Wayne Rooney, Steph Houghton and Jack Rutter - all feature.
Earlier, West Midlands Police said it was investigating historical football abuse claims - the 18th force to do so.
The video, which also includes England's under-21 vice-captain Nathaniel Chalobah, features the players speaking to the camera, outlining the four "key steps" the FA says its 8,500 safeguarding officers will conduct to keep children safe in football.
These include ensuring adults in football have been checked to ensure they are eligible to work with youngsters and that they have received suitable safeguarding training.
The other measures are making sure concerns from both children and adults are listened to and that concerns about a child's welfare are reported.
Rooney said: "It's important that everyone knows how to raise any concerns about a child's welfare."
Meanwhile, ex-England captain Alan Shearer has said he has been "shocked and deeply saddened" by revelations of abuse in the game.
The former striker, who like Rooney is an ambassador for the children's charity NSPCC, said he understood "the pain and lasting damage abuse can cause".
The Match of the Day pundit added: "I have nothing but huge respect and admiration for all the players who are now coming forward, bravely breaking years of silence in a bid to help others.
"They have carried a terrible burden for too long."
He said the FA had "acted swiftly" in its response and urged any victims to come forward and contact a dedicated NSPCC helpline.
"It is okay to speak out, there is help available and you don't need to suffer in silence anymore," he added.
Earlier, Southampton Football Club said it had contacted Hampshire Police after receiving information about allegations of historical abuse.
The club said it was offering its "full support" to the force in its probe into allegations in the Hampshire area.
On Thursday, several former Southampton players alleged they had suffered years of sexual abuse by a former employee.
Meanwhile, ex-Southampton manager Lawrie McMenemy has told the BBC he would have taken immediate action if he had known of any abuse allegations during his time in charge between 1973 and 1985.
He said: "Certainly if I'd known that was happening in my time - and I don't think it did happen in my time - I would have got it killed straightaway."
On Friday a former Chelsea footballer became the latest football player to make allegations of abuse.
In the Daily Mirror Gary Johnson, who was a member of Chelsea's first team from 1978 to 1981, claimed the club had paid him £50,000 to keep quiet about abuse allegations.
He told the paper he had been abused as a youth player in the 1970s by Eddie Heath, who is now dead.
Football Association chief executive Martin Glenn said if there was any evidence of rules being breached - "and hushing up would be one" - it would apply its rules "regardless of size of club".
In a statement, Chelsea said: "Chelsea Football Club has retained an external law firm to carry out an investigation concerning an individual employed by the club in the 1970s, who is now deceased.
"The club has also contacted the FA to ensure that all possible assistance is provided as part of their wider investigation."
West Midlands Police became the latest force to say it was investigating claims of abuse within the game, saying it was speaking to complainants about "four historical allegations".
Kent Police also confirmed it had received reports of historical child abuse within the county's football community, which it said it was reviewing.
Police forces investigating allegations:
Kent Police has said it received reports of historical child abuse within the county's football community and is now reviewing them. | Captains of three England football teams have taken part in a film about how to keep children safe in the sport. | 38185414 |
Storey, on loan from Swindon Town, put the hosts ahead inside the opening 15 minutes, drilling a low shot into the bottom corner.
Kgosi Ntlhe's chipped finish was ruled out for offside after the break as Peterborough pushed for an equaliser.
Striker Craig Westcarr also had a goal disallowed, but Pompey held on to beat their third-tier opponents.
The result means Portsmouth progress to the second round of the competition for the first time since 2010. | Miles Storey's early goal helped League Two Portsmouth shock Peterborough in the first round of the League Cup. | 28652530 |
Officials already have access to replays in the league, which has Irish, Scottish, Welsh and Italian teams.
But after the incident involving Northampton's George North in England's Premiership, officials could bring in a more comprehensive "bespoke" system.
"Pro12 Rugby is committed to ensuring that player safety remains a priority," a spokesperson said.
"Pro12 Rugby is in discussion with several providers about implementing a bespoke video system to facilitate more comprehensive access to match footage for medical staff, team management and disciplinary and match official performance review at all 135 games."
The use of video replays for reviewing head injuries is in focus after Wales winger North hit his head in Northampton's defeat by Leicester.
The 24-year-old fell heavily after a mid-air collision with Leicester's Adam Thompstone in their 19-11 defeat on 3 December.
The winger returned to action in that match after a head injury assessment, despite television replays showing him lying motionless on the pitch immediately after the tackle.
An investigation by the independent concussion review panel decided Saints will face no sanction over their handling of the incident.
However, the concussion review panel concluded North should not have returned to the field of play and emphasised the importance of video replays - and their monitoring - for medical staff.
North, meanwhile, will return to action on 23 December after an enforced break of nearly three weeks.
The Pro12 implemented World Rugby head injury protocols in 2014 and adopted the current Head Injury Assessment (HIA) along with the Six Nations following a trial period in August 2015.
The league claims that made them the first tournament to implement the regulations.
It also requires all players, coaches and medical staff to sign a document committing them to ensuring correct procedures are followed and undertaking "mandatory online courses in concussion management" as part of the participation agreement.
Head injuries are reviewed by a group which has disciplinary powers.
A Pro12 spokesman said: "No matter how sophisticated the technology employed, such video systems will serve only as a tool to assist our medical personnel and doctors, who act to the highest standards and in the best interest of our players.
"We have a medical subcommittee comprised of members from our four territories of operation and this group is constantly establishing, reviewing and improving our protocols around player safety."
Welsh Rugby Union chairman Gareth Davies says the decision not to punish Northampton was the correct one.
"It's raised the awareness once again," Davies told BBC Wales Sport.
"I think people in clubs and national governing bodies are doing the right thing for the players and I'm sure that would have been Northampton's intention, albeit some people would claim George should not have gone back on the field." | The Pro12 is in talks to bring in a new video system to help medical staff review head injuries during all games. | 38368860 |
Ross Monaghan, 35, was shot in the back in a targeted attack at around 09:05 on Monday, 16 January.
He had dropped his child off at St George's Primary in Penilee when a man pushing an buggy pulled out a gun.
Police returned to the area one week on, to seek more information about the attack from parents of school children.
Between 25 and 30 uniformed and CID officers were outside the school and in Muirdykes Road between 08:00 and 09:00.
Det Ch Insp John Kennedy confirmed Mr Monaghan had left the country since the attack.
"We've briefly spoken to him but at this stage we have to re-interview him," he said.
"It's very difficult when he's in Spain at the moment."
Ross Monaghan was cleared of killing gangland figure Kevin "Gerbil" Carroll in 2012 after a judge ruled there was no case to answer due to insufficient evidence.
After the shooting, images of the man thought to be the gunman were published by the Scottish Sun newspaper.
The man, who can be seen pushing a buggy near the school, was wearing a blue padded jacket, blue jeans, a dark woollen bobble hat and a woollen scarf pulled up around his face.
The suspect is also believed to have been in the area, outside the school, on Friday 13 January 2017, with the buggy.
Det Ch Insp John Kennedy said detectives were trying to establish if anyone witnessed the gunman running with the buggy from the scene.
He said: "We don't think he went into a house in the Penilee estate.
"We're of the opinion that he left the area in a car, probably driven by another male." | Police investigating an attempted murder in Glasgow have been in contact with manufacturers of children's buggies from as far afield as China. | 38716108 |
He called his visit to the USS Theodore Roosevelt "a symbol" of America's stabilising presence in the region.
Mr Carter said any concern over his visit was due to "tension in this part of the world", blaming China for "most of the activity over the last year".
His visit clearly irritated Beijing, a BBC correspondent in China says.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman warned against "waving the banner of freedom of navigation to push forward the militarisation of the South China Sea and even provoke and endanger other countries' sovereignty and security interests".
"In this aspect, we hope the relevant actions and intentions of the US can be made open and above board," she said before Mr Carter's visit.
The US defence secretary flew on Thursday with his Malaysian counterpart to the Theodore Roosevelt, which was sailing some 70 miles (112 miles) north-west of Borneo.
His visit comes a week after a US Navy destroyer sailed inside the 12 nautical mile radius that China claims as its territorial waters around one of its recently reclaimed islands.
Countries in and around the South China Sea have wrangled for centuries over control of the ocean areas and its, largely uninhabited, islands.
But tensions have increased in recent years as China has backed its expansive claims with island-building and navy patrols.
The US alleges China has reclaimed almost 3,000 acres of land in the past 18 months, and fears the dispute could turn into one with global consequences. | US defence secretary Ash Carter has visited an aircraft carrier in the South China Sea's contested waters, in what is seen as a signal to China. | 34737051 |
The protesters, who are made up of students and supporters of the Occupy Central pro-democracy movement, want a free choice of candidates for the vote in 2017 but Beijing has ruled that option out.
BBC News readers in Hong Kong and mainland China have been explaining why the issue has caused so much anger on the streets.
David Boyton, former police officer, Hong Kong
As a lawyer and a former Hong Kong police officer I did not initially care much for the Occupy Central movement.
I also felt greatly inconvenienced when I was stuck in Hong Kong traffic for several hours at one point because of these protests.
However, when I saw the unnecessary gassing of protesters who were not doing anything, my attitude completely changed.
This is an indication of what is to come - PRC [People's Republic of China]-style heavy-handed police tactics to deal with its own citizens.
It is no coincidence that the underlying movement promotes democracy and government accountability.
Why do the police, who are themselves citizens of Hong Kong, have to treat its own citizens with such disdain and contempt?
No doubt it will come out in the wash that, "we were just following orders". The unnecessary escalation by the Hong Kong police has changed my attitude completely.
The government and police must be made accountable; and this society must be allowed to move ahead in the way that the majority wishes.
I now fully support the protesters and I am ashamed of ever being a police officer in Hong Kong.
SK, a student at the Chinese University of Hong Kong
I spent a tense night amongst the students when it all started kicking off on Friday night.
The police just burst into a crowd that was formed by thousands of students and citizens who were outside the Hong Kong government headquarters.
Police used huge pepper sprays to attack the protesters. Students were shouting "protect the students, police please leave!" I support the student protests because Beijing's solution is unacceptable.
Hong Kong's leader, CY Leung, has ignored our demands to meet and that's why people in Hong Kong are so angry - not just us students.
Clara Me, Hong Kong
It's not that I don't sympathise with the protesters but I feel their way of going about things is too extreme.
I understand why they are doing it - but it is very naive to think if the students protest or speak loudly enough it will change things.
The Hong Kong government is under China's jurisdiction and if China doesn't agree, the Hong Kong government can't act. It's a difficult situation.
No-one wants another Tiananmen Square. People have been spreading rumours on social media of guns and tanks outside of Hong Kong and the territories - they are old pictures, it's not what is happening now.
So it makes me think some people want things to escalate. I want the protesters to calm down and go home.
Jason Liu, a civil engineer from Hong Kong
The students have been calm and peaceful. Some brought food and water with them, and the protest has been well organised.
The students have been lying peacefully on the ground. The police seized a protester's loudspeaker and this is what caused the first disturbance.
The protesters were not happy about it and they tried to stop the vehicle that was taking it away.
The police are trying to persuade protesters to go away. The police increased the number of barricades to stop people going into the government square.
I believe they will escalate their actions in order to clean up the square. But the protesters have been sitting peacefully.
I've never seen this happen in Hong Kong in my life.
I want the world to know that we are peaceful; no looting or vandalism, but police still treat us as if we are rioting.
We only use umbrellas to protect ourselves from the tear gas.
Ben Sun, sales manager, Shenzhen, China
I don't support the protesters, especially those who are secondary school students. They are the ones in society who need to be protected from politics, not involved in it.
1 October is National Day. Whatever China looks like and feels like in everyone's heart, it is Mother's Day too.
No-one hates their mother even if she is ugly, poor or unwise. To protest on Mother's Day is no different to a rebellious child misbehaving.
People in Hong Kong are full of idealism. Do the university students even know what they are protesting about? I think they are too young.
Just like an older brother to a younger brother, I would suggest, please talk to your parents and respect their decision.
When you can raise children yourself and support your parents, then you will really understand.
Jessica Yeung, professor, Hong Kong
I agree with the protesters.
Civic Square is supposed to be a public space but a fence three metres high was erected around it only a few months ago. I think the government was preparing for protests.
I saw thousands of people gathering there. It was very moving. People were coming with food, drink, facemasks, raincoats and cling film - so as to protect against the pepper spray.
Beijing is being increasingly manipulative and controlling when it comes to Hong Kong's legislation.
There is a huge cultural difference and I don't think Hong Kong's legislation reflects the view of the residents to Beijing. This has caused a lot of misunderstanding.
The present government is responsible to a large extent for what is happening. They've blocked communications between democrats and Beijing.
Andy Bugden, Shenzhen, China
I don't know what the protesters expect to achieve. I think Hong Kong people look down on mainlanders.
In about 30 years Hong Kong will return obediently to the mainland under one system.
They need to deal with reality. If they work with China then all will be fine - work against and they will find that China is stronger.
Hong Kong people are not going to get a choice that they want. A stable government is good for business.
The people of Hong Kong have to see the long-term view. They won't have democracy until China has democracy. | Tens of thousands of protestors have filled the streets of central Hong Kong demanding that China withdraws rules that allow it to vet candidates for the next leadership election. | 29388345 |
The 28-year-old was taken off on a stretcher during Wales' win over South Africa in November.
Lydiate subsequently missed the rest of the 2016-17 campaign.
"Dan is continuing his rehab from knee and shoulder surgery having been out of action since November," Ospreys medical performance manager Chris Towers said.
"The objective now is to make every effort to have him available for selection at the start of the season."
Dafydd Howells will miss start of next season as the Wales wing recovers from injury.
"Daf failed to recover from a shoulder injury picked up in training at the end of the season, which meant he has gone on to have surgery," Towers added,
"As a result we expect him to miss the start of the season."
But there is better news on wing Jeff Hassler, who will miss part of pre-season after keyhole surgery on a knee problem but is expected to return for the start of the new season.
Hooker Sam Parry (neck) has returned to limited training, while senior players Dmitri Arhip, Ma'afu Fia, Ben John and Rob McCusker have all rejoined the squad after injury.
Hanno Dirksen (knee), James King (ankle), Brian Mujati (shoulder) and Eli Walker (back) have yet to return to training because of their injuries. | Ospreys' Wales flanker Dan Lydiate is battling to be fit for the start of the 2017-18 season as he recovers from knee and shoulder surgery. | 40451365 |
The Blaencwm tunnel, closed for nearly 50 years, could reopen after a campaign by the Rhondda Tunnel Society.
The society wants to reopen the route, which runs for 3km (1.8 miles) to Blaengwynfi, Neath Port Talbot, for cyclists, walkers and tourists.
The tunnel was closed during cutbacks of the UK railway network in the 1960s.
In May this year, the Welsh government said it would commission a study to look at reopening the tunnel for tourism. | The first photos from inside a disused Rhondda railway tunnel, which campaigners want to convert into a cycle route, have been released. | 32692220 |
Jamshid Piruz, 35, lashed out at constables Jessica Chick and Stuart Young with a claw hammer during a West Sussex break-in on 7 January 2016.
He pleaded guilty at Hove Crown Court to burglary and two counts of attempting to cause GBH with intent and affray.
Piruz was previously jailed in the Netherlands for killing a woman.
PC Chick told the court: "I have never been so scared in my life."
PC Young, who was hit in the neck in the Crawley attack, described it as "akin to a horror film".
The court heard that after arriving in Britain in December 2015 to visit relatives, Afghan-born Dutch citizen Piruz missed his return flight home from Gatwick Airport on 4 January, 2016.
He went on to be arrested and prosecuted for assault after he spat at a member of EasyJet staff who told him he would need to buy a new ticket.
After appearing in court and being ordered to pay compensation, he went on to burgle garages in Crawley, where he stole tools including a hammer.
On 7 January police were called after a member of the public saw Piruz attempting a further break-in, which led to the attack on the officers.
Francesca Lewington, prosecuting, said Piruz was granted asylum in the Netherlands at the age of 16.
She said he was jailed for 12 years, of which he served six, for killing his female tenant in 2006. He locked her in a room before slitting her throat.
Simon Blackford, defending, said his client was remorseful and "suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder" after witnessing the murder of his parents by the Taliban when he was 11.
Jailing Piruz for a minimum of six years, Judge Jeremy Gold QC said: "This was an incident of truly terrifying violence, the officers were in fear of their lives."
He said Piruz suffered "acute psychotic episodes" and told him: "You are potentially a very dangerous man." | A convicted murderer has been jailed for life for a "horror film" hammer attack on two police officers. | 38614563 |
The man, who was in his 40s, died at a property on Capgrave Crescent in Brislington in the early hours of Sunday.
The case has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission as officers had previous contact with the dead man.
Two men held on suspicion of murder remain in custody. Two women who were arrested have been released on bail.
The victim had been seriously assaulted and had serious head injuries.
It is not known if he was alive when he was set on fire.
The dead man - who has not been named - had been questioned by officers on Friday on suspicion of breach of the peace.
He was released without charge later that evening and returned to his home in the Brislington area of the city.
Avon and Somerset Police have categorically denied claims in the community that the man had been arrested over alleged paedophile activity. | A man who died in Bristol was found by paramedics "in flames", police said. | 23329790 |
Democratic state senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal posted the comment on Facebook but later deleted it.
The Secret Service has confirmed they are "looking into the comments" and say "all threats against the President" will be investigated.
The senator says she was wrong to write the post but that she will not resign.
She had written "No. I will. I hope Trump is assassinated!" in response to a comment on Facebook.
She told the St Louis Post-Dispatch: "I didn't mean what I put up. Absolutely not.
"I have deleted it, and it should have been deleted.
"I am not resigning. What I said was wrong, but I am not going to stop talking about what led to that, which is the frustration and anger that many people across America are feeling right now."
Members of her own party were quick to condemn the comment with some calling for her resignation.
The leader of the Democratic Caucus in the Missouri senate, Gina Walsh, said her colleague "should be ashamed of herself for adding her voice to this toxic environment."
US Senator Claire McCaskill, also a Missouri Democrat, said: "I condemn it. It's outrageous. And she should resign."
The Republican Governor of Missouri Eric Greitens added his voice to calls for her to step down.
He said: "We can have differences in our country, but no one should encourage political violence. The senator should resign."
However, Ms Chappelle-Nadal insists she was exercising her right to free speech.
"I refuse to resign for exercising my First Amendment rights, even though what I said was wrong," she said. | A Missouri lawmaker is being investigated by the US Secret Service for saying she hopes President Donald Trump will be assassinated. | 40973209 |
Dante Gabriel Rossetti pictured his "muse and lover" Jane Morris in many of his Pre-Raphaelite works.
Thirty paintings, sketches and photos of her feature in the Rossetti's Obsession exhibition at Lady Lever Art Gallery, Wirral, until 21 September.
Galleries director Sandra Penketh said the exhibition marks 100 years since Mrs Morris' death.
Ms Penketh said: "Jane Morris as a model, muse, wife, lover and artist in her own right was at the heart of this explosive group which challenged the art establishment of the time."
Rossetti had a long affair with model Mrs Morris shortly after she married William in 1859.
Ms Penketh said Rossetti, who died in 1882, depicted Mrs Morris as the "ultimate femme-fatale".
"Her striking features, tumbling long hair and haunting stare appear in so many of Rossetti's finest works that they have become indelibly associated with the movement," Ms Penketh added.
The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was founded 150 years ago by Rossetti, William Holman Hunt and John Everett Millais who wanted to revolutionise the Victorian art world. | Rarely displayed works of the "ultimate femme-fatale" who inspired a Victorian artist have gone on show in Merseyside. | 27902838 |
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Selby opened with a break of 119, and at 3-0 up had scored 297 points, with the world number four managing just four.
Higgins pinched frame four, the start of a four-frame burst, but Selby responded and went on to win an error-ridden decider set up a semi-final with world number six Shaun Murphy.
In the evening session, five-time UK champion Ronnie O'Sullivan beat world number 16 Mark Williams 6-2 to set up a semi-final against Hong Kong's Marco Fu, who came back from 5-2 down to beat Welshman Jamie Jones 6-5.
Murphy scored three half-centuries and a ton to beat Belgium's Luca Brecel 6-1.
World champion Selby, who is into the last four at the York Barbican for the fourth time in the last five years, joked the result was "never in doubt".
"At one stage I felt I was throwing it away," he said.
"I was 3-0 up and playing well but I missed an easy red when I just needed red and black to go 4-0 up when I was in control. And the game doesn't forgive you.
"John started well and at 4-3 down I thought I was going home and I would only have myself to blame. I was getting chances but missing them. But I got through in the end."
Higgins said he was "gutted".
"I would have rather lost 6-0 than 6-5," he added. "I could have been halfway home by now."
Murphy, champion in 2008, was far too strong for Brecel, and reached the semi-finals here for the first time since 2012.
The 34-year-old looked slick and confident with his break-building throughout, scoring three half-centuries and a brilliantly compiled 112 in frame three.
But once again Murphy was not happy with the fact players do not get a new set of balls for each match, saying it affects the quality of play and is unfair to fans.
Find out how to get into snooker, pool and billiards with our fully inclusive guide.
"It's disappointing that the conditions were so poor," the Nottingham man said. "But my game is in good shape. I knew it was but have kept running into superheroes this season. But is has stood up here."
Murphy had lost 4-0 against his 21-year-old opponent at last month's Belfast Open, but was in control throughout in the best-of-11 meeting.
"I am very pleased," said Murphy. "I knew Luca was not to be messed with, going all the way to Belfast and scoring just eight points. It's a good win."
Sign up to My Sport to follow snooker news and reports on the BBC app. | World number one Mark Selby resisted a brilliant John Higgins fightback to win the last two frames and beat the three-time champion 6-5 in the UK Championship quarter-finals. | 38189814 |
Mr Quang, 59, has been head of the ministry of public security, which has been the focus of Western criticism of the nation's human rights record.
He had been nominated for the largely ceremonial role at January's communist party conference.
One of his first tasks will be to welcome visiting US President Barack Obama next month.
Mr Quang won 91.5% of a rubber-stamp vote in parliament on Saturday.
"I sincerely thank the National Assembly for electing me," Mr Quang said as he was sworn in. He is the first police general to fill the post.
The Communist Party in January re-elected Nguyen Phu Trong, 71, in the leading role of general secretary for a second term.
His re-election came after reformist Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung withdrew his candidacy.
The National Assembly will vote next week on a new prime minister - set to be Deputy PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc,
Earlier in the week, the assembly elected its first woman Speaker - Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.
Analysts believe one-party Vietnam will continue with economic reforms, but steer clear of major political changes. | Vietnam's police chief, Tran Dai Quang, has been sworn in as the communist country's president. | 35949749 |
Matthew Nelson gave Ireland a second-minute lead but Dominic Uher levelled with 100 seconds of the game remaining.
Conor Harte, Eugene Magee, Johnny McKee and Shane O'Donoghue converted their penalties successfully, while Davy Harte made two fine saves.
Ireland will top the group if they beat Italy in Belfast on Tuesday.
Craig Fulton's side got off to the best possible start when Chris Cargo turned and found Nelson in the circle and the Lisnagarvey player slipped his marker and swept the ball into the corner.
McKee and O'Donoghue had opportunities to extend the lead, before Uher equalised in the closing stages of the game.
Ireland had beaten Ukraine 9-2 in their opening fixture of the competition on Saturday.
The Irish men are the highest ranked team in the tournament and a top-three finish would be enough to qualify for the World League semi-finals in the summer. | Ireland made it two wins from two in World League 2 Pool A by defeating Austria 4-2 in a penalty shootout after their match ended 1-1 at Stormont. | 39250638 |
Torrential rain has lashed Queensland and New South Wales in the wake of Cyclone Debbie.
A woman and her two children were plucked from their roof after spending hours waiting in the dark for help.
The house broke away about 15 minutes later, a Queensland State Emergency Service spokesperson told the BBC.
Neighbours had called authorities to the scene at Luscombe, in Queensland's Gold Coast hinterland, on Saturday.
"It took us approximately an hour to dodge the high trees, the power lines, the stuff that was coming down the river," one rescuer, Jim Ferguson, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
Fellow rescuer Chris Holloway said he was relieved the house did not give way earlier.
"We've gone through all these 'what ifs', because after the rescue we were stranded there for a good four hours before we could get another rescue team in to help us," he told the Brisbane Times.
The building crashed into another house before hitting trees and breaking up, he said. | An Australian family was rescued from the roof of their house minutes before it was carried away in floodwaters, authorities have said. | 39475461 |
Posts from the divided northern city of Aleppo have for months been almost exclusively about bombings, destruction and the suffering of civilians, even before government forces renewed their siege of rebel-held eastern districts where some 250,000 people live.
But less than 24 hours after the truce began, Aleppo residents were suggesting that life was slowly returning to normal - or at least as normal as could be expected under the circumstances.
Social media backed up reports that the cessation of hostilities was broadly holding.
Many users initially provided frequent updates on whether government and rebel forces were abiding by the agreement announced on Saturday by Russia and US, who back opposing sides.
As the truce entered its second day, they had switched to sharing photos of celebrations for the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha, which also happened to start on Monday.
There was a sense of relief and cautious optimism after several very difficult months.
Some photos showed people shopping at markets in rebel-held areas in the northern provinces of Aleppo or Idlib - an activity that was fraught with danger only a few days ago.
Children were pictured laughing and playing in devastated streets and attending parties at which they could enjoy colouring and playing with balloons.
Several boys were even seen playing on an unexploded bomb in one Aleppo district.
In Jarablus, a northern border town where militants from so-called Islamic State were recently ousted by Turkish-backed rebel forces, residents were seen celebrating Eid on the streets.
Pictures of smiling children and dancing fighters in the town centre were widely circulated.
However, not all the material shared on social media was so positive.
Some Twitter users reported violations of the truce, describing clashes in Aleppo, Idlib and parts of Damascus province. Others were cautious about the long-term prospects of the initiative.
It is too early to tell whether the truce will hold and the calm last, but after five years of war Syrians are clinging to this moment of hope. | With a cessation of hostilities taking effect across Syria, people across the war-torn country have been sharing photos and videos of themselves enjoying a rare moment of relative calm. | 37355614 |
Sissoko, 26, has signed a three-year deal and was presented by PSG coach Leonardo on Thursday afternoon.
Born in France, Sissoko has never played in Ligue 1 - emerging through Auxerre's youth academy but leaving before playing a match.
From 2003, he spent two years with Spanish side Valencia before joining Juventus via Liverpool.
Sissoko, who missed the end of the Italian season after having knee surgery in March, will be playing under former Milan coach Leonardo.
At Thursday's news conference, Sissoko announced that he aims to establish himself with PSG before considering an international return for Mali.
Having also bought goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu from Palermo, a 24-year-old with two caps for Italy, the moves indicate PSG's determination to establish themselves as a major force following the arrival of Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) as majority shareholders.
The club have now made seven signings this summer, with Nicolas Douchez (Rennes), Kevin Gameiro (Lorient), Milan Bisevac (Valenciennes), Blaise Matuidi (Saint-Etienne) and Jeremy Menez (Roma) already having put pen to paper. | Mali midfielder Mohamed Sissoko has joined French side Paris Saint-Germain from Italy's Juventus. | 14332330 |
The 20-year-old, playing only his sixth Test, claimed 7-112 to help bowl England out for 342, a first-innings deficit of 133.
Alastair Cook and Joe Root made 76 and Moeen Ali was last out for 61.
Hashim Amla was dropped on nought as South Africa reached 42-1- a lead of 175 - before bad light ended play.
James Anderson gave England faint hope of an attainable fourth-innings chase when Dean Elgar was caught behind in the third over, and England's record wicket-taker then saw Amla put down by a diving Alex Hales at third slip.
But Rabada's heroics will make the home side - 2-0 down in the series - confident of a consolation victory.
England resumed on 138-2 and lost four wickets for 73 runs in the 26 overs bowled before lunch. Cook and Root had calmly negotiated the first 13 of them but Morne Morkel began an impressive spell that yielded a collapse.
The big fast bowler produced a near unplayable delivery to Cook, with pace and steepling bounce that found the edge and was smartly taken by wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock.
Then Rabada utilised the overcast conditions to devastating effect, bowling a consistently dangerous line around the off stump and extracting sufficient pace and movement to find the edges.
Root, who successfully overturned a caught-behind decision off spinner Dane Piedt, had hit Rabada for three fours in an over but edged one that that nipped away off the seam.
"He is a real prospect, he's got something," former England opening batsman Geoffrey Boycott told BBC Test Match Special.
"You would think he would learn a lot from bowling with Dale Steyn when he comes back into the side. The world is his oyster."
James Taylor, who struck his first ball delightfully down the ground for four, appeared intent on hooking anything short and a swipe at Rabada resulted in an edge to the wicketkeeper.
That forced Jonny Bairstow to begin his innings on the stroke of lunch and he fell third ball as another rising delivery from Rabada brushed his glove, which ended the morning session with England losing three wickets for three runs in 18 balls.
Cape Town hero Ben Stokes launched Piedt for four and a towering six in an over but he was caught at slip for 33 off Rabada in the first over with the new ball.
Moeen, who was dropped on 45, brought up a first Test fifty in 15 innings before he was last out, caught at deep point.
With the pitch showing signs of uneven bounce, England's chances of victory - with two days remaining - appear slim.
Boycott said: "I don't think England can win from here. They haven't got a cat in hell's chance. All they can do is try to save the game."
Former South Africa wicketkeeper Mark Boucher told TMS: "South Africa are on top but they're not out of danger yet.
"What if England come back tomorrow and bowl them out for 80? It's not impossible."
One concern for the Proteas in the fourth innings is opening bowler Kyle Abbott, who left the field with a hamstring injury and is unlikely to bowl again in this match.
Play on Sunday will start earlier at 08:04 GMT to make up for the overs lost to rain. | Kagiso Rabada became the youngest South Africa bowler to take seven wickets in an innings as the home side took command of the final Test in Centurion. | 35395183 |
The typical household had £26,332 to spend after taxes were paid and benefits received, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
Retired households saw a faster rise than others compared with the previous year, owing primarily to income from private pensions.
The richest fifth of the population saw a slight fall in their spending power.
The average UK household saw their disposable income rise by £564 compared with the previous year, after the rising cost of living - measured by inflation - was taken into account, the ONS said.
Senior statistician Claudia Wells said: "Household incomes are above their pre-downturn peak overall, but not everyone is better off.
"While retired households' incomes have soared in recent years, non-retired households still have less money, on average, than before the crash."
The median average disposable income of pensioner households has recorded a rise of 13% since 2007-08, compared with a 1.2% fall among non-retired households.
The ONS puts growing private pensions ahead of the guaranteed rise in the state pension - under the so-called triple lock - as the long-term reason for the pick-up in pensioners' incomes.
However, the £21,770 of typical spending power for retired households remains below the £28,481 of non-retired households.
The top fifth of households saw real incomes fall back by £1,000 a year, while the poorest gained £700 on average in 2015-16, the ONS said.
Top pay levels have come under pressure, but employment prospects and pay for the poorest have improved, it added.
The figures come as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he would like to see a maximum cap on the amount people can earn.
Household income has tended to pick up faster over the years owing to an increasing number of couples both in employment.
Matt Whittaker, chief economist at the Resolution Foundation think tank, said: "It was another strong year for living standards, particular for poorer households. Strong employment growth, low inflation and rising pensioner incomes over recent years have helped drive inequality down to its lowest level in nearly 30 years.
"However, the last three years of growth have come back off the back of a living standards squeeze so deep that typical working age families are still £345 poorer than they were before the financial crisis.
"With employment plateauing, productivity growth refusing to budge and inflation rising, the risk is that this mini boom won't continue."
Former chancellor George Osborne tweeted that "ONS data today shows inequality fell in 2015/16 & incomes of poorest rose. Progressive Conservative policy at work." | The average UK household's disposable income - or spending power - rose by nearly £600 in 2015-16. | 38568288 |
Ms Jones secured 25,364 votes to see off the challenge of current mayor Peter Davies, standing as an independent, in a tight contest.
The result was decided on a count of second preferences after just 590 votes separated them on first preferences.
Ms Jones, who has been the councillor for Askern Spa ward for the past seven years, will become the town's first female and second Labour mayor.
Incumbent mayor Mr Davies came second after receiving 24,725 votes.
He stood as an independent candidate after quitting the English Democrat party in February over claims of an influx of new members joining from the British National Party.
The turnout for the vote was 28%, with 62,132 voting out of an electorate of 223,608. In 2009 the turnout was 39%.
Ms Jones said her win was a "hugely proud and humbling moment".
She said: "Doncaster's spoken and it has said it wants a mayor who will always be on its side, who will stand up against any cuts that's Tory led, will go out and sell Doncaster to the world, to bring jobs and growth here, that's what we need.
"The people of Doncaster have put great responsibility on my shoulders. I accept it and say I will work my socks off for you."
Mr Davies congratulated Ms Jones on her "somewhat narrow victory".
He said: "I have enjoyed every minute of the experience, I have been privileged to service the people of Doncaster with what I think has been four years of common sense and taking nonsense out of council and political life."
He added: "I will not miss the council meetings, which are horrendous in the extreme more often than not."
All three main political parties were represented in the election alongside the English Democrats, Trade Unionists and Socialists, and National Front.
Three independent candidates also stood as well as a Save Your Services representative.
Ms Jones and Mr Davies were the only candidates remaining after the first round. | Labour's Ros Jones has won the race to become Doncaster's elected mayor. | 22397860 |
Kasturi Munirathinam's right arm was chopped off, allegedly by her employer, when she tried to escape from their house last week, reports say.
Ms Munirathinam was working as a domestic help. She is recovering in hospital.
Her family has alleged that she was being tortured by her Saudi employers.
Saudi authorities have not commented on the incident yet.
Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj wrote on Twitter: "This is unacceptable. We have taken this up with Saudi authorities. Our embassy is in touch with the victim."
"Chopping of [arm] of Indian lady - we are very much disturbed over the brutal manner in which Indian lady has been treated in Saudi Arabia," Ms Swaraj added.
The family of Ms Munirathinam in the southern Indian city of Chennai said that her employers had been "angered" after she complained about the "harassment" she was facing at her employer's home, where she had begun working three months ago.
They are asking the government to secure them compensation from the family, and also help pay Ms Munirathinam's medical expenses.
"Ever since she went to work with this family in July, things were not alright. My mother was not even allowed to speak to us over the phone, she was not given proper food and was forced to work long hours," her son S Kumar told BBC Hindi.
"When she tried to escape the harassment and torture, her right arm was chopped off by the woman employer. Now my sister can't even sit and do simple things on her own, as her spinal cord has also been injured," her sister S Vijayakumari added.
Ms Vijayakumari said her sister had been hospitalised in Riyadh and was "in a serious condition", adding that although they were relieved she was getting proper medical attention, they were unable to afford the expenses.
They have asked the Tamil Nadu state government to help them financially and have also sought the Indian government's help in securing Ms Munirathinam's return to India.
The family said that they had come to know of the incident through the "agents" who had hired her to work in Saudi Arabia. They also claim to have received a video message from Ms Munirathinam that has been recorded on a mobile phone.
Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup told the Indian Express newspaper that India would "continue to seek justice for the victim".
"Our embassy in Riyadh has taken up the matter with the Saudi Foreign Office and asked for strict action in the matter and severe punishment for the sponsor," he said.
He said India had sought an independent probe in the incident and urged that "a case of attempted murder be lodged against the sponsor so that he is punished, if found guilty as per law".
Thousands of men and women from India travel to Arab states every year to seek work as domestic servants and labourers.
The poor treatment and abuse of maids in the Middle East is a familiar tale. Benjamin Dix and Lindsay Pollock tell the disturbing story of a young Ethiopian woman who took a job as a domestic help in Saudi Arabia but was treated like a slave.
Read Almaz's story | India's foreign ministry has complained to the Saudi Arabian authorities following an alleged "brutal" attack on a 58-year-old Indian woman in Riyadh. | 34483504 |
Danny Cipriani, playing his last game at the AJ Bell Stadium before moving to Wasps, exchanged penalties with Laidlaw to make it 6-6 at half-time.
Johnny Leota's try put Sale ahead after the break, before a further Laidlaw penalty kept the visitors in touch.
And the Scotland captain landed a late fourth kick to snatch victory.
In harming the Sharks' chances of securing a European Champions Cup place for next season, Gloucester also kept themselves in contention, edging to within three points of sixth-placed Northampton, who play Bath on Saturday.
The Cherry and Whites were good value for their win despite trailing for much of the second half, more than matching their hosts' physicality and producing a resolute defensive display.
Steve Diamond's side, who visit Newcastle in the final round of fixtures, are now all-but out of the play-off picture, as they remain five points behind Leicester in fourth.
Sale director of rugby Steve Diamond: "We gave away silly penalties but take nothing away from Gloucester, they came here to do a job and they did it.
"We can't take the credit away from Gloucester, you make your own luck. But you also contribute to your downfall and we did that magnificently well.
"It would have been nice to win and kept the record but it takes a bit of pressure off us in one respect, so we will get down to business on Monday and see where we're at."
Gloucester director of rugby David Humphreys: "From a psychological point of view, to win at Sale is a huge step forward.
"I don't think anybody can question the heart and character that's in this squad. There's huge fight, we have a competitive edge but what we lack in big games is a little bit of detail, a little bit of accuracy. That's the step forward we can make as a team.
"Greig Laidlaw hasn't played out-half for three years but you will struggle to see a better number 10 performance across the Premiership this weekend in terms of his control, composure, decision-making and defence. We had great shape and it just shows his quality as a rugby player."
Sale Sharks: Haley; Addison, James, Leota, Edwards; Cipriani, Stringer; Harrison, Taylor, Cobilas, Evans, Ostrikov, Neild, Seymour (capt), Ioane.
Replacements: Briggs, Lewis-Roberts, Mujati, Mills, Ioane, Mitchell, Ford, Jennings.
Gloucester: Atkinson; Cook, Trinder, Twelvetrees, Thorley; Laidlaw (capt), Heinz; Thomas, Hibbard, Afoa, Savage, Thrush, Moriarty, Kvesic, Kalamafoni.
Replacements: Cole, Wood, McNulty, Morgan, Evans, Braley, Creed, Ludlow. | Greig Laidlaw kicked Gloucester to victory over Sale to deliver a blow to the Sharks' top-six hopes and end their unbeaten Premiership home record. | 36141233 |
In which case, I have to admit a failure.
It's important to point out that I wasn't wholly to blame, what with the government taking me to court and all that.
Nonetheless what I've finally learned isn't a story now - and probably wouldn't have been when I thought it might have been.
Let me explain....
Four years ago, I asked what I thought was an entirely innocent question using Freedom of Information laws.
Back in 2010, the coalition government were trumpeting a new red tape-busting cabinet panel, the Reducing Regulation Committee. I suspected that it was all froth and no action, so in 2012 I asked how often they had met since the committee's creation.
Twenty working days later, I thought, I'd get a number closely resembling one, namely the original meeting. How wrong I was, on both fronts.
The Cabinet Office, bored rigid I can only assume, decided to refuse my request on the basis that disclosing the number would impinge on cabinet collective decision-making. Balderdash I thought, or some other word beginning with B.
I therefore appealed, first to the Cabinet Office's own system (turned down) and then to the Information Commissioner's Office. Merry hell ensued. The ICO found in my favour, the Cabinet Office appealed, lost, appealed again, won, the ICO appealed for me, won, etc. Back and forth it went for three years. At one point, the government called in the fearsome-sounding "Treasury Devil", the so-called Star of the Bar, James Eadie QC, to argue their case.
Every few months a kindly solicitor at the ICO's office would email me with the latest twist in a story I had long lost interest in beyond knowing the indefatigable team at the ICO's office were sticking to their guns.
In November, word reached me that the end was nigh. A hapless Cabinet Office official was roundly condemned by a tribunal, who described her evidence as evasive and disingenuous.
Despite my increasing confidence that I'd get my answer, it was still something of a miracle to receive the response from the Cabinet Office on the Friday just before Christmas.
I'm now in a position to exclusively reveal to you, dear reader, that between 2010 and 2012, the Reducing Regulation Committee met on a total of 13 occasions.
You read it here first. Eventually.
Ministers are currently pondering whether to put restrictions on the Freedom of Information Act. In the meantime, how much it cost in legal fees to refuse my request for three years will be the subject of my next FOI request. | Journalism is, at least in part, the art of delivering new information in a timely manner. | 35221173 |
Several Edinburgh schools have had to be shut.
Centres at Woodside in Aberdeen and Forres were built by Miller Construction under a public private partnership (PPP) in 2014.
Miller also built Aberdeen's Health and Care Village.
NHS Grampian said that, while the buildings were of a different design to schools, it had asked for assurances that similar defects were not inherent in any of the designs.
An Aberdeen City Council spokesperson said: "We can confirm that Miller Construction was not involved in any of Aberdeen City Council's school build programme (the 3Rs Project), which involved Public Private Partnership (PPP).
"As a matter of precaution we have organised a series of structural tests on the schools, which were built or refurbished as part of the council's 3Rs Project.
"These tests will be carried out this week during the school holidays."
Aberdeenshire Council said structural engineers had already given its schools the all-clear, and Moray Council said it was confident that all of its schools met appropriate standards.
And parents in Shetland have been reassured there are no safety concerns with any school buildings.
A total of 17 Edinburgh schools, including 10 primaries, five secondaries and two additional support needs schools, have been shut due to concern over the standard of construction. | NHS Grampian is seeking assurances that health centres are not affected by similar concerns to those raised about Edinburgh schools built by the same contractor. | 36013910 |
The Night Tube service was due to begin on some lines in September, but was delayed amid fallouts over staff pay and conditions.
Further disruption has been threatened with 1,300 maintenance workers set to vote on possible industrial action.
London Underground (LU) train and station staff walked out twice in 2015.
More news on this and other stories from London
The union has a mandate to order thousands of members out on strike over the issue, and the results of the latest ballot should be announced at the end of January.
The new staff to be balloted work for Tube Lines, a wholly owned subsidiary company of LU.
They are responsible for maintenance and upgrade work on the Piccadilly, Northern and Jubilee lines.
Mick Cash, leader of the RMT, said: "Our Tube Lines members have been offered the same deal on pay and Night Tube as their own LU colleagues and our reps have clearly rejected it as wholly unsatisfactory.
"Now we move to a ballot of our members for both strike action and action short of a strike."
Steve Griffiths, LU's chief operating officer, urged RMT to resolve the issue.
He said: "We have made the same fair and sustainable four-year pay offer for Tube Lines maintenance staff as has been made for staff employed by London Underground.
"This will see an average 2% and inflation-protected rises in 2016 and 2017." | More workers will be balloted for strike action in the Night Tube dispute, the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union has said. | 35242992 |
28 June 2017 Last updated at 06:44 BST
This 16-year-old moggy likes to hitch a ride on her owner Jean's shoulder.
She likes heading into Leeds city centre for a spot of people-watching.
That takes some serious cat-titude... | Meet Kakapo the cat. | 40420962 |
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Chelsea forward Hazard, 25, scored a superb individual goal in the 4-0 win over Hungary, but picked up a thigh injury and has missed training since.
"We are working on getting him 100% fit," said Belgium manager Marc Wilmots.
"I cannot give you a specific time when that will happen, nor can I tell you that he will be OK."
He added: "I really hope he will be able to train on Wednesday - but he still has some pain in his thigh."
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Wilmots' side, ranked second in the world, played Wales during their Euro 2016 and World Cup 2014 qualifying campaigns and have not won any of their past three meetings.
The last encounter saw Wales triumph 1-0 in Cardiff in Cardiff in June 2015.
Belgium winger Dries Mertens described Chris Coleman's team as "very good defensively", adding: "They give you the feeling you can score a goal but in the end they score a goal and have stopped you.
"If you don't play really well against them, you have a lot of problems. They also have a lot of quality up front." | Belgium are still waiting to find out if Eden Hazard will be fit for Friday's Euro 2016 quarter-final against Wales. | 36668867 |
Over the past 10 years, it has expanded its domestic influence but also become entangled in Syria's civil war. Here are ways it has changed in some key areas.
Hezbollah transformed from a party with limited power to a potent political heavyweight. It led a series of protests in late 2006 to demand greater decision-making power in cabinet.
In 2008, Hezbollah-led militants initiated clashes in Beirut after the government threatened to shut down its private telecommunications network, eventually acquiring veto power in cabinet.
The party dismissed the legitimacy of an international tribunal investigating the 2005 killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, which indicted five Hezbollah members.
It remained steadfast in the face of public dissent and a violent domestic backlash, manifested in sectarian clashes and bombings, over its involvement in the Syrian civil war.
For two years, Hezbollah has also used its veto power to prevent the election of a Lebanese president whom it does not favour.
Hezbollah underwent a significant shift, developing new capabilities and growing its ranks through its intervention in Syria, moving away from a purely Lebanon-Israel focus.
Its weapons arsenal grew from from 33,000 rockets and missiles before the 2006 war to an estimated 150,000. Similarly, it swelled from a few thousand members in 2006 to an estimated 20,000-plus.
After 2011, Hezbollah's military support for the Iran-backed Syrian government - its weapons supply line - gave its fighters considerable combat experience and exposure to Russian military planning. Hezbollah also trained pro-Iranian forces in Yemen and Iraq.
But it lost some of its highest-ranking officials in Syria, and found itself fighting Sunni extremist groups on Lebanese soil.
Hezbollah incurred financial losses from targeted sanctions and increased military expenditures. Several governments also linked Hezbollah to international drug trafficking rings and money laundering, claims the group has denied.
It receives substantial financial and arms support from Iran.
In 2016, Lebanese banks began to comply with a US law targeting Hezbollah's finances, closing down hundreds of Hezbollah-linked accounts.
Reports suggest it has struggled to pay compensation to families of fighters killed or injured in Syria.
Tensions between Hezbollah and Arab states soared. Hezbollah was condemned by most Arab governments for its "adventurism" in the July 2006 war. It still enjoyed considerable popular support across the Arab world, however, for fighting a "common enemy" - Israel.
A decade later, the Arab League, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) all branded Hezbollah a "terrorist" organisation.
In the eyes of predominantly Sunni Arab Gulf states, Hezbollah transformed into a Shia force killing Sunnis in Syria. Relations between Saudi Arabia - which also backs an anti-Hezbollah political bloc in Lebanon - and Hezbollah were particularly hard hit.
Hezbollah maintained its use of media as a political tool. In July 2006, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah asked viewers of its TV channel Al-Manar to watch as a burning Israeli warship sunk off the shores of Beirut.
The group has since developed an all-encompassing, offensive media strategy in its coverage of regional conflicts, alongside a surge in pro-Hezbollah social media pages.
Its discourse expanded from "resistance" against Israel to include sectarian messaging against Sunni extremism. Its media machine came under attack in 2015-16 when two leading Arab satellites took Al-Manar TV off air.
But Hezbollah also launched a largely successful venture in 2009 when it opened its war museum in south Lebanon, attracting locals and tourists alike.
BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world. You can follow BBC Monitoring on Twitter and Facebook. | In the wake of the month-long war with Israel in July 2006, Lebanon's Hezbollah rebuilt itself to become one of the most powerful militant groups in the Middle East. | 36672803 |
Some 400 Russian ratings are living in the western French port, awaiting delivery of their controversial new command-and-control ship, the Vladivostok.
By day the sailors receive instruction at an on-shore facility run by the Vladivostok's builders, STX France.
This week they have finally been allowed on board the vessel for the first time.
At the end of the afternoon they return to the Russian navy ship which serves as their sleeping-quarters.
The Russian navy flag - a blue Saint Andrew's cross on a white field, like an inverted Scottish saltire - flies from the stern.
There then follows half an hour of drill, commanders barking out orders as files of sailors parade along the dock. After that they mooch about and play football.
From behind a fence, locals come to stare. The atmosphere is friendly enough - at one point an officer comes over to give a Russian navy badge to a child watching with his parents.
But otherwise there is no contact. No-one here speaks Russian, and the Russians are under strict orders to stay tight-lipped.
A mass of gray steel, its superstructure looming over the town, the Vladivostok is moored a few hundred metres away.
Workers are applying some final touches, but essentially the Mistral-class helicopter carrier is complete and ready for delivery.
In another part of the dockyard not accessible to the public, work has started on a second ship, the Sevastopol.
As with the Vladivostok, the rear part of the Sevastopol - essentially the container part - was built in Russia. It was then transported by barge to the French naval dockyards at Saint-Nazaire for the all-important front section to be attached.
The French government is now in a quandary over whether to go ahead with delivery of the ships.
On the one hand the warships could greatly enhance the power of President Vladimir Putin's navy. And no-one in France wants that, during the current east-west crisis over Ukraine.
But on the other hand, the contract has been signed. And in Saint-Nazaire hundreds of jobs are at stake.
It is beginning to look very unlikely that President Francois Hollande will stop the sale of the first ship, the Vladivostok. It is paid for - and now the Russians have arrived to take delivery.
The fate of the second ship, the symbolically named Sevastopol, is less sure. President Hollande will keep options open on that sale as long as he can.
Sevastopol has long been the Russian Black Sea Fleet's base in Crimea, a "hero" city associated with Soviet sacrifices in World War Two. But Mr Putin's annexation of the whole Crimean peninsula in March drew international condemnation.
Two problems complicate a proposed alternative plan to sell the ships instead to Nato, or a friendly government.
First, as half of the ships was built in Russia, Russia actually owns part of them already.
Second, the ships are designed for Arctic ports with ice-breaking reinforcement. There is no demand for that kind of ship outside of Russia.
Among the local people watching the Russian sailors, feelings are mixed.
"They're not going to use the ship to fight a war against France," says one woman. "So what's the problem?"
But for Jean-Paul Regent, a retired ship-builder, "It's a terribly difficult decision. We need the jobs and the investment. Building ships is what we do here.
"But for Putin's Russia? The destination makes us feel very uneasy. We are all in two minds about it all." | The evening attraction in Saint-Nazaire this summer is watching Russian sailors practise their marching drill along the quayside. | 28697529 |
The Exiles were 11 points adrift when they sacked boss Graham Westley but followed up a win over Crewe thanks to Ryan Bird's second half penalty.
County are now seven points from League Two safety and off the bottom of the table after Bird converted after Alex Whitmore fouled Alex Samuel.
Morecambe remain 15th.
Newport County boss Michael Flynn told BBC Radio Wales Sport: "It is not easy, but the boys were outstanding.
"We had enough chances to wrap up the game earlier, but the boys showed great character.
"We kept a clean sheet. I was very nervous, but tried not to show it.
"It's a brilliant win. We will keep fighting and we will keep scraping."
Match ends, Morecambe 0, Newport County 1.
Second Half ends, Morecambe 0, Newport County 1.
Foul by Michael Rose (Morecambe).
Jazzi Barnum-Bobb (Newport County) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
(Morecambe) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Ryan Bird (Newport County).
Andrew Fleming (Morecambe) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Jazzi Barnum-Bobb (Newport County).
Foul by Michael Rose (Morecambe).
Ryan Bird (Newport County) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Attempt blocked. Alex Whitmore (Morecambe) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Attempt missed. Rhys Turner (Morecambe) header from the right side of the box is close, but misses the top right corner.
Attempt saved. Aaron Williams (Newport County) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Substitution, Newport County. Aaron Williams replaces Alex Samuel because of an injury.
Attempt missed. Jazzi Barnum-Bobb (Newport County) right footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses to the right.
Attempt missed. Michael Rose (Morecambe) left footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left.
Substitution, Newport County. Jazzi Barnum-Bobb replaces Mark O'Brien.
Corner, Morecambe. Conceded by Joss Labadie.
Substitution, Morecambe. Peter Murphy replaces Antony Evans because of an injury.
Corner, Morecambe. Conceded by Sid Nelson.
Mark O'Brien (Newport County) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Corner, Morecambe. Conceded by Tom Owen-Evans.
Michael Rose (Morecambe) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Mark O'Brien (Newport County).
Foul by Ryan Edwards (Morecambe).
Scot Bennett (Newport County) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner, Morecambe. Conceded by Sid Nelson.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Antony Evans (Morecambe) because of an injury.
Attempt saved. Lee Molyneux (Morecambe) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Substitution, Newport County. Mickey Demetriou replaces Sean Rigg.
Delay in match Alex Samuel (Newport County) because of an injury.
Substitution, Morecambe. Lee Molyneux replaces Kevin Ellison.
Goal! Morecambe 0, Newport County 1. Ryan Bird (Newport County) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the centre of the goal.
Penalty conceded by Alex Whitmore (Morecambe) after a foul in the penalty area.
Penalty Newport County. Alex Samuel draws a foul in the penalty area.
Attempt missed. Antony Evans (Morecambe) right footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right.
Attempt saved. Sean Rigg (Newport County) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Attempt blocked. Joss Labadie (Newport County) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Ryan Edwards (Morecambe) wins a free kick in the attacking half. | Newport County increased their hopes of avoiding League Two relegation by winning a second straight match under new boss Michael Flynn. | 39188688 |
The 21-year-old centre-back, who made 10 appearances during a loan spell with the Hatters last season, has agreed a two-year deal at Kenilworth Road.
A Republic of Ireland Under-21 international, Rea came through Albion's academy and featured twice for the Seagulls in the League Cup.
Luton boss Nathan Jones worked with Rea during his time as a coach at Brighton.
"He's a player and a character that I've got a lot of time for," Jones told the club website.
"It's taken a while. Brighton had a valuation of the player that we've had to negotiate, and we've got there in the end."
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | League Two side Luton Town have signed defender Glen Rea from Brighton & Hove Albion for an undisclosed fee. | 36644159 |
Nathan Wood was last seen near the River Dart in Totnes, Devon, on Friday evening in a "distressed state", officers said.
It was feared he had fallen into the river after taking a so-called "new psychoactive substance" (NPS).
Deep water divers were drafted in on Sunday to help in the search for Mr Wood.
Search teams recovered a body earlier which would "appear to be a male of the right age range", a spokesman said.
The body has not been formally identified, but Mr Wood's family have been informed.
Inspector Tracey Sharam, from Devon and Cornwall Police, said: "We'd like to thank everybody for their help and support that have turned up over the last couple of days helping us with those searches.
"Our thoughts at this time are with his family, his friends and the community in Totnes."
Police said the teenager had been out with a group of friends on Friday night and believed he entered the water at about 18:30 BST.
Acting Sgt Kevin Rowe said there was a "possibility he may have taken some sort of [formerly] legal high which has had an adverse effect on his behaviour and caused him to behave quite irrationally".
The Dartmoor Rescue Group and a helicopter helped in the search efforts over the weekend.
Mr Wood's friends confirmed to officers the teenager had taken a drug on the night he went missing.
New psychoactive substances, formerly known as "legal highs", are synthetic versions of drugs such as amphetamines and cannabis designed to mimic their effects. | A body has been found by police searching a river for a missing 16-year-old boy. | 37003435 |
It accounts for more than 40% of the world's economy and includes superpowers such as the US and Japan.
While the monumental deal is aimed at liberalising commerce across the countries, not all of the industries and sectors involved will benefit as much as others.
Here's a look at some of the major winners and losers of the free trade agreement that would cut thousands of taxes or tariffs. | The agreement on the Tran-Pacific Partnership (TPP) between 12 Pacific Rim countries is being touted as the biggest trade deal the world has seen in two decades. | 34451423 |
The Swans are bottom of the Premier League having won only one of Bradley's first seven games in charge.
"I don't spend any time thinking about it [my future]," the American said.
"If some people want to criticise - there were some who had me out the door from the first day because of my accent."
Bradley, the first American to manage in the Premier League, added: "They can hit the road because that doesn't have anything to do with anything."
He says he is already planning for the January transfer window and hopes to improve his squad "from back to front".
"When you're a manager, it goes with the territory," the 58-year-old said. "If you worry about that and spend time covering yourself in those ways, players will spit you out so fast, they'll see through it.
"If I am telling players 'you have to look adversity in the eye and you have to have some courage', I have to have it too."
Appointed in October after Francesco Guidolin was sacked, Bradley has endured a chastening start to his tenure, with Swansea now two points adrift at the foot of the Premier League table and three points from safety.
Chairman Huw Jenkins says he "accepts responsibility" for the Swans' slump, which has been compounded by problems off the field following the club's American takeover in the summer.
Jenkins has also said American owners Jason Levien and Steve Kaplan will make funds available during the January transfer window, and Bradley has been discussing potential signings with all three.
"We need to improve from back to front," he said.
"I have good discussions with Huw on all aspects throughout week. I also have a weekly call with Jason and Steve.
"If we come up with the right player and that player is eager to get to Swansea and feels it is a challenge they are up for, I have every bit of confidence Jason and Steve are ready to jump in and make moves that are going to help us."
Swansea face a crucial fixture in their bid to avoid relegation on Saturday when they host Sunderland, who are second from bottom of the Premier League.
Defender Federico Fernandez and midfielder Ki Sung-yueng have been ruled out because of injury.
Fernandez's absence is untimely given Swansea's defensive failures this season, conceding 31 goals so far - more than any other team.
Nineteen of those goals have been conceded in Bradley's seven games in charge, and the former United States and Egypt manager has warned his players they must improve.
"We have to defend better in all areas," he added. "We're not going to survive if we continue to concede that number of goals." | Swansea City's manager Bob Bradley has claimed that some critics want him out because of his accent. | 38251553 |
It was reported that the ecstatic women were scientists and the photograph challenged the stereotype that rocket science in India was a male preserve.
Isro later clarified that the celebrating women were administrative staff, but it went on to add that there indeed were several women scientists who had worked on the mission and were in the control room at the time of the launch.
The BBC's Geeta Pandey recently travelled to Bangalore to meet some of the women who have taken India into space.
As a little girl growing up in the northern Indian city of Lucknow, Ms Karidhal was an avid sky watcher who "used to wonder about the size of the moon, why it increases and decreases. I wanted to know what lay behind the dark spaces".
A student of science who loved physics and maths, she scoured the daily newspapers for information about Nasa and Isro projects, collected news clippings, and read every little detail about anything related to space science.
After getting her postgraduate degree, "I applied for a job at Isro and that's how I became a space scientist", she says.
It's now been 18 years and Ms Karidhal has worked on several projects at Isro, including the prestigious Mars mission, which has thrust her and her colleagues into the limelight.
The mission began in April 2012 and the scientists only had 18 months to capture Mars.
"It was a very small window, so the big challenge was to realise the project in that time. We had no heritage of interplanetary missions, so we had a lot to do in that short period."
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Although women scientists were part of the mission right from the time of conception, Ms Karidhal says its success was due to the team effort.
"We used to sit with the engineers, everyone would brainstorm, irrespective of the time, we often worked the weekends.
A mother of two young children, Ms Karidhal says it was not easy to maintain a work-life balance but "I got the support I needed from my family, my husband and my siblings".
"At the time, my son was 11 and my daughter was five. We had to multi-task, manage time better, but I think that even when I was exhausted at work, I'd go home and see my children and spend time enjoying with them, and I'd feel better and they would also like it."
It's often said that "men are from Mars while women are from Venus" but following the success of the Mars mission, many dubbed India's women scientists the "women from Mars".
"I am a woman from earth, an Indian woman who got an amazing opportunity," Ms Karidhal says.
"Mars mission was an achievement, but we need to do a lot more. The country needs a lot more from us so that the benefit reaches the last man."
And who better than women scientists to do that?
Ms Harinath's first exposure to science was Star Trek on television.
"My mother is a maths teacher and my father is an engineer with a great liking for physics and as a family we were all so fond of Star Trek and science fiction and we would sit together and watch it on TV."
Of course, at the time, she never thought of becoming a space scientist and for her, Isro "just happened".
"It was the first job I applied for and I got through. It's been 20 years now and there's been no looking back."
Being part of the Mars mission was a high point of her life.
"It was very important for India, not just for Isro. It's put us on a different pedestal, foreign countries are looking at us for collaborations and the importance and attention we got was justified.
"It was also the first time Isro allowed the public to look at what was happening inside, we were on social media, we had our own Facebook page, and the world took notice.
"I feel proud of our achievement. Sometimes, I feel honoured and flattered, but sometimes I'm also embarrassed," she says, laughing. "But now the way people look at you, it's very different. People recognise you for being a scientist. And I'm enjoying it thoroughly."
Ms Harinath says she takes "immense pride" in Mangalyan and was "really thrilled" to see it's photograph on the new 2,000 rupee notes.
But it was not an easy assignment and the work days were long.
In the beginning, the scientists worked about 10 hours a day, but as the launch date came closer, it went up to 12 to 14 hours.
"During the launch, I don't think we went home at all. We'd come in the morning, spend the day and night, probably go home for a short time the next afternoon to eat and sleep for a few hours and come back. But for an important mission like that which is time bound, we needed to work like that.
"We spent many sleepless nights. We encountered lots of problems as we progressed, in the design as well as in the mission. But it was coming up with quick solutions, innovation that was brought in that was key."
To make matters worse, her daughter's crucial school leaving exams fell right in the middle of the mission.
"Those few months were very demanding at work and at home. It looked like a race at the time. I'd wake up at 4am with my daughter to give her company while she studied. But now, we look back on that time with fondness. She did extremely well in her exams, scoring 100 in maths. Today, she's in medical school and is doing really well so I think it was all worth the effort."
I ask if we can call her the "woman from Mars".
"I want to be grounded to earth. It's important to remain so, to bring out the best in a person," she says.
"The Mars mission was a huge achievement, but that's past now. We need to look into the future, to see what more we can do. We have the entire cosmic neighbourhood waiting to be explored. There are so many planets, so it's time to venture out."
For this senior-most woman officer at Isro, the sky is the limit - she specialises in sending communication satellites into space that sit at least 36,000km from the earth's centre.
The scientist who has worked with Isro for the past 34 years first thought about space when she was nine.
"It was the Apollo launch, when Neil Armstrong landed on the moon. We had no television in those days, so I heard about it from my parents and teachers. It really ignited the imagination. I wrote a poem on a man landing on the moon in Kannada, my native language."
Considered a role model by other women scientists at Isro, Ms Anuradha disagrees that women and science don't gel.
"I never liked subjects where I needed to remember a lot and science looked logical to me. I don't believe that Indian girls think science is not meant for them and I think maths is their favourite subject."
When she joined Isro in 1982, there were only a few women and even fewer in its engineering department.
"In my batch, five-six women engineers joined Isro. We stood out and everyone knew us. Today, more than 20-25% of Isro's over 16,000 employees are women and we no longer feel special," she laughs.
At Isro, she says, gender is not an issue and the recruitment and promotional policies are all dependent on "what we know and what we contribute".
"Sometimes I say that I forget that I'm a woman here. You don't get any special treatment because you're a woman, you're also not discriminated against because you're a woman. You're treated as an equal here."
She laughs at the suggestion that her colleagues consider her an inspiration, but agrees that having more women in workplace can be a motivating factor for other women.
"Once girls see that there are lots of women in the space programme, they also get motivated, they think if she can do it, so can they."
Although the numbers of women staff has been consistently growing at Isro, it is still way below the halfway mark.
That's because "we are still carrying cultural loads on our backs and many women think their priorities lie elsewhere, at home", she says.
Her advice to women who want to be rocket scientists is simple: "make arrangements".
"Once I had made up my mind that I needed a purposeful career where my passion lay, I created a good set up at home. My husband and my parents-in-law were always cooperative, so I didn't have to worry much about my children.
"And I owe my success to the arrangements I made. You have to give something to get something. But life is like that. So when there was work to do, when I was needed at the office, I was here, working with passion. And when there was an absolute need for me to be at home, I was there."
Geeta Pandey recently spent ten days working on a series of stories in Bangalore. This is her second report. | Two years ago, as Indian scientists successfully put a satellite into orbit around Mars, a photograph that went viral showed women dressed in gorgeous saris with flowers in their hair celebrating at the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) in the southern city of Bangalore. | 38253471 |
Loch Ness RNLI went to the aid of the 5.5-tonne boat after it got into difficulty at Dores, south of Inverness.
The Inverness Coastguard Team assisted in the operation to pull the vessel off the shore and a lifeboat towed it to Dochgarroch.
There was one person on board the boat. He was uninjured.
Fishing boats use the loch when travelling between Fort William and Inverness.
The latest "shout" was Drumnadrochit-based Loch Ness RNLI's 24th of the year, making 2016 the volunteer-run station's busiest year so far. | A fishing boat has been towed off a beach on Loch Ness after it ran aground on Thursday evening. | 38167810 |
Botha, 25, will move to the province in the summer on the conclusion of the Super Rugby campaign.
The forward, who has been capped twice by the Springboks, can operate as either a flanker or number eight.
Connacht scrum-half John Cooney is also joining Ulster and will replace crowd favourite Ruan Pienaar who is being forced to leave in the summer.
Cooney, 26, has penned a two-year deal and fulfils the IRFU directive that Ulster sign an Irish-qualified scrum-half to take over from South African Pienaar.
Botha has played 46 times for the Bulls, whose High Performance Manager admitted could not compete with the financial package tabled by the Irish province.
"Arno received a very good offer from Ulster," said Janse van Rensburg.
"The situation is that we can't financially make an offer close to what he's currently earning."
The player is looking forward to a new challenge.
Botha stated: "the decision to move to Ulster was taken after considerable thought from my side and I feel it is the right time in my career to feel what rugby in the northern hemisphere is all about".
On Botha's arrival, Ulster's Director of Rugby Les Kiss said: "he is an ambitious young man and he is determined to make an impact with us, he is a serious competitor".
The South African made his international debut against Italy in 2013 but suffered a knee injury just four minutes into his second test against Scotland.
He returned to full fitness and captained the Blues to the final of last year's Currie Cup.
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"Arno was tipped to be a future Springboks captain from a young age but his career was somewhat curtailed by injuries," said Kiss.
"Those injuries are behind him now and he has regained his best form over the past 12 months.
"He is very aggressive in attack and his ability to get over the gainline will be especially good for us.
"Arno is also strong in defence, he's a nuisance at the breakdown and he's a good lineout option, so he has a very well-rounded game."
South African Marcell Coetzee, who joined Ulster last summer, is due to make his debut in next month's Pro12 game against Edinburgh having recovered from a long-term knee injury.
Ulster's defeat by Exeter Chiefs on Sunday ended their qualification hopes in this season's European Champions Cup. The province is currently sixth in the Pro12 table.
Further changes to the coaching staff and playing personnel are expected, with Kiss indicating more news signings will be made in the coming weeks to bolster the squad for next season. | South African back row forward Arno Botha is joining Ulster on a two-year deal from the Blue Bulls. | 38638361 |
Spencer Beynon, 43, was Tasered by officers in Llanelli on Tuesday after concerns about his behaviour.
An Independent Police Complaints Commission investigation is underway.
"I will work with the force and the IPCC over the coming weeks to understand fully the circumstances," said commissioner Dafydd Llywelyn.
The force referred the matter to the police watchdog following the incident at Maes y Bwlch in the Morfa area of Llanelli, Carmarthenshire.
Witnesses said Mr Beynon had stabbed himself and a dog with a kitchen knife before police used the stun gun on him.
Mr Beynon was a former member of The Royal Welsh regiment who toured Iraq and Afghanistan and served in the Army for 15 years.
He was later diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
The IPCC said police officers were called by a member of the public who had become concerned about the welfare of the man who appeared to be injured.
They "engaged with the man" before it is understood a Taser was discharged.
"The man became unresponsive and was subsequently pronounced dead," an IPCC spokesman added.
Speaking on Wednesday, a spokeswoman for the force said: "A full investigation has commenced and Dyfed-Powys Police referred the matter to the IPCC, who will now conduct an independent investigation.
"We are fully co-operating with them. Our thoughts are with the family of the man."
The Police and Crime Commissioner for Dyfed-Powys responded on Thursday, and stated that he would raise the matter with the force's leadership.
"It is important for the police to have the right equipment to keep our communities safe," he said.
"However, we must make sure it is used appropriately and that correct decisions are made when responding to incidents.
"This will be the basis of my questions to the chief constable." | A police commissioner says he has questions for the Dyfed-Powys chief constable after the death of a former solider. | 36549051 |
A report by a Universities UK taskforce has urged universities to take a "zero-tolerance" approach and provide better support to victims.
It was commissioned amid concerns about sexual harassment at UK universities.
While no comprehensive figures exist, one in seven female students polled in a 2010 student survey said they had been assaulted while at university.
The report also found that 68% of those surveyed recorded being subject to some form of verbal or physical sexual harassment on campus.
The National Union of Students (NUS) has been integral invoicing student concerns around sexual harassment and so-called lad culture across institutions.
Students at Queen's University in Belfast (QUB) has taken a proactive approach, working with the Police Service of Northern Ireland and rape crisis and counselling services to offer workshops, discussion groups and Q&As for this year's students.
Events also included a screening of The Hunting Ground, an Oscar-nominated documentary about the perceived failure of US college administrations to deal with the increasing incidence of sexual assault on college campuses.
QUB welfare officer Jessica Elder said she hoped her Consent is Bae initiative would become a regular campaign for the students' union, alongside mental health and other sexual health awareness.
Bae - short for 'before anyone else' - is a slang term meaning affection towards something and reflects Ms Elder's attempt to break existing taboos surrounding sexual harassment and assault on campus.
A qualified nurse, she ran for office with the idea central to her manifesto.
"It's something that people should be educated around and shouldn't feel awkward or uncomfortable talking about consent because it is an issue every day," she told BBC News NI.
"The clothesline project we are doing today allows people to talk about consent without verbalising it.
"People can express their feelings without feeling uncomfortable."
Clothesline projects have been used worldwide to address issues of violence against women by providing a vehicle for silent expression of personal emotions and experiences.
A week-long series of events, ending on Friday, has aimed to create a safe space for students, giving them a platform to "talk openly with like-minded people".
The campaign has reached hundreds of students, with events proving very popular.
"Social media has blown up a bit, people are just really positive that the student's union is running a campaign like this," said Ms Elder.
"They feel it's really important."
NUS-USI women's officer Collette McAllister said: "There has to be a zero tolerance approach to sexual harassment, hate crime and violence amongst students and also wider society.
"It is also crucial that all survivors of sexual violence are provided with robust support, as outlined within this report.
"It is absolutely imperative that all education institutions in Northern Ireland take on board and implement the guidance and recommendations.
"All students must be able to study in a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment."
A number of universities across the UK and Ireland have already introduced recommended and compulsory sessions as part of students' fresher's week inductions.
Ulster University has also announced it is to host a conference in November promoting safer relationships among students.
Twitter campaigners used the hashtag #UnsafeAtUni after the report's release to encourage victims to speak out about harassment faced on campus. | Students in Northern Ireland are working with their universities to prevent sexual assaults on campus. | 37750058 |
The campaign is being backed by actor and broadcaster Larry Lamb.
In August, a poll of 2,098 UK adults by the British Council poll found a quarter felt nervous at the thought of having to speak a language on holiday.
The Council's languages drive comes as the number of pupils taking GCSEs in modern languages continues to fall.
Higher Education Statistics Agency data released in February showed that entries to modern foreign language degree courses had dropped.
French fell by 25%, German by 34% and Spanish by 1%. Overall the number of entrants to modern foreign languages fell by 16% between 2007/08 and 2013/14.
The British Council says tackling "just a phrase a day" in a foreign language could see people greatly improve their language skills.
Supporting the Council's campaign, Mr Lamb said: "Languages, for me, are about opening the world up. It gives you another soul, it gives you another person. My teacher, Miss Smith, started to teach us French.
"From learning French, I learnt German, from being in Germany I found out about amateur theatre and here I am today, talking to you about learning languages having had a career that's gone on for 40 years now."
Vicky Gough, schools adviser at the British Council, said: "The UK is currently facing a shortfall in people who can speak foreign languages.
"And with lots of free and innovative ways to get started, there has never been a better time to take up a new language.
"More than that, the benefits of learning one are huge - from boosting job prospects to acquiring the ability to understand and better connect with another culture.
"If the UK is to remain competitive on the international stage, we need far more of us to develop our language skills." | As the New Year beckons, the British Council is calling on people in the UK to make learning a foreign language their resolution for 2016. | 35198253 |
The 19-year-old, from Burntwood in Staffordshire, launched an appeal in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust but died this month.
His fundraising total hit the £4m mark earlier.
His mother Jane said the memorial service at Lichfield Cathedral was a "celebration of his life".
Stephen's body arrived on a horse-drawn carriage just before 19:00 BST.
A floral display spelling out 'STE' led the funeral procession from his home in Burntwood, Staffordshire, to Lichfield Cathedral.
The coffin was then moved inside the cathedral for a short service.
Speaking inside the cathedral, The Dean of Lichfield, the Very Reverend Adrian Dorber, said: "Stephen's all too brief life has shown us the triumph of hope.
"In the last few weeks he's won the hearts and minds of people across the world and we are all the better for it."
Stephen was diagnosed with terminal cancer at the age of 15. He drew up a "bucket list" of things he wanted to achieve before he died.
This led to him completing a skydive and playing drums in front of 90,000 people before the Uefa Champions League final at Wembley.
He originally wanted to raise £10,000 for the Teenage Cancer Trust but when his condition deteriorated, he set off in pursuit of £1m.
As his story spread, he earned a measure of global fame with donations from nearly 100 different countries.
Simon Fuller, director of services at the Teenage Cancer Trust, also spoke at the service and said it was a "great honour" and a "privilege" to know Stephen.
"I am deeply proud but not surprised by how the local community has pulled out all the stops to make this vigil happen," he said.
"Stephen's approach to cancer and his approach to life has inspired more people than we will ever know."
Mr Fuller ended his speech by leading a round of applause in honour of the "courage of Stephen" and other young cancer sufferers around the world.
At the end of the service, mourners gave Stephen's trademark thumbs up gesture as they filed silently past his coffin.
A 38-minute compilation of Stephen's favourite tracks was then played.
Emma Scholes, Stephen's head of year during his time at Chase Terrace Technology College, was among those who attended the vigil. She said it felt surreal to be at the event.
"He was such a fantastically happy person - I don't think I ever saw him without a smile on his face," she said.
A social media "thunderclap" - a message posted simultaneously on Facebook and Twitter - is due to take place at 11:00 on Friday. | Thousands of people have gathered for a vigil in memory of Stephen Sutton, the teenage cancer sufferer who raised millions of pounds for charity. | 27629400 |
Footage of six boys being gassed at the Don Dale detention centre in 2014 has led to widespread condemnation of conditions for youth detainees.
All six are seeking damages for mistreatment, the Australian Broadcast Corp (ABC) reports.
The NT government had initially said it would bring a counter suit.
According to the ABC report, authorities say serious damage, costing A$89,000 ($67,000;£51,000), was caused when the boys escaped from the centre in 2015.
One day later, they allegedly stole a car and rammed it into a garage door at the centre, causing another A$74,000 worth of damage.
The boys' lawyer has argued his clients would not have tried to escape were it not for the "poor and restrictive conditions" in which they were held.
Footage of the tear gas incident and repeated mistreatment of a boy named Dylan Voller prompted Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to order a top-level government inquiry into youth detention in the state.
In one incident, Voller was cuffed to a restraint chair while wearing a hood and left alone for over an hour.
Youth detention rates are three times higher in the NT than elsewhere in Australia, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
Although the institute doesn't break down Indigenous youth incarceration rates specifically for the NT, young Indigenous people across Australia are 26 times more likely to be in detention than non-Indigenous youth. | The government of Australia's Northern Territory (NT) is dropping legal action against two boys who were subdued with tear gas at a detention centre. | 36891873 |
A Lebanese national named Osama Khayat allegedly confessed to buying ammunition and rockets for IS, said the Kuna state news agency, citing the interior ministry.
Five others had been arrested, the report said.
In June, 27 people died after an attack on one of Kuwait's oldest Shia mosques.
It was the deadliest bombing in decades in the predominantly Sunni Muslim country. An affiliate group of IS calling itself Najd Province said it carried out the attack.
IS has also said it was behind last week's attacks in Paris and Beirut.
Kuwait's interior ministry said the cell had been helping to recruit fighters and raised money that was being funnelled to an IS-related bank account in Turkey.
It said four members of the cell were outside Kuwait, including two Syrians and two Australian-Lebanese. It was unclear whether those four had been arrested. | Kuwait has arrested members of an alleged cell accused of supplying funds and weapons to the so-called Islamic State (IS), reports say. | 34876364 |
Angela Lambert, 45, her son Cyrus, six, and two-year-old daughter Maryam had not been seen since 11:30 GMT on 15 December when they left their home in Winton Close, Luton.
Bedfordshire Police reported they had been located on Saturday evening.
Officers, who had appealed for help from the public to find the trio, thanked those who had assisted. | A mother and her two young children who went missing nine days ago have been found safe and well, police have said. | 38427301 |
"Go uptown? Forget it. They've closed the Westside Highway, and there are protests on Times Square."
"Brooklyn? Not a chance," said another driver. "The bridge is closed by demonstrators."
And so it was, in the city that doesn't sleep, the taxi drivers were going home early to bed.
Another week, another city, another dead black man, another grand jury and another white policeman not indicted. Oh, and another new chant.
Ten days ago in Ferguson, Missouri, it was "hands up don't shoot" after an unarmed black teenager was gunned down because according to some he had his arms up.
In New York it was "I can't breathe, I can't breathe" after the horrible video was released of Eric Garner speaking his final words, as this 350lb giant of a man was held in an apparent chokehold by an NYPD officer.
Now if the defence of Darren Wilson, the police officer in Ferguson, tested the credulity of the African American community - that he felt his life was in danger from Michael Brown - what possible justification can be offered for Daniel Pantaleo's deadly grip on Eric Garner in Staten Island?
The mobile footage somehow contrives to show the utter banality of this death. This was no high-speed car chase, shoot-out death. This was an amiable-looking black guy on a summer's day, standing, talking to a bunch of policemen in shorts - in shorts for goodness sake! - refusing to comply with their orders but hardly posing a threat either.
Anyway, no need to describe it further as I am sure that anyone reading this has already seen the video and its unhappy denouement.
But unlike in Ferguson where it seemed the federal government was not quite sure what to do initially - aside from appealing for calm - this time they were quick out of the blocks.
US Attorney General Eric Holder went on TV to announce that federal prosecutors would look at whether Mr Garner's civil rights had been infringed. In other words, Mr Pantaleo could still be prosecuted.
As a way of defusing tension, it was probably a very smart move. There was no repeat of the looting and rioting that came after the Michael Brown decision. Politically it was astute.
But will the federal government in Washington succeed in bringing an indictment where a Staten Island grand jury failed? That's the key question now
And the evidence is far from clear. I remember a senior British politician who in a previous life had been an eminent lawyer telling me you don't win a case just because something looks really, really bad.
While anyone looking at the video of the chokehold has probably a very clear view of how bad it was, that doesn't mean it's an open and shut case legally.
There will be minute examination of the judgements made during the arrest. Did Mr Garner offer any resistance; how much pressure was applied in the neck hold? Was it unreasonable force? Was the inability to breathe because of Mr Garner's asthma rather than the force of the hold? Did Officer Pantaleo try to resuscitate him?
Will prosecutors be able to demonstrate wilfulness on the part of the officer, the high standard of intent required by the Supreme Court.
Of course it is being stressed by the justice department that the federal investigation would be fair, thorough and expeditious. But the will of the politicians is clear - they want a prosecution.
Otherwise the conclusion will be that a man can be choked to death on a street in New York in plain view, with video evidence - with no consequence.
And few would think that would be the criminal justice system's finest hour. | Outside my Wall Street hotel last night, the taxi drivers were somewhat uncharacteristically turning business down. | 30354140 |
Milk teeth have been discovered in the fossil jaw of a juvenile Wareolestes rex, a species of mammal from the Middle Jurassic.
Scientists suggest adult females secreted milk on to a bare patch of skin for their young to lap up.
Nipples and suckling as seen in modern mammals had still to evolve when Wareolestes rex lived.
The two centimetre-long jaw was found on Skye in 2015 and is one of the most complete fossils of the early mammal to be found outside of China.
Single teeth of Wareolestes rex have previously been found in England.
Palaeontologists from National Museums Scotland in Edinburgh and the University of Oxford have been examining the fossil from Skye.
Using micro-CT scanning technology, they have identified milk teeth and, inside the jaw, adult teeth that had not erupted through the gums.
The scientists said this showed that Wareolestes rex replaced its teeth once, like humans and other modern mammals.
It had a set of milk teeth, followed by a set of adult teeth.
This pattern of tooth replacement was an important step in the evolution of mammals and is linked to the production of milk to feed young, the scientists said.
Elsa Panciroli, the PhD student who led the research of the fossil, said: "This is such an exciting discovery.
"It's one of the most complete Middle Jurassic mammal fossils described from Scotland.
"This was a juvenile animal that was losing its milk teeth and the permanent teeth were just breaking through the gums.
"Tooth replacement like this tells us this early mammal fed on milk provided by the parent until it grew to adult size."
She added: "Wareolestes would have cared for its young, which is a behaviour we associate with modern mammals."
Living in a period when dinosaurs were the dominant animal, Wareolestes rex were a large mammal for the time, with adults growing to the size of a guinea pig.
The method of Wareolestes rex delivery of milk to its young is similar to that of platypus.
During the Middle Jurassic, Skye was covered in lagoons and filled with turtles, crocodiles, pterosaurs and dinosaurs.
Mainland Scotland was an island surrounded by a semi-tropical sea filled with marine reptiles and ammonites. | Palaeontologists believe an animal that lived in what is now Skye 165 million years ago fed milk to its young. | 39791226 |
The 29-year-old is currently ranked 23 in the world and reached the final of the Nantes Open in France last weekend.
"I think the last few seasons I've progressed with my squash and I've very much based it on performances rather than outcome," Simpson said.
"This season it's going to be a lot more outcome driven and trying to push up the rankings to the top 16."
Simpson has still to make a quarter-final of a World Series event, but is hopeful that will change this season.
"My draws have been quite unlucky in the last 18 months," he told BBC Radio Guernsey.
"We have two or three players who have created a bit of a gap in standard to the rest of the players, so ideally you want to try and stay away from those guys before a possible semi-final berth.
"I've managed to meet them in the first or second round in most of the events so far, so that definitely plays it's part.
"But these things are done randomly and that can't continue forever, so it's just about playing well enough that I take the opportunities that I do get." | Guernsey squash player Chris Simpson has set his sights on a place in the world's top 16 this season. | 37360108 |
Scottish SPCA staff were called after staff found the 18in long reptile under seats on a flight that had arrived from Cancun, Mexico, on Tuesday.
They used a box to contain the snake, which is believed to be a juvenile Middle American smooth-scaled racer.
The snake was taken to the charity's animal rescue centre in Cardonald, Glasgow, where staff have named it Furtivo - Spanish for sneaky.
Scottish SPCA senior inspector Billy Linton said: "We have had the snake examined by a vet and, although we can't be 100% certain, we believe he is of the Dryadophis family, which are commonly referred to as American smooth-scaled racers.
"Racers aren't venomous but, like all snakes, they can bite and Furtivo is very feisty.
"Although small at the moment, he is still a juvenile and has a lot of growing to do."
Inspector Linton said staff at Glasgow Airport had "remained remarkably calm" after finding the snake.
"I can only imagine that Furtivo managed to sneak his way onto the plane while it was waiting to take off in Cancun, although it is also possible he has hitched a lift in someone's hand luggage," he said.
"We have rescued several exotic creatures from international flights including scorpions, spiders, turtles and even giant land snails, so this isn't as unusual as many people might think.
"Furtivo will remain in our care until we can find him an expert home with someone who has the necessary experience and knowledge to be able to look after such a creature." | An animal charity has rescued a snake on a plane at Glasgow Airport. | 20094435 |
The remote village had already seen a temperature of -11.8C earlier this winter.
Overnight temperatures also plunged to -8.4C at Benson in Oxfordshire.
The Met Office has issued a yellow "be aware" warning for freezing temperatures and ice for Scotland and parts of northern England.
Forecasters have warned that it could again get colder than -12C in places later.
BBC Scotland weather presenter Kawser Quamer said: "Kinbrace dipped to -12.2C at 08:00 and -12.4C at 09:00 this morning, so this marks last night as the coldest night of the winter so far.
"Tonight it is possible we may match or possibly even beat this minimum temperature - but it will all depend on cloud cover.
"Where there is lying snow and the skies are clear, temperatures will drop like a stone. Likely areas will be the Northern Highlands, possibly the Grampians."
She added: "It will be localised however, so one spot may dip to -12C, but down the road it could be -1C."
The freezing temperatures come during a cold spell that has already brought ice and snow to large parts of Scotland.
All five of Scotland's mountain snowsports centres have been able to open to skiers and snowboarders.
Photographers, meanwhile, have been drawn to Black Water near Garve in Ross-shire where huge icicles have formed.
The Sportscotland Avalanche Information Service has rated the potential risk of avalanches in areas popular with climbers and hillwalkers as "considerable". | The UK has recorded its lowest temperature of the winter so far after the mercury fell to -12.4C in Kinbrace in Sutherland at 09:00 on Tuesday. | 35350458 |
Members of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) intend to stop work for four hours.
They voted by 9-1 in favour of strike action - the first such vote in the college's 134-year history.
The Department of Health said it was "disappointing" and that it would work with trusts to ensure a safe service was provided to mothers and babies.
It added that its door was always open for discussion.
The RCM is seeking urgent talks with the health minister to resolve the dispute.
RCM NI director Bredagh Hughes said midwives are calling for the 1% pay increase given to their colleagues in Wales, Scotland and England.
"It is very important that women understand that this dispute is not with or about them. It is with the department of health and the employers," she said.
"Not one woman will be put at risk, there will be full emergency cover provided, of course if the midwives on the picket line are called in to make up the numbers, they will do that."
Ms Hughes said clinics and elective work may be disrupted. However she said other forms of industrial action planned from 1 May to 7 May would have an effect.
"The real message will be the following week when midwives start counting the hours they currently work and which they are not paid for and they submit a bill to their employer asking to be paid for the breaks they do not get on a 12 hour shift and the hour or two hours they stay behind and work every day," she said.
"From our experience, we know that every midwife works about three hours unpaid work every single week of their working lives and they have never claimed for that."
Public transport workers have already announced they are to take part in a second strike that will affect all bus and rail services in Northern Ireland.
Unite said that a 24-hour strike was being planned for Wednesday 6 May.
Last month, public transport workers took part in a one-day strike involving education, administration and health service staff.
Unite said the second strike would affect Ulsterbus, Metro and NI Railways services.
In a statement, Translink said it was disappointing that passengers "could be inconvenienced" as a result of the proposed strike action "which comes at a time when many schoolchildren are preparing for or taking exams".
"We are, of course, seeking to urgently meet with Unite to discuss this news that they are to go on strike on 6 May," they said. | Midwives in Northern Ireland have voted to strike on 30 April in a dispute over pay. | 32389642 |
Mr Tohti, an economics professor who has criticised China's ethnic policies, has been detained since January. He has been charged with separatism.
His lawyer Li Fangping met with him for the first time this week.
He said Mr Tohti was denied food for 10 days after an attack on a Kunming train station in March that killed 29 people.
The attack was blamed on Uighur separatists by the Chinese authorities.
Mr Tohti is a member of the predominantly Muslim Uighur ethnic group from China's far western Xinjiang region.
He has been critical of China's treatment of the Uighurs but there is no record of Mr Tohti ever having supported the cause of separatism, says the BBC's John Sudworth.
Mr Tohti maintains his innocence, said his lawyer.
"He believes that in his words and deeds, he has always sought to work for the country's national interests and the organic integration of the Han majority and Uighur minority's common benefits," said Mr Li.
He added that Mr Tohti went on a hunger strike in January for 10 days to protest against being served food that did not follow Islamic dietary laws.
Authorities force-fed him milk when his organs started bleeding, his lawyer was quoted by news agencies as saying.
China has blamed a number of violent attacks on civilian targets over the past year on Uighur separatists and launched a sweeping security crackdown.
Earlier this month it executed 13 people for what it said were terrorism-related offences.
It has recently carried out at least two mass-sentencing events in front of large crowds gathered in sports stadiums. | The detained Uighur academic Ilham Tohti was denied food for more than a week and his legs have been shackled, his lawyer says. | 28052094 |
In a career spanning 50 years, she wrote more than 60 novels, as well as serving as a Labour member of the House of Lords.
Her most famous creation was Inspector Wexford, who appeared in 24 books.
But she also wrote more than two dozen standalone novels, and a further 14 under the pen-name Barbara Vine - an amalgam of her middle name and her great grandmother's maiden name.
Ruth Barbara Grasemann was born in 1930, in South Woodford in Essex, the only child of Ebba Kruse, who had been born in Sweden and brought up in Denmark, and Arthur Grasemann, who was English.
Her childhood was reputedly unhappy, but she rarely spoke of it in interviews, just as she refused to talk about the mystery of her marriage and divorce. She wed Don Rendell, a journalist, in 1953; the couple divorced in 1975 but remarried two years later. They had one son.
Rendell herself started out as a journalist on a local Essex newspaper, but resigned after filing a story about an after-dinner speech in which she failed to report that the speaker dropped dead halfway through - she hadn't been there.
The first Wexford book, From Doon with Death, appeared in 1964. It was also her first published novel: she was paid an advance of £75.
Wexford - played in the successful television adaptations by George Baker - shared many of his creator's convictions and prejudices, though he was a Liberal Democrat and Rendell always described herself as a socialist. "The way he thinks, and his principles and ideas and what he likes doing, that's me," she told one interviewer.
The books were conventional crime stories, but the settings were contemporary and convincing - and while the novels' structures may have been conventional her way of writing them sometimes was not.
"I have an idea and I have a perpetrator and I write the book along those lines," she said in a BBC interview, "and when I get to the last chapter I change the perpetrator, so that if I can deceive myself I can deceive the reader."
But as well as the Wexford books, she wrote more than two dozen standalone novels, often featuring misfits and deviant characters on the margins of society.
And in 1986, she began publishing darker psychological thrillers as Barbara Vine. They were, she said, more searching, more serious and more analytical than her other books. And she admitted more than once to being fascinated by other people's secrets.
Many of her books did not just present readers with a puzzle but linked murder and crime with social injustice or economic disadvantage.
In Rendell's world, the conservative instincts of middle England often helped to provoke antisocial and irrational behaviour rather than keeping it in check.
That reflected her own political views. Appointed a CBE in 1996, she was elevated to the House of Lords as a Labour peer in 1997. She spoke out against racism, sexism and class disadvantage, and among her achievements as a working peer was the introduction of a 2003 act which made it a crime to send girls abroad to be subjected to female genital mutilation.
Fifteen years ago, her fellow crime-writer Val McDermid described her as unique among British crime writers. "No-one can equal her range or her accomplishment; no-one has earned more respect from her fellow practitioners.
"The broad church that is current British crime writing owes much to a writer who has... consistently demonstrated that the genre can continually reinvent itself, moving in new directions, assuming new concerns and exploring new ways of telling stories."
And Ruth Rendell herself said of her 40-year friendship with another queen of the genre, PD James: "Both of us thought more about the characters than the crime." | Ruth Rendell was a leading member of the generation of writers who took crime fiction and turned it into literature. | 31731722 |
Russia said the document infringed the council rule allowing countries 24 hours to consider the final wording.
The US dismissed this as a "made-up alibi", saying Russia wanted to preserve recent military gains by Syrian government troops in Aleppo.
The army are reported to have seized more parts of rebel-held east Aleppo.
If confirmed, that would mean the government had recaptured about 70% of the rebel-controlled area in just over a week.
More than 100,000 people may be under siege in districts still under rebel control, where food supplies are exhausted and there are no functioning hospitals.
On Monday, Russia and China - both veto-wielding council members - voted against the draft submitted jointly by Egypt, New Zealand and Spain.
Venezuela also voted "No", while Angola abstained.
The other 11 UN Security Council members backed the resolution.
The document called for the ceasefire to allow the unimpeded access of aid to Aleppo.
Russia's UN envoy Vitaly Churkin said the draft had not been given the traditional 24 hours for it to be analysed.
He added that the vote should have been postponed until a meeting of Russian and US experts on Tuesday or Wednesday in Geneva.
US deputy envoy to the UN, Michele Sison, accused Russia of using a "made-up alibi".
"We will not let Russia string along the Security Council," she added.
French envoy Francois Delattre accused Moscow of having "decided to take Aleppo regardless of the human cost" of a military victory,
The UK's representative Matthew Rycroft said that in vetoing the resolution Russia and its supporters "have also held to ransom the lives of hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women and children currently enduring hell in Aleppo".
This is the sixth time in five years that Russia has used its veto power to block a draft resolution on Syria.
Russia, a key ally of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, has been carrying out air strikes against rebels since September 2015.
Aleppo was once Syria's largest city and its commercial and industrial hub before the uprising against President Assad began in 2011. | Russia and China have vetoed a draft resolution at the UN Security Council that called for a seven-day ceasefire in Syria's embattled city of Aleppo. | 38216969 |
The Manxman was led out perfectly by team-mate Gert Steegmans and surged clear of Norway's Edvald Boasson Hagen and Slovakian Peter Sagan.
It was Cavendish's first stage win of this year's Tour and his 24th in total.
A large pile-up in the final kilometre split the peloton but Simon Gerrans retained the leader's yellow jersey.
American rider Teejay van Garderen and Belgium's Jurgen van den Broeck, who was fourth in last year's race, were among those to go down in the crash.
34 - Eddy Merckx (Bel) 1969 to 1975
28 - Bernard Hinaut (Fra) 1978 to 1986
25 - Andre Leducq (Fra) 1927 to 1935
24 - Mark Cavendish (GB) 2008 to present
Britain's Chris Froome stayed out of trouble and remains seventh overall, three seconds back, after finishing with the same time as Spain's Alberto Contador and Australia's Cadel Evans, who are seen as his major rivals for the general classification.
But the day belonged to Cavendish, who had endured a frustrating time in the opening days of the Tour as well as suffering from illness.
The 28-year-old was denied a chance of victory - and taking the yellow jersey - after being held up in a crash at the end of stage one, and missed out on the podium on Tuesday when his Omega Pharma-QuickStep team were denied victory by 0.75 seconds in the team time trial.
This time, however, there was no stopping Cavendish - despite rumours circulating during the stage that he was still on antibiotics and would not be contesting the final sprint.
An early breakaway of six riders escaped after 3km of the 228.5km stage from Cagnes-Sur-Mer to Marseille but the last survivor, Kazakhstan's Alexey Lutsenko was caught with 3km to go.
"This stage was always going to come down to a sprint finish. It appeared there was a chance that the breakaway riders could stay clear but their lead came down very quickly before the end.
"That left us with a sprint and Mark Cavendish won very convincingly in the end. We were unsure how he would do because he has been under the weather but his team worked well for him and he made it look pretty easy.
"Now we know he is in good shape and he will be going for another win on Thursday. He might even get a chance on Friday, depending on how he is feeling before the race enters the Pyrenees.
"For me, Mark Cavendish has to not think about winning the points category. His main objective is to win stages and if he does that, the green jersey will take care of itself.
"He has got a very difficult job to beat Peter Sagan anyway because Sagan will pick up points where Cavendish will not figure."
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That set up the first bunch finish featuring the fastest men on this Tour, and it did not disappoint.
Cavendish stuck to Steegman's wheel before making his move with 250m to go and, although Boasson Hagen held off Andre Greipel to follow in his slipstream, neither he or the fast-finishing Sagan came close to denying him.
The Isle of Man rider raised his arms in triumph as he crossed the line, and is now only 10 wins short of Eddy Merckx's record of 34 Tour de France stage wins.
"I'm super happy," said Cavendish afterwards. "Now the pressure is kind of off and hopefully it has started the ball rolling.
"It would have been nice to win on Tuesday but it's not to be underestimated how hard it is to get one stage win on this race.
"I didn't feel great but when the guys are committed like they were - not just in the final, but all the way today - it's important to pay them back.
"They show their motivation by riding themselves into the ground and, like I always say, that really does give you something extra. If I'd lost that sprint, I really wasn't paying the lads back."
His Omega Pharma-QuickStep team manager Patrick Lefevere added: "We had targeted this stage.
"A lot of good sprinters [have] won in Marseille and Mark, who loves the history of cycling, wanted to have his name associated with Marseille."
Cavendish's win sees him move up to second in the points category with 76 points, 35 behind Sagan in the battle for the green jersey.
"I lost a couple of points to Cavendish but that's okay, the important thing is to not lose too many," Sagan said. "Mark is the fastest man in the world, it's almost impossible to beat him."
Thursday's sixth stage, a flat 176.5-km ride from Aix-en-Provence to Montpellier, gives Cavendish a chance for another victory.
He needs one more stage win to move level with Andre Leducq in third place on the Tour's all-time list of stage winners. Other than Merckx, only Bernard Hinaut, with 28, has more.
Results of stage five:
1. Mark Cavendish (GB) Omega Pharma - Quick-Step 5:31:51"
2. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Team Sky SAME TIME
3. Peter Sagan (Slo) Cannondale
4. Andre Greipel (Ger) Lotto
5. Roberto Ferrari (Ita) Lampre
Selected others:
27. Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC SAME TIME
28. Chris Froome (GB) Team Sky
39. Alberto Contador (Spa) Saxo-Tinkoff
99. Peter Kennaugh (GB) Team Sky
182. Geraint Thomas (GB) Team Sky +10.08"
183. David Millar (GB) Garmin-Sharp SAME TIME
190. Ian Stannard (GB) Team Sky
Overall classification after stage five:
1. Simon Gerrans (Aus) Orica 18:19:15"
2. Daryl Impey (SA) Orica SAME TIME
3. Michael Albasini (Swi) Orica
4. Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Omega Pharma - Quick-Step +1"
5. Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Omega Pharma - Quick-Step SAME TIME
Selected others:
7. Chris Froome (GB) Team Sky +3"
9. Nicolas Roche (Ire) Saxo-Tinkoff +9"
12. Alberto Contador (Spa) Saxo-Tinkoff +9"
17. Daniel Martin (Ire) Garmin +17 sec
26. Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC +26sec
90. Peter Kennaugh (GB) Team Sky +9'18"
95. David Millar (GB) Garmin +10'25"
146. Mark Cavendish (GB) Omega Pharma-Quickstep +26'50"
176. Ian Stannard (GB) Team Sky +36'11"
183. Geraint Thomas (GB) Team Sky +37'45"
Green points jersey standings:
1. Peter Sagan (Svk) Cannondale 111 points
2. Mark Cavendish (GB) Omega Pharma-QuickStep 76
3. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Katusha 76
4. Andrei Greipel (Ger) Lotto 65
5. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Team Sky 58
Selected others:
6. Marcel Kittel (Ger) Argos-Shimano 57 points | Mark Cavendish defied a bout of bronchitis to claim a convincing win in a sprint finish at the end of stage five of the Tour de France. | 23170667 |
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Dideriksen beat Dutch pre-race favourite Kirsten Wild in a sprint finish with Finland's Lotta Lepisto third on the 134.5km Qatar course.
Defending champion Deignan, 27, was sixth with one kilometre to go but did not have the power to retain her title.
Dideriksen, 20, is a double junior world champion.
Deignan - formerly Armitstead - had played down her chances in Doha, having focused her season on the hilly Olympic Games road race in Rio, where she finished fifth.
The men's race takes place on Sunday, with Mark Cavendish bidding for a second world title following his 2011 triumph in Copenhagen. | Britain's Lizzie Deignan finished fourth as Denmark's Amalie Dideriksen won the women's title at the Road World Championships in Doha. | 37667995 |
Dr Amit Singh told a Colwyn Bay Town Council meeting that the number of GPs at his Penrhyn Bay surgery had fallen from five to two.
Dr Bryn Roberts at Cadwgan Surgery in Old Colwyn said the system was at "breaking point".
Betsi Cadwaladr health board said it provided guidance and support to all GP practices in north Wales.
Dr Roberts's colleague, Dr Dylan Parry, warned that because of pressure and overwork, some GPs were leaving the profession when they were only in their 40s.
Figures released in February showed Betsi Cadwaladr health board had a 14% vacancy rate for doctors, joint second highest among Wales' seven health boards.
A health board spokesman said it had offered to attend the council meeting, but the town council had preferred to hear directly from doctors.
He added: "Where specific concerns are raised, these are considered with the practices and actions agreed.
"This has included providing support through additional services that will help to alleviate pressures being experienced and support with improvement to premises." | GPs in Conwy county have said their surgeries are stretched to the limit due to a shortage of doctors. | 36463596 |
He was struck on the back of the head in the seventh over and needed support from fielder George Bailey, then sat on the ground to receive treatment.
Morgan played no further part, with James Taylor taking on the captaincy.
"He's got a lump on his head, but he's fine," said coach Trevor Bayliss.
"He's got a bit of a headache but he's up and about now and having a chat.
"When anyone gets hit it's an anxious moment, but the fact he walked off the field was a good sign. He was dizzy for a while and took an hour or so to come good. I'm sure the medical staff will keep a close eye on him."
The hosts had already slipped to 22-3 in the deciding game when Morgan was replaced by Jonny Bairstow. They went on to lose by eight wickets.
The blow to Morgan, who was wearing a helmet, caused immediate concern for the visiting players, less than a year after the death of Phillip Hughes, the Australia batsman who passed away after being struck on the neck by a bouncer.
The fielders immediately went to help Morgan, while a shaken Starc was comforted by captain Steve Smith, coach Darren Lehmann, team-mate John Hastings and Morgan's batting partner Ben Stokes.
"There were a couple of guys that were a little bit shaken up, Starcy in particular," said Smith.
"It was a tough summer for us back home, losing a close mate. Whenever anyone gets hit like that, your first concern is for their health. Mine is that for Eoin, I hope he's OK and can recover well."
The new Australia skipper added: "I don't think anyone ever means to do anything like that. It is part of the game to bowl bouncers.
"You have to get back on the shop as quickly as possible, you still have got a job to do. You need to take it out of your mind, but you don't like seeing anyone get hit like that." | England captain Eoin Morgan retired hurt with concussion after he was hit on the head by a Mitchell Starc bouncer as they lost the final one-dayer against Australia at Old Trafford. | 34238378 |
The 76-year-old ex-England spinner succeeds lifelong Worcestershire fan and former Governor of the Bank of England, Lord Mervyn King of Lothbury.
Lancashire-born Gifford takes up office, for two years, from 22 March.
"This club has always been close to my heart," said Gifford, who finished his playing days in 1988 with Warwickshire, including three years as skipper.
"For me it is a great honour to be asked to be president. This place has got fantastic memories.
"My enthusiasm for cricket is as strong as ever," added Gifford, who still has a part-time role with the county as spin bowling coach. "I still love coming down to the ground. I will do everything I can to ensure it is a successful two years as president and I hope the success I enjoyed as a player will be repeated by this talented squad we have here now."
As well being a key member of the 1964 and 1965 County Championship winning sides, Gifford captained Worcestershire to the title in 1974 - and to the first of the county's three Sunday League wins, in 1971. | Worcestershire have appointed former captain Norman Gifford as the club's new county president. | 38656233 |
The Norway-listed company said it had bought a site at Barcaldine near Oban for the facility.
Planning permission is still required for the project, but the company hopes the hatchery will be up and running in 2019.
The move is expected to create up to 25 permanent skilled jobs.
SSF said the investment was part of plans to invest a total of £70m in improving and maintaining its existing sites and acquiring new ones over the next few years.
The new land-based freshwater facility at Barcaldine will be used to rear young salmon, or smolts, in "bio-secure and environmentally friendly conditions".
SSF, which is owned by SalMar and the Leroy Seafood Group of Norway, said it would embark on a consultation with the local community over its plans.
The company said the new facility would raise its annual production of smolts from five million to 11 million.
SSF managing director Jim Gallagher said: "We have ambitious plans for sustainably growing the volumes of salmon we produce to meet increased demand across the world for premium Scottish salmon.
"As part of this, we have been evaluating locations around Scotland to build and develop our freshwater business, and I am delighted that we have found a site that offers an ideal location providing everything we want in terms of power supply, freshwater and connection to the sea.
"As a result of this investment, Argyll will benefit from high-quality jobs and training opportunities which will include disciplines such as fish husbandry, bio-chemistry and engineering."
Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing welcomed the news.
He said: "It demonstrates long-term confidence in the future of the farmed salmon sector in Scotland and reinforces our reputation as a great place to do business.
"Scotland's world class fish farming sector generates £1.86bn of economic activity every year and supports 8,300 jobs, playing a pivotal role in the rural communities, such as those in the Oban area, where the industry operates.
"Today's announcement also underlines Scottish aquaculture's excellent potential - aided by cutting edge technology and innovation - for further sustainable growth." | Salmon producer Scottish Sea Farms (SSF) has announced plans to invest £35m in a new freshwater hatchery in Argyll. | 36728357 |
Dozens of activists died when Poland's last communist leader Gen Jaruzelski cracked down on dissidents.
Hours before the rallies, the leader of the ruling centre-right Law and Justice party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, branded the current opposition as "anti-state".
He went on to threaten to "bring order" to opposition activity.
Mr Kaczynski, widely seen as the power behind Poland's government, did not specify what he had in mind during a radio interview. Addressing a pro-government rally later, he ridiculed opponents for resisting plans to change a system which he said had harmed the majority of Poles.
However, the Committee for the Defence of Democracy (KOD) commemorated the anniversary of martial law with anti-government marches across the country, and a large crowd snaked through the centre of Warsaw.
Protesters highlighted government policies on women's rights as well as reforms to education and the top legislative court.
Many members of Poland's current governing Law and Justice (PiS) party were part of the opposition Solidarity movement, which the communist regime set out to crush under martial law.
Thirty-five years on, Poland's opposition leaders say PiS, and its head Jaroslaw Kaczynski, are behaving as badly as the communists, restricting democratic freedoms and hobbling the Constitutional Tribunal so it is unable to veto the government's programme.
Mr Kaczynski says the opposition refuses to accept PiS's victory in last year's elections and its continuing popularity, branding the accusations "absurd".
Simple comparisons to the communists are overblown, of course, but Mr Kaczynski continues to give more liberal-minded Poles cause for concern, branding them "anti-state" and warning that the government plans to introduce measures to bring "order" to the opposition's activities.
Gen Wojciech Jaruzelski argued that he had imposed martial law on 13 December 1981 to deter a Soviet invasion.
But in the subsequent crackdown, thousands of members of the pro-democracy Solidarity movement were arrested and as many as 100 people died. Martial law was lifted two years later and Gen Jaruzelski eventually stood down in 1990. He died in 2014.
Poland's defence minister said on Tuesday that the government would act to strip the late general and his late deputy, Gen Czeslaw Kiszczak, of their military ranks. | Poles have marked the 1981 imposition of martial law with marches, and thousands used the occasion to protest against the conservative government. | 38304692 |
Premiership clubs had voted to withhold players from international duty over alleged outstanding injury bills.
Captain Greig Laidlaw, Matt Scott, Tim Visser and Sean Maitland are among the Scots playing in England's top flight.
A Scottish Rugby spokesman said: "We are in positive talks with PRL and expect our players to be available."
Australia, Argentina and Georgia visit Scotland in November and head coach Vern Cotter names his squad on Tuesday.
PRL is also reported to be seeking remuneration from the Italian, Samoan and Tongan unions. | Scottish Rugby expects to have all England-based players available for the autumn Tests, despite a funding dispute with Premiership Rugby Ltd (PRL). | 37758144 |
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As part of the change, Thunder have applied to Newcastle City Council to make Kingston Park their home ground.
The switch comes after Newcastle Rugby Limited, owned by Falcons rugby union chairman Semor Kurdi took over the rugby league side in May.
"It was a commonsense step," managing director Keith Christie told BBC Sport.
"We're keen to make sure we don't forget our birthplace in Gateshead, but we have to ensure we move forward and unfortunately that means changing the name."
Thunder play in Championship League One - two steps below the top-flight. The side previously played in the Super League as Gateshead in 1999.
Christie said one of the club's priorities would now be to build up the fan base.
"We always want fans to come and it's a business decision we've taken to move here," he added.
The Rugby Football League has approved the name change. | Gateshead Thunder have rebranded as Newcastle Thunder, returning professional rugby league to the city for the first time since 1938. | 30901286 |
Writing during filming of the 1977 film Star Wars: A New Hope, Sir Alec said: "Can't say I'm enjoying the film."
The letter from the late actor, who played Obi Wan Kenobi, talks about the film's "rubbish dialogue".
Isaac, who plays Poe Dameron in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, was at Letters Live at Freemasons' Hall in London.
Sir Alec wrote to his friend Anne Kauffman: "New rubbish dialogue reaches me every other day on wadges of pink paper, and none of it makes my character clear or even bearable."
He said he was working with "Mark Hamill and Tennyson (that can't be right) Ford. Ellison? No! Well a rangy, languid man who is probably intelligent and amusing."
Letters Live sees actors and performers reading out literary correspondence to a live audience.
Sherlock actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Louise Brearley also took part, along with theatre and opera director Sophie Hunter.
Cumberbatch read out a letter by American author Mark Twain to the American poet Walt Whitman, which paid tribute to all the changes he had witnessed in the world over the course of his lifetime.
Cumberbatch and Brearley then performed letters between Bessie Moore and Chris Barker, two sweethearts separated by World War Two.
Hunter read out a letter from deaf and blind woman Helen Keller to the New York Symphony Orchestra, thanking them for the music which she had experienced through the radio by feeling the vibrations. | Sir Alec Guinness branded co-star Harrison Ford a "languid young man" in a letter read by Star Wars actor Oscar Isaac at a performance in London. | 35800241 |
The Temple Circus roundabout close to Temple Meads station will be built over and replaced with a public square and a more direct route into the city.
A city council spokesman said the new square would "give life to the area day and night".
The council has said the plans are part of a wider £21m development across the Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone.
Plans for the revamp involve:
An exhibition of the plans will be held at the Engine Shed from Tuesday, 13 January until Friday, 30 January.
The deadline for the public consultation is 18 February, 2015. | A main route into Bristol is set to undergo a major revamp under proposals put forward by Bristol City Council. | 30775854 |
Crude prices have risen by more than 20% from its August low, meaning oil has swung back into a so-called bull market.
Japan's Nikkei rose 0.44% at the open to 16,558.38 while the broader Topix gained 0.4% to 1,296.26.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 is 0.2% higher while New Zealand is trading flat.
South Korea's Kospi edged up 0.1% in Seoul.
Samsung Electronic shares extended gains on Friday by another 1% after having climbed to a record in the previous trading session.
The world's largest smartphone maker saw its market value cross the $200bn mark on Thursday, making it five times more valuable than Japan's Sony.
In Greater China, Hong Kong's Hang Seng is rising 0.2% while the Shanghai Composite is marginally lower. | Asian share markets are higher after oil prices rose above $50 a barrel on speculation major producers are going to reduce output. | 37127575 |
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Ajose has been nominated for February's player of the month award after scoring six goals in his last four games.
Austin scored 37 goals in 65 games for Swindon and earned a move to Burnley, before later playing in the Premier League with QPR and Southampton.
"Obviously for me the next step hopefully is to prove myself in the Championship," he told BBC Points West.
"I truly believe I can score lots of goals at that level. Hopefully, the run we're on at the moment, we can sneak up in the top six and maybe we can be doing that next year."
Ajose has scored 20 goals in 30 games this season since joining from Leeds in September, equalling Austin's highest goal tally for the League One side.
"You look at people like Charlie Austin and Rickie Lambert, Jamie Vardy, these kind of players," Ajose said.
"Obviously Vardy went from League Two to the Championship and now he's on fire in the Premier League, so I don't think there's any ceiling, especially for strikers.
"If you're that kind of striker who can score goals, you can score them at any level as long as there aren't massive deficiencies in your game."
Swindon are seven points adrift of the play-off places with 12 games to play, but they have a game in hand on every team above them in the League One table.
The Robins have won four straight league games to move up to 13th in the table, having been as low as 23rd in November after a 12-match winless run.
"We're confident and we know that if we can keep this run going we're going to be right in the mix," Ajose said.
"Hopefully we can catch a few people by surprise.
"The quality we've got in the dressing room and the way we want to play, it's a lot different to any other team in the league probably bar Wigan, but I'd say we do what we do better than them." | Swindon striker Nicky Ajose wants to emulate former Robins player Charlie Austin and play at a higher level. | 35764018 |
The actor, who in his latest film, Imperium, plays an FBI agent who infiltrates a right-wing extremist bomb plot, says "the vast majority of voters aren't racist extremists".
Yet, he continues: "Something's happened with Brexit and with Trump, people can now hear these views on TV and believe it's a legitimate way to think about people."
He says he feels it's now harder to be patriotic in the wake of the UKs vote to leave the EU.
"Some people will think you're racist. Patriotism is linked to nationalism and it's not the same thing," he says.
"I view myself as very patriotic but it's got nothing to do with the idea of wanting to be separate from Europe. We're an island, but a mix of cultures and languages has made us what we are. It's very sad to watch people think it's not the case."
Imperium was made last year, the actor explains, "when I couldn't have anticipated any of these views expressed in the film being mainstream. Trump was a joke candidate".
The film, co-starring Australian actress Toni Collette, is a collaboration between its writer-director, American Daniel Ragussis, and former FBI agent Mike German, who provides the inspiration for Radcliffe's role as Nate Foster. German was an undercover infiltrator in Far Right movements for years, leading to many arrests.
However, despite some high-profile attacks, most notoriously the Oklahoma bombings in 1995, carried out by white supremacist Timothy McVeigh, Ragussis believes the focus on so-called Isis-inspired terrorism means coverage of Far Right violence is no longer prominent.
"White supremacist groups are not necessarily classified as terrorists," he explains.
"I feel like we don't have to draw attention to people inspired by Isis," adds Radcliffe. "When the bomb went off in New York, I was saying to myself 'please don't let the perpetrator be black, or Muslim - because then it will be used by Trump'. But we do need to draw attention to the Far Right's activities."
The actor says his Jewish heritage "wasn't a deciding factor in making this film".
"It's also to do with my Dad coming from Northern Ireland. The film makes the point that terrorism comes in a lot of forms.
"I know from my Dad being Irish, that white people do this too. I think it's useful to remind people of that right now."
Radcliffe adds that he "dipped into" Adolf Hitler's 1925 autobiography, Mein Kampf, and expresses the hope that neo-Nazis would watch Imperium.
"I don't care if they do it as some kind of hate activity because I am Jewish, I feel that this is the kind of film they might watch because, while we don't have an open mind about their ideas, we do have an open mind about white supremacists as people - if you watch the film, not everyone in there is a skinhead, they are not portrayed as monsters."
However, it was Radcliffe's shaved head, done during a scene in the film, that gave Imperium most publicity as the first pictures caused an internet sensation when they were first released last year.
"It shouldn't be news that someone got a haircut but I guess that's ultimately good for the film," says Radcliffe.
He says he also accepts, although doesn't understand, why five years since the last Harry Potter film, such fan frenzies occur.
"I have sat next to actors in interviews and listen to them give answers to media questions and think, 'I could never say that, that will go everywhere'. It's super weird - I've got better at dealing with it though.
"I'll just keep on making different choices to do different films - and the fact that they are all so different these days isn't a comment on my role as Potter, I just don't want to repeat myself.
"So no one should ever expect a re-run of Woman in Black, Kill Your Darlings, or Imperium at all."
Imperium is released in the UK on 23 September 2016
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram, or if you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk. | Daniel Radcliffe believes that the UK's Brexit vote, along with the rise of Donald Trump, has made the Far Right "now a legitimate part of political discussion". | 37420553 |
He appeared at a gala in Havana's Karl Marx Theatre with his brother, President Raul Castro, and Cuba's ally, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
In his first public appearance since April, he appeared frail and remained seated during the event.
Fidel Castro, who stood down in 2008, had earlier attacked US President Barack Obama in a newspaper column.
He criticised Mr Obama for not apologising to the people of Hiroshima for the nuclear bomb dropped there by the US in World War Two. Mr Obama visited the Japanese city in May.
"He lacked the words to ask for forgiveness for the killings of hundreds of thousands of people," Mr Castro wrote.
Ninety years of Castro and the Queen
Fidel, the great survivor
Ties between the US and Cuba have been restored under Raul Castro's presidency, but after a visit by Mr Obama to Havana in March, Fidel Castro wrote that "we don't need the empire to give us anything".
The gala in Havana focused on key moments of Fidel's life, including the CIA-backed invasion attempt in the Bay of Pigs in 1961.
A large street party was also held in the capital late on Friday, and fireworks exploded when the clock hit midnight.
The BBC's Will Grant in Havana says that Fidel Castro now has all but retired from public life and is thought to exercise limited influence over political affairs in Cuba. | The former Cuban leader Fidel Castro has made a rare public appearance at an event to mark his 90th birthday. | 37074915 |
The child, now two, had been placed with foster carers after her parents were unable to care for her.
A High Court judge then ruled the youngster should be cared for by the grandparents - her father's parents.
But the foster couple hoped to adopt her and brought a challenge. The Family Division of the High Court in Newcastle has ruled in their favour.
The four-day hearing was described by Mr Justice Cobb as being "as difficult as any" to come before the family court.
He said the grandmother was 58 and the grandfather was 60 while the couple who wanted to adopt, who he called Mr and Mrs X, were in their 30s.
The grandparents had seen little of their son for the past decade and had never met his partner, both of whom had learning difficulties.
When the child was born she was placed with foster carers, and when council social services staff had not traced any relatives a judge ruled she should be placed for adoption.
Mr and Mrs X, who had been looking after her since December 2014, then made an application to do so.
However, in June 2015 the girl's biological parents, who had moved to another area, had a son.
Social services staff from the second council searched for relatives and traced the grandparents.
It was only then that the older couple learned about the existence of their granddaughter.
A High Court judge ruled she should be cared for by them, but Mr and Mrs X challenged this in the Court of Appeal, which ordered a review.
In the latest hearing, Mr Justice Cobb said experts agreed the child would suffer "trauma, distress, confusion and emotional harm" if "uprooted" from the home of Mr and Mrs X.
While this had to be weighed against the possibility of her suffering long-term harm and "feelings of rejection" if she stayed with her adopted family, he had reached the "clear conclusion" that this would be in the child's best interests.
He said: "Inevitably, as much as this outcome will provide great joy to the Xs, it will generate profound disappointment to the paternal grandparents."
Neither councils could be named, and Mr Justice Cobb added: "I should record that the paternal grandparents express anger at the [first] local authority for failing to take the relevant steps to trace them when proceedings were afoot in relation to [the girl] in 2014.
"They feel, understandably, that things could have been so different had rudimentary steps been taken." | A couple have lost their fight to adopt a granddaughter they did not know existed until she was a year old. | 38221295 |
But there is a hopeful side to the "banlieues".
They have a higher population turnover than other parts of France. Most residents - though by no means all - leave within a few years, and are upwardly mobile.
Here women from the banlieues speak about their lives and hopes for the future.
Go-getters in the ghetto
Cinthia has lived all her life in Goussainville, on the north-eastern fringes of the Paris area. Her parents settled there from the French West Indies in the 1960s.
Cinthia and her family rent a flat in the housing estate where she grew up. The place, she says, has changed a lot since then, and "not always for the better".
There has been an influx of migrant workers over the past 20 years, in part because of good transport links - Goussainville is on the regional rail network and central Paris is just 25 minutes away by train.
The town now has sizable communities not just from sub-Saharan countries and North Africa, but also from the Middle East, Turkey, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
As foreigners moved in in higher numbers, locals moved out. "There are fewer and fewer people of French origin in Goussainville," Cinthia says.
She is not interested in relocating to the remote periphery of Paris, as many French people have done. Goussainville is a short drive away from Charles de Gaulle airport where she works for a company making airline meals.
Still, she would like to leave her estate. "People here do not respect the place," she says. As an example, she mentions a recycling scheme that did not last: people just left their rubbish on the pavement.
A few years ago Cinthia and her family tried to move to a nearby residential area, but could not as her husband was unemployed. Now both have jobs but properties in Goussainville have become too expensive. At 46, she can no longer afford a mortgage.
"I have four children and must choose my priorities. I would have liked a house with a garden," she says. "Sometimes you have to give up on your dreams."
The best Cinthia's family could do was get a new apartment in a slightly quieter corner of the estate.
Svetlana, Cinthia's 20-year-old daughter, has a better chance of doing moving out.
Walking through the estate, she points to a spot near her old flat where kids used to set rubbish bins alight. "We see a lot of burnt cars over there," she says. "There have been fights as well."
Svetlana's future is uncertain - she talks about becoming either a philosophy teacher or an interior designer - but she is sure she wants to leave Goussainville behind.
What worries her is that youths on the estate "do not have any goal in life".
"I feel a bit lost myself. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with my life," she says. "When I see kids being so aimless, hanging around all day on their quad bikes, I think: I don't want my children to be like that."
The daughter of migrants from Mauritius, Sharron grew up in Aubervilliers, a northern suburb of Paris with a rotten reputation. As a teenager, she struggled to get part-time jobs because of where she lived.
But she did not give up. Sharron went off to study at London Metropolitan University, returned to Paris to cut her teeth as a businesswoman and get an MBA while raising a family.
With years of experience in the tech sector under her belt, she is launching a digital strategy consultancy.
Coming from Aubervilliers, she says, has toughened her for life as an entrepreneur. "Every time someone tells me I can't do this, I tell myself I will prove them wrong."
"I always say to young people: if you don't say what's on your mind, no one is going to know. You have to move, you have to do something. I had a lot of support from my family and my friends but I always knew it was down to me."
Sharron's hometown was once a burden, but now she regards it as a badge of honour.
"When people say to me you come from Aubervilliers, I say, yes I do but then I went to London and then I came back," she says. "I'm proud and I always make sure people know I come from Aubervilliers."
Imene lives with her Tunisian mother and her brothers on a council estate in Vallauris, near Nice.
Until she was 15, she attended a local school where most pupils were of North-African origin, like her.
The teachers' expectations, she says, were minimal and so was the teaching. In literature, instead of the classics, they were given modern stories about immigrant families to read.
A teacher once told her she would end up working as a housemaid. "That kind of insult left us traumatised," says Imene. Most of her friends dropped out at the age of 16.
Thankfully, another teacher saw her potential and fought to get her a place in a lycee, where she could prepare for the baccalaureat.
Imene discovered with wonder that there was more to French literature than tales of growing up on high-rise estates.
She worked hard to catch up in her studies and passed her "bac". She is now studying to become a social worker while volunteering for a women's charity in Vallauris.
Ideally, Imene would like to get a master's, but she is settling for a lesser degree as she needs to start earning enough money to help her family move out of their estate.
"We'd like to live in a quieter area, with less fear," she says. "I worry about my younger brothers. It's tough here. And there is still discrimination in education. I'd like to take them to another school where they'll be properly looked after."
Sandra is the granddaughter of North African migrants. Her father is a taxi driver and mother a municipal employee. Both were born in France.
Sandra grew up in the Goussainville estate where Cinthia Piquionne and her family still live. But unlike them, her parents were able to move to a nearby residential area when she was 14.
However she stayed in the same school, and has no serious complaint with the education she received.
She was once humiliated by a form tutor who ridiculed her aspiration to study law. "Look at her!" The teacher said in front of the whole class, "She has ideas above her station."
But other teachers, Sandra says, encouraged pupils to go for good careers. "They told us that if we tried, we would at least have the satisfaction of giving it a good shot."
She got her degrees with flying colours, and now works a trainee lawyer for a multinational insurance company.
At no point did she feel discriminated against. Her North African background, she says, "was just never a factor".
She denies being exceptional. Many of her old school friends, she insists, are in business schools.
Although Sandra's professional ambitions have materialised, one personal wish may not. "My dream is to return to my old school and say to that form tutor: 'So there.'" | The deprived suburbs of French cities, home to many migrants, suffer from high unemployment, alarming crime rates and all sorts of social disadvantages. | 37103628 |
The US-based firm has now removed Rocket Pride by Best Arabic Games, in which players attempt to outmanoeuvre Israel's Iron Dome missile defence system, from its Google Play app store.
It also deleted Iron Dome by Gamytech, which challenged players to "intercept the rockets launched by Hamas".
Other titles that do not name the "enemy" remain online.
Advocacy groups have criticised the emergence of the genre.
"It is both deplorable and dangerous to glorify Israelis killing Arabs or Arabs killing Israelis," Morton Klein, president of the Zionist Organization of America, told the BBC.
Chris Doyle, director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding, added: "Games that glorify violence or normalise conflict when referring to an actual conflict that is happening as we speak are deeply problematic and deeply distasteful.
"Google, Facebook or any other company that hosts such games, should be reviewing their policies and making absolutely all efforts to ensure that such games are not hosted on their platforms."
Amnesty International UK has also declared that such titles are "in highly questionable taste".
The Daily Dot was one of the first news sites to bring attention to the phenomenon, on Monday, when it named several Android games relating to the conflict.
Google later blocked three titles as part of its initial response to user complaints:
A playable Bomb Gaza app was also subsequently removed from Facebook - the BBC understands that the social network decided to take it offline.
The site, however, still has a page promoting the game, which describes it as "very addictive and fun" to play.
Google Play and Apple's iOS store continue to host another title: Iron Dome - Missile Defense, by Shy Rosenzweig, co-founder of Meetey.com.
Released on July 21, it tasks the player with defending "your city against endless enemy's missiles and rockets".
Mr Rosenzweig told the BBC he deliberately avoided naming the enemy as being Hamas or fighters from Gaza.
"I wish not to see apps that support hate in any way," he said.
"I believe that many apps have been removed simply because people reported them, mostly because the app name or description related directly to the conflict.
"I anticipated this scenario and made sure to publish my game within the acceptable boundaries of Apple and Google."
The Android store also offers other recently uploaded Iron Dome-themed titles in which the adversaries are described as "terrorists".
It also contains Gaza Hero - a game in which the player taps Israeli army characters to turn them into food and medicine, which states "curse Israel" on its introduction screen - as well as Gaza Defender, which involves firing at aircraft above.
A spokeswoman for Google would not discuss specific apps, but said: "We remove apps from Google Play that violate our policies."
The firm's developer's terms and conditions ban apps that advocate "against groups of people based on their race or ethnic origin", and/or are judged to threaten other users.
Device owners wishing to alert Google to an app they believe breaks its rules can do so by tapping a "flag as inappropriate" link. | Google has expanded its list of banned Android video games linked to the Gaza-Israel conflict. | 28668325 |
The remains of three skeletons were found inside Rosslyn Chapel when work to the heating system required floor slabs to be lifted.
Radiocarbon dating of two of the skeletons indicates they could have been buried in the mid-15th Century.
They were possibly buried at about the same time the chapel was constructed.
It is thought the skeletons were male and that at least one of them had undertaken heavy or repeated physical activity, with well-developed bone surfaces at the sites of muscle insertions.
Bones that had previously been disturbed were also found in the chapel precinct, with these dated back to between the 15th and 17th centuries. These were thought to be the remains of an adult male.
The AOC Archaeology Group in Midlothian carried out the excavation and analysis of the bones for the Rosslyn Chapel Trust, with the bones then prepared for reburial in line with guidance from Historic Environment Scotland.
Lindsay Dunbar, fieldwork project manager at AOC Archaeology Group, said: "Opportunities to work at such a world-famous and iconic monument as Rosslyn Chapel come along rarely, so it was with great anticipation that AOC undertook the archaeological monitoring during the construction of the new visitor centre and works at the chapel.
"The discovery of both disturbed and in situ burials was especially exciting given the limited amount of excavation necessary within the chapel to complete the conservation works.
"AOC was allowed ample time to complete the full excavation of the burials and the good preservation of the human bone allowed full osteoarchaeological analysis to be completed.
"Whilst it is unlikely that the burials represent the clergy, it is clear that to occupy such a space within such a small chapel means that these burials are of people important to the chapel."
Ian Gardner, director of the Rosslyn Chapel Trust, said: "The analysis provides valuable information about the age of the remains but, inevitably, questions remain unanswered about the identity of these men and their roles here.
"Today's ceremony to reinter the remains was simple but a very fitting way to return them to Rosslyn Chapel."
The Rosslyn Chapel featured in Dan Brown's best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code. | Human remains discovered during maintenance work at a historic church in Midlothian have been reburied in its grounds. | 34832202 |
Mr Justice Mitting said the Tory MP's behaviour was "childish" and that his version of events was inconsistent with CCTV footage of the row with PC Toby Rowland in Downing Street in 2012.
Mr Mitchell, who may face costs of £2m, said he was "bitterly disappointed".
PC Rowland said he and his family had been through "indescribable pain".
"I am delighted to hear again my innocence, my reputation and my integrity as a police officer has been recognised. I hope now that a line can be drawn and everyone can be left in peace," he added.
Mr Mitchell sued News Group Newspapers over a story that appeared in the Sun in September 2012 which claimed he called PC Rowland a "pleb".
Mr Mitchell acknowledged that he had used bad language but maintained he had not used that word.
Giving his ruling, Mr Justice Mitting said: "For the reasons given I am satisfied at least on the balance of probabilities that Mr Mitchell did speak the words alleged or something so close to them as to amount to the same including the politically toxic word 'pleb'."
He ordered Mr Mitchell to pay interim costs of £300,000 but the total bill he will face is not yet known.
Responding to the verdict, Mr Mitchell said: "Obviously I am bitterly disappointed by the result of the judgment today.
"This has been a miserable two years but we now need to bring this matter to a close and move on with our lives."
However, Stig Abell, managing editor of the Sun, welcomed the verdict, hailing it as "a vindication for the Sun and its journalists - it is a victory for all journalism".
By Robin Brant, BBC political correspondent
His majority is massive, so he's comfy in his Sutton Coldfield seat.
But Andrew Mitchell may have no choice but to go and earn more than the £67,060 an MP gets if he is landed with a multi-million pound bill for costs and damages.
David Cameron held on to him in the immediate aftermath of the scandal in September 2012, showing his characteristic loyalty.
As a sign of how highly he was regarded there was talk, even after he'd quit the cabinet, that Mr Mitchell might return to frontline politics with a job in Brussels as the UK's commissioner.
That didn't happen, and hopes of any return are now completely gone.
Outside court Mr Mitchell described the past two years as "miserable".
That misery continues, and the former army officer turned investment banker has the next few months to decide - as do party chiefs - if he will continue as an MP.
The judge gave his verdict after listening to two weeks of evidence from 26 witnesses and considering volumes of documents concerning a 15-second exchange.
Weighing up the competing claims, the judge said PC Rowland was "not the sort of man who would have had the wit, imagination or inclination to invent on the spur of the moment an account of what a senior politician had said to him in temper".
He added that gaps and inconsistencies in PC Rowland's account did not demonstrate he had fabricated his account, as Mr Mitchell's lawyers claimed.
If he was making up his account, PC Rowland would have had to have come up with the words within seconds, according to the judge.
The altercation took place as Mr Mitchell, who was government chief whip at the time, attempted to leave Downing Street via the main gate on his bicycle.
Steve White, chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said he was "pleased" that "Toby's name has been cleared and his integrity restored".
Michael Fabricant, another former whip and fellow Conservative MP who gave evidence during the trial, told the BBC his colleague could have kept his job if he had apologised.
"If only he'd shown a little more humility at the time all this could have been avoided," Mr Fabricant said. | Ex-chief whip Andrew Mitchell probably did call police officers "plebs", a High Court judge has said as he rejected a libel case against the Sun. | 30235009 |
Aneirin Hughes, who plays Ch Supt Brian Prosser, suffered facial injuries in the incident at a pub in Aberystwyth.
Dewi Lloyd Edwards, 24, received a community order and a £250 fine from town magistrates after admitting common assault and actual bodily harm.
Robert Meirion Edwards, 52, was fined £105 after admitting an assault charge.
The incident was over a long-standing dispute about agricultural land which has since been resolved, the court was told.
A third man, Steven Paul Welsby, 40, denied a charge of causing actual bodily harm.
His case was adjourned for trial next month. He has been released on conditional bail. | A father and son have been fined after admitting an assault on an actor from BBC Wales police drama Hinterland in Ceredigion. | 38507378 |
The Ignition event will feature exhibitions and driving displays, in what organisers say is the most ambitious and complex motor show to be staged in Scotland.
The three-day event includes stunt driving performances and exhibitions.
A special track has been constructed on the banks of the river Clyde.
It is a mile long and snakes around the SECC, Clyde Auditorium and the SSE Hydro, making it Glasgow's first ever street circuit.
Former racing driver David Coulthard will take to the track on Saturday in a Formula 1 car.
Five-time British Rally Champion Jimmy McRae will complete the first lap of the riverside track to open the event.
He will be driving a car that belonged to his son, fellow rally driver Colin McRae.
The Stig, from Top Gear, will be undertaking a series of power laps in some supercars while the world famous Top Gear Live Stunt Team will also perform.
The festival finishes on Sunday 7 August. | Supercars, vintage vehicles and motorbikes will be centre stage at a new motoring festival in Glasgow this weekend. | 36990556 |
The deadline to appoint at least one female director fell at midnight on Tuesday.
However, hundreds of the more than 5,000 companies listed on India's two main stock exchanges have failed to do so.
Mukesh Ambani, India's second-richest man, has appointed his wife Nita to the board of Reliance Industries.
Gautam Singhania named his wife Nawaz as a director of Raymond Group, his textile manufacturing business.
Prime Database, which has compiled figures on the number of companies that had complied with the new law, said some 1,819 companies - about a third - listed on the National Stock Exchange and the Bombay Stock Exchange had still not announced female directors as of Friday last week.
The percentage is believed to have fallen to 17% by the time the deadline fell.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India announced the measure 13 months ago in an attempt to boost gender diversity in boardrooms and had already extended its original deadline from last October.
UK Sinha, its chairman, said last week it was "very shameful" that so few companies already had female directors.
Firms that fail to comply could be penalised by the board.
Shriram Subramanian, head of corporate advisory firm InGovern, said the companies that had not complied were being lazy.
"It is the height of ridiculousness. It is impossible not to find the required number of qualified women from a billion people," he said.
"Firms think if a large number of companies do not follow the norm nobody will be fined and the deadline will be pushed ahead."
Last month, International Monetary Fund boss Christine Lagarde said the lack of female workers in India was a "huge missed opportunity" for the country's economic growth.
India has a population of about 1.2 billion, but ranks 120th for female labour participation among the 131 nations surveyed by International Labour Organization in 2013. | Some of India's richest businessmen have appointed their wives as company directors to comply with a new law. | 32146715 |
The Beijing Municipal High People's Court ruled in favour of Xintong Tiandi Technology, said the official Legal Daily newspaper.
Xintong Tiandi trademarked "IPHONE" for leather products in China in 2010.
Apple filed a trademark bid for the name for electronic goods in 2002, but it was not approved until 2013.
"Apple is disappointed the Beijing Higher People's Court chose to allow Xintong to use the iPhone mark for leather goods when we have prevailed in several other cases against Xintong," said a spokesman for the firm.
"We intend to request a retrial with the Supreme People's Court and will continue to vigorously protect our trademark rights.
"We work hard to make the best products in the world and want to ensure our customers' experience is not compromised by companies who try to profit from using our brand."
The Legal Daily (in Chinese) is widely recognised as the official mouthpiece for the country's Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission. Its report came out in late April but has only just been widely circulated.
Xintong Tiandi sells handbags, mobile phone cases and other leather goods branded with the name "IPHONE", close to Apple's iPhone mark, and the "R" registered trademark symbol.
Apple first brought the case against the company to the Chinese trademark authority in 2012, then when that failed, filed a lawsuit in a lower Beijing court.
But both ruled against Apple, so it appealed to the higher court.
The higher court ruled that Apple could not prove it was a well-known brand in China before Xintong Tiandi filed its trademark application in 2007.
Apple iPhones first went on sale in China in 2009.
The ruling comes shortly after Apple's latest results which showed a 13% drop in revenue on slower iPhone sales. Sales in China had plunged by 26%.
Apple is also facing difficulties in other operations in China. In March, Beijing passed a law that required all content shown in China to be stored on servers based on the Chinese mainland.
As a result Apple's iBooks and iTunes services were shut down in the country. Apple said it hoped access to the services would be restored soon.
The move has widely been seen as a blow to Apple as China is the second biggest market for its products.
Last week billionaire investor Carl Icahn sold all his shares in Apple over concerns about the technology firm's prospects in China. | Apple has lost a trademark fight in China, meaning a firm which sells handbags and other leather goods can continue to use the name "IPHONE". | 36200481 |
But this year, they are quieter than usual. A travel advisory issued by Beijing has caused a sharp fall in arrivals from China.
"We are worried and we are affected," said Dionisio Salme, president of the Boracay Foundation Inc., the island's resorts' association.
Since the warning was issued on 12 September, Boracay has seen a steep drop in Chinese visitors. Numbers fell from 18,479 in August to less than 7,000 in September.
This trend continued into China's week-long public holiday in the first week of October, normally one of the peak travel seasons for Chinese tour groups.
According to Mr Salme, while bars and clubs on Boracay's main beach are still crowded with Filipinos and tourists from other countries, the large resorts which take in busloads of Chinese tourists are nearly empty.
Airlines have been hit too. Cebu Pacific (CEB), a major Philippine budget carrier, cancelled 149 chartered flights scheduled between September and December 2014, with a loss of an estimated 24,138 passengers.
AirAsia has also suspended flights from Beijing and Shanghai to Kalibo, the regional airport servicing Boracay. As the travel advisory hit its fourth week, it also reduced flights between Manila and Shanghai.
Jorenz Tanada, vice-president for corporate affairs for Cebu Pacific, remains cautiously optimistic. "CEB continues to operate scheduled commercial flights to and from mainland China," he said, adding that the airline hoped the advisory would be "lifted at the soonest possible time".
In its advisory, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs cited a "worsened security situation in the Philippines" that may see Chinese nationals targeted.
It followed an alleged bomb plot against the Chinese embassy, the kidnapping of an 18-year-old man in the southern Philippines and general concern about criminal gangs.
The Philippine military has since dismissed the alleged bomb plot, noting that the man arrested was a fringe politician whose bombs were merely firecrackers, and the Chinese embassy has yet to determine if the kidnapped man was indeed a Chinese national.
Aileen Baviera, a professor who specialises in Philippine-China relations at the Asia Center of the University of the Philippines Diliman, said it seemed hard to justify the advisory.
"There are so many Chinese in the Philippines, they're all over the country. So these are really isolated incidents," she said.
But the advisory was issued amid high tensions between Beijing and Manila over territorial disputes in the South China Sea and is widely seen in the Philippines as going beyond Beijing's security concerns for its tourists.
"Hyping up the danger to their own nationals in the Philippines is one way that they [Beijing] put subtle pressure on the government," Ms Baviera said.
China issued a similar travel advisory in 2012, at the height of a stand-off at the Scarborough Shoal - a reef claimed by both Beijing and Manila.
That time, it cited a protest planned outside the Chinese embassy in Manila. Of the 1,000 protesters expected by the Chinese embassy, only about 200 showed up, and anti-Chinese violence did not materialise.
The new fall in tourists has already had an economic impact. China is the fourth largest source of foreign tourists in the Philippines, after South Korea, the United States and Japan.
Chinese tourists spent 6.46bn pesos (£89.5m; $144.7m) in the country between January and August 2014, according to a report by the Philippine Department of Tourism.
But in the four days immediately following the advisory, Boracay alone announced 500m pesos in losses due to cancellations.
Some of the people most affected are ethnically Chinese Filipinos who operate the travel agencies used by Chinese tourists.
James Lim is a Mandarin-speaking Chinese-Filipino guide based in Cebu City, the jumping off point for many of the Philippines's most popular tourist destinations.
Mr Lim, who is accustomed to back-to-back tour groups arriving in Cebu directly from China, said the drop in arrivals has put him on an unplanned holiday. He was spending most of his days at a cafe, or playing ping pong.
He declined to read into what the travel advisory could mean for Philippine-Chinese relations, but insisted that Chinese nationals are not specifically targeted by criminals.
Like other private businesses feeling the strain of the travel ban, Mr Salme is looking for assurances and solutions.
He has asked the Philippine government and the Department of Tourism for help, and invited representatives to the island to discuss ways to bridge the gap in revenue until the advisory is lifted.
"We're just hoping and praying that this can be resolved in the shortest period of time," he said.
Government officials, meanwhile, appear reluctant to discuss the subject. The Department of Tourism declined to elaborate to the BBC, as have some large private firms who are concerned about straining their relationship with the Philippine government over the sensitive political nature of the advisory.
In a press briefing on 6 October, Charles Jose, the spokesman for the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, said officials were "trying to map out concrete steps that we could take to basically convince China that we are taking measures and that we are guaranteeing and ensuring the safety and protection of their nationals".
On Boracay island, Mr Salme said local authorities were not aware of any incidents targeting any nationalities.
"For us, tourists are a big help and we want to really protect all nationalities," he said. "It is beyond our control what's going on. It's up to our government to find some solution." | The beaches and restaurants of Boracay Island are usually bustling with tourists from around the world. | 29684938 |
Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo America, told Polygon that Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild would be the company's final game for the device.
"We really are at the end of life for Wii U," he said.
The Wii U struggled to match the success of the original Wii device. It will be succeeded by the Nintendo Switch console in March.
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - the latest instalment in one of the best-selling game franchises of all time - was first announced in 2013.
But the game has faced multiple delays and will now be released on the Wii U and Nintendo Switch simultaneously.
Nintendo has previously indicated that the production of Wii U hardware was due to end.
However, Mr Fils-Aime said that the company would continue to provide online services for Wii U players, and that third-party publishers may still decide to release software.
by Chris Foxx, BBC technology reporter
The original Wii with its quirky motion-controlled party games quickly became Nintendo's best-selling home console, so it's easy to see why the company wanted to ride that wave.
But critics say the Wii U name confused shoppers, making it sound like an accessory or enhanced version of the original console.
Others say Nintendo fudged the marketing, with confusing messages about what the new touchscreen controller could do.
In some games it worked as a "second screen" to display maps or inventory - but few third-party games properly supported it.
It could also be used to play without a TV, as long as you were at home, and near the console, and playing a game that supported it.
For many gamers, the Nintendo Switch is what the Wii U should have been: a device that operates consistently as a handheld and home console.
Now, as Nintendo presses its final discs for the short-lived Wii U, it must convince players that its next console is worth the investment.
DS (2004) - handheld - 154 million sales
Game Boy (1989) - handheld - 119 million
Wii (2006) - console - 102 million
Game Boy Advance (2001) - handheld - 82 million
NES (1983) - console - 62 million
3DS (2011) - handheld - 62 million
SNES (1990) - console - 49 million
N64 (1996) - console - 33 million
GameCube (2001) - console - 22 million
Wii U (2012) - console - 13 million
Source: Nintendo, September 2016 | Nintendo has signalled the "end of life" for its Wii U games console, which was first released in 2012. | 38689991 |
Abdulemam, known as the "Bahraini Blogger", had been sentenced to 15 years in prison on charges that he was part of a terrorist organisation.
He spent two years in hiding after a royal pardon was revoked.
Abdulemam escaped in a secret compartment of a car up a causeway that joins Bahrain to Saudi Arabia.
According to Atlantic Magazine, from there he was smuggled along the Gulf in a fisherman's boat to Kuwait.
He crossed into Iraq and took a regularly scheduled flight to London, where the magazine says he was granted asylum.
A source close to Abdulemam's family confirmed to the BBC that he had arrived in London.
Critical blogs
Abdulemam's troubles began when he started to write articles critical of the ruling Al Khalifa family.
The Al Khalifas are Sunni Muslim in a country with a Shia Muslim majority. Shia have long complained of discrimination.
Abdulemam worked as an IT specialist for the Bahraini airline Gulf Air. In his spare time he blogged.
But he was sacked from the airline after he was arrested in September 2010 and accused of being part of a terrorist organisation.
He was charged with spreading false information and linked to Bahraini opposition figures who had been arrested in August of that year.
Like Mr Abdulemam, all of the arrested men were Shia. Academics, a dentist, a geologist, and several clerics were among those held.
They all protested their innocence and were in fact pardoned by King Hamad and released in February 2011.
But following the crushing of the pro-democracy movement in March 2011, orders went out to re-arrest the men.
Ali Abdulemam went into hiding in Bahrain and managed to escape capture.
In an interview with the BBC in December 2010, his wife Jenan al-Oraibi told the BBC:
"Ali does not belong to any political party. He just writes his opinion. He has a free pen. That is exactly his crime. He has a free pen".
Mr Abdulemam's flight from the kingdom will cause the government there some embarrassment.
Along with other GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries, Bahrain has cracked down hard on internet activism.
Now one of its critics, a hero among online activists, has slipped out of their grasp. | Ali Abdulemam, a prominent blogger in Bahrain, has been smuggled out of the troubled Gulf kingdom and taken refuge in the UK, the BBC has learned. | 22489114 |
But long before her stature on the small screen soared, Cilla was an unknown Liverpool lass with an astonishing rags to riches story.
Her early years are about to be relived in a new TV drama charting how Priscilla White was transformed into a chart-topping singing star.
It also chronicles the turbulent highs and lows from tasting fame to finding lasting love.
The three-part offering - simply called Cilla - presents actress Sheridan Smith with the onerous task of portraying the young woman who went on to become a national treasure.
We see her in early 1960s Liverpool, a grim city riven by religious prejudices where prospects were limited. Young people - including Cilla - escaped everyday life by going to see exciting new rock and roll bands at the Cavern Club.
Screenwriter Jeff Pope, who also co-scripted Oscar-nominated film Philomena, says the drama is "a non-patronising look at the working class".
"I thought the earlier part of Cilla's life would be interesting. We live in the X Factor age and I thought it was intriguing to see how Cilla had come up from literally nowhere and how she made it," he adds.
"But at its heart is a love story between Cilla and Bobby - and Cilla and Brian."
The singer's rise in the drama is dominated by two men - Bobby, who went on to be the love of her life and was "very happy to carry the handbag" for such a successful woman, and music mogul Brian Epstein, who plucked Black from obscurity.
He died of an overdose in 1967 aged 34, and a side story of the TV mini-series is his tortured existence as a closeted gay man in the dark days before homosexuality was decriminalised in the year of his death.
West End performer Smith, whose collaboration with Pope on drama Mrs Biggs won her a Bafta, says the drama will bring the two halves of Cilla's career together.
"The younger generation who have got no clue about this and know about Blind Date will get to see this amazing singing career, and the older generation can relive it."
The actress not only had to capture the essence of a youthful Cilla in her portrayal, but had to sing live for scenes from the frenetic buzz of the Cavern Club as 'Swinging Cilla' to the recording studios of Abbey Road.
"In the months leading up to shooting, I had every interview, every piece of footage from the early 60s and there was loads on YouTube so I sat there watching them," explains Smith.
"There's only one Cilla and everyone does an impression of her. I didn't want to do her a disservice and I'm not an impersonator. I wanted to try to get little mannerisms like the way she touched her hair.
"I had some singing lessons - I sing with my mouth wide open, she sings with it quite closed. I know I don't have her voice," she adds, pointing out that Cilla had a "honk" as well as much softer vocals.
The actress recounts how her role led to a dinner date with the star which made the weight of her burden become real.
"I was really star-struck and nervous and I babbled away at her. It's a huge responsibility and you don't want to let them down.
"She gave me her phone number but I was too shy to ring! What do you ask?!" adds Smith. "And I have no plans to make an album of covers - come on, there's only one Cilla!"
But she plays down the performance, saying it was all down to a simple prop synonymous with Cilla.
"I just had to whack my teeth in and I was away! They changed the shape of my mouth so it really helped with the accent."
Pope, whose credits also include Fred West dramatisation Appropriate Adult and The Widower, says Cilla had an important role in creating the drama - and encouraged him to tease out the spikier side of her growth as a star.
The story clearly shows how she could be tough with those around her and was even a match for established artists like songwriter Burt Bacharach.
"She was very insistent that we go into areas that weren't viewed through rose-coloured spectacles. She was very upfront about how determined she was and how sharp her elbows were and had to be in those days.
"Would her tendency be, like her TV shows, to smooth everything out and present a wonderful face to the world? I found the opposite," he says.
"She was in a man's world and I admire her strength," adds Smith.
The writer said watching the films with a figure who remains alive and well was "stressful", not to mention filled with memories.
"Cilla made a joke out of it and said 'this normally happens when someone kicks the bucket.' The emotion of seeing the love of her life [who died in 1999] was massive."
Cilla's story finishes before her marriage to Bobby in 1969 and after the peak of her musical fame. Tellingly, a contract for a BBC television show is found beside the body of Epstein, hinting at the beginnings of a small screen star we all know and love.
Cilla begins on ITV on Monday 15 September at 2100 BST. | Popular entertainer Cilla Black became best known for her huge television hits Blind Date and Surprise Surprise, which dominated the airwaves in the 1980s and 90s. | 28852517 |
That is what many environmentalists are asking after the United States delivered a damaging blow to India's ambitious solar power programme this week.
In response to a US complaint, a World Trade Organization (WTO) panel has ruled that India's National Solar Mission breaches trade rules.
It judged that India's policies on buying locally made solar power equipment discriminates against imports.
"The ink is barely dry on the UN Paris Climate Agreement, but clearly trade still trumps real action on climate change," Sam Cossar-Gilbert of Friends of the Earth International said in a statement.
But is the decision really as damaging as many commentators seem to think?
Let's start at the beginning.
One of the biggest achievements at the Paris climate change conference was drawing India into the architecture of international climate agreements.
It refused to commit to a ceiling on carbon dioxide emissions but did promise big increases in the carbon efficiency of the economy - the amount of carbon emitted per unit of GDP.
A key part of that commitment was the promise of huge investment in renewable technologies, including a vast increase in solar power.
India said it would add 100 GW of solar capacity by 2022.
That's more than the current solar capacity of the world's top five solar-producing countries combined.
And - you guessed it - the National Solar Mission was the centrepiece of the whole shebang.
But while the US was carefully reeling India into the climate talks it had simultaneously lodged a complaint with the WTO, arguing that India's solar programme created unfair barriers to the import of US-made solar panels.
It is certainly true that India's plans include a "buy local" policy.
The Solar Mission is explicitly designed to make India one of the biggest players in the rapidly growing international solar industry.
Indeed, developing solar is a key thrust of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's signature "Make in India" policy.
And here's where the interesting economic arguments come in.
Because the presumption in most of the commentaries I've read on this is that buying local content is necessarily a good thing.
Take a look at this article in the online environmental magazine Grist, or this piece in the Huffington Post, which maintains: "The ruling shows that decades-old, over-reaching trade rules are out of sync with the global challenge to 100% clean energy."
Lots of economists would say that that is muddle-headed.
Think about what the "buy local" rules are really about.
They are there to shield local capitalists - Indian-based solar panel companies - from competition from abroad.
That means one of two things.
Secure behind the protective barrier, they get to pocket extra profits.
Alternatively they are able to run less efficient businesses.
Either way the people who buy the panels lose out because they end up paying more.
The case is made very well in this Forbes article, which argues that the WTO rules are there to right an inherent imbalance between producers and consumers.
The problem is that local businesses tend to feel very strongly indeed about creating that comfortable competition-free space, so they lobby government hard for it.
Their customers aren't so motivated to make a fuss so the manufacturers tend to win out.
That's where the WTO agreements come in, tilting the trade disputes like this in favour of consumers.
That is why - runs the argument - the WTO ruling against India will actually have huge environmental benefits.
The WTO is ensuring that India's solar ambitions are achieved in the most efficient way possible because the Indian businesses that want to generate solar power get to buy the cheapest solar panels.
That is certainly what the American solar industry says.
"This decision helps us bring clean energy to the people of India, as that nation's demand for electricity rapidly grows," Dan Whitten of the Solar Energy Industries Association told PV-Tech magazine.
India, of course, disagrees.
It argues that developing an indigenous solar industry will in time boost international competition and therefore reduce the price of solar panels for everyone.
And no doubt India will be tempted to point to the hypocrisy in US trade policy.
While the US argues for unfettered free markets in international forums like the WTO, it doesn't practice what it preaches at home.
Half of all US states have subsidies for renewables.
Perhaps India should file a counter-complaint with the WTO against the US. | Whatever happened to all the talk of international co-operation to tackle climate change that we heard during the climate conference in Paris just a few months ago? | 35668342 |
Having made the European finals for the first time, NI are preparing to play Poland in Nice on Sunday.
"I have had some tough years playing for the national team for a long time," said 34-year-old midfielder Baird, who has 78 international caps.
"I have enjoyed every minute of it, but this beats everything."
Baird made his NI debut in 2003 under Sammy McIlroy when the team was on a long run without a goal.
Derby County's Baird, who had a brief loan spell with his old club Fulham last season, added: "It is fantastic and we really just want to get on with it now."
Boss Michael O'Neill said the build-up could not have gone any better, having had the unprecedented benefit of three weeks working with his squad.
The players trained on a warm morning in Saint-Georges-de-Reneins, in a temperature of 24 degrees Celsius.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Northern Ireland were one of the first squads to touch down in France, landing in Lyon on Sunday afternoon and being met by local dignitaries before police escorted the squad bus to their secluded hotel.
The next morning they travelled to their training ground, Parc de Montchervet, a tidy, compact sports and cultural centre.
A superb playing surface has been prepared and manager O'Neill was impressed with the way the venue had been transformed since they selected it as their base.
"It couldn't be better and the hotel is excellent too. The players think it is brilliant," he said.
Northern Ireland will have four more training sessions in Saint-Georges-de-Reneins this week, with two young Irish League prospects having the privilege of being part of the action.
Paul Smyth of Linfield and Glenavon's Joel Cooper are being brought in to make up the numbers for some training work.
On Saturday the squad will have a work-out at the 35,000-capacity Stade de Nice with their opening match on Sunday. | Northern Ireland had their first Euro 2016 training session in France on Monday with veteran player Chris Baird saying: "It really has sunk in now." | 36460929 |
The 24-year-old former University of Missouri athlete revealed his sexuality on Sunday.
Mrs Obama took to Twitter to call Sam "an inspiration to all of us".
The National Football League has also welcomed the defensive lineman's announcement, saying Sam has "honesty and courage".
Mrs Obama said of Sam: "We couldn't be prouder of your courage both on and off the field."
In the interview that aired on ESPN on Sunday, Sam said: "I came to tell the world I'm an openly gay man.
Sam's form in his final season as a college footballer saw him named defensive player of the year in the Southeastern Conference, widely considered the top league in college football. His university team mates, who knew he was gay, voted him their most valuable player.
"If I work hard, if I make plays - that's all that should matter."
The athlete completed his college football career in December and is expected to be drafted by an NFL franchise in May.
He is said to have revealed his sexuality to his former college teammates at the University of Missouri's Mizzou Tigers, but admitted doing so publicly was "a weight off his chest".
"I probably may be the first but I won't be the last," he added. "And I think only good things will come from this."
Former college coach Gary Pinkel supported Sam on Monday, telling US media the athlete is "a great example of just how important it is to be respectful of others".
"He's taught a lot of people here first hand that it doesn't matter what your background is, or your personal orientation, we're all on the same team and we all support each other," Mr Pinkel added.
Should Sam be drafted as expected and make an NFL roster in the 2014 season, he would become the first openly gay player to compete in any of North America's four major professional sports leagues - football, baseball, basketball and hockey.
However, Sports Illustrated quotes anonymous coaches and scouts as saying that Sam's NFL draft outlook will now be adversely affected.
"In blunt terms, they project a significant drop in Sam's draft stock, a publicity circus and an NFL locker room culture not prepared to deal with an openly gay player," says the report.
In April 2013, basketball player Jason Collins came out during the sport's off-season but was not signed for the next campaign, meaning he never competed as an openly gay player.
Sam is expected to be a mid-draft pick when the NFL's teams hold their annual draft meeting, a process where players from America's college football system are signed for professional franchises.
Former players from the league have come out since retiring, but none have done so during their careers.
In a statement, the NFL said: "Michael is a football player. Any player with ability and determination can succeed in the NFL.
"We look forward to welcoming and supporting Michael Sam in 2014." | American footballer Michael Sam, who aims to become the NFL's first openly gay player, has won praise from First Lady Michelle Obama. | 26127936 |
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