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Reports say a crowd attacked a bus in Rakhine province after blaming some of the passengers for the gang rape and murder of a Buddhist woman.
In another incident, at least 10 people were injured in the state capital Sittwe when police broke up a protest.
It is the worst violence to hit the province in recent months.
Sectarian and ethnic tension persists in the country despite a new, supposedly tolerant climate introduced by the civilian-led government which came into power 15 months ago.
The bus attack took place near the town of Taungup in Rakhine province, which borders Bangladesh, on Sunday evening, police and residents said.
It was thought to be carried out by mostly Buddhist ethnic Rakhine people.
"More than 100 people beat and killed those people," a resident told AFP news agency. "The residents even torched the bus."
The reason for the attack is unclear, but some residents say it was a revenge attack following the rape and murder of a Buddhist girl in another part of the province last month.
But the Burmese Muslim Association said most of those killed were Muslims visiting a mosque from central Burma.
That account was corroborated by unnamed residents quoted by Reuters news agency, who said those killed were not from the area.
No arrests have been made. A police investigation is under way.
In another, apparently unrelated incident at least 10 people were injured after police fired rubber bullets at a mob who attacked their police station in Sittwe, reports said.
A 13-year-old protester was among those injured, witnesses said.
There were contradictory reports about what triggered the protest, but some accounts suggested anti-Muslim sentiment could have played a part.
Rakhine is home to Burma's largest concentration of Muslims, including much-persecuted Rohingya Muslims, and their presence is often deeply resented by the majority Buddhist population.
In a joint statement quoted by Reuters, eight Rohingya rights groups based outside Burma condemned the attack on the Muslims on the bus, whom they termed "Muslim pilgrims".
Although it appears those on the bus were not Rohingyas, the groups said the attack followed months of anti-Rohingya propaganda stirred up by "extremists and xenophobes". | Buddhist residents in western Burma have killed at least nine Muslims as sectarian tension worsens in the region, police say. | 18324614 |
The 25-year-old from Dundee is only the third professional boxer to die in the UK from apparently fight-related injuries in the past 21 years.
St Andrew's Sporting Club confirmed Towell's death in a tweet on Saturday morning.
Other tributes have been paid to the fighter on social media including an emotional post on Facebook from Towell's partner, describing her heartbreak at the loss of her "annoying best friend".
On Twitter, retired boxer Audley Harrison wrote that it was "sad news", and that he was "sending love and light to his family".
WBO world middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders said "people need to understand boxing is not a game"
Fellow Scottish boxing professiongal Charlie Flynn said it was "hard to believe" what had happened.
Another professional boxer Tony Bellew said what boxers risk "every time we step through them ropes" had been highlighted again.
A fundraising page on the website JustGiving has been set up by former two-weight world champion Ricky Hatton.
It quickly attracted more than £10,000 of donations on social media. The page hopes to raise £20,000 for Towell's family and young son Rocco. | Many tributes have been paid to boxer Mike Towell who has died in hospital after being seriously injured in a bout on Thursday. | 37530296 |
The amendment was introduced by the senate on Friday and then passed by the lower house on Sunday.
The original version of the bill said a census was needed before elections, effectively delaying next year's polls.
The opposition said this was an attempt to extend President Joseph Kabila's time in office.
Under the new bill, the election can proceed as planned, without a census, which would take at least a year in this vast country.
Human rights groups say that dozens of people were killed during the protests. The government puts the figure at 12 - a policeman shot by a sniper and 11 looters killed by security guards.
"We have listened to the street. That is why the vote today is a historic vote," Senate President Leon Kenga Wa Dondo said after the amendment was passed on Friday.
The lower house, the House of Representatives, had approved the original version of the bill, in a vote boycotted by opposition MPs.
The government has argued that the census is vital to ensure polls are free and fair - the country has not had a reliable census since independence from Belgium in 1960.
Mr Kabila first took power in 2001 following the assassination of his father Laurent, who was president at the time, and is constitutionally barred from running for another term. | The Democratic Republic of Congo parliament has passed an amended census bill following four days of violent nationwide protests. | 30980197 |
The hosts should have gone ahead but CJ Hamilton failed to take advantage of Shane Duffy's loose back-pass.
Rovers then broke the deadlock through Anthony Stokes, whose shot took a big deflection off defender Lee Collins.
Mitchell Rose levelled for Mansfield after the break, but two headers in two minutes from Duffy and Stokes saw Blackburn through to the second round.
Match ends, Mansfield Town 1, Blackburn Rovers 3.
Second Half ends, Mansfield Town 1, Blackburn Rovers 3.
Attempt saved. Jack Byrne (Blackburn Rovers) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Attempt saved. Liam Feeney (Blackburn Rovers) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Chris Clements (Mansfield Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Jack Byrne (Blackburn Rovers).
Rhys Bennett (Mansfield Town) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Connor Mahoney (Blackburn Rovers).
Attempt missed. Adam Chapman (Mansfield Town) right footed shot from outside the box is too high.
Foul by Malvind Benning (Mansfield Town).
Liam Feeney (Blackburn Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner, Mansfield Town. Conceded by Shane Duffy.
Substitution, Blackburn Rovers. Connor Mahoney replaces Danny Graham.
Rhys Bennett (Mansfield Town) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Danny Graham (Blackburn Rovers).
Substitution, Mansfield Town. Zayn Hakeem replaces Chris Clements.
Attempt missed. Malvind Benning (Mansfield Town) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left.
Lee Collins (Mansfield Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Darragh Lenihan (Blackburn Rovers).
Stephen Hendrie (Blackburn Rovers) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Adam Chapman (Mansfield Town).
Substitution, Blackburn Rovers. Adam Henley replaces Stephen Hendrie.
Jack Byrne (Blackburn Rovers) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Ashley Hemmings (Mansfield Town) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Jack Byrne (Blackburn Rovers).
Substitution, Mansfield Town. Danny Rose replaces James Baxendale.
Substitution, Mansfield Town. Matt Green replaces CJ Hamilton.
Substitution, Blackburn Rovers. Liam Feeney replaces Craig Conway.
Attempt saved. Danny Graham (Blackburn Rovers) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Corner, Blackburn Rovers. Conceded by Malvind Benning.
Attempt missed. James Baxendale (Mansfield Town) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high.
Attempt saved. Ben Marshall (Blackburn Rovers) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Goal! Mansfield Town 1, Blackburn Rovers 3. Anthony Stokes (Blackburn Rovers) header from very close range to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Ben Marshall with a cross.
Goal! Mansfield Town 1, Blackburn Rovers 2. Shane Duffy (Blackburn Rovers) header from the centre of the box to the top left corner. Assisted by Craig Conway with a cross following a corner.
Corner, Blackburn Rovers. Conceded by Malvind Benning.
Attempt missed. Danny Graham (Blackburn Rovers) right footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right.
Goal! Mansfield Town 1, Blackburn Rovers 1. Mitch Rose (Mansfield Town) header from the centre of the box to the top right corner. Assisted by James Baxendale with a cross.
Attempt blocked. CJ Hamilton (Mansfield Town) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Foul by Rhys Bennett (Mansfield Town).
Anthony Stokes (Blackburn Rovers) wins a free kick on the right wing. | Blackburn secured their first victory under new boss Owen Coyle as they beat League Two Mansfield in the EFL Cup. | 36949679 |
9 April 2014 Last updated at 15:00 BST
Around 20 children from the Cedars Upper engineering club along with teacher Paul Simmonds, made the weather balloon.
The project started as a way to get children more excited and involved in engineering.
The balloon rose about 23 miles up into the air, before popping - when a parachute safely brought the camera attached back to Earth.
Teacher Paul Simmonds said: "We've achieved what we wanted to do and got some awesome pictures rather than breaking any new scientific ground.
"The pupils who took part were overwhelmed by the success of the project and I'm now working on a film to show to the rest of the school and inspire them - and hopefully others as well." | This clip shows the amazing footage captured when pupils from a school in Leighton Buzzard made a weather balloon and successfully sent it to the 'edge of space'. | 26956556 |
The blaze at Coventry Castings, in Barlow Road, Potters Green, began at about 05:30 GMT.
About 30 firefighters tackled the flames while Barlow Road was closed in both directions at the junction with Dutton Road.
The fire was believed to have been started accidentally, by molten metal from a casting, said firefighters.
Updates on this story and more from Coventry
Crews said smoke was slow to clear because of a lack of wind.
Group commander Steve Harris told the BBC at the scene: "There was a fair bit of smoke; and obviously with the weather conditions at the moment, the smoke is not dispersing.
"So as a precaution, we are asking people to close their doors and windows while we try and deal with the incident."
The smoke warning to residents was lifted by 08:00. | A large fire broke out at a factory in Coventry, causing a road closure and smoke warning to nearby residents. | 35130403 |
Mark Davies, 47, was arrested by officers last week and has been released on police bail.
Mr Davies works at Cyrenians Cymru, which offers a range of services to homeless and disadvantaged adults.
A South Wales Police spokesman said the force's economic crime unit was carrying out the investigation.
Cyrenians Cymru said in a statement that Mr Davies no longer worked for charity and added it was "actively pursuing recovery of all losses".
A spokesperson for the Charity Commission said it received a serious incident report from Cyrenians Cymru.
"We have contacted the charity to explain that we will be asking for more information, and an update on the developing situation," they added. | The head of finance at a homeless charity in Swansea has been arrested on suspicion of fraud, understood to be worth £800,000. | 30496541 |
The poet, who was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, founded the library in Edinburgh in 1984.
She was also one of the chief movers behind its move to purpose-built premises in Crichton Close in 1999.
Scots Makar Liz Lochhead said: "Poets and lovers of poetry in Scotland will be very saddened to hear of the death of Tessa Ransford."
She added: "A fine poet of great sensitivity herself, she was the prime mover behind the establishing of the Scottish Poetry Library in Edinburgh - which dedicated library supports all kinds of poetry, serving poets, spoken-word artists, scholars of poetry, students, readers, and enthusiasts all over the world.
"Tessa was right. We need this and it will remain her lasting legacy, for which we are very grateful."
Ms Ransford was born in India in 1938 and moved back to Britain in 1944 and to Scotland at the age of 10.
She later attended the University of Edinburgh, where she studied German poetry.
After getting married in 1960 she moved to Pakistan where she undertook service as a missionary before returning to Scotland in the late 60s.
After publishing three books of poetry in the 1970s and early 80s, she turned her attention to setting up the poetry library.
In January 1984, the first library opened in Edinburgh's historic Tweeddale Court.
Ms Ransford steered the library through its first 15 years, overseeing its move to purpose-built premises in the Canongate before her retirement in 1999.
She was awarded the OBE for services to the Scottish Poetry Library in 2000. | The founder of the Scottish Poetry Library, Tessa Ransford, has died at the age of 77. | 34133145 |
Holbrook has also worked at Canterbury, St George and Parramatta and is in charge of the Australia Under-20 side.
Derek Traynor, Jamahl Lolesi and Sean Long have been in charge since club legend Keiron Cunningham left in April.
"The club has a rich and proud history and I am very grateful to have been given the opportunity," Holbrook said.
"St Helens are one of the top teams in the Super League competition with a history of success. I will be working hard to continue that tradition and I cannot wait to get started," the 41-year-old added.
The club are seventh in the Super League after 12 games.
Saints chief executive Mike Rush said: "We are delighted to secure Justin. He is widely experienced and has a track record of coaching at the highest level.
"He impressed us with his knowledge of the British game and his work with younger players."
Lolesi and Long will assist Holbrook, who Saints expect to arrive in England as soon as possible, while Traynor will revert to his existing role with the academy.
Dave Woods, BBC rugby league correspondent
The fact that Holbrook is an attacking coach is highly significant. It's a clear sign that St Helens want to restore their brand as a team that entertains. Saints fans were often critical of their team's style under previous coach Keiron Cunningham.
Holbrook also has a proven track record of working with and nurturing young players as head coach of the Junior Kangaroos, and that will also make him the perfect fit for St Helens. They have a fantastic academy that has been highly successful in recent years.
That emerging talent has been highlighted by the performances of 20-year-old winger Regan Grace since his Good Friday debut, but supporters have complained that not enough young players have been able to establish themselves in the first team after coming through the club's system.
Holbrook is relatively unknown to the British rugby league public - but there's precedent for that not to be a barrier to him being successful. Michael Maguire was relatively unknown before he turned Wigan back into a trophy-winning side.
His first test could be the televised Challenge Cup tie at Castleford on Saturday, 12 May. A cup run would immediately establish him as a Saints favourite. | St Helens have appointed Sydney Roosters assistant Justin Holbrook as their new head coach on a two-and-a-half-year contract. | 39793008 |
Now though, in an attempt to rebuild Mosul's cultural heritage, a campaign is under way to restore the university library and others in the city.
The project is being led by an anonymous blogger, who found fame writing about life under IS on the site Mosul Eye for the past three years.
The blogger, who describes himself as an independent historian, is calling for donations of books and other printed material in all languages and from all disciplines under the slogan: "Let it be a book, rising from the ashes."
The university, lauded as one of the Middle East's pillars of higher learning, housed one of the most extensive collections of literature in the region.
The library was once home to some of the "most precious and valuable manuscripts and rare prints in the region", according to the man behind the Mosul Eye website.
It is believed the militants destroyed or looted well over 100,000 manuscripts during the occupation.
According to the blogger, IS said the books represented "illegitimate science" and blasphemy.
Some 400 books have been received since the campaign was launched in February, with thousands more waiting in collections centres in the US and Europe. A French institute in Marseille has pledged to donate about 20 tonnes of books to the campaign.
"We hope the campaign will serve as a link between Mosul University and the rest of the world on academic, cultural, and social levels," the blogger says.
The aim is to collect at least 200,000 books.
The blogger told the BBC by email that some Iraqis responded to the drive by volunteering to collect books in major Iraqi cities, but the response from other Arab countries has been "negligible with a capital N".
"So far, we received only one single donation from an Iraqi lady living in Jordan, and frankly, her donation was the first donation we received since we launched the campaign."
One of the main obstacles to the campaign is logistics - specifically the shipment of books into Iraq and the war torn city itself.
Earlier this month, Mosul Eye issued a plea via social media to Basra port authorities to facilitate the transfer of a 200-tonne shipment of books from a collection centre in Irbil.
And new collection centres are now being established in the US and Europe.
Campaigners will then work on collecting and categorising the books to prepare them for the shelves of Mosul's libraries once the city is fully recaptured from IS.
The army has already retaken the eastern side of the city, where the university is situated, and is regaining territory from the militants in the west.
The destruction of ancient sites has been characteristic of IS activity when it has taken control of areas of Syria and Iraq, a practice described by the UN cultural agency Unesco as "cultural cleansing".
The militants have destroyed shrines, statues and other sites of historical significance in line with a strict interpretation of Islam which forbids idolatry.
The ancient Syrian city of Palmyra bears the most visible scars of IS occupation. In 2015, the group published a video of the Temple of Baal Shamin being blown up with dynamite.
And recent footage from the ancient city aired on Syrian TV has showed the damage caused to other ancient buildings under IS occupation.
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. | When Islamic State (IS) militants occupied Mosul University in June 2014, they set about destroying its precious collection of manuscripts in a show of contempt for culture and higher education. | 39439657 |
The 33-year-old former England striker scored 15 goals last season to help Sunderland avoid relegation from the Premier League.
Black Cats manager Sam Allardyce called Defoe "one of the greatest goalscorers in the history of the Premier League".
"He proved that beyond doubt last season," added Allardyce. "He is in fantastic physical condition." | Jermain Defoe has signed a one-year contract extension that will keep him at Sunderland until 2019. | 36491981 |
Alan, a 10-year-old Burmese from Skipton, was fitted with the tube by vet surgeons in Cambridgeshire.
Using a technique the vets said has not been reported before in cats in the UK, they opened his trachea with a stent made from a metal alloy.
Alan's owner, who paid £4,000 to save him, said he was "delighted".
The cat was referred as an emergency by his vet in North Yorkshire to surgeons at Dick White Referrals in Six Mile Bottom.
They suspected Alan's trachea had become obstructed and without intervention his breathing difficulties "would be life-threatening".
He was diagnosed with tracheal stenosis (narrowing), described by the vets as "an uncommon condition". It left Alan barely able to get oxygen through his windpipe - which had narrowed to just 2mm in some sections - to his lungs.
Alan could either undergo surgery which might leave him with scar tissue causing further narrowing of the trachea, or vets could try a less invasive procedure used for some time in humans.
Vets used interventional radiology (IR), which uses imaging techniques to guide a mechanically woven stent (a wire mesh tube) made of a "memory-metal" alloy into the cat's windpipe.
The nickel/titanium alloy - a material originally developed by the US Navy - can be formed into a variety of medically useful shapes for use in the body, vet Jon Wray said.
Once released the stent re-forms to its original shape, although while it was inserted the cat was unable to breathe at all.
His "oxygen saturation had fallen to life-threatening levels", Mr Wray said, although as soon as the stent opened they climbed rapidly.
The stent took "just seconds" to insert although Alan was on the operating table for about 30 minutes.
Two weeks after the operation the Burmese is recovering in Skipton.
Owner Ian Mills said the family was "delighted to have Alan back home with us". | A cat with life-threatening breathing problems has been saved by vets using a stent to open its windpipe, in what was described as an "innovative" operation. | 35883962 |
People on the beach at Birling Gap reported painful, stinging eyes and breathing difficulties after a "mist" appeared.
Sussex Police said there was an "unknown haze coming in from the sea" affecting the East Sussex coastline.
Surrounding roads have been closed and people are being advised to avoid the area.
A police spokesman said the first report came in just before 17:00 BST where "up to 50 people had been affected by irritation to eyes and throats".
Officers said investigations were under way to find out the cause of the "haze".
The spokesman dismissed initial reports there had been a fire at Birling Gap, saying he did not know where they had come from.
It was definitely coming from the coast, he said - and previous incidents had involved stuff coming from industrial units in France.
Emergency services are treating people at Birling Gap and clearing the surrounding area.
People are being warned to stay away from the beaches from Birling Gap to Eastbourne and to keep doors and windows closed if living on the nearby coast.
Those caught in the mist say it felt like "being in a swimming pool with large quantities of chlorine".
Roy Page was on the beach when it happened and he told BBC South East Today: "It was like a mist coming down the beach from the west. Over a period of about 30-35 seconds I started to itch my eyes and so did other people.
"Within about two or three minutes my wife really started to itch badly because she has had some operations and they [her eyes] were stinging.
"Suddenly everyone around started getting up and either putting sea water on their eyes or dropping water on their eyes to clear it out."
The RNLI said a significant number of people on cliff tops had complaining of skin irritation, sore eyes and vomiting.
Concerns that people could be trapped on the beach saw the RNLI launch lifeboats, including one with a doctor on board.
A spokesman said: "We have been checking along the shoreline to try and ensure that everyone is safe."
He said a "plume" had drifted across the area bringing "some sort of substance" with it.
East Sussex Fire & Rescue urged people to "stay indoors with windows and doors shut and where possible, move away from the area".
It added: "If you feel any effects, such as stinging eyes, the South East Coast Ambulance Service is advising to wash with copious amounts of water.
"If you have any serious concerns then you should seek medical advice.
"People are urged not to go to hospital unless an absolute emergency."
It comes as large queues of people were seen outside Eastbourne hospital, where staff were wearing protective clothing.
End of Twitter post by @MCA_media
The National Trust, which owns the land and has a cafe and visitor centre there, said it was aware of the incident and was working with the emergency services.
People on Twitter have reported the mist smelled of chlorine.
End of Twitter post by @steele_music
End of Twitter post by @rebecca_2804
End of Twitter post by @Jonathan__Hill | Emergency services have evacuated a beach in Sussex after a suspected chemical leak. | 41069085 |
Romans Krilovs, 41, crashed head-on with Neville Bogg, 61, on the A16 at Sibsey, late on 19 October.
Mr Bogg's daughter, who had organised the trip as a father's day present, also suffered serious injuries.
Lincoln Crown Court heard that police found an opened bottle of Jack Daniels in the footwell of Krilovs' car.
Gordon Aspden, prosecuting, said: "On the night in question Krilovs had been drinking alcohol.
"Alcohol and vomit were left at the scene. In the front passenger footwell was a bottle of Jack Daniels which was only three quarters full and a bottle of coca cola."
"As well as being drunk he was using a hand-held mobile phone. He made a call at 11.42pm that lasted eight minutes and 14 seconds. That call ended either seconds before or at the point of impact," he said.
The court also heard that Latvian national Krilovs - who had only been in the UK for three months - was driving a car borrowed from a friend, and was on the wrong side of the road at the time of the crash.
"He drove straight into the car being driven by Mr Bogg, Mr Aspden told the court.
In a victim impact statement, Mr Bogg's daughter, Kerry Bamforth, who suffered multiple injuries in the crash, said: "[Krilovs] killed my dad and physically maimed me permanently."
She said: "This man has offered no apology to us, even though he has utterly obliterated our family by his selfish actions."
Krilovs admitted three charges of causing death by dangerous driving, causing serious injury by dangerous driving and refusing a blood sample to be tested.
In addition to his jail term he was also banned from driving for 14 and a half years. | A drink-driver who caused the death of a man who had been at a concert with his daughter has been jailed for nine years. | 40408522 |
Researchers filmed 20 operations at two UK hospitals to observe.
When music was played, operating staff often had to repeat themselves to be heard - when requesting a surgical instrument, for example.
The Royal College of Surgeons says there is no evidence of a widespread problem in NHS hospitals.
For the study, published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing, the investigators placed multiple cameras at strategic points around the operating room to observe the verbal and non-verbal communications between staff.
The 35 hours of footage showed it was usually the senior doctors in the team who made the decision about the background music, rather than the nurses.
Music was played in 16 of the 20 observed operations.
Dance music and drum and bass were often played fairly loudly, with popular tracks sometimes blasted out, which made talking difficult.
In some incidences, nurses visibly struggled to hear the surgeon's instructions.
In one operation, the scrub nurse asked the surgeon to turn the music down because she was finding it hard to count up how many swabs had been used.
However, there are studies that suggest music can help surgeons stay calm and focused.
The Royal College of Surgeons says if music is played during surgery, it "must not be distracting".
Lead researcher Sharon-Marie Weldon, from the Department of Surgery and Cancer at Imperial College London, said: "Music can be helpful to staff working in operating theatres where there is often a lot of background noise, as well as other distractions - it can improve concentration.
"That said, we'd like to see a more considered approach, with much more discussion or negotiation over whether music is played, the type of music and volume within the operating teams." | Playing music in the operating theatre can be disruptive and surgeons should think twice about pressing the play button, according to a small study. | 33771022 |
It follows newspaper claims he paid for the services of two male sex workers.
He said: "It is in the best interest of the Home Affairs Select Committee that its important work can be conducted without any distractions whatsoever.
"I am genuinely sorry that recent events make it impossible for this to happen if I remain chair. "
At the weekend, the Sunday Mirror published pictures it said showed Mr Vaz with male sex workers in a flat in north London that he owns. Illegal drugs were mentioned during a secretly recorded conversation.
Another Labour MP will now be elected to replace him, with Conservative MP Tim Loughton taking over as interim chairman.
Speaking after Mr Vaz had informed committee colleagues of his intention to resign, Mr Loughton said a new chairman should be in place in October.
He said Mr Vaz had given a "very frank account of what had happened" and that the committee had accepted his resignation "with sadness".
Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen has said he would refer the matter to the Commons Standards commissioner and may also report Mr Vaz to police.
Married father-of-two Mr Vaz said he was referring the paper's allegations to his solicitor.
Keith Vaz - the 'Teflon politician'
In his statement announcing his resignation from the chairman role he has held for nine years, Mr Vaz said: "The integrity of the select committee system matters to me. Those who hold others to account, must themselves be accountable.
"I am immeasurably proud of the work the Committee has undertaken over the last nine years, and I am privileged to have been the longest serving Chair of this Committee.
"This work has included the publication of 120 reports, hearing evidence from Ministers 113 times, and hearing from a total of 1379 witnesses. I am very pleased that so many Members of the Committee have gone onto high office and Ministerial positions.
"This is my decision, and mine alone, and my first consideration has been the effect of recent events on my family."
He added: "I would like to thank my fellow members of the Committee, past and present, for their tremendous support. I would also like to thank the Clerks of the House for the amazing work they have done to strengthen the Select Committee system, we are not quite on par with the United States, but we are getting there."
Labour MP Chuka Umunna, who sits on the Home Affairs committee, said Mr Vaz had done a "fine job" as chairman, but said he had made the right decision in stepping down.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said Mr Vaz's future on the party's ruling National Executive would be discussed when it meets.
He said: "He's made his decision because he felt that to carry on in the circumstances that he is now involved in would detract from the work of the Home Affairs committee and so he has made that decision for himself." | Labour MP Keith Vaz has stepped down as chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee. | 37283328 |
Sofia Vergara, Ed O'Neill, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Eric Stonestreet and Jesse Tyler Ferguson filed legal papers, claiming their contracts were illegal.
Show producer Fox confirmed the deal and said filming for the fourth series would begin on Monday.
Exact financial terms of the new deal were not disclosed.
Show creator Steve Levitan told reporters on Friday he was "very happy" the dispute was resolved.
"It's a distraction I'm happy to see end," he added.
Five of the actors sued the network on Tuesday, asking a judge to rule their contracts should be invalidated because they violated California law prohibiting deals that run longer than seven years. O'Neill joined the case later in the week.
As the dispute dragged on, a first "table read" rehearsal for the season was cancelled.
According to
The Hollywood Reporter
, the new pay deal will see the salaries for Bowen, Burrell, Ferguson, Stonestreet and Vergara rise from about $65,000 (£41,000) per episode to about $150,000 (£95,000) for the fourth series.
O'Neill, who as an already established star made about $105,000 (£67,000) per episode for season three, will also receive an increase.
The new deal will also see the cast receive a small percentage of the show's profits.
In exchange for the pay rise, the cast have agreed to add one year to their existing seven-season contracts - which will see their salaries boosted to $350,000 (£222,000) per episode for an eighth series - and will drop their legal action.
The sitcom about the everyday lives of a family of fathers, sons, daughters and grandchildren living in suburbia is among ABC's top shows.
It won the Emmy - US television's highest honour - for best comedy last year, while Burrell, Bowen and Stonestreet have won individual Emmys for their work on the show.
The sitcom was also recently nominated for 14 Emmys for this year's awards. | Stars of US sitcom Modern Family have agreed new pay deals after six of the cast sued TV network ABC last week over their contracts. | 19035621 |
Home Secretary Douglas Hurd told police to investigate the problem of the "rural rioter", noting similarities with the "football hooligan".
In a memorandum from June 1988, Mr Hurd said police saw violent offences in rural areas as an "increasing burden".
The files were released by the National Archives at Kew, west London,
In the memorandum, Mr Hurd noted there had been 83,000 violent offences in county and rural areas the year before - half as many again as in 1980 - and he said he was "concerned that the problem is getting worse".
"Many of the 16 to 25-year-olds involved in these disturbances have a latent capacity for violence," he said.
"Toughness is a proof of manhood. Drink removes their inhibitions and pushes them over the edge."
Mr Hurd dismissed the idea of having a "rural riot squad" to react to spontaneous disorder, saying: "They would spend their time chasing from one end of the county to another."
Instead he proposed tougher licensing laws, quick prosecutions and exemplary sentences, and improved policing procedures.
The newly-released documents also show that Margaret Thatcher's advisers urged the prime minister to force a showdown with her Defence Secretary Michael Heseltine, telling him to accept her authority or quit, over the Westland affair in 1986.
Mr Heseltine was backing a European consortium in its battle with the US aircraft manufacturer Sikorsky to take over British aircraft manufacturer Westland, even though the government was supposed to be neutral.
Other documents show Mrs Thatcher refused to bail out the 1986 Commonwealth Games despite being asked to contribute £1m by media tycoon Robert Maxwell.
And Mrs Thatcher was warned repeatedly by ministers that introducing the Poll Tax - a flat rate "community charge" to replace domestic rates based on property values - would be a political disaster.
Welsh Secretary Peter Walker was among those to speak out, warning that a proposal to exempt rough sleepers could lead to people sleeping on the streets to avoid the charge.
"While I appreciate that in practice it is highly unlikely that local authorities would be able either to track down people who sleep rough or to get any payment of the charge from them, a specific exemption could be seen as encouraging them to sleep on the street rather than in a hostel," he said.
Widespread protests against the new tax in 1989 were seen as one of the reasons why Mrs Thatcher was forced out of Number 10 the following year. | Research into "drunken mob violence" in the "shires" was ordered by the Thatcher government, previously unseen Cabinet Office files have revealed. | 35610073 |
David and Samantha McHattie, who run The Bridge Inn in Derbyshire, said since March they have been "bullied" by animal activists online and four protests were held outside the pub against the legal ingredient.
At first they refused to remove it and hit back at abuse.
Foie gras is produced from livers of force-fed ducks or geese.
Mrs McHattie, 35, said it started as "online bulling" and protests followed.
"The emotional toll was just too much. My sister has been abused, my mother, my 80-year-old father, and one of our customers has been called horrendous names and had photographs of her children posted on an animal activist website," she said.
Mr McHattie, 51, said: "The levels of intimidation were getting closer and closer to the line. It is a tough decision because they have not been harming the business."
About 40 protesters gathered outside the pub, in Calver, on Easter Sunday, while on the May bank holidays and last Sunday, 20 to 25 people protested.
Mr McHattie said an elderly customer walked in "visibly shaking" on Sunday, and that night they removed foie gras from the menu.
He said during the protests, abuse was shouted and messages were written on the floor, and while his brother was trying to remove chalk from the floor, water was poured over his head.
"We are not having my family and guests abused," Mr McHattie added.
The McHatties also received abusive phone calls and removed their Facebook page after it was "bombarded with fake reviews and hateful messages".
Nottingham Animal Rights, one of protest organisers, posted: "After a long campaign with the pub... activists have managed to get another establishment to see sense and remove the item.
"We do not see this as a victory for us, but a victory for the poor defenceless animal involved." | Pub owners have removed foie gras from the menu after their family, friends and guests received abuse. | 40273293 |
George Osborne told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the fund would be a way of "making sure money is not squandered on day-to-day spending".
Friends of the Earth's Helen Rimmer said it was "a desperate attempt to win over communities".
The idea will be discussed in the House of Lords on Monday.
Possible sites for the extraction of shale gas have been identified across the north of England, with test drilling licences granted in Lancashire, Cheshire, Merseyside and Greater Manchester.
The British Geological Survey estimates there could be 1,300 trillion cubic feet of shale gas there and Cuadrilla, the region's major player, has said reserves in Lancashire alone could be worth £140bn.
The gas would be extracted by fracking - or hydraulic fracturing - a technique in which water and chemicals are pumped into shale rock at high pressure.
Numerous anti-fracking groups have formed and protests have been staged at several sites over fears of earthquakes, water pollution and environmental damage.
Mr Osborne said holding revenues in a fund was an "exciting idea".
"You could create a sovereign wealth fund for the money that comes from the shale gas that we're going to be pulling out of the ground, particularly in the north of England.
"That's a way of making sure this money is not squandered on day-to-day spending but invested in the long-term economic health of the north to create jobs and investment there."
Ms Rimmer said the economic benefits of shale gas "have been vastly over-hyped... and communities will not be bought off with cheap bribes".
"A far better solution for the northern economy is to invest in renewables and energy efficiency which could create thousands of new jobs for the region and tackle climate change at the same time." | Shale gas extraction revenues could be held in a "sovereign wealth fund" for the north of England, the chancellor has said. | 29968603 |
Robin Swann said such a move would lead to the break-up of the United Kingdom and would set Northern Ireland "adrift" outside the union with Great Britain.
He also dismissed nationalists calls for an Irish border poll as "nonsense".
Mr Swann was speaking at the launch of his party's manifesto in Templepatrick.
The eight-page document set out the party's key priorities for the Westminster election and the Brexit negotiations.
He said: "Special status for Northern Ireland brings with it all sorts of connotations which effectively leaves Northern Ireland outside the United Kingdom rather than inside."
Sinn Féin, the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) and Alliance have all called for special status for Northern Ireland post-Brexit.
In response, the Ulster Unionist leader said: "Those who promote "special status" are calling for the break-up of the United Kingdom.
"It is an attempt by some to create a united Ireland by the back door."
The Ulster Unionist leader also warned against moving the border to the "middle of the Irish sea".
"There can be no passport checks for citizens of Northern Ireland arriving in Cairnryan or Heathrow," he added.
On the prospect of a border poll, Mr Swann said such a move would only serve to "sectarianise" every election in Northern Ireland.
"One of the threats I see from a border poll is not the first border poll," he said.
"It is the fact that, according to the Belfast Agreement, we get into a seven-year cycle - with a border poll every seven years."
He also attacked Sinn Féin - which is targeting the Ulster Unionist seat in Fermanagh and South Tyrone - for taking their expenses but not their seats at Westminster.
"An abstentionist MP is no MP at all, every seat not taken weakens Northern Ireland's influence at Westminster," he said.
On the stalemate at Stormont, the UUP manifesto sets out five key reforms for restoring the institutions.
They include:
Mr Swann also warned that public confidence in the institutions had been badly damaged by recent scandals such as those involving the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme, Red Sky and the Irish National Asset Management Agency (Nama).
"It is outrageous that Northern Ireland has been left drifting without a government now for five months," Mr Swann said.
He added the impact on public services was starting to bite.
"While others have been preaching about respect and supposedly standing up to the Tories, the reality is that the crisis in public services has been deepening.
"Only last week, the latest health waiting times were published which revealed over a quarter of a million outpatients waiting for an appointment."
The Ulster Unionists are fielding 14 candidates in the general election and the party is facing a battle to retain its two seats in Fermanagh and South Tyrone and South Antrim. | The Ulster Unionist leader has accused those pushing for special status for Northern Ireland after Brexit of trying to create a "united Ireland by the back door". | 40124077 |
Mr O'Dowd told MLAs that a significant number of schools reported difficulties in carrying out the computer tests.
The minister said he was concerned that some pupils had become distressed when they faced technical difficulties.
Mr O'Dowd said schools are still planning to carry out assessments voluntarily using a range of tools.
Last October, up to 400 primary schools in Northern Ireland had problems with the computer assessment for P4 and P7 pupils.
The Department of Education said that 180 schools had reported problems.
Mr O'Dowd was speaking in the assembly on Tuesday on the outcome of a review he had commissioned on the new NINA (numeracy) and NILA (literacy) assessments following the technical difficulties encountered by some schools last autumn.
"The statutory computer-based assessments (CBAs) were, and are, intended to deliver diagnostic assessments tailored to our curriculum to support teachers and pupils. The data was not collected or collated centrally," he told MLAs.
"Instead, its purpose was to provide teachers and parents with information on a pupil's strengths and areas for improvement.
"However, following the introduction of the new CBAs in autumn 2012 a significant number of schools reported difficulties in the operation of them.
"Of most concern, were the experiences relayed to me directly by teachers about the pressure they felt in administering the assessments and in some cases the distress felt by pupils when they faced technical difficulties."
As part of the review into CBAs, Mr O'Dowd said 10 workshops were held with every primary school invited to participate.
"This consultation found that, almost without exception, school principals accept and support the need for diagnostic assessment but wish to see it supported in a more flexible way than the current CBA legislation allows," he said.
"On the basis of the findings from the reviews and most importantly in recognition of the concerns expressed by schools, I have decided that my department will not specify the literacy and numeracy assessments - NINA and NILA - for mandatory use in the forthcoming autumn term.
"I know that schools value diagnostic assessment early in the year and plan to conduct assessments voluntarily using a range of tools. Consequently, I expect diagnostic assessment will take place, in a form that is convenient for schools, and that this information will feed into engagement with parents."
The minister said the numeracy and literacy tests will still be available for primary schools wishing to use them.
The Department of Education is looking for schools willing to participate in a pilot programme examining how the assessments might develop in the future. | The Education Minister, John O'Dowd, has said primary schools will not be required to use computer-based tests for literacy and numeracy this autumn. | 22609643 |
The stock soared on Thursday after making its Wall Street debut.
Snap closed 44% higher at $24.48, valuing the company at $28bn, after it raised $3.4bn in the richest US technology company listing since Facebook in 2012
Shares in Shap went even higher on Friday.
However, analysts have given mixed views on the future of Snap, debating whether it can emulate the success of Facebook, sending shares down $3.32 to close at $23.77.
It remains unclear whether Snap can expand beyond its core base of young users, or how it will fare in many international markets in a competitive social media environment.
Five of seven financial analysts covering Snap advised investors to "sell" the stock, with none advising them to buy, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Needham analyst Laura Martin rated Snap as "underperform" and compared the shares to buying a lottery ticket.
History suggests investors shut out of IPOs are better off waiting instead of rushing to buy them immediately after their debuts.
Globally, shares of most of the 25 largest technology IPOs have languished in their first 12 months after listing, with 16 posting significant falls from their debut day closing price, according to Reuters analysis.
There was more bad news for Snap on Monday after a group representing big US institutional investors asked index providers S&P Dow Jones Indices and MSCI to bar the company - and others that sell investors non-voting shares - from their stock benchmarks.
Both index providers have said they are reviewing Snap's inclusion.
If it was added to indexes such as the S&P 500, managers of stock index portfolios would have to buy Snap shares, and other investors whose performance is tracked against such indexes would likely follow suit.
Wall Street closed lower - the second time in the past three trading days it has done so. Banks gave back some of their recent gains, while mining and chemical companies declined after China cut its economic growth forecast.
The Dow Jones fell 0.2% at 20,954 points. The S&P 500 lost 0.3% to 2,375 points, while the Nasdaq Composite lost 0.4% to 5,849 points.
"We think there's a reasonable chance at the end of the year we'll be a little bit lower than we are right now," said Scott Wren, equity strategist at Wells Fargo Investment Institute.
General Motors lost 0.8% after revealing it will take a charge of $4.5bn, mainly pension expenses, on the sale of Opel and Vauxhall to Peugeot.
Delta Air Lines fell 2.6% after it said profits would be at the low end of hopes. | Shares in Snap, the owner of Snapchat, slid 12% on Monday to close below the price at which they started trading just last week in New York. | 39177327 |
The 43-year-old had been assistant coach at Canterbury since the start of the 2014 campaign, working under Jimmy Adams, who left the club in October.
Former South Africa fast bowler Allan Donald, who played 72 Tests for the Proteas between 1992 and 2002, has been confirmed as Walker's assistant.
"It's a great opportunity and hopefully it will be a natural progression," Walker told BBC Radio Kent.
"I'm proud and honoured to be given the role."
Walker spent 16 seasons as a Kent player, scoring over 15,000 runs for the county, before moving to Essex at the end of 2008.
Adams spent five years as head coach but departed at the end of last season, after Kent finished second in the Division Two table and missed out on promotion.
"I know how the club operates, what is expected and what it means to play for the club," Walker added.
"In the last couple of years we have slowly moved the club forward and seen improvements.
"As a head coach coming in, the aspiration has to be winning titles. I am ambitious and so is the group."
Donald has been part of the Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and England coaching teams and worked for Warwickshire and IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore.
"I would like to thank the club for giving me this opportunity to work with this very talented group as the assistant coach," the 50-year-old said.
"There is no doubt that I'm pumped for the new season ahead and can't wait to meet all the players and backroom staff." | Kent have appointed former player Matt Walker as the club's new head coach. | 38518547 |
The FTSE 100 index closed 1.13% higher, while the FTSE 250 was higher by 1.19%.
On Thursday, Mr Carney said a deteriorating outlook meant action from the Bank was likely this summer.
Share prices were further boosted after Chancellor George Osborne indicated the government would abandon its commitment to achieve a budget surplus by 2020.
This suggested that the austerity policies of the last six years might be eased in the wake of the referendum result.
The FTSE 250, which had started the day 0.41% higher, fell in mid-morning trade before recovering by lunchtime.
During the campaign, Mr Osborne had warned of the need for a combination of £30bn of spending cuts and tax rises if the UK voted to leave the European Union.
Despite the rally on the FTSE, bank shares were still under pressure, with Royal Bank of Scotland receiving the greatest amount of punishment from investors. The bank's shares fell a further 3% by lunchtime before finishing 1.11% higher.
Elsewhere, building supplies firm Travis Perkins saw its share price fall 1.4%.
Meanwhile, 10-year UK government bond yields fell on the prospect of the Bank of England pumping more money into the economy.
Earlier in Asia, stocks also rose for a third day, as investors bet policymakers would take steps to prevent further market uncertainty following the UK's decision to leave the EU.
The broad-based MSCI Asia Pacific Index rose 0.5%, bringing its gains this week to more than 3%.
In Tokyo, the benchmark Nikkei 225 closed 0.68% higher, while the Topix gained 0.69%.
South Korea's Kospi rose 0.9% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 added 0.25%.
In China, the Shanghai Composite closed 0.1% higher.
Hong Kong and Thailand's stock markets are closed for holidays.
Gold, considered a safe haven investment in times of uncertainty, headed for its fifth week of gains, with bullion for immediate delivery trading at $1,322 an ounce.
The pound was down against both the euro and the US dollar at $1.3283 and €1.192, up from the lows that it hit on Thursday in the immediate aftermath of Mr Carney's speech.
However, sterling remains well below the $1.50 rate it touched on Thursday last week, before the outcome of the referendum became clear.
The past week has seen huge swings on the world's financial markets as traders and investors struggled to assess the impact of the UK's Brexit vote.
After two days of heavy falls following the referendum outcome, shares spent two days recovering, and on Wednesday, the FTSE 100 ended above the level it had closed at on Thursday last week.
However, the FTSE 250 index - which contains more UK-focused companies - still remains well below its pre-referendum level. | UK shares have risen for a third day, after Bank of England governor Mark Carney hinted at fresh stimulus measures following the Brexit vote. | 36681794 |
Three-year-old, Maisie Phillips, had been taking her first trip on Nottingham's new tram line to Clifton with her parents on Tuesday evening.
Her father Anthony Phillips said he tried opening the doors but the driver refused to stop "for safety reasons".
Nottingham Express Transit (NET) said "lessons had been learnt" from it.
Mr Phillips said he got off at the next stop and ran half-a-mile back to Maisie, who was being looked after by another passenger.
"I'm glad Maisie didn't go wandering off anywhere, anything could have happened to her," he said.
"I was shouting to the driver but she said we had to wait until the next stop.
"I understand these are new trams but the doors closed stupidly quickly. If someone was disabled or elderly they wouldn't have got out quick enough."
Maisie had been spotted by Angela Wilkinson who had got off at the same stop.
She said: "I noticed she was on her own and was running away shouting 'mummy', 'daddy'. I just couldn't leave her.
"She was absolutely devastated. It was awful."
An NET representative apologised and said while the driver had closed the doors too quickly, she was "unable to stop once the tram was moving for safety reasons".
Their statement added that "lessons had been learnt" and drivers have since been reminded to look out for passengers who might need extra time or assistance getting on and off the trams. | A tram company has apologised after a toddler was left stranded at a stop when the doors closed before her parents could get off. | 34137609 |
The village of Susiya - home to some 350 people - has become the focus of an international campaign, drawing in European diplomats, the US state department and pro-Palestinian activists.
"Look, there are families living here in tents. There's a cave, water cisterns and places where we put our sheep," Susiya resident Nasser Nawaja points out. "It's a simple Palestinian life."
But daily existence here has long been caught up in a complicated political situation. Now, for the third time in three decades, villagers are facing the threat of another forced displacement.
In May, the Israeli High Court denied a Palestinian request for an injunction to stop Israel's plans to destroy their homes.
The villagers have deeds to the land going back to the Ottoman era, but the Israeli authorities say their current structures were built without the necessary permits.
A senior officer from the defence ministry's administrative body in the West Bank warned that efforts to remove the villagers could begin any day, even though a legal appeal is due to be heard on 3 August.
The department said he had met Susiya's Palestinian inhabitants to "examine alternative solutions".
In the meantime, Susiya's residents are watching and waiting.
"Everyone in the village is living on their nerves," Mr Nawaja, 33, said. "We're afraid the Israelis might come at any time. We panic every time we hear cars approaching."
The rudimentary Palestinian homes in this harsh landscape are squeezed between the mainly brick-built houses in the Israeli settlement of Susiya and a site, run by settlers, where ruins of an ancient synagogue were found in the 1970s.
Israeli settlements in the occupied territories are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.
Susiya falls within the 61% of the West Bank known as Area C, which the 1993 Israel-Palestinian interim peace accords placed under full Israeli control.
In 1986, local Palestinians were expelled from their homes on the archaeological site. The army then moved them again in 2001 after Palestinians killed an Israeli from the neighbouring settlement.
After the residents moved to the current location on their agricultural land, they say they tried to get building permission but it was denied.
Critics say in the vast majority of cases the Israeli civil administration, the body which implements government policy in the West Bank, does not approve Palestinian building applications in Area C.
Now Israeli and foreign activists are camping out in Susiya around the clock to try to prevent demolition orders from being carried out, and there is also diplomatic pressure against such a move.
"We're closely following developments… We strongly urge the Israeli authorities to refrain from carrying out any demolitions in the village," US state department spokesman John Kirby said in a rare public statement on the issue this month.
He added that any demolitions or evictions "would be harmful and provocative".
In turn, European Union foreign ministers issued a strongly worded statement urging Israel to abandon plans for the "forced transfer of population and demolition of Palestinian housing and infrastructure".
European donations help sustain Susiya village, which is not connected to mains electricity or public water supplies.
The Susiya case has taken on a special significance because of current tensions between Israel and both the US and EU.
They view any action against Palestinians in the context of continuing settlement growth and wider problems of demolitions and displacement affecting Palestinians and Bedouin in the occupied territories and Israel.
At the same time Israel's right-wing coalition government is being pressed by its supporters in the settler movement.
They point out there is now no legal obstacle to prevent buildings in Susiya being demolished and that some Israeli settler outposts deemed unlawful by the government have previously been removed.
"This is 100% a test case for the Israeli government - whether it stands up to the unending pressure placed on us, not only by the EU but now by the state department of the US, Israel's closest ally," says Ari Briggs of Regavim, an Israeli legal advocacy group.
"It is only going to get worse if Israel bows to the pressure today. Israel is a sovereign country and it has to say: 'We have interests as well and we have to follow those interests.'"
Back at Susiya, the head of the village council meets a delegation of members of the European Parliament who have arrived for a tour. Meanwhile local youngsters play football with a group of activists.
Seventy-year-old Mohammed Nawaja looks on. "Each time we've had to rebuild we've started with nothing," he says. "I must trust in God that my grandchildren won't have to live the same experience." | A strong wind blows across a rocky limestone ridge in the South Hebron Hills, Palestinian flags flapping noisily above a few dozen ramshackle dwellings and animal pens. | 33651356 |
His father Malcolm was murdered in Beirut on the morning of 18 January 1986 by two members of the terror group Islamic Jihad.
At the time, Kerr was a first-year student at the University of Arizona on a basketball scholarship. He was starting out on a path that would lead eventually to NBA championship glory as a player with the Chicago Bulls and then as coach of the Warriors.
What's striking is that in the years following the killing Kerr's response was not embittered or coloured with vengeance. Instead he has consistently called for greater peace and understanding in the world.
As a recent profile of him in the New York Times puts it: "He steps into discussions that most others in his position purposely avoid or know little about, chewing through the grey areas in a world that increasingly paints itself in bold contrasts."
Trump's executive order on immigration is totally contrary to Olympic ideals. For him, collective responsibility trumps individual justice
Recent days have proved no different.
Kerr has emerged as a prominent voice of protest against US president Donald Trump's executive order which suspends the country's refugee programme for 120 days, puts an indefinite ban on Syrian refugees and prevents, for the time being at least, anyone arriving from seven Muslim-majority countries, with certain exceptions.
President Trump insists the order will buttress the United States' defence against terrorism and is not a ban against Muslims.
And while public protests have been large and vocal, polls show a majority of Americans are in favour of the restrictions.
But Kerr disagrees, believing the order will be counterproductive.
"I would just say that as someone whose family member was a victim of terrorism, having lost my father, if we're trying to combat terrorism by banishing people from coming to this country, by really going against the principles of what our country is about and creating fear, it's the wrong way of going about it," he told reporters this week.
"Families are being torn apart, and I worry in the big picture what this means to the security of the world. It's going about it completely opposite. You want to solve terror, you want to solve crime, this is not the way to do it."
He is not alone.
Many figures within American sport have voiced their concerns in recent days.
Footballer Michael Bradley, captain of the US national team, felt compelled to write of Trump that "the Muslim ban is just the latest example of someone who couldn't be more out of touch with our country and the right way to move forward" while the former UFC champion Ronda Rousey has posted similar sentiments on her Instagram account.
Tommie Smith's clenched fist "black power" salute at the 1968 Mexico Olympics and last year's decision by NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick not to stand during the national anthem shows how political protest and American sport are often linked.
But the Trump immigration and refugee measures - and his presidential term through to January 2021 - may have wider implications for the future of American sport.
As a result, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and football's world governing body Fifa both face challenging decisions.
The first will come later this year when the IOC decides which city will host the 2024 Olympics.
Los Angeles and Paris are locked in a tight race, with the IOC's 98 members poised to cast their vote.
So far there has been no response to the Trump measures from the IOC, an organisation which makes a virtue of non-discrimination in its founding principles.
However, one IOC member, Richard Peterkin, provided a glimpse into how some delegates may feel when he tweeted: "Trump's executive order on immigration is totally contrary to Olympic ideals. For him, collective responsibility trumps individual justice."
LA's mayor, Eric Garcetti, was swift to condemn the Trump plan but it remains to be seen whether his damage-limitation exercise will help his city's bid.
On the other hand, money talks. And in global sport it often wins votes.
The size of the financial advantages offered by a US-based Games are significant. LA's organisers estimate they can generate a huge $4.8bn (£3.8bn) in revenue.
So with the ballot eight months away all is not lost for LA - after all, despite disquiet over human rights abuses, the IOC awarded China (Beijing 2008) and Russia (Sochi 2014) the summer and winter Games respectively.
There is one alternative which is starting to look increasingly politically expedient. Informal talks are believed to be under way which could result in the IOC awarding the 2024 Games to Paris and the 2028 Games to LA at the same time, providing a win for all concerned.
Fifa faces a similar issues with awarding its major event.
Bidding to host an expanded 48-team World Cup in 2026 will get under way in the near future.
The process will take three years and culminate, for the first time, in all 211 Fifa member nations having a say in which country, or countries, will win.
There will also be scrutiny of the human rights record of prospective hosts.
The US is currently the clear favourite to win, as European and Asian countries are blocked from bidding under a rotation policy.
But let's cast forward to the eve of the 2026 vote.
In May 2020 the US presidential election campaign will be in full swing, with President Trump delivering speech after speech as he seeks a second term of office.
He will have been in power for close to four years, shaping and implementing policy.
How will Fifa's globally based voters respond if, by then, Syrians are still blocked from seeking refuge in the US? If citizens of several nations are officially not welcome in the US, even temporarily as fans?
When the 2018 and 2022 World Cups were awarded to Russia and Qatar respectively the decisions were made by a small group of Fifa officials, most of whom are now discredited or banned from the game for various acts of misconduct.
The ballot for 2026 will involve a far larger and more ethnically, politically and religiously diverse group. Could it, theoretically, become a de facto referendum on the United States' standing in the world?
The mantra that sport and politics don't mix has perhaps never been less accurate - the Trump administration has probably just locked them together for the next four years. | Steve Kerr, head coach of the NBA's Golden State Warriors, knows the pain that terrorism can cause. | 38825551 |
In a witness statement read out ahead of the sentencing of Becky's killers at Bristol Crown Court, Tanya Watts said she was left with only "continuing nightmares... and her grave to visit".
Nathan Matthews, 28, was sentenced to 33 years for murdering his stepsister in a sexually motivated kidnap plot.
His partner, Shauna Hoare, 21, was jailed for 17 years for manslaughter.
Ms Watts said the details of her daughter's death were "unbearable".
"Becky has been robbed of her future and we have been robbed of all those future milestones," she added.
"Every day has been a living nightmare and if that wasn't bad enough, for some reason that I will never ever be able to understand, after my daughter was murdered, she was mutilated, cut into pieces.
"It's like the worst of all horror movies but this is real, this is my child. She was only 16."
Read more on the Becky Watts murder case:
In another witness impact statement, Becky's father Darren Galsworthy described what happened to her as a plot that was "borne out of hatred, jealousy and greed".
"They [Matthews and Hoare] sat in our home knowing what they had done and watched my very public descent into madness and despair.
"They said nothing and carried on with the pretence of helping us and showed no emotion at all."
"Not only did they cruelly rob Becky of life, they also took her dignity in death. When I close my eyes to sleep I see Becky's death over and over again. I see what they did to my child."
Matthews suffocated his step-sister at her home in Crown Hill, Bristol, on 19 February.
He moved her body to the home he shared with Hoare, less than two miles away in Cotton Mill Lane, and in the days that followed he used tools to dismember and package Becky's body.
Hoare was also convicted of perverting the course of justice and preventing a lawful burial, charges which Matthews admitted. | Becky Watts' mother has said that seeing her murdered child in the mortuary still "haunts" her. | 34807999 |
Since launching four years ago, more than 15 million journeys have been booked through its app across just four Taiwanese cities.
Uber says it hopes to reach a resolution with the authorities that will allow it to resume operations.
While many cities, states and countries have sought to curtail Uber, stopping it operating is a rare occurrence.
So why has it failed to survive in Taiwan's market and why it may not to be able to get back on the road easily?
Uber is registered as an software company in Taiwan, not a transportation services provider. That makes its operations illegal, the government argues.
And because many Uber drivers do not have a professional driver's licence. officials have said this makes its services potentially dangerous and puts passengers at risk.
Taiwan has a very mature and organised taxi market, with 34,000 taxi companies (including individual operators) and many unions.
As we've seen in many parts of the world, taxi drivers were angry at Uber, whose 16,000 drivers won over passengers with their cheaper fares.
"They stole our business, hurting our income by 30%," said Chen Deng, chairman of the Taipei City Taxi Passenger Transport Trade Association.
When the government began offering rewards of 10% of the $3,000 fine to anyone who reported an Uber driver, taxi drivers went undercover, posing as customers to book rides and using electronic receipts as evidence.
So far they've reported about 300 drivers.
"It's mainly aimed at stopping their operation. They attacked us; we don't want them to live," Mr Chen said.
But some people were also enticed by the reward. Reporting just three Uber drivers a month would earn drivers as much as their typical monthly salary.
Taiwan's government says it has no problem with Uber providing taxi services, as long as it agrees to be regulated, insured and taxed like other taxi service providers.
"If they agree to these conditions, we'd be very happy to cooperate with them," said Liang Guo-guo, a spokesman for the Directorate General of Highways.
"But all along Uber says it's only a platform provider and if any disputes, accidents or problems happen, it doesn't take any responsibility. In Taiwan, if you provide transportation services, you need to take this responsibility."
Faced with taxi drivers' complaints and protests, Taiwan passed a new law that came into effect on 6 January.
It raises the maximum fine against illegal transportation providers from around NT$150,000 ($4,687) to NT$25m ($780,000), the highest Uber has faced anywhere in the world.
Before the law came into effect Uber and its drivers had already been slapped with $3m (£2.4m) in fines. With the new law, it faced another $7m in penalties.
Uber says that if it is to make a comeback in Taiwan, it depends on the government being supportive of the broader concept of ride sharing and the shared economy. on which Uber's business model globally is based.
"Uber is a ride sharing company and we'd like to be registered as such," Li Kai Gu, the general manager for Uber in Taiwan, told the BBC this week.
"The issue is that there is no regulation for ride sharing here in Taiwan because the concept itself has only come around in the last six or seven years, when ride sharing firms like ourselves have started."
"The question now is - if the government does believe in the concept of ride sharing - we are more than happy to work with them in terms of finding the right regulations for companies like ourselves."
Uber is used to controversy and, while popular with many passengers, has regularly clashed with authorities.
Last year a court in France fined Uber for running what it deemed an illegal transport service that used non-professional drivers.
In July 2016, Uber ceased operations in Hungary after state officials blocked internet access to the app, referring to it as an "illegal dispatcher service".
Uber was founded in 2009 and says it now operates in more than 500 cities around the world. | Uber has suspended its ride-sharing services in Taiwan after a lengthy battle with the government. | 38928028 |
He had been nominated last week for outstanding guest actor in a comedy for his role as Jeff Kane in the HBO show.
The category is open to actors who have appeared in less than 50% of a programme's current series.
MacNicol appeared in five of the 10 episodes of Veep's latest season - exactly 50%.
The Television Academy told The Hollywood Reporter: "Upon review of the category, we have determined that Peter MacNicol unfortunately exceeds the number of episodes permissible for inclusion."
The academy acknowledged MacNicol's entry had been eligible at the time of submission, but added he had subsequently appeared in a further Veep episode.
"Unfortunately, that additional appearance places him in 50% of the season's episodes and makes him no longer eligible to compete in the guest actor category," it said.
"This decision is in no way a diminishment of Mr MacNicol's stellar performance on this season of Veep."
The academy said a replacement nominee would be announced shortly.
Veep - a comedy produced for subscription network HBO - has just concluded its fifth season.
The show was conceived by The Thick of It creator Armando Iannucci as a political satire focusing on the fictional US vice president and her staff.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram, or email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk. | Veep actor Peter MacNicol has had his Emmy nomination withdrawn after the Television Academy ruled his performance was ineligible. | 36853962 |
"Misguided altruism" was "leading much of Europe into catastrophic error," Mr Abbott said during a speech in London.
As PM, Mr Abbott carried out the controversial policy of turning away migrant boats, sending them elsewhere.
Retired Bishop Pat Power said he was "ashamed" by the comments, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Bishop Power in particular objected to Mr Abbott's suggestion that a "wholesome instinct" to follow the Christian tenet of "love thy neighbour" had led Europe to feel obliged to accept more people fleeing conflict in the Middle East that they could cope with.
"People will make their own judgements but that's completely at odds with what's at the heart of Christianity," Bishop Power told the newspaper. "I'm certainly offended."
Father Frank Brennan, professor of law at Australian Catholic University, told 3aw Mr Abbott's comments were "outrageous".
He said German Chancellor Angela Merkel - who has won praise and criticism for her welcoming stance to migrants - should ignore the speech.
"I don't think she's helped in the least by an ex-prime minister who has been dumped at the other end of the world turning up and saying 'it's about time you got your naval vessels to start returning people to places like Libya'."
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop gave her backing to Mr Abbott, saying her country had a "very appropriate and strong and tough border regime".
Australian asylum: Why is it controversial?
Mr Abbott made the comments at the annual Margaret Thatcher lecture to an audience of governing Conservative party members and ministers, as Europe faces an unprecedented surge in the number of people trying to reach its shores.
The former Australian leader, who is Catholic, said his country was the only one to have successfully defeated people-smuggling.
Nigel Farage, leader of Britain's right-wing Ukip party, tweeted that the speech was "absolutely bang-on".
But others have given it a hostile reaction - political blogger Guido Fawkes said members of British Conservative party present had "winced" while listening on.
Social media users mocked the Biblical references in the speech using the #TheToneCommandments hashtag. | Prominent Australian Catholics have attacked a speech by ousted PM Tony Abbott in which he urged Europe to take a hard line on migrants. | 34664118 |
They say the drug was about to be taken on small planes to neighbouring Brazil and other countries.
Police say Paraguay's most wanted man, Ezequiel de Souza, was among the 20 people arrested at a ranch in north-eastern Paraguay.
An unauthorised airstrip was found and weapons and small planes seized in the operation in Canindeyu district.
Alleged Bolivian drug lord Marco Antonio Rocca Ali, known as "El Presi", was also arrested at the ranch on Saturday night.
Paraguayan police say this is the biggest seizure of drugs in the South American country this year.
The National Anti-Drug Secretariat (Senad) said it still expected to find more bags of cocaine hidden underground and in the nearby woods.
President Federico Franco congratulated the 40 agents who took part in the operation near the city of Salto del Guaira.
"Paraguay is committed to fight drug-trafficking," he said.
"It will become known abroad as a sovereign nation, not as a drug-trafficking country."
Landlocked Paraguay has borders with Bolivia, one of South America's main cocaine producers, and Brazil, which has become one of the world's top consumers of illegal drugs. | Anti-drug agents in Paraguay have seized nearly 1,700kg (3,700 pounds) of cocaine. | 20292675 |
Stevenson put the home side in front before the break with a firm header from Michael Wardrobe's cross.
But second-bottom Forfar pulled themselves level against the run of play when Andy Ryan finished off a swift counter attack.
However, Stevenson's overhead kick earned the Honest Men just a second win in six Scottish League One games. | Ryan Stevenson's brace gave Ayr United victory over Forfar Athletic and strengthen their grip on third place. | 35568064 |
Waring, 22, played under Rovers manager Micky Mellon at League One Shrewsbury last season during a loan spell.
He spent the second half of the season with Carlisle, helping the Cumbrians reach the League Two play-offs.
"I enjoyed working with George at Shrewsbury and know the qualities he will bring to the group," Mellon said.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | National League side Tranmere Rovers have signed striker George Waring on a two-year deal following his release by Stoke City. | 40421659 |
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service was called out to the incident in Lochdale at about 01:45 on Tuesday.
The fire was put out but not before damage had been caused to the meter and cables inside.
PC Beth Williamson said it was was an "extremely dangerous act" which could have had serious consequences.
"The meter has been made safe and electricity restored," she added.
"We are keen to hear from anyone who may have seen or heard anything suspicious in or around the flat in the early hours of Tuesday morning." | Police have said the consequences of a suspicious fire at an electricity meter box at flats in Stranraer could have been "catastrophic". | 40186028 |
South Africa needed at least a draw to progress, but the result ends Tunisia's hopes of advancing.
Menzi Masuka scored the all-important goal in the 85th minute to secure South Africa's place in the last four.
South Africa finished second in the group on six points.
The hosts Senegal finished top of Group A with a third consecutive win, beating Zambia 1-0 in Dakar.
Mohamadou Diallo scored for Senegal in the third minute to inflict a third straight defeat on Zambia who are eliminated.
Senegal and South Africa will both now have to wait until Saturday to see who they will play in the semi-finals.
Senegal will play the second placed team in Group B, whilst South Africa will face the Group B winners.
Both semi-finals will be played on Wednesday 9 December.
The tournament also serves as a qualifying competition for next year's Olympic Games with the top three finishers booking a place in Rio. | South Africa beat Tunisia 1-0 in the final game of Group A in M'bour to advance to the Africa Under-23 Cup of Nations semi-finals and keep their Olympic hopes alive. | 35009734 |
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Wanderers came from a goal down to beat Fleetwood 2-1 on Saturday and maintain their perfect start to the season.
Bolton were relegated from the Championship last term, but have won their first four League One games under new manager Parkinson.
"I thought it was our biggest test on Saturday," said Parkinson.
He told BBC Radio Manchester: "There was an edginess around the place. You could feel that, and that's understandable given what's happened in the past.
"The most important thing I'm pleased with is the character. You can have good players, but they've got to play when the pressure's on.
"I felt there was a little bit of pressure on us and we responded very well." | Bolton boss Phil Parkinson has praised his team's mental strength after they matched their best start to a league season in 82 years. | 37145444 |
The group of retired generals and admirals declared the Republican nominee "has the temperament to be commander-in-chief".
Mr Trump, who has highlighted veterans' issues during his campaign, called their support "a great honour".
He has meanwhile been dismissing claims of impropriety over a political donation to a Florida official.
The Washington Post reported on Monday that in 2013 Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi had been considering fraud charges against Trump University.
But she dropped the investigation after a $25,000 (£18,600) contribution to her political campaign from the Donald J Trump Foundation.
Mr Trump was fined because he did not disclose the contribution to the US tax authorities.
The letter released on Tuesday by his campaign was signed by four 4-star generals.
The former top brass stated they believe Mr Trump is "more trusted to be commander-in-chief than (Democratic nominee) Hillary Clinton".
"We believe that such a change can only be made by someone who has not been deeply involved with, and substantially responsible for, the hollowing out of our military and the burgeoning threats facing our country around the world," they added.
Both Mr Trump and Mrs Clinton will take part back-to-back in a national security forum on Wednesday.
The forum, to be hosted by the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, will include questions from an audience of military service members.
Also on Tuesday, Mrs Clinton released a campaign ad featuring veterans who are critical of Mr Trump.
Her ad includes a clip of Mr Trump from July 2015 casting doubt on leading Republican John McCain's war hero credentials.
Arizona Senator McCain was tortured for more than five years as a prisoner of the North Vietnamese.
Despite making support for the military a signature issue in his campaign, Mr Trump has at various times drawn criticism from military members.
Most notably, he was involved in a recent spat with family members of a Muslim-American soldier killed during the Iraq War.
Mr Trump, who has not served in the military, also created a stir last month when he accepted a veteran's gift of a Purple Heart.
"I always wanted to get the Purple Heart," he said of the medal, which is awarded to soldiers wounded in war.
"This was much easier." | Donald Trump has been endorsed by 88 former military leaders in an open letter, according to his campaign. | 37289593 |
After the Burkinabe reached the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations final, expectations were high for this year but the team exited at the group stage.
Kone told BBC Sport the team "self-destructed" because of the pressure and he also blamed a row over bonuses.
"Qualifying for 2017 starts soon, we must not repeat our mistakes," he said.
Rohr needs all the necessary support and backing to succeed
"We went as favourites in 2013 and had a good run to the final. But in 2015 when people expected so much from us we didn't play well because we pressed the self-destruct button.
"The squad arrived in Equatorial Guinea very disorganised and didn't concentrate on the football because of other problems.
"Once the federation refused to pay players the bonuses they are owed from previous games, it had a bad effect on the team at a major tournament.
"This time we need to make sure we get the build-up right."
The Burkina Faso Football Federation (FBF) is desperate to get the team back on track by ensuring qualification for their fifth successive Nations Cups appearance.
German coach Gernot Rohr has been appointed as the new coach, replacing Belgian Paul Put who departed after the 2015 tournament.
"A new coach means a fresh beginning but the last manager made significant progress until he suffered from the usual African disorganised problems," Kone added.
"Organisation is crucial and it's only when the new coach gets the right organisation in place that he will achieve success.
"He's been around Africa and knows so much about the continent but he needs to have all the necessary support, professionalism and backing to succeed.
"If these things are not in place we are going to keep running around in circle without making any progress."
The immediate task for the Stallions, who lost out to Algeria in the 2014 World Cup qualifying play-off, is to stay focused on the 2017 Nations Cup qualifiers, starting in June.
Burkina Faso are in Group D alongside Uganda, Botswana, Comoros Islands and Kone, who plays his club football in France for title-chasing Lyon, is sure they can emerge winners from the group.
"We played Comoros in a friendly game last year in Marseille and it ended in a difficult 1-1 draw," Kone said. "Countries like that can't be underrated because in African football other teams are also making big progress.
"The small countries are creating a storm lately and fighting hard to beat the so-called big teams.
"Once again it's all about getting ourselves organised to have a good qualifying campaign and keep it going. We should qualify but it will not be an easy ride to get to the finals in Gabon." | Defender Bakary Kone says Burkina Faso must resolve pay issues as well as learn to cope with pressure if they are to regain their best form. | 32539274 |
The clips feature images and text about products the US retailer has detected the user has shown interest in.
Amazon regularly displays customised static ads on third-party sites, but the videos have the potential to be more eye-catching and appear in more places.
One expert said the idea had potential but Amazon would have to be careful that its ads did not seem creepy.
"This is something we've only experimented with at very small scales," Graeme Smith, managing director Amazon's software development centre in Edinburgh, told the BBC.
"They have been out there in the wild.
"I'm not able to share any more details of where, but potentially anywhere you can see a video is potentially somewhere you could consider running personalised video ads, right across the internet.
"It's still very early days for this technology, but it's something we are really excited about with a lot of applications."
Mr Smith showed off one of the ad designs at a press conference in London.
But the company declined the BBC's request to show the footage, saying it was still in a testing phase, so too early to share widely.
Video ads have long been targeted at users on services such as YouTube and Facebook via cookies and other means that track their identities.
But rather than just directing pre-made clips at targeted audiences, Amazon aims to make its adverts more effective by creating them on the fly, tailored to each user's interests.
It is able to do this by using graphics templates, whose elements are superimposed with images and text selected by the company's algorithms.
It is not uncommon for commercials to be created using such motion graphics templates.
But they normally require a human to arrange and edit their parts using specialised software - a time-consuming and potentially expensive activity.
"Video has always been an incredibly effective way of advertising," said Maisie McCabe, acting UK editor of Campaign.
"Technology is now enabling brands such as Amazon to combine the power of video with the precision of targeted online ads.
"However, this must be done sensitively and openly.
"Brands must be careful not to scare off potential customers by abusing the trust people place on them when they allow companies to track their data.
"Moreover, there's a big difference between what people expect from a static display ad and online video.
"Amazon will need to make sure its personalised videos are more engaging than the functional shopping ones they serve at the moment."
Although the idea of dynamic video ads is new to Amazon, other brands have teamed up with digital marketing companies to explore the idea.
For example:
Perhaps most prominently of all, Facebook has created a variety of personalised videos based on images and posts its members' have uploaded to its service, which it shows from time to time to help keep users loyal. | Amazon has revealed it is experimenting with personalised video adverts. | 36773409 |
This will allow live coverage of sport or other major events using next generation technology.
Work on the new BBC building is on track, with construction work expected to be finished next April.
The first staff will transfer from the existing Broadcasting House in Llandaff in the autumn of 2019.
The new building is expected to be fully operational in 2020.
It will be the first major BBC site to use the latest IP (Internet Protocol) broadcasting technology and it will have virtual reality enabled studios.
In total, about 1,200 staff will be based in the new headquarters, including BBC Studios and some staff from S4C.
BBC Wales has also announced plans to provide training opportunities to more than 250 people over the next two years, including an additional 20 full-time, paid trainee and apprenticeship placements.
The development scheme will focus on attracting people from under-represented communities, putting them through an intensive training programme.
An independent report published in 2015 estimated that the BBC Wales relocation to the centre of Cardiff could provide an economic boost of more than £1bn directly and indirectly for the Welsh economy. | BBC Wales' new broadcast centre in Cardiff's Central Square will have a fibre optic connection to the Principality Stadium, it has announced. | 40537762 |
All eight of the victims have now been identified. Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter said on Thursday that all the passengers had been accounted for.
The victims range in age from 20-55 and were travelling for work or heading home.
They were career and family-oriented people, working in education, news or technology or attending school. They just happened to be sitting in the front carriages of Amtrak 188 on Tuesday night.
Those who died are as follows:
Mr Zemser, 20, was on break from his second year at the US Naval Academy and headed to his hometown of Rockaway Beach, New York on the Amtrak train Tuesday night.
His family released a statement calling him "a loving son, nephew and cousin who was very community-minded."
Zemser played for the Naval Academy's sprint football team. In high school, he was valedictorian, student government president and captain of the football team.
Mr Gaines, 48 years old, was an Associated Press video software architect and a father of two.
He was headed home to New Jersey after meetings at the AP's Washington office. He had worked there since 1998 on nearly all of the company's video projects.
"Jim was more precious to us than we can adequately express," his family said in a statement.
Mr Gilani, 55 years old, was a senior vice president for Wells Fargo bank in New York City. He previously worked for Marriot International for eight years.
A company spokeswoman confirmed his death.
A married father of two, he split his time between Washington and New York.
Ms Jacobs, a 39-year-old mother of two, was commuting home to New York from her new job as CEO of a Philadelphia-based educational start-up, ApprenNet.
She is the daughter of former Michigan state senator Gilda Jacobs. Her family said in a statement she was a "wonderful mother, daughter, sister, wife and friend... We cannot imagine life without her."
A graduate of Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania and Columbia Business School, she had planned on moving to Philadelphia.
Mr Griffith, a 42-year-old New York City resident, was dean of student affairs at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn.
A former school principal, he founded the City University of New York Preparatory Transitional High School.
He had a doctorate of philosophy in urban education from the City University of New York Graduate Center.
Mr Gildersleeve, a 45-year-old Maryland native, is confirmed to be dead, his family told NBC News on Thursday.
He worked for Ecolab, a water and energy technology company, for 22 years. His family had been in Philadelphia circulating his photo.
He leaves behind two children, 16 and 13. One was in Philadelphia with his grandfather looking for him.
Laura Finamore
Ms Finamore, 47, of Manhattan, was travelling from Washington after a friend's mother's memorial service back to New York on Tuesday night.
"Laura was an incredibly loving and giving person, touching many people each and every day through her generous spirit, thoughtfulness and compassion for others," her family said in a statement, according to NJ.com. "She will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her."
Ms Finamore attended George Washington University and grew up in Queens, NY, according to her Facebook page, and spent 20 years working in commercial real estate.
Giuseppe Piras
Mr Piras, 41, of Ittiri, Italy, was among the dead from the crash, Italian site Today confirmed on Thursday.
He was a wine and olive oil salesman who usually preferred flying, but chose Amtrak when his flight got cancelled, the New York Times reports. He was in the US on a business trip.
Italian newspaper La Nuova Sardegna showed a video of Mr Piras' father explaining he left Italy on Monday morning and was going to stay for a week. He called his father right before boarding the train, saying he would catch up with him later because he was hurrying. | Eight people have been confirmed dead in the Philadelphia Amtrak train derailment Tuesday night. | 32740319 |
The occupants of the car had been wearing fake suicide vests and had knives and an axe, officials said.
Seven people were injured in the attack, one of whom later died.
It came hours after a van was driven into crowds in Barcelona, leaving 13 people dead and scores injured.
Police say the van driver, who fled the scene, could be among those killed in Cambrils, but this has not yet been confirmed.
"The investigation points in this direction," said Catalonian police official Josep Lluis Trapero, but there was no "concrete proof".
He added that, despite police training, it was "not easy" for the officer who had shot dead four of the five suspects.
The attack in Cambrils unfolded when an Audi A3 was driven at people walking along the seafront in the early hours of Friday.
The car overturned and those inside then attacked people with knives. Police said four were shot dead at the scene and the fifth was killed a few hundred metres away.
Waiter Joan Marc Serra Salinas heard the shots that rang out on Cambrils promenade.
"It was bang, bang, bang. Shouting, more shouting. I threw myself on to the ground on the beach," he said.
The Mayor of Cambrils, Cami Mendoza, praised the "speed and efficiency" of the police response. | A lone police officer shot dead four of the five suspects who were in a car that was driven into pedestrians in the Spanish seaside town of Cambrils, it has emerged. | 40979128 |
A motion authorising the mission is expected to pass on Monday in the House of Commons.
The six-month mission will include CF-18 fighter jets and refuelling and surveillance aircraft, but not ground troops.
PM Stephen Harper said it was intended to "significantly degrade" IS.
Canada has more than two dozen military advisers already in Iraq.
The US has undertaken its own air strike campaign in Iraq for several weeks and in Syria for almost two weeks.
The plan put forward in parliament by Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird asks Canadian lawmakers to "recognise that the leadership of the terrorist group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has called on its members to target Canada and Canadians at home and abroad".
Mr Harper said that if "left unchecked" IS could grow quickly.
"As a government, we know our ultimate responsibility is to protect Canadians, and to defend our citizens from those who would do harm to us and to our families," he said, according to broadcaster CBC.
Such an air strike mission must be debated and voted on in Canada's Parliament, but Mr Harper's Conservative MPs have a majority of seats, so it is expected to pass.
Canada's opposition parties have pressed Mr Harper to be more transparent about the plans.
Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau said on Friday his party would not support the motion.
New Democratic Party leader Thomas Mulcair did not make a similar pronouncement but said he questioned the wisdom of getting involved in Iraq.
"The prime minister insists this mission in Iraq will not be allowed to become a quagmire," Mr Mulcair said, according to CBC.
"But isn't that precisely what our American allies have been facing in Iraq for the last 10 years?"
Canada did not join the US coalition that invaded in Iraq in 2003.
If the motion passes as expected, Canada will join a number of other countries that have joined the US in air strikes in either Syria or Iraq against IS, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the UK and France. Australia and Turkey have recent authorised military force for similar missions.​ | Canada plans to join the US-led campaign of air strikes against Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq, its government has said. | 29483160 |
The words "kill Chinese" were inscribed above a swastika in restrooms at the University of Sydney.
The university condemned the graffiti and said "any and all remnants" would be removed.
Last week, racist flyers directed at Chinese students were posted at two universities in Melbourne.
"The University of Sydney is committed to ensuring that our community is a safe, inclusive and supportive one," it said in a statement.
"Any graffiti or posters placed around campus of a racist nature are immediately removed."
A university spokesperson told SBS: "We do not know who is responsible, although the university's security people suggest that it appears to be the work of a lone individual."
Poppy Wang, vice-president of the university's Chinese Students Association, said the graffiti had made her feel less secure.
"Most people I talk to feel sad because they come to this country to study, not to be treated like this," she told the BBC.
"They really like this country and they do not really want to see this stuff happen."
Ms Wang said she was disappointed the university had taken two days to remove the graffiti, which was found in the international students' lounge and the business school.
"The university is not reacting fast enough," she said.
Last week, fake posters bearing the logos of the University of Melbourne and Monash University were found at both institutions.
The flyers read: "Attention, entry into the campus of Chinese students should be strictly prohibited. If violated, you can be deported from the country."
Both universities said the material was fabricated and unacceptable. The flyers have been reported to police.
Student Lisa Lu said on Twitter: "I don't know who would do this on the very first day of the new semester. Even [if] it's a joke IT IS NOT FUNNY AT ALL!"
University of Melbourne Union president Yan Zhuang said he "vehemently" opposed the material.
"The posters have been attributed to a white supremacist, neo-Nazi group which has previously targeted the University of Melbourne," he said.
More than a quarter of international students in Australia come from China. But the country is also home to a significant Australian-Chinese population. In the 2016 census, 5.6% of Australians said they had Chinese ancestry.
Five takeaways from Australia's census | Racist graffiti targeting Chinese students has prompted anger after it was found at two locations in an Australian university. | 40809896 |
Conservative Richard Graham is leading a campaign to increase the maximum sentence to up to 14 years.
Mr Graham said he is supporting the widow of Paul Stock, 53, from Tredworth, who died in March 2012 when he was knocked down by a disqualified scooter rider.
The man responsible for his death was jailed for two years.
Mr Stock's widow Mandy contacted Mr Graham to say the law needed to be changed to reflect the consequences of such a crime.
Mr Graham subsequently raised this issue in Parliament at Prime Minister's Questions.
Prime Minister David Cameron said the issue needed to be reviewed and the Justice Secretary, Chris Grayling, agreed the maximum sentences for disqualified drivers who caused death or serious injury were too low.
Mr Grayling has since confirmed plans to include a new clause in a Justice Bill later this year which will increase the maximum sentence.
Mr Graham said: "If in due course just one life is saved by this new clause, then Mandy's determination will have been worthwhile, and I will be very glad to have helped make it happen." | A Gloucester MP is trying to enforce tougher sentences for those convicted of dangerous driving. | 21681914 |
In the past week there have been two appalling incidents of child abuse as well as news of the conviction of an Uber taxi driver for raping one of his passengers in Delhi last year.
There is no question that India - like many other countries - has a big problem with sexual abuse of women and children, but the country has actually passed a crucial turning point in terms of tackling the issue.
I'll admit that the statistics suggest the opposite. The official figures show the incidence of rape is actually increasing.
And the depressing truth is that the real incidence of rape is much higher than the official figures suggest.
But the growing number of rapes is actually an indicator that India is at last beginning to take serious steps to tackle the issue.
The police are one factor. They are now much more likely to record rape and sexual abuse when victims report it to them. The definition of rape has also been widened.
But the key factor is the growing willingness of victims to report rape in the first place.
There is still huge stigma attached to rape in India. As a result many rape victims are unwilling to say they've been attacked for fear of the shame it would bring them and their families.
Victims often find they are blamed for the crime rather than the perpetrators.
But campaigners say things are beginning to change and they can date the beginning of that process of change very precisely - to 16 December 2012.
That's the date of the infamous Delhi bus rape, when a 23-year-old medical student was gang-raped on a bus in the south of the city. She died of her injuries two weeks later.
In India the press are not allowed to publish the name of someone who has been the victim of rape so she became known as "Nirbhaya", meaning "fearless".
The rape of Nirbhaya prompted an extraordinary public outpouring of anger and grief. There were huge public protests across the country attacking the government for failing to provide adequate security for women. Some became violent.
Just as the revelations about Jimmy Saville caused a huge discussion about attitudes to child abuse in Britain, the Nirbhaya rape sparked a national discussion and soul-searching about attitudes to crimes against women.
And the headlines these recent cases have generated show that the debate continues.
That's not to say the problem is anywhere near being solved. The Delhi rape led to new laws on sexual assault but the government's decision earlier this year to ban India's Daughter, a BBC film about the incident, shows that India still has a long way to go.
Nevertheless, you can only begin to change once you acknowledge you have got a problem, and India has taken that crucial step. | Judging by the newspaper headlines, India is in the grip of a rape crisis. | 34606759 |
John O'Neill, 45, from York, lost his bid to have his Sexual Risk Order (SRO) lifted. He was cleared of rape last year.
However, a judge at York Magistrates' Court said the order should be amended, describing it as "unpoliceable".
North Yorkshire Police has said it was satisfied the order was proportionate.
The SRO requires Mr O'Neill to disclose any planned sexual activity to the police or face up to five years in prison.
Oliver Thorne, for the police, read extracts from a report written by a community psychiatric nurse who spoke to Mr O'Neill in 2014.
Her notes said he had been sexually violent to past girlfriends and he was "not sure" if they had consented.
He told her he needed women "to be scared" during sex or "I don't respond", the court heard.
The nurse noted he had suicidal thoughts and had been "preoccupied with killing himself and others" - an idea he found "soothing".
She also wrote Mr O'Neill thought "it would be safer for everyone if he was dead".
Magistrates were also told about a conversation between the father-of-two and his GP in which he discussed "biting and choking" sexual partners.
Dr Miriam Hodgson wrote her patient had "homicidal and suicidal thoughts" and had said his sex life had become violent.
Her notes added: "Thinks he may have raped someone, it went further than she expected" and "Patient thinks he is dangerous and needs to be stopped."
Mr O'Neill also told her he thought about killing a partner "a lot" and had "choked her unconscious several times," the court heard.
Earlier, Mr O'Neill had told the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme that he was homeless and sleeping rough in a wood near York.
The hearing continues. | A man who must notify police 24 hours before he has sex told a nurse he had been violent to every girl he had slept with, a court has heard. | 37131460 |
Special events were held in Beaminster, Dorset, where 2nd Lt William Rhodes-Moorhouse is buried, on Sunday.
During World War One, he was wounded in the air during the second battle of Ypres, on 26 April 1915. He died the following day.
The stone will be unveiled at Whitehall to mark the centenary of his death.
A paving stone, which will form part of the war memorial in Beaminster, was also dedicated during a service at St Mary's Church in the town, on Sunday.
2nd Lt Rhodes-Moorhouse flew 35 miles (56km) back to base following his solo mission, despite having been hit in the thigh and losing three fingers on his right hand.
He insisted on giving his report before being treated in hospital.
His final words were: "If I'm to die, give me a drink and take my body home." Both his wishes were granted and he is buried on a hilltop in Beaminster.
Douglas Beazer, chairman of the Rhodes-Moorhouse VC Commemorations Group, said: "A month after his death king George V was told the deed that he'd accomplished selflessly and said this man must have the VC."
At the time of his death, 2nd Lt Rhodes-Moorhouse was a member of 2 Squadron Royal Flying Corps, which later became 2 Squadron Royal Air Force. | A stone will be laid at the Ministry of Defence later to honour the first serviceman to be awarded the Victoria Cross for bravery in the air. | 32477463 |
IS was targeted in the suburbs of the town of al-Bab, Aleppo province, where Turkey suffered heavy casualties last month battling the group on the ground.
Turkey's military was quoted by Reuters as saying Russia had carried out air strikes "in co-ordination with Turkey".
Russia and Turkey back opposing sides in Syria's five-year civil war.
Moscow intervened militarily in support of President Bashar al-Assad in 2015, while Ankara has funded and armed his opponents.
Al-Bab, about 20km (12 miles) from the Turkish border, has been the focus of a five-month Turkish-backed Syrian rebel campaign aimed at pushing back both IS and Kurdish forces.
US aircraft carried out strikes on the area earlier this week, also in co-operation with Turkey, but a joint combat operation between a Nato state like Turkey and Russia marks a highly unusual development.
Yes, a Turkish F-16 fighter shot down a Su-24 bomber on 24 November 2015, while the Russian plane was on a mission in the Syrian border area. One of the crew was killed while the other was rescued.
This clash between Russia and a Nato state caused a crisis in relations between the two countries, with Moscow imposing sanctions which hurt the Turkish economy.
It only ended after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan publicly expressed regret.
Since then, the two countries have not only mended economic ties but worked together last month to secure a nationwide truce in Syria that is still in place despite violations.
Along with Iran, they are organising peace talks due to begin in the Kazakh capital, Astana, on Monday.
It is unusual, to say the least, for the Russian air force to conduct joint air strikes alongside a Nato member like Turkey.
While Russian sources have listed the aircraft involved, it is still not clear this was a joint operation. For example, did each country's warplanes strike a discrete set of targets?
What we do know is that Turkish ground forces are making heavy weather of their assault on the IS positions in and around al-Bab. Ties between Moscow and Ankara have been warming of late as Turkey adjusts to the Russian-backed recapture of Aleppo by Syrian government forces.
But to complicate the picture further, US warplanes have recently resumed support for Turkish operations in the al-Bab area as well.
Turkey's main strategic goal is to contain the advance of Kurdish fighters who themselves are allies of the Americans. It is seeking to secure a wedge of territory between two Kurdish-controlled enclaves. Syria's battle lines are as complex as ever.
A Russian spokesman, Lt-Gen Sergei Rudskoi, said nine Russian aircraft and eight Turkish planes had been involved in Wednesday's strikes.
He listed them as four Su-24s, four Su-25s and one Su-34 on the Russian side, and four F-16s and four F-4s on the Turkish side.
They had hit 36 targets, he added, without giving details.
But he added: "The estimate of the first strikes against IS terrorists has shown that the joint actions of the Russian and Turkish aviation groups were highly effective."
Last month, Turkish military officials said Russian aircraft had carried out three strikes against IS around al-Bab.
Those strikes appeared to be the first Russian support for the Turkish ground campaign.
Relations between Moscow and Nato have certainly been strained in recent years, particularly after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
Only last week, the US sent 3,000 soldiers backed with tanks and armoured vehicles to Poland, as a deterrent to Moscow.
But Turkish relations with the US and other Western powers have deteriorated since the failed coup on 15 July, when the West was accused of showing insufficient support for Mr Erdogan.
American support for Kurdish forces inside Syria has further strained the relationship.
A Nato official referred questions about the al-Bab raids to the authorities in Ankara and Moscow.
"Nato has suspended co-operation with Russia in the framework of the Nato-Russia Council," the official said. "This decision does not affect bilateral or multilateral co-operation that our allies may be engaged in."
On 21 December, 14 Turkish soldiers were killed and 33 wounded in a single day of fighting for the town.
It was the Turkish military's biggest loss in a single day since the start of the rebel offensive aimed at seizing one of the last remaining stretches of the border not controlled by the Kurdish Popular Protection Units (YPG) militia.
The Turkish government considers the YPG an extension of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and therefore a terrorist organisation.
It has also vowed to prevent the creation of a contiguous Kurdish autonomous region in Syria.
So far, the offensive has stopped YPG fighters advancing west of the River Euphrates and driven IS militants out of more than 1,870 sq km (720 sq miles) of territory, according to the Turkish military. | Russian and Turkish jets have carried out their first joint strikes on so-called Islamic State (IS) inside Syria, the Russian defence ministry says. | 38667895 |
The Met Police has released a list of 10 of the worst calls, including one about where to get a bacon sandwich.
Devon and Cornwall Police received a call from a man complaining he was "ripped off" by a prostitute.
Police said inappropriate calls increased waiting times for callers who genuinely needed help.
Other nuisance calls to the Met included one from a woman who wanted officers to deal with a couple of noisy foxes outside her home and a man whose 50p coin was stuck in a laundrette washing machine and who wanted police to retrieve it.
London Fire Brigade tweeted they were called to help a kitten that had a tambourine stuck on its head, using the tweet as part of a social media campaign to drive down nuisance calls.
Devon and Cornwall Police also spoke to a woman whose false nail had fallen off, another about a racing pigeon in her garden and a man who wanted the police to deliver a pizza.
The public is urged to contact police via email in non-emergency situations.
Ch Supt Pippa Mills, of the Met, said: "Callers who do not have an emergency may prevent others who require our immediate assistance from getting through to us.
"This presents a real risk to our ability to respond to genuine emergency calls."
Ten time-wasting calls made to the Met Police: | Complaints about cold kebabs and clowns overcharging for balloons were just some of the ridiculous 999 calls made across England over the festive period. | 35162700 |
The biennial arts festival is known for staging world premieres with stars like Sir Kenneth Branagh and Maxine Peake.
The new project, titled Festival In My House, will see artists, performers and audiences invited into ordinary homes.
Residents can come up with ideas for shows they would like to stage and one such event will take place every month.
"It could involve flying somebody in to do the headline act in their living room," festival director John McGrath said. "But the budget's not huge - it's £1,000 for people to spend each time.
"Like us, they need to work out how to make their money stretch as best they can. And we support them every step of the way with that."
A producer from the festival will help the chosen householders book the right artists and performers and work out how to stage the event.
"They will help people get their ideas together and test whether they're the right ideas and give technical support," said McGrath.
"So people can think, do they want to use the table lamp to light that show, or is it best to do it by candlelight?"
The events could be one-off nights for neighbours, or longer runs open to people from further afield.
Two pilot events are taking place in the next two months: a celebration of music and food from different countries in a house in Cheetham Hill, and a festival of South Asian mehndi hand tattoos in Levenshulme.
Details of the Festival In My House project were released as the festival announced the first shows from its main 2017 line-up, which include:
The Manchester International Festival takes place from 29 June to 16 July. The full line-up will be announced on 8 March.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram, or if you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk. | Manchester residents are being asked to open their doors to host "micro" offshoots of the Manchester International Festival in their homes. | 37953437 |
His four-day trip begins in Washington where he will meet business leaders to promote Wales as a place to invest in and visit.
Mr Jones will also visit New York - the city where Dylan Thomas died - to encourage tourism linked to the poet.
Asked if the trip was a "jolly", he said it was no "holiday" and ministers had to travel to "sell Wales".
In Washington, Mr Jones will visit Congress, where he will address a group of 200 people with an interest in Wales set up by members of the Senate and House of Representatives.
He said the reception would be a "great way to raise awareness about Wales in Washington".
Asked about the four day trip, he said: "I've got nine hours on a plane, straight out and straight into a two-hour event where I've got to speak and meet 200 people, so it's not much of a holiday, and then it's usually 12, 13 hours a day after that."
He added: "It's all part of the job. We have to make sure that we go out and sell Wales. No-one else will do it for us."
The value of trade trips has previously been questioned by opposition parties, but Mr Jones continues to defend foreign trade missions.
"I went to India and came back with £800m as an investment, which came as a pleasant surprise to us in many, many ways.
"These visits, sometimes you get a short-term gain but also of course it's about building up that relationship over time, and that's what's served us well in terms of bringing investment into Wales."
He said direct foreign investment into Wales had doubled and "that's the sort of result we want to see next year and the year after".
Mr Jones added: "You have to talk to people. Pinewood [studios] didn't come here at the drop of a hat- we've been talking to them for a long time.
"It's the same with other potential investors around the world."
The first minister said he was "sure" significant announcements and launches would be made during his visit.
The second half of Mr Jones's trip, visiting New York, will take a more cultural turn, including the promotion of events surrounding the Dylan Thomas centenary.
William Graham, the Welsh Conservatives' shadow business minister, said: "The first minister must be mindful of accusations of globe-trotting at the taxpayers' expense and ensure that this trip is productive and results in gains for Welsh businesses.
"Trade missions and trade trips are an important way of securing lucrative contracts for Welsh businesses, but we need to see evidence that the Welsh government is actually making a positive difference." | First Minister Carwyn Jones says he is confident his trade mission to America will yield results for Wales' economy. | 26328043 |
A converted try from prop Brian Mujati gave Sale the perfect start but Pau then led 10-7 as Daniel Ramsay's score followed a Thibault Daubagna penalty.
Sharks centre Mark Jennings crossed to ensure the hosts led at half-time and Joe Ford's penalty made it 17-13.
Pau's Quentin Lespiaucq-Brettes and Sale's Sam James swapped tries before Jonathan Mills secured a bonus point.
There were never more than seven points between the two sides in an extremely close contest, until replacement lock Mills touched down in the final seconds.
The Sharks lost their opening match 30-12 to Welsh club Newport Gwent Dragons, while Pau's first pool match was cancelled following the Paris attacks on 13 November.
Sale: Haley; Brady, James, Jennings, Addison; Ford, Cusiter; Harrison, Taylor, Mujati, Evans, Ostrikov, Lund (capt), Ioane, Fihaki.
Replacements: Neild, Flynn, Parker, Mills, Beaumont, Mitchell, Jeffers, Edwards.
Pau: Malie; Bobo, Vatubua, Votu, Niko; Fernandez, Daubagna; King, Lespiaucq-Brettes, Natsarahvili, Dry, Ramsay, Bernad, Bouilhou (capt), Coughlan.
Replacements: Campo, Hurou, Moise, Domolailai, Butler, Marques, Ratuvou, Dupouy.
Referee: Ben Whitehouse
For the latest rugby union news follow @bbcrugbyunion on Twitter. | Sale Sharks narrowly beat French side Pau to win their first match in European Challenge Cup Pool 2. | 34873313 |
Serena, who is around 15 months younger than her sister, won in straight sets 6-4 6-4.
The American now also takes back the world number one ranking from German Angelique Kerber.
Venus and Serena have played each other many times over their long careers, but have always put sisterly love over any sporting rivalry.
After losing, Venus said, "Congratulations Serena on number 23."
"I have been right there with you, some of them I lost right there against you. It's been an awesome win."
"I'm enormously proud of you, you mean the world to me. I, God willing, would love to come back. Thank you for all the love."
Serena also paid tribute to her big sis, saying: "There's no way I would be at 23 without her. There's no way I'd be at one without her. She's my inspiration.
"She's the only reason I'm standing here today. She's the only reason the Williams sisters exist. Thank you for inspiring me. Every time you won this week, I felt like I got a win too."
The final was the 28th time the sisters have played each other, with Serena now 17-11 ahead and 7-2 up in Grand Slam finals.
Venus, who turned professional in 1994 and has won five Wimbledon and two US Open titles, insisted she was not too disappointed after losing the match which was her first major final since 2009.
"No, because I guess I've been here before, "she said. "I really enjoy seeing the name 'Williams' on the trophy. This is a beautiful thing." | Serena Williams has beaten her big sister Venus to win the Australian Open for a seventh time, giving her a record 23 Grand Slam singles titles. | 38782819 |
The influenza virus is a constantly shifting target so seasonal flu vaccines rapidly become useless and new ones are needed each year.
A team at Imperial College London say they have made a "blueprint" for a universal flu vaccine.
Their discovery is published in the journal Nature Medicine.
Influenza is able to change the proteins that protrude from the surface of the virus as readily as people change outfits.
However, the material on the inside is common to many strains of flu. Vaccine researchers believe targeting the core of the virus may be the way to develop a universal vaccine.
A specific part of the immune system, called T-cells, is thought to be able to recognise proteins in the core. A team at Imperial used the 2009 swine flu pandemic to test the theory.
Swine flu was a new virus from a mix of bird and pig flu.
The outer shell should have been a completely new experience to the immune system, but the core may have been encountered before in other flu viruses.
The team compared levels of one kind of T-cells at the start of the pandemic with symptoms of flu in 342 staff and students at the university.
They showed that the higher the levels of the T-cells a patient had, the milder their symptoms were.
Researchers then teased out the specific part of the immune system that offered some pandemic flu protection and which part of the virus it was attacking.
Prof Ajit Lalvani, who led the study, told the BBC: "It's a blueprint for a vaccine. We know the exact subgroup of the immune system and we've identified the key fragments in the internal core of the virus. These should be included in a vaccine.
"In truth, in this case it is about five years [away from a vaccine]. We have the know-how, we know what needs to be in the vaccine and we can just get on and do it."
This would be a distinct approach compared with other forms of vaccination, such as the MMR jab. These trigger the immune system to produce antibodies that can attack an invader.
The prize could be huge. Seasonal flu kills between 250,000 and 500,000 people each year and new pandemics have the potential to take doctors by surprise and kill large numbers of people.
Yet the researchers admit it is "generally harder" to develop a T-cell vaccine than provoke an antibody response. The challenge will be to get a big enough T-cell response to offer protection and a response that will last.
Prof John Oxford, of Queen Mary University of London, said: "This sort of effect can't be that powerful or we'd never have pandemics. It's not going to solve all the problems of influenza, but could add to the range of vaccines.
"It's going to be a long journey from this sort of paper to translating it into a vaccine that works."
Prof Sarah Gilbert, who is developing a universal flu vaccine at the
Jenner Institute in Oxford, said: "Live attenuated influenza vaccines which are given by nasal spray and will be used in children in the UK from this autumn are much better at increasing the number of influenza-specific T cells, but these vaccines only work in young children who haven't yet had much exposure to influenza virus, so we need an alternative approach for adults.
"The new publication contains information on the precise characteristics of the influenza-specific T cells which were protective, and this information will be useful in monitoring the immune response to vaccination when testing novel influenza vaccines which are designed to provide protection against pandemic as well as seasonal influenza viruses." | Scientists say they have made a significant leap towards creating a vaccine that would protect against every form of flu. | 24175030 |
The extensive bed of at least 100 million flame shells was found during a survey of Loch Alsh, a sea inlet between Skye and the Scottish mainland.
The Scottish environment secretary said it could be the largest grouping of flame shells anywhere in the world.
The colony was uncovered during a survey commissioned by Marine Scotland.
It was conducted as part of work to identify new Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).
The small, scallop-like species has numerous neon orange tentacles that emerge between the creatures' two shells.
Flame shells group together on the sea bed and their nests create a living reef that supports hundreds of other species.
The Loch Alsh flame shell reef is much larger than expected, covering an area of 75 hectares.
Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead described the seas around Scotland as a "hotbed of biodiversity".
"With Scottish waters covering an area around five-times bigger than our landmass, it's a huge challenge to try and understand more about our diverse and precious sea life," he said.
"The flame shell must be considered among the most remarkable species in our waters, with a dazzling array of orange tentacles.
"Many would place such an exotic species in far-flung tropical reefs - not realising they dwell under the waves just off the coast of Skye."
He added: "This important discovery may be the largest grouping of flame shells anywhere in the world.
"And not only are flame shells beautiful to look at, these enigmatic shellfish form a reef that offers a safe and productive environment for many other species."
The Loch Alsh survey was carried out by Heriot-Watt University on behalf of Marine Scotland.
Dan Harries, of Heriot-Watt University's School of Life Sciences, said: "Too often, when we go out to check earlier records of a particular species or habitat we find them damaged, struggling or even gone.
"We are delighted that in this instance we found not just occasional patches but a huge and thriving flame shell community extending right the way along the entrance narrows of Loch Alsh.
"This is a wonderful discovery for all concerned." | A huge colony of an elusive and brightly coloured shellfish species has been discovered in coastal waters in the west of Scotland. | 20838775 |
Almost 200 people were injured in the crash near the south-eastern city of Wenzhou.
"Missteps" by 54 officials led to the disaster, the long-awaited official report says.
The crash led many Chinese to accuse the government of putting development and profit before safety.
It also triggered a wave of popular anger against officials who were accused of trying to cover up the seriousness, and causes, of the crash.
After receiving the report, China's cabinet criticised the railways ministry for lax safety standards and poor handling of the crash, according to Reuters.
Premier Wen Jiabao was presented with the official investigation's conclusions at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
The accident occurred after one train stalled following a lightning strike, and then a second high-speed train ran into it. Four carriages were thrown off a viaduct.
The report found that serious design flaws in control equipment and improper handling of the lightning strike led to the crash.
More serious penalties could follow for some of the 54 officials criticised in the report.
Among the officials singled out was the former railways minister, Liu Zhijun, who was sacked before the crash, accused of corruption.
Liu "has the main leadership responsibility for the accident," the report says.
Following the accident, the authorities called a temporary halt to new high-speed rail projects and placed speed restrictions on trains.
China had planned to lay 16,000km (10,000 miles) of high-speed track by 2015, which would make it the biggest high-speed rail network in the world.
It had hoped to make its rapidly developing railway technology an export success: Chinese train companies were aspiring to compete with Germany's Siemens and Canada's Bombardier by selling their technologies to foreign companies.
But after July's crash that looks less likely.
The railways ministry said on Friday that it planned to invest 400 billion yuan ($63bn; £40bn) in infrastructure construction in 2012, which is lower than the figure for this year.
The current minister, Sheng Guangzu, said that rapid railway development should be maintained, as it "plays an important role in the country's social and economic development, especially in boosting domestic demand," according to the Chinese government's website. | A bullet train crash which killed 40 people in China in July was caused by design flaws and sloppy management, the Chinese government says. | 16345592 |
Having been brought down in the penalty box, Cummings saw his spot-kick saved by Kevin Cuthbert, but did enough to force home the rebound.
Rovers enjoyed a strong first half, but faded as the hosts seized control after the interval through Cummings' strike.
Hibs move second in the Championship, three points behind Rangers. | A Jason Cummings goal early in the second half was sufficient to see Hibernian return to winning ways against Raith Rovers. | 35180973 |
Daniel Elliot, 23, of Rosewell Close, south-east London, is accused of raping a 15-year-old girl in Grove Park, Carshalton, on 15 November.
He has also been charged with the rape of a girl, 16, attacked in Beddington Park, Carshalton, on 5 September.
Mr Elliot is also accused of sexually assaulting a woman in her 20s in Mellowes Park, Wallington, on 3 August.
He will appear at Croydon Magistrates' Court later. | A man has been charged with raping two teenage girls in separate attacks in south London. | 30145147 |
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The four-time major winner was five over par after six holes, but had four birdies on the back nine to card a 71.
He revealed caddie JP Fitzgerald lifted him on the sixth tee, saying: "You're Rory McIlroy, what are you doing?"
Meanwhile, co-leader Jordan Spieth rated his display as "nine out of 10".
The world number three shot a bogey-free round and is tied for the lead on five under par with fellow Americans Brooks Koepka, the US Open champion, and Matt Kuchar.
However, the 23-year-old will tee off in round two on Friday afternoon, which is when the weather forecast is predicting the strongest wind and heaviest rain.
"Given the forecast coming in, I thought you really needed to be in the red," said Spieth, a two-time major winner.
"Everything was strong. I give it a nine across the board for everything - tee balls, ball-striking, short game and putting. So things are in check. It's just about keeping it consistent.
"I'd call it a top five major round that I've played."
Northern Ireland's McIlroy, 28, has struggled for form this year after being affected by a rib injury, and missed the cut at the US Open, Irish Open and Scottish Open in recent weeks.
He said he thought he was destined for "another weekend off" before a pep talk from Fitzgerald changed his round.
He told BBC Radio 5 live: "It was a rough start, I was just indecisive out there. Mentally I was not engaged and I was half caught between playing the golf shot I needed to and my golf swing.
"My caddie JP gave me a talking to which helped to keep me positive. He tried to remind me who I was and that I had won this tournament before. He told me not to feel any pressure and to play my game and I started to play my game after that.
"It was nice to make birdies coming in. At least I feel I got myself back out of the hole I was in and get back into the tournament.
McIlroy, who will tee off at 09:47 BST on Friday, added: "With the weather expected tomorrow I feel like I am still right in this golf tournament. I will go out and play a good quality round of golf in the morning and try and get in the clubhouse somewhere around even par or under par and I will be well there for the weekend."
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Spain's Jon Rahm was at the centre of a rules controversy for the second time in two weeks.
He was penalised two shots for moving a plant close to his ball on the 17th hole but the penalty was lifted after rules officials accepted his explanation that the lie of his ball was not improved.
The 22-year-old, who ended one under rather than one over par, moved a piece of vegetation that he thought was dead and therefore a loose impediment. However, playing partner Lee Westwood realised it was growing.
"We asked the rules official. He said improving my lie by moving an impediment that was not loose was a two-stroke penalty.
"That is what we agreed on. They said it was a two-stroke penalty and we were going to review the footage afterwards. Unfortunately for me I was the only one that saw it, there were no cameras to back me up.
"But it was never on my lie, never on my line, never on my swing path. It was not going to bother me any way.
"I explained my version of what happened. Basically after that they made the decision there was no stroke penalty."
Rahm escaped punishment earlier in the month after a query relating to marking his ball on the sixth green on his way to victory at the Irish Open.
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England's Ian Poulter was the early clubhouse leader on three under par, after a 67 gave him his lowest opening round in his 54th major.
The 41-year-old missed last year's tournament with a foot injury that also ruled him out of the Ryder Cup and he was ranked outside the world's top 200 in March.
He was also in danger of losing his PGA Tour card, however a rule change allowed him to retain it for the remainder of the season.
Poulter was runner-up at the Players Championship in May and is back inside the world's top 100, but he had to come through qualifying to reach this year's Open.
"To go out there and post a red number on the board on a good, strong golf course always feels great, " said Poulter, who was runner-up to Padraig Harrington at the 2008 Open, the last time the tournament was played at Royal Birkdale.
"It feels even better that I had to go through qualifying to get here."
"I love this golf course, the love affair has not changed since 2008. I remember walking up the last hole with the scorecard in my hand and it was a pretty special feeling. I have gone out there today and performed just as well."
England's Paul Casey is tied for second place on four under par and will celebrate his 40th birthday on Friday.
"I don't mind working on my birthday," said Casey.
"Royal Birkdale is one of my favourite links courses, maybe the best in the world. I love being back in England and what a way to spend my birthday doing what I love to do and things are just getting going.
"I am not putting that much pressure on myself, but very much wanting to win it. The odds are in my favour. Seven first-time winners [in the past seven majors]. And it would be a hell of a party."
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Wales' Stuart Manley finished on two under on his major debut and he said his opening round of 68 exceeded his own expectations.
But the 38-year-old admitted he felt the nerves on the first tee.
The world 520, who had an eagle-birdie finish told BBC Radio Wales: "That's probably the most nervous I've ever been on a tee shot but at least I know what to expect for tomorrow now and I'll have a better game plan I guess."
Manley, who turned professional in 2003, is the only Welshman at Royal Birkdale this week.
He added: "I have quite a few guys up from my local golf club, Mountain Ash, and my family is here so it's nice to put in a good score for them.
"It hasn't sunk in yet. Maybe tonight when I watch a little golf it'll sink in but I'm pretty chuffed. I thought par would be a decent score on my first attempt."
Southport-born world number 14 Tommy Fleetwood finished fourth at the US Open and, allied to the fact he used to sneak onto the Royal Birkdale course as a child, had some tipping him for Open success.
But despite plenty of vocal support on the tees - and playing alongside joint leader Brooks Koepka - the 26-year-old felt luck deserted him as he struggled to a six-over-par 76.
"I got a few bad breaks. If I did hit a bad shot it really kicked me in the teeth. Then when I hit good shots I didn't make the birdie putts," he said.
Yet Fleetwood is confident he can still hit form for the fans who supported him on day one.
"It's so easy to feel like you've disappointed them a little bit when I played the way I did, but I will try my hardest tomorrow," he said.
"They did their part, I just didn't do mine - but I've come back from bad rounds before." | Rory McIlroy believes he is "back" in contention for The Open at Royal Birkdale after recovering from a disastrous start to finish one over par and six shots off the lead. | 40677025 |
The three broke out of a maximum-security prison almost two weeks ago.
President Mauricio Macri's office initially said they had been captured north-west of Buenos Aires, but police later said two remained at large.
The latest twist is a major embarrassment to the new president, correspondents say.
The police manhunt - shown on live television - has gripped the country.
Police say the man they captured, Martin Lanatta, was caught after the car the men were travelling in rolled over in the chase in Santa Fe province, about 500km (300 miles) from the capital.
The other two escaped on foot.
Victor Schillaci and brothers Cristian and Martin Lanatta were serving life in prison for kidnapping and murdering three men allegedly connected to a drug trafficking ring.
President Macri - a conservative who replaced Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner after elections in December - had accused the previous administration of not doing enough to crack down on drug crime.
Last month the men escaped from one of the country's most secure prisons using a fake gun to threaten one of the guards.
Martin Lanatta, had leapt into the political limelight last year when he accused the presidential chief of staff, Anibal Fernandez, of complicity in the killings.
Mr Fernandez denied the accusation but it damaged his campaign last October to become the new governor of Buenos Aires province.
The candidate who won, Maria Eugenia Vidal, dismissed the intrigue and said the jail-break had been an inside job.
She sacked the head of the prison service. | A huge manhunt in Argentina netted only one of three fugitives convicted of a triple murder, officials said hours after claiming all had been caught. | 35273890 |
Robert Stevenson, 65, from Portsoy, is believed to have last been seen at about 16:00 on Thursday, driving south on the A947 between Banff and Macduff south of the Deveron Bridge.
His blue Dacia Duster's registration is R10AAT and has AA Taxis signage.
Mr Stevenson is described as white, 5ft 4in tall, of slim build, with short grey hair and a moustache.
He is believed to be wearing a white, pink and blue checked shirt.
Insp Megan Heathershaw said: "We would appeal to anyone who has seen the vehicle described to get in touch with police as soon as possible.
"It is out of character for Robert to go missing and as time goes by we are increasingly concerned for him and want to trace him to ensure he is safe and well.
"I would urge anyone who is out in the area, whether that is hiking or dog walking, to please be vigilant to the appeal to trace Robert and if they see him or his vehicle contact police on 101." | Police trying to trace a missing Aberdeenshire taxi driver have released an image of his car. | 39896028 |
Patrols are continuing following the incident at Commercial Road, Pill, at about 20:35 BST on Thursday.
A 16-year-old boy, a 20-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl were arrested for breaching a dispersal order to tackle anti-social behaviour.
Two 13-year-old boys and a 24-year-old man were also arrested on suspicion of violent disorder.
Police and fire crews attended the scene, and the incident was over by 23:00. Officers said no one was injured.
Newport city council leader Debbie Wilcox has called a meeting on Monday with police and fire services to discuss the incident, saying residents' safety was a "priority" and the "negative actions of a small group of people will not be tolerated".
Gwent police local policing commander Glyn Fernquest said: "We are taking this incident extremely seriously.
"I want to send a warning to anyone intent on causing trouble that you will be arrested." | Six people have been arrested after reports of disorder in Newport. | 37725770 |
An investigation was launched after masonry fell during a funeral.
No-one was injured in the incident, but a Cardiff council environmental health officer went to the cathedral and inspected the area.
A council spokesman said: "The officer visited immediately and we are satisfied with the actions that are being taken to ensure public safety.
"Debris isn't falling from the outside of the building to endanger the public, but we will continue to monitor the situation."
The Dean of Llandaff, the Very Reverend Gerwyn Huw Capon, said it came as one of the challenges of running a fifth century building.
He said: "Like any custodian of a public building we have people such as architects and masons in hand to check for problems when they occur.
"We are always having work done, investigations and repairs to stonework.
"The architect did notice two small areas of stone with hairline cracks in a non structural pillar towards the east end of the building.
"These need a different type of access arrangement, so an access hoist is being brought into the cathedral on Friday to enable this to happen.
"These areas have been cordoned off until Friday." | Hairline cracks have been found in a pillar in Cardiff's Llandaff Cathedral. | 33690589 |
Security forces said 10 men were killed in an area close to an army base that was attacked on Sunday.
Fighting broke out in two different locations along the Line of Control, the disputed de facto border with Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
It comes after 10 weeks of protests in which almost 90 people have died.
Army spokesman Lt-Col Rajesh Kalia said soldiers intercepted two large groups of suspected rebels who had entered an Indian-administered area of Kashmir.
Why India needs cool heads after Kashmir attack
The attack on Sunday at the army's Uri cantonment by four gunmen, in which 18 soldiers were killed, was the deadliest against Indian security forces in Kashmir for years.
India later accused Pakistan of masterminding the attack, with Home Affairs Minister Rajnath Singh labelling the country a "terrorist state".
Pakistan denied the allegations, dismissing it as a knee-jerk response by India and a "blatant attempt" to deflect attention from human rights abuses in Kashmir.
It comes as violent protests against Indian rule in the disputed region continue, with a strict curfew imposed.
Both India and Pakistan claim all of Muslim-majority Kashmir in its entirety but only control parts of it. | Eleven people, including a soldier, have died in clashes between troops and suspected militants in Indian-administered Kashmir, the army says. | 37422761 |
A Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary review in December 2014 found issues, including delays in investigating some cases.
Following a post-inspection review in August 2015, improvements were found such as more officers assigned.
However, concerns still existed over children still being unnecessarily detained overnight.
There were also worries over the timeliness of forensic medical examinations in child sexual abuse cases and children involved in online grooming allocated untrained staff.
Inspector Wendy Williams said that while she is "encouraged" by improvements, the force will continue to be monitored.
An NSPCC Cymru spokesman said: "It is clear there is more work to do and we remain extremely concerned at some of the inspectors' findings."
Det Chf Supt Andy John said the force continues to make progress against the recommendations made. | Concerns still exist over the child protection work of Dyfed-Powys Police, despite improvements in some areas. | 35370334 |
Sesquiterpenes can be found in spicy foods, plants and beer, and are used to battle colds, cancer and malaria.
A Cardiff University team said it could synthesize them more quickly and cost-effectively than before.
Prof Rudolf Allemann said it was "a major new development" in synthetic chemistry.
The method has allowed the team to almost double the usual production yield of a compound which is used to make artemisinin - the anti-malaria drug for which the Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded in 2015 - which is not widely available in some parts of the world.
"We think that, with some other tricks, we can create a synthetic route to artemisinin that may be viable," Prof Allemann said.
"There are many things we have to control to get there but we have certainly made one key step. We think we can get there and we can produce a drug for which there is a worldwide need."
He said this could help attract companies willing to manufacture the drug.
Sesquiterpenes have so far been very difficult to make synthetically in the lab, with the process often time-consuming and expensive.
The compounds are very sticky and they tend to bind to the enzyme that produces them.
Instead of trying to separate them the traditional way - using a so-called "batch reaction" in a flask - the Cardiff University team has used winding plastic tubes.
By squeezing solutions containing the enzymes and compounds with other liquids in alternating drops through the tubes, they are able to create thousands of segments where they mix, react and separate.
The desired compound is then collected at the end.
Prof Thomas Wirth, an expert in micro-fluidics, said the technique can be used for lots of different reactions.
He said mixing was "very efficient" in the capillary-type tubes, with many other advantages.
"For 10 years or so, we have used these aspects to enhance organic chemistry - to make it better, more efficient [and] safer."
The Cardiff University researchers said the new method may also give researchers easy access to lots of valuable compounds for products beyond medicine, such as fragrances, food supplements or agrochemicals for pest control. | Researchers in Cardiff have developed a new "highly-efficient" method of making disease-fighting compounds, including for an anti-malaria drug. | 38994035 |
Cuadrilla started drilling a pilot well on Thursday to identify the best locations for shale gas extraction at the Preston New Road site in Little Plumpton.
The pilot well approximately 3,500m (11,500 ft) deep will be followed by two horizontal wells.
Protests have been taking place at the site since work began to prepare for drilling in January.
Francis Egan, chief executive of Cuadrilla, said it is "an important milestone for the energy industry in the UK as well as the community in Lancashire".
Helen Rimmer from campaign group Friends of the Earth said the drilling means "local people will be subject to 24-hour noise, seven days a week, from a fracking project that they don't even want."
As per its agreement with the government, Cuadrilla has put £100,000 into a fund which the local community can use for projects in the area.
Fracking is the process of drilling down into the earth before a high-pressure water mixture is directed at the rock to release the gas inside.
Water, sand and chemicals are injected into the rock at high pressure which allows the gas to flow out to the head of the well. | Drilling has begun at a fracking site in Lancashire. | 40966366 |
After all, this is a giant of both Formula 1 and British industry, who has been forced out, by his own partners, of the company he had built up. It is a company that had made him the most successful team boss in F1 history, and which is now one of the world's leading sportscar manufacturers.
It is a story with many aspects of a Greek tragedy: a great but flawed man losing the thing he cares about most, at least partly because of his own failings.
At its heart is the story of a broken friendship - between Dennis and fellow shareholder Mansour Ojjeh, who were close allies for three decades before they fell out a few years ago.
Why? There are stories buzzing around the F1 paddock about it, including one that many of those close to the situation believe to be true but which cannot be detailed here.
One thing is clear, however. It got very personal between the two of them before Ojjeh finally won the battle.
In truth, it is not hard to see how someone could fall out with Dennis.
Undoubtedly a brilliant man, he is also an intensely complex personality: generous and loyal on the one hand, gauche and arrogant on the other. He can also be disarmingly charming, amusing and self-deprecating.
Asked about the merit of the Norman Foster-designed McLaren Technology Centre, which opened in 2003 and cost hundreds of millions of pounds, he once offered: "Have I built myself a pyramid, you mean?"
And 20 years or so ago, he told a very funny story about his own well-known obsessive-compulsive tendencies.
It was about the new house he and then-wife Lisa had bought, in which fountains had been installed in the rose gardens. When these were first turned on, Dennis said, he was horrified to see that they came on row by row, instead of all at the same time.
This wouldn't do, he told the garden designer. They had to come on all at once. "But Mr Dennis," responded the designer, "it will cost thousands to start again, install all the necessary pumps and so on." Dennis said he didn't care. It had to be done. He couldn't look at it the way it was.
Yet his condescension and patronising attitude could take your breath away and he has made a lot of enemies along the way.
To journalists, he would publicly pride himself on his oft-repeated claim that he would be economical with the truth but not actually lie to you. Yet sometimes he did.
In the late 1990s, I had found out that Mercedes were about to buy a significant but still minority shareholding in McLaren and went to Dennis to verify it. "Who's your source?" he asked me. When I told him I would not reveal it, he said I should get a new one because this one was wide of the mark.
Two weeks later, he stood up at Silverstone and announced that Mercedes had bought a 40% shareholding in McLaren.
When he was challenged about it, he initially tried to claim I had asked the wrong question, before eventually conceding that, yes, he had lied. "I had to," he said.
At Silverstone this year, I asked him what would happen when his contract ran out in mid-January 2017. He said: "Oh, don't worry about that. I've signed for another two years."
Dennis started his career as a mechanic for Jack Brabham in F1 in the late 1960s. After an abortive foray into F1 in the early 1970s, he set up a Formula Two team with backing from cigarette giant Marlboro.
Success there came as McLaren's F1 team - also backed by Marlboro - was becoming uncompetitive. The tobacco company engineered it so Dennis' Project Four organisation could take over McLaren.
Initially, he ran it with the existing boss, American Teddy Mayer, but two such strong personalities were never going to last together. By mid-1981, Dennis was in full control.
What he accomplished, initially in partnership with designer John Barnard, has gone down in legend.
There was the first carbon-fibre chassis in 1981. Then there was the persuading of Ojjeh's TAG company to leave Williams, who had brought it into F1 as a sponsor, and join McLaren - then fund the development of a turbo engine from Porsche.
After three drivers' and two constructors' titles between 1984 and 1986 with Niki Lauda and Alain Prost, McLaren's competitiveness began to slide, as they were overtaken by Williams-Honda. Dennis took on the brilliant Brabham designer Gordon Murray, persuaded Honda to leave Williams for McLaren and signed Ayrton Senna. In 1988, the McLaren-Honda-Senna-Prost combination swept all before them, winning all but one race.
McLaren dominated for three more years, even after Prost left at the end of 1989 following his famous fall-out with Senna. Then Williams, with Renault engines, became the dominant force of the early and mid-1990s.
But Dennis was not finished with his plundering of Williams. In 1996, he persuaded their star designer Adrian Newey to join him, a move that started the next period of McLaren domination in 1998-99, before Ferrari took over with Michael Schumacher.
The 2000s were up and down for McLaren. They were competitive in 2001, 2003 and 2005, but not in the even-numbered years. Then, at the end of 2005, while waiting to go out on the podium in Brazil with Renault's Fernando Alonso, who had just clinched his first world title, Dennis asked whether the Spaniard would like to drive for McLaren one day.
It turned out Alonso had been dreaming of nothing else since he was a young boy and he duly joined in 2007, alongside a novice called Lewis Hamilton.
Arguably, this was the beginning of the end for Dennis. He had promised Alonso priority status in the team but then reneged on it when it became apparent Hamilton - who Dennis had nurtured since he was 11 years old - was just as good.
A series of rows followed, culminating in a cataclysmic weekend in Hungary. Hamilton double-crossed Alonso in qualifying by refusing to let him by as agreed during the 'fuel-burn' laps, effectively denying him a fair shot at pole position. Alonso retaliated by blocking Hamilton in the pit lane so he could not do a final lap. Dennis failed to control the fall-out.
Alonso threatened to go to the FIA, motorsport's governing body, with emails he had that were pertinent to the then-ongoing 'spy-gate' case if Dennis did not back him in the championship. He later apologised and withdrew the threat - but not before Dennis had phoned FIA president Max Mosley and 'fessed up'.
The result was a $100m fine for illegally possessing confidential Ferrari information and being thrown out of the constructors' championship.
Standing on the steps of the McLaren motorhome with Mosley in a photocall intended to project an image of 'no hard feelings', Mosley reputedly leaned over and whispered in Dennis' ear: "$10m is for what you did; $90m is for being a ****."
That remark betrays the difficult relationship Dennis had with both Mosley and his ally Bernie Ecclestone, the F1 commercial boss, for much of his career.
Two years later, McLaren were again in trouble during the 'lie-gate' scandal, when Hamilton and team manager Dave Ryan were found to have lied to the stewards at the Australian Grand Prix. Ryan took the fall for that, publicly taking the blame and sacked.
Falling out with Ecclestone and Mosley, though, does not necessarily reflect entirely badly on Dennis, for neither man is everyone's cup of tea.
In fact, even as recently as last weekend in Brazil, Dennis' fellow team bosses were bemoaning some aspects of his impending fall, saying he always meant well, and had the best interests of F1 at heart.
An example of this was a meeting of team bosses in Abu Dhabi last year, when Ecclestone and his boss Donald MacKenzie were making it difficult for Renault to finalise their return to F1 as a team owner by arguing over financial terms.
Those present report how Dennis tore into them, insisting they "pay the ******* money", for the good of the sport. It did the trick.
What happened on Tuesday this week has been on the cards for at least three years, possibly longer.
As long ago as early 2013, there have been claims of a fall-out at McLaren, of Ojjeh wanting Dennis out, of the chairman in turn wanting to take majority control of the company and trying to raise the money to do so.
Those stories would not go away. The deal that would have seen Dennis increase his shareholding from 25% by buying stock from Ojjeh (25%) and Bahrain's Mumtalakat investment fund (50%) never happened.
In early 2014, Dennis forced out team principal and chief executive Martin Whitmarsh, a close friend of Ojjeh, who was in a hospital bed recovering from a double lung transplant. Did that coup make things worse? Perhaps.
Certainly Ojjeh continued to make his life difficult. When, at the end of the season, Dennis wanted to keep Kevin Magnussen to partner Fernando Alonso in 2015, it was Ojjeh who stepped in and undermined him, forcing him to take Jenson Button instead.
It hardly helped that Dennis failed to secure a new title sponsor following the departure of Vodafone in 2013, which many blamed on his refusal to lower McLaren's rate card despite a changed commercial landscape and the team's drop in competitiveness.
The fateful meeting at which Ojjeh told Dennis his time was up appears to have been over lunch in mid-October at the McLaren factory.
Dennis was never going to go quietly and last week he took his own company to the High Court to try to prevent Ojjeh and the Bahrainis putting him on gardening leave. The case was thrown out.
That was Dennis' last throw of the dice. Insiders say he still had the option to go quietly with dignity, with a press release praising his contribution, saying he had decided to step down and hand over to a new generation, or words to that effect.
But, a fighter to the last, he rejected it. Perhaps he knew that no one would really believe he had voluntarily given up running the company in which he had invested his life's work.
So he went on his terms, throwing punches, with a statement saying he had been "required to relinquish his roles", warning of "consequences for the business", claiming the grounds for his dismissal were "entirely spurious".
For both McLaren and F1, life will not be the same without him.
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. | Somehow, Ron Dennis' departure from McLaren was no less shocking for knowing it was coming. | 38000198 |
In a phone call on Tuesday, Mr Obama informed Mr al-Sisi that F-16 fighter jets, missiles and M1A1 tank kits would be delivered.
The aid was put on hold in the wake of a military coup in 2013.
Egypt is part of an Arab offensive against Houthi rebels in Yemen, and also fighting Islamic State in Libya.
In October 2013, the Obama Administration said it would halt the delivery of some large military systems to the Egyptian government until it saw advances towards democracy.
But on Tuesday, the president said the jets, missiles and tank kits will resume. Apache helicopter deliveries restarted in December.
He also assured the Egyptian leader that he would continue to support the $1.3b (??876.8m) in aid that the US government gives to Egypt annually.
"The president explained that these and other steps will help refine our military assistance relationship so that it is better positioned to address the shared challenges to US and Egyptian interests in an unstable region, consistent with the longstanding strategic partnership between our two countries," the White House said in a statement detailing the call between the two leaders.
The statement went on to say that Mr Obama expressed his concerns about human rights abuses in Egypt.
The aid comes as Egypt has tried to take a leading role in forming an Arab military alliance to fight terrorism in the Middle East. | President Barack Obama has told his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah al Sisi, that the US will resume full military aid to Egypt. | 32139637 |
The law allows the authorities to prosecute foreign non-governmental organisations (NGOs) or firms designated as "undesirable" on national security grounds.
Individuals working for NGOs could face fines or up to six years in prison.
Critics say it is a Kremlin move aimed at stifling dissent.
The definition of "undesirable" is open to interpretation, but the Interfax news agency said it would apply to organisations deemed to pose a threat to the "foundations of Russia's constitutional order, defensive capacity and security".
NGOs linked to politics in Russia already face restrictions under a 2012 law requiring them to register as "foreign agents".
Supporters of the new bill say it is essential to prevent Russia from outside interference, amid ongoing tensions due to Russia's involvement in Ukraine.
But there was concern from Western governments and NGOs about the implications.
The US state department said it was "deeply troubled" by the law.
"We are concerned this new power will further restrict the work of civil society in Russia and is a further example of the Russian government's growing crackdown on independent voices and intentional steps to isolate the Russian people from the world," spokeswoman Marie Harf said in a statement.
Britain's Minister for Europe, David Lidington, said it was "yet another example of the Russian authorities' harassment of NGOs and those who work with them in Russia".
Amnesty International said the bill would "squeeze the life" from civil society, while Human Rights Watch (HRW) warned it would be locals who would be worst-hit.
"We are often asked - is this draft law aimed against international rights groups like yours?" said Hugh Williamson, HRW's Europe and Central Asia Director.
"But in fact, there is little doubt that its primary targets are Russian activists and Russian independent organisations." | The Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a bill which allows foreign organisations to be banned from operating in the country. | 32860526 |
Aberystwyth University provided a block from Clarach beach to represent Wales in the Geological Survey of Austria display.
It is a charcoal-grey sandstone with white veins of calcite mineral dating back more than 419 million years to the Silurian period.
The 24 miniature footballs have been sectioned into their groups.
Wales' sandstone is joined by England's limestone, Slovakia's golden onyx and Russia's black dolerite.
Prof Alex Malman said: "If a country already has a rock football from previous years they use the same one for display again, but as Wales has not qualified for a while, they needed an initial one and it was great to see us up there.
"I have high hopes that I will be seeing it up there once again in four years' time." | A rock from a Ceredigion beach has been shaped into a football for a Euro 2016 exhibition in Vienna. | 36580698 |
Carter, playing in his first major final since being given the all-clear from lung cancer in 2014, beat his fellow Englishman 10-8 in Yushan.
The 37-year-old won four frames in a row to lead 6-3 at the halfway stage.
And although Perry took the match to the penultimate frame, Carter edged home to claim a victory that moves him back into the world's top 16.
"I have been through a lot over the last couple of years so to get back into the top 16 is a huge achievement," said Carter.
Prior to being diagnosed with a tumour on his lung, Carter was given the all-clear after testicular cancer. He has also lived with Crohn's disease for a number of years.
The Essex player returned to the professional circuit late in 2014 and won the minor-ranking Paul Hunter Classic last year.
"I'm delighted - there was so much riding on today, winning a ranking event as well as my top-16 place," the two-time World Championship runner-up added.
"I have been focused all week and to come out the winner is very special. It has been a great week for me." | Ali Carter won his first ranking event since 2013 with victory over Joe Perry in the final of the World Open. | 36935339 |
Lizeth Villanueva, 13, was handed the award by her teacher during a mock ceremony at the school near Houston.
A local education official described the incident as "a poor attempt at poking fun".
But the student's mother told a local news channel: "It doesn't look like a joke to me."
The fake certificate, signed by the teacher, was handed out the day after the terrorist attack at a concert in Manchester, England, which killed 22 people, including children.
Lizeth's mother contacted Houston's KPRC 2 channel about the mock ceremony, conducted with students in the advanced learning programme at Anthony Aguirre Junior High in the town of Channelview.
"It was not a joke," Lizeth told KPRC 2. "I do not feel comfortable being in the same classroom with [the teacher]."
The Washington Post reports that other awards included "most likely to cry for every little thing" and "most likely to become homeless", all of which were greeted with laughter from several teachers gathered in the room.
Lizeth told the newspaper she had not been back to school since.
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The school district released a statement apologising for "the insensitive and offensive fake mock awards that were given to students".
"The teachers involved in this matter have been disciplined according to district policy," it said.
The incident comes days after another high-profile "terrorist" allegation was resolved in Texas courts.
In 2015, Muslim schoolboy Ahmed Mohamed, then 14, was arrested in a suburb of Dallas, Texas, after his teacher said a homemade clock looked like a bomb.
His arrest prompted a social media outcry and he switched to another school in the aftermath.
But the discrimination case brought by his family was thrown out by the courts earlier this month. | Teachers at a school in Texas are being disciplined after handing out an "award" declaring one student "most likely to become a terrorist". | 40064966 |
More than half of the 485 who were killed were civilians.
They came from a cross-section of society, a mixture of wealthy and poor, from the very young to the very old.
The youngest recorded civilian death is a child of 22 months, while the oldest fatality was 82-years-old.
Most of those who died were interred at Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin.
According to the Glasnevin Trust, 16% of all fatalities of the Rising were rebel forces, 29% were crown forces and police and 55% were civilians.
More than a third of all military deaths were Irishmen enlisted in the service of the Crown to fight in the Great War, who were either at home on leave, or stationed in Dublin barracks.
Although the number of female victims was high, most of those who died were working class men. Their families were, according to a local merchant speaking to the Irish Independent, "left in a destitute situation".
While the bereaved spouses of rebels would later be able to claim a widow's military pension from the Irish Free State (as documented in the Irish Military Archives), the widowed spouses of general labourers would not.
Not all of those who died in the Rising were ever formally identified. Two of those 'unknowns' were taken for interment from the City Morgue. At least one is known to be interred in the poor plot in Glasnevin Cemetery in the north of the city.
In 1929 a memorial headstone to the rebels was erected at Glasnevin, where 13 rebels, Irish Volunteer and Citizen Army, were buried in a mass unmarked grave.
Nearby lie a greater number of the civilian dead of the Rising, many of them sharing unmarked graves; some of them identified by a plot number.
While Dublin was in lockdown, and the movement of people restricted, normal funerary arrangements could not keep up with the rising death toll, and many of those killed were not laid to rest for several days. | Almost 500 people died during the six days of the 1916 Easter Rising. | 35809718 |
Louis Laing blasted in the only goal of the game shortly before half-time to cap an opening 45 minutes packed with chances and tumult.
Louis Moult saw his second-half spot-kick brilliantly saved by home goalkeeper Michael McGovern.
But the visitors resisted Accies' pressure to move seventh in the table.
This was Motherwell's third win from their last four league games. For Accies, the slump continues having picked up only one win from their last 14 matches.
The visitors started the better with Hamilton, who were looking for their first home win since beating Motherwell on their last visit to New Douglas Park in September, looking slightly hesitant.
It was tasty early on and the League Cup final referee Kevin Clancy produced his yellow card three times to book Accies players Ziggy Gordon, Antons Kurakins and Gramoz Kurtaj within a three-minute spell.
Despite some promising attacking play Scott McDonald's curling 25-yard free-kick which went wide was the closest they came to making a breakthrough.
After defender Mikey Devlin headed an Ali Crawford corner kick against the base of the post Accies looked more confident in their approach.
Dougie Imrie twice went close with left foot efforts before Kurtaj failed to punish a Ben Hall mistake by shooting tamely at Motherwell 'keeper Conor Ripley.
As play swung from end to end McGovern, who is attracting interest from a number of clubs, made an excellent save tipping wide a Stephen Pearson shot.
Motherwell then hit the post a minute before the interval through a McDonald flick from a Johnson shot.
But just as everyone was looking forward to their half-time pie Laing scored after Moult's header from Hammell's corner bounced off McGovern's shoulder into the path of the big defender who smacked it into the roof of the net.
Motherwell came close to increasing their lead early in the second period when Johnson headed a Chris Cadden cross over the bar.
A few minutes later McDonald fired an effort not the side netting.
With nine minutes remaining Motherwell missed the chance to put the game beyond Accies from the penalty spot. McGovern pulled down Cadden inside the area diving at his feet and the referee had no doubt about the decision.
However, the Accies 'keeper made amends with a superb save turning Moult's spot-kick round the post.
That gave Accies renewed vigour but they failed to find a route to goal. | Motherwell secured a vital Premiership victory over Lanarkshire rivals Hamilton Academical, their first at New Douglas Park since May 2009. | 35675827 |
Nottingham Trent University (NTU) said tests showed the blocks have the Reynobond ACM PE panels.
NTU moved 30 students from three of seven blocks at Byron House on Wednesday.
The cladding is thought to have contributed to the spread of the fire that killed at least 80 people.
It is not known when it will be removed, but NTU said it hopes to complete the work by the start of the new academic year in September.
Students who have now finished for the academic year, were relocated to alternative rooms "as a precautionary measure" while investigations took place.
A National Union of Students spokeswoman said: "We are pleased that Nottingham Trent have taken the decision to remove and replace the cladding on it's halls of residence. We hope other universities and halls providers quickly do the same."
The university and University Partnerships Programme, which owns and runs the Nottingham halls, said in a join statement: "The decision has been made to remove and replace the cladding on these three blocks as a matter of urgency.
"This will begin as soon as possible.
"In the event that this is not possible, we will be offering alternative similar accommodation to students who were due to move into one of these three blocks.
"The safety of our staff and students is of paramount importance."
They added that Byron House, which opened in 2013, has a fire detection system with alarms and sensors in every room.
The nine-storey Bryon House is located on Shakespeare Street directly above the university's student union facilities. | University student accommodation which has the same cladding as the Grenfell Tower block will be replaced "as a matter of urgency". | 40457944 |
Lyttle was keen to conclude the Irish League season over the coming three weeks but he said the Cliftonville board decided otherwise.
"Cliftonville didn't see that as appropriate," said Lyttle, 39.
"That was their decision and I totally respect that."
After next week's final regulation Premiership game against new leaders Linfield, the Reds will be involved in the European play-offs which could mean two further matches.
Lyttle said that Sligo were also prepared to let him finish the Irish League season with the Reds.
"I didn't want to walk away and leave it as it was," Lyttle told BBC Radio Foyle.
Media playback is not supported on this device
"But there's a board there [at Cliftonville] and they decided the right thing to do was to freshen it up and look at Mal [Donaghy] and George McMullan.
"I would have been happy to work through the next couple of games and try to reach the target I set out at the start of the season which was European qualification."
Lyttle said that the lure of a full-time managerial role convinced him to apply for the Sligo role left vacant following Dave Robertson's dismissal earlier this month.
Former Linfield and Newport County manager Warren Feeney was also believed to have been interviewed for the Sligo job along with a couple of cross-channel candidates.
"I was just a wee Irish League part-time manager so to come up against some big names and get the job was an honour and a privilege," added Lyttle.
The former Reds boss watched Sligo draw 1-1 with Derry City at the Showgrounds on Saturday although caretaker Declan McIntyre remained in charge for a final time. | Gerard Lyttle has said Cliftonville rejected his request to remain on as Reds boss until the end of this season following his appointment as Sligo Rovers manager. | 39685394 |
Ryan Hedges tapped in for the only goal of the game on 36 minutes to leave the Chairboys still in search of their first league victory on the road this season.
Yeovil came close early on when Nathan Smith drilled a low shot from the edge of the area and drew a good save out of Jamal Blackman, before Garry Thompson spurned a good chance by shooting wide when put through on goal.
The hosts were looking the more dangerous of the two sides and got their reward when Alex Lawless' fierce 25-yard drive cannoned into the post and rebounded to Hedges, who was left with an easy finish.
Yeovil nearly doubled their lead before the break after Otis Khan found space to shoot from a narrow angle in the area, but Blackman was equal to his effort.
Wycombe began to grow into the game as the second half wore on but were unable to threaten until Nick Freeman blasted an injury-time shot into the side netting as Yeovil held on for a deserved win.
Report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Yeovil Town 1, Wycombe Wanderers 0.
Second Half ends, Yeovil Town 1, Wycombe Wanderers 0.
Corner, Yeovil Town. Conceded by Sam Wood.
Attempt missed. Paul Hayes (Wycombe Wanderers) left footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses to the left.
Attempt saved. Nick Freeman (Wycombe Wanderers) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Substitution, Yeovil Town. Ben Whitfield replaces Otis Khan.
Attempt saved. Otis Khan (Yeovil Town) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Tahvon Campbell (Yeovil Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Anthony Stewart (Wycombe Wanderers).
Substitution, Wycombe Wanderers. Nick Freeman replaces Aaron Pierre because of an injury.
Attempt missed. Joe Jacobson (Wycombe Wanderers) left footed shot from outside the box is too high from a direct free kick.
Foul by Ryan Hedges (Yeovil Town).
Paul Hayes (Wycombe Wanderers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Alex Lacey (Yeovil Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Paul Hayes (Wycombe Wanderers).
Substitution, Wycombe Wanderers. Matt Bloomfield replaces Dominic Gape.
Attempt missed. Paul Hayes (Wycombe Wanderers) left footed shot from very close range is close, but misses to the right.
Foul by Ryan Hedges (Yeovil Town).
Joe Jacobson (Wycombe Wanderers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Alex Lacey (Yeovil Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Adebayo Akinfenwa (Wycombe Wanderers).
Substitution, Wycombe Wanderers. Adebayo Akinfenwa replaces Garry Thompson.
Kevin Dawson (Yeovil Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Dan Rowe (Wycombe Wanderers).
Corner, Wycombe Wanderers. Conceded by Alex Lacey.
Tahvon Campbell (Yeovil Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Aaron Pierre (Wycombe Wanderers).
Attempt saved. Kevin Dawson (Yeovil Town) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Alex Lawless (Yeovil Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Paris Cowan-Hall (Wycombe Wanderers).
Attempt missed. Michael Harriman (Wycombe Wanderers) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right.
Corner, Wycombe Wanderers. Conceded by Bevis Mugabi.
Second Half begins Yeovil Town 1, Wycombe Wanderers 0.
First Half ends, Yeovil Town 1, Wycombe Wanderers 0.
Otis Khan (Yeovil Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Aaron Pierre (Wycombe Wanderers).
Attempt missed. Ryan Hedges (Yeovil Town) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.
Attempt blocked. Matthew Dolan (Yeovil Town) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Foul by Dan Rowe (Wycombe Wanderers).
Kevin Dawson (Yeovil Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half. | Yeovil ran out winners at home to Wycombe to end a run of two straight defeats in League Two. | 37527778 |
United were without a number of injured players, including Wayne Rooney, and lost David de Gea in the warm-up.
They took the lead through Memphis Depay's shot but Sergio Romero, who stepped in for De Gea, was unable to prevent Pione Sisto equalising.
United's Jesse Lingard hit the bar before Paul Onuachu struck the winner.
After losing to Sunderland 2-1 on Saturday, the Red Devils are six points shy of the top four in the Premier League, leaving qualification for next season's Champions League very much in the balance.
Winning the Europa League could represent their best chance of reclaiming a place in Europe's elite club competition, but if they are to do that they will have to be much better than they were against opponents who had not played for 71 days because of the Danish winter break.
That includes in the second leg of this tie, which is at Old Trafford in a week's time.
Midtjylland were only formed in 1999, the year United won their famous Treble, but what they lack in history they made up for with application and ability.
With 13 first-team players out and facing a side whose analytical tactical approach makes them a serious threat from set-pieces, United suffered a major setback when goalkeeper De Gea injured himself in the warm-up.
That meant a first United start in four months for Romero, but the Argentine proved an able replacement with three good saves.
One was a block to deny Vaclav Kadlec, who ran through unchallenged, just 56 seconds before United broke the deadlock through Depay's close-range finish from Lingard's cross.
Romero also produced a superb one-handed diving stop to keep out a powerful goalbound header from Onuachu in the second half.
Between those two saves, he could not stop Sisto pulling the hosts level with a shot that found the net via the shin of Chris Smalling.
Romero was equally powerless to keep out Onuachu's winner - a low drive after the substitute beat Juan Mata on the edge of the box.
A knee injury means United face a six-week insight into life without captain Rooney - an absence that could become permanent if reports of a move to China prove correct.
United have refused to comment on speculation about the striker's future, but his absence allowed Depay to make his first start since Boxing Day and gave Anthony Martial the chance to start up front.
Depay, the top scorer in the Dutch league last season prior to his £31m move to Old Trafford, had scored once in his previous 20 United appearances.
And while his display in Denmark was not a notable improvement on past performances in a United shirt he was able to add a goal to his modest tally of goals for the season, which now stands at six.
But the Dutchman, like the rest of the United team, offered little in the second half as the home side came back to win.
Martial, who has operated primarily on the left since joining the club for £36m in September, was largely anonymous in his central role.
Lingard struck the bar with a volley while the score was 1-1, but United rarely threatened as the clock ticked down.
United travel to Shrewsbury for an FA Cup fifth-round tie next Monday, followed three days later by the return leg against Midtjylland at Old Trafford.
Match ends, FC Midtjylland 2, Manchester United 1.
Second Half ends, FC Midtjylland 2, Manchester United 1.
Attempt blocked. Pione Sisto (FC Midtjylland) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Chris Smalling (Manchester United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Chris Smalling (Manchester United).
Marco Ureña (FC Midtjylland) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt blocked. Jesse Lingard (Manchester United) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Anthony Martial.
Attempt missed. Michael Carrick (Manchester United) header from the right side of the box is too high. Assisted by Andreas Pereira with a cross following a corner.
Corner, Manchester United. Conceded by Filip Novak.
Attempt blocked. Jesse Lingard (Manchester United) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Donald Love.
Attempt missed. Daniel Royer (FC Midtjylland) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses the top right corner. Assisted by Marco Ureña with a headed pass.
Foul by Andreas Pereira (Manchester United).
Ebere Paul Onuachu (FC Midtjylland) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Marco Ureña (FC Midtjylland) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Kristoffer Olsson following a set piece situation.
Substitution, FC Midtjylland. Daniel Royer replaces Vaclav Kadlec.
Jesse Lingard (Manchester United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Jesse Lingard (Manchester United).
Ebere Paul Onuachu (FC Midtjylland) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Attempt missed. Pione Sisto (FC Midtjylland) right footed shot from the right side of the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by André Romer.
Chris Smalling (Manchester United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Vaclav Kadlec (FC Midtjylland).
Substitution, Manchester United. Andreas Pereira replaces Juan Mata.
Goal! FC Midtjylland 2, Manchester United 1. Ebere Paul Onuachu (FC Midtjylland) right footed shot from outside the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Marco Ureña.
Michael Carrick (Manchester United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Marco Ureña (FC Midtjylland).
Corner, Manchester United. Conceded by Pione Sisto.
Substitution, Manchester United. Morgan Schneiderlin replaces Ander Herrera.
Attempt blocked. Jesse Lingard (Manchester United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Ander Herrera.
Attempt missed. Vaclav Kadlec (FC Midtjylland) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses the top right corner. Assisted by Kian Hansen.
Attempt missed. Pione Sisto (FC Midtjylland) right footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Marco Ureña.
Substitution, FC Midtjylland. Marco Ureña replaces Rilwan Hassan.
Offside, FC Midtjylland. Kristoffer Olsson tries a through ball, but Vaclav Kadlec is caught offside.
Memphis Depay (Manchester United) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Kian Hansen (FC Midtjylland).
Foul by Michael Carrick (Manchester United).
Rilwan Hassan (FC Midtjylland) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt saved. Ebere Paul Onuachu (FC Midtjylland) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top right corner. Assisted by Kristoffer Olsson with a cross.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Substitution, FC Midtjylland. Ebere Paul Onuachu replaces Martin Pusic.
Donald Love (Manchester United) is shown the yellow card. | Manchester United produced another underwhelming display as they lost to Danish side FC Midtjylland in the first leg of their Europa League last-32 tie. | 35548870 |
A polar bear, whale, red squirrel and bee - which will all be illuminated at night - represent threatened species in the Unnatural Borders exhibition which runs until 29 May at MediaCityUK.
Unnatural Borders by Sober Industries - which is part of Quays Culture showcase of art - explores human civilization and the animal kingdom.
Lucy Dusgate of Quays Culture said it questions "our responsibilities".
The sculptures, which are 4m (13ft) high, are being illuminated each night from 21:00 BST throughout the 10-day exhibition.
Ms Dusgate said: "Unnatural Borders questions our responsibility to these beautiful creatures, and our own understanding [or misunderstanding] of natural and manmade borders and boundaries in these changing times." | Giant sculptures of endangered species have gone on show in Salford Quays. | 39987034 |
They plan legislation to introduce tougher sentences for cases involving children, and a new watchdog to ensure proper support for victims nationwide.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd admitted there were areas where too many cases still went unreported.
Critics say that many refuges for victims of domestic abuse have closed since the Tories took power.
The charity Women's Aid claims 17% of specialist women's refuges had closed since 2010.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today, Ms Rudd said a new commissioner would be tasked with ensuring best practice on supporting victims of domestic violence was adopted across the country.
Under the Conservative proposals a new Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill would create an aggravated offence allowing harsher punishments for cases involving children.
There would also be a new statutory definition for domestic violence, which the Conservatives say would help provide clarity, and increase the chances of successful prosecution of perpetrators.
Although the number of reported cases domestic violence has fallen, estimates suggest only a fifth of victims come forward.
Ms Rudd said: "The fact is that across the country [standards] are varied, and part of [the reason for] this legislation and having a commissioner is to make sure that we raise standards everywhere, so that women get a good service, wherever they are."
Ms Rudd defended the government's record on domestic violence.
She said the Conservatives had introduced measures such as stalking protection orders, and Clare's Law, a scheme allowing police to disclose to individuals details of their partners' abusive pasts.
An extra £20m had also been made available last year to fund residential places for victims.
Sarah Green, co-director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, welcomed the Conservative plans. She told Today the law around domestic violence was unclear, and there were often cases when police dealing with assault cases missed the underlying ongoing problem of domestic violence.
"This is a massive and endemic social problem. A new law and a new commissioner is not the whole answer. What we have got persistent disbelief of domestic violence victims by a range of services... there is systemic stuff that needs to happen, not just a simple altering of the law."
"We hope for an end to women and children being forced to flee for their lives while perpetrators walk free and continue their coercive control through the family courts."
Liberal Democrat election campaign spokeswoman Jo Swinson said: "Let us be clear actions speak louder than words and Conservative cuts to local authorities have meant that funding for domestic abuse services have suffered, with some services having to refuse referrals from victims due to a lack of capacity." | The Conservatives have pledged a new crackdown on the "hidden scandal" of domestic abuse if they win power. | 40082603 |
The Thai player finished five under after a level-par 72, two shots clear of Ana Menendez who carded a 75.
Due to her amateur status, Thitikul is not eligible for the 45,000 euros prize money (£40,000) - Mexican Menendez will receive the top prize.
Thitikul turned 14 on 20 February.
She said: "It makes me feel very happy and so proud of myself. This trophy, I give to Thailand and the Thai people.
"My family do not play golf. When I was younger, aged six, my father told me to play sport and he offered tennis or golf and I watched golf on TV and I liked it."
Canada's Brooke Henderson had held the previous record, winning an event on the Canadian Women's Tour in June 2012 aged 14 years, nine months and three days.
Henderson's record for a male or female player came in a 36-hole event, bettering the mark by two days set by New Zealand's Lydia Ko in January 2012 at the New South Wales Women's Open.
Ko held the record on the Ladies European Tour, having won the 2013 New Zealand Open aged 15 years, nine months and 17 days.
Menendez had started the final round at Phoenix Gold Golf and Country Club in Pattaya with a one-shot lead over Thitikul.
The 14-year-old opened with a two-under round of 70, shooting 71 in round two and a 70 in round three on Saturday.
Wales' Amy Boulden, 23, finished tied for fourth after a 73. | Fourteen-year-old amateur Atthaya Thitikul has become the youngest known winner of a professional golf tour event with victory at the Ladies European Thailand Championship. | 40547166 |
Marr, 53, spent two months in hospital, which was followed by months of physiotherapy to help him walk again.
BBC One's The Andrew Marr Show has since been presented by a series of guest presenters, including Jeremy Vine and Sophie Raworth.
Marr will also be returning to present Radio 4's Start the Week later in the year.
As the Andrew Marr Show prepared to take its summer break, Vine said: "We're back on the first Sunday in September which this year is September the first. And I'm delighted to say that Andrew will be back in the hot seat presenting the show himself."
In a statement, Marr said: "I'm hugely looking forward to coming back and want to give it my all but recovering from a stroke does take time.
"We've taken the decision to start with the Sunday show in the autumn and I'm delighted to be returning to present Start the Week on Radio 4 later on in the year."
Economics editor Stephanie Flanders will continue to present Start the Week, along with other guest presenters, until Marr returns.
Three months after his stroke, Marr gave an interview to his own programme, in which he said: "I'm frankly lucky to be alive."
He blamed the stroke on overworking and intense periods of exercise.
He said his voice and memory had been unaffected by the illness but the left side of his body was weakened. | Broadcaster Andrew Marr is returning to his Sunday politics show in September, nine months after suffering a stroke. | 23482003 |
The US banking giant said net income in its corporate and investment banking division was $2.5bn, up $412m compared with the same period a year earlier.
But it also reported an after-tax charge of $487m for legal expenses.
And it set aside a total of $959m to cover bad loans, $109m higher than a year earlier.
JPMorgan's legal expenses stem in part from the fact that it still faces an investigation by the US Justice Department into its involvement in the manipulation of foreign exchange markets.
It also faces a probe into its hiring policy in Asia.
Meanwhile, Wells Fargo, the largest mortgage lender in the US, reported a 2.6% fall in profits in the first three months of the year and set aside more money to cover bad loans.
Net income was $5.46bn in the three months to the end of March ,compared with $5.61bn a year earlier.
The bank said it was setting aside $617m for credit losses an increase of $198m on the same three months a year earlier.
JPMorgan said revenue from fixed-income bond trading rose 5% to $4.07bn, adjusted for the sale of businesses last year, including a commodities operation.
"We have an outstanding franchise which is getting safer and stronger, and is gaining market share over time," said chief executive Jamie Dimon.
"We continue to build the company for the long-term, we are investing in controls, infrastructure, systems, technology, new products and bankers."
The bank said it was increasing its second quarter dividend from $0.40 to $0.44.
JPMorgan's investment bank, along with its rivals, is under pressure to cut costs as customers have reduced their trading activity following the financial crisis.
Regulators have also demanded that big banks take fewer risks, hold more capital and improve controls.
The bank has said it wants to cut expenses by $2.8bn by 2017, excluding legal costs, though some of the savings are expected to be offset by more spending to improve risk controls.
JPMorgan and Wells Fargo are the first of the large US banks to report quarterly results.
Overall, results are expected to show that low interest rates have continued to hold down profits as consumers and businesses refinance loans at lower rates. | JPMorgan Chase has reported a 12% rise in profit to $5.91bn (£4bn) for the three months to the end of March, as revenue from bond trading improved. | 32301352 |
The defender, 25, who spent two years at Craven Cottage, will officially join the Lions when his Fulham contract expires at the end of the month.
"Coming to work at a place where you are so wanted is a great feeling," he told the Lions' website.
"I can't wait to get going and am looking forward to putting on the Millwall shirt."
Newcastle-born Hutchinson made 121 league appearances for Motherwell before Fulham signed him from the Scottish side after a number of clubs - including Millwall - had shown an interest in him.
However, he struggled to establish himself as a first-team regular, making 34 league appearances during his time in west London.
"Shaun is a player that as a club we have been aware of for quite a period of time," said Millwall manager Neil Harris.
"We tracked him diligently when he was at Motherwell and when he was moving down south we bid for him.
"We monitored him last season knowing that he was coming out of contract.
"He is a no-nonsense defender who likes to head it in both boxes and is very aggressive in his approach."
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Shaun Hutchinson has agreed a two-year deal with League One club Millwall after his recent release by Fulham. | 36588125 |
The 27-year-old scored from a long kick forward in his side's 1-1 draw with Southampton last November.
His kick, after 13 seconds, caught the wind and bounced over opposite number Artur Boruc into the Saints' net.
It has now been measured at 91.9m (301ft 6in), earning it the accolade in the record book's latest edition.
"I feel amazing to be honoured in this way and as a goalkeeper I didn't expect this to happen, not for this type of record anyway," the Bosnia and Hercegovina international told Stoke's official website.
He added: "I will take it though and enjoy it."
Begovic joined an exclusive club of goalkeepers to have scored in the Premier League when finding the net against Southampton.
Peter Schmeichel, Brad Friedel, Paul Robinson and Tim Howard are the others with goals to their name.
Media playback is not supported on this device | Stoke City goalkeeper Asmir Begovic has earned a place in the Guinness World Records book for the longest goal scored in football. | 29061851 |
World number four Sharapova hit nine double faults in the match, but broke twice in the second set, while Pliskova squandered three break points.
Earlier, world number six Petra Kvitova came from a set down to beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 2-6 6-1 6-1.
Kvitova, who helped the Czechs win the 2014 title, faces Sharapova on Sunday before Pliskova meets Pavlyuchenkova.
Should the teams still be level, a doubles rubber will decide the tie.
"I was nervous throughout and made some errors at inappropriate times, but overall I'm really happy," said five-time Grand Slam winner Sharapova.
"I didn't serve my best and that's something that I'll definitely need to improve." | Russia's Maria Sharapova beat Czech Republic's Karolina Pliskova 6-3 6-4 to level the Fed Cup final in Prague. | 34823198 |
That's the question election workers were left asking in Foyle last week.
We know of at least three Patrick Dohertys - but only one got to vote.
The other two were turned away because their vote was taken by a man who shared their name.
Could it be the same Patrick Doherty who voted early and often on polling day? That's the suspicion.
And are there other Patrick Dohertys out there who stayed at home but who's vote ended up in a ballot box?
Welcome to the murky world of electoral fraud.
"The Patrick Doherty who appeared in front of us was very convincing, he called out his name and address and flashed his ID," one election worker said.
"As we looked for his details he even told us his middle name.
"It wasn't until another Patrick Doherty walked through the door an hour later with his polling card and ID that the penny dropped and we realised we had been conned."
So how easy is it to pull something like that off?
"All they have to do is scan the electoral register, note all the Patrick Dohertys, remember their addresses and then go around their nearest polling station," he said.
"But they have to make sure that the real Patrick Doherty doesn't show up at the same time.
"It's easier if they use the register of non voters, then they know for sure the Patrick Dohertys who are unlikely to show up."
It's an old trick which is now back in the spotlight as some parties here are turning up the heat on electoral fraud.
It comes as no surprise that places like Foyle are getting most attention where only 169 votes separated the winner and loser.
The SDLP's Mark Durkan lost the seat to Sinn Féin's Elisha McCallion.
The police have now been asked investigate a "small" number of reports of electoral fraud passed on to the chief electoral officer.
History tells us the thief who stole Patrick Doherty's vote is unlikely to get a knock on the door.
But the extra attention around electoral fraud is about putting a marker down for the next election.
While that may lead to more scrutiny next time around, it's unlikely to stamp out a problem which has been around for as long as votes have been cast.
Tackling the problem at government level can also come at a cost.
In 2002 the Electoral Fraud Act was passed at Westminster. It tightened controls around voter identification and absent voting in Northern Ireland, but it also resulted in 120,000 voters being wiped from the register.
There is a balance to be struck between making it easier for voters to mark their ballot papers and making it harder for the mystery Patrick Doherty to mark more than just his ballot papers. | Will the real Patrick Doherty step forward? | 40294387 |
The 25-year-old midfielder was omitted from the Ibrox club's Europa League squad.
The former Livingston and Middlesbrough player will join Gabala's training camp in Salzburg, with a view to a temporary switch.
Halliday, who joined Rangers in 2015 and made 42 appearances last season, is under contract until 2020.
However, he started only two of the 11 games overseen by manager Pedro Caixinha following his appointment in March.
Gabala finished second in the Azerbaijan Premier League last season and begin their Europa League campaign against the winners of the tie involving Georgia's Dinamo Batumi and Jagiellonia Bialystok of Poland next month.
Gabala reached the group stage of the competition in the 2015-16 campaign. | Rangers' Andy Halliday is on his way to Austria to complete a season-long loan to Azerbaijani side Gabala. | 40415394 |
It began two weeks ago after it emerged that some vehicles had been equipped with a device that cheated emissions tests in the US.
The company told RTÉ that customers will be contacted about what it called its "action plan to correct the emissions characteristics of certain diesel vehicles".
The recall will involve 34,387 Volkswagen passenger cars, 16,485 Audi cars, 4,365 SEAT cars, and 16,004 Skoda cars.
The recall will also include 8,107 commercial vehicles sold under the Volkswagen brand.
In a further clarification, the company said an additional 30,000 cars may be recalled.
These are understood to be imported second-hand cars.
VW scandal - unanswered questions
Volkswagen: A brief history
The company is to set up an online service for customers to check if their car will be affected.
The company says the process of correcting the emissions will begin shortly, but said that all vehicles are "technically safe and road-worthy".
Earlier on Thursday, Volkswagen announced it was suspending the sale of 4,000 vehicles in the UK in the wake of the emissions scandal.
The company said the vehicles may be equipped with the same device that cheated emissions tests in the US.
The move will involve vehicles across the VW group including the VW, Audi, Skoda and Seat brands.
The company said it was a temporary measure and that it intended to return the vehicles for sale once a fix is identified for the cars.
The cars taken off the market represent 3% of VW's stock in the UK. | Volkswagen has announced that it is recalling 80,000 cars sold in the Republic of Ireland as a result of the emissions scandal. | 34417567 |
Since Theresa May became Prime Minister in July 2016, there has been a lot of talk about grammar schools in the news, because she wants to allow more of them to open. Other people think this is a bad idea.
Tomorrow, the government will make announcements about how it plans to spend the country's money, in an important speech called the Budget.
It is expected that the Chancellor Philip Hammond, who will give this speech, will announce extra money to be spent on grammar schools - amongst other things.
Sometimes all of the different names of schools can be a bit confusing! So what do they mean?
Your time at school is divided into three chunks - pre-school, primary and secondary education.
Pre-school is when you first start spending days away from home as a toddler at nursery.
Your primary education is generally from the age of around 5 to 11. Secondary education is usually from the age of 11 to 16, although you may decide to stay in school until you are 18.
The way you are taught in schools is slightly different depending whether you live in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. Other things like the dates of school holidays may also be different.
There are two main types of school - ones that are paid for by the government and ones which aren't.
The ones which aren't, need to get the money to pay for themselves from somewhere else, like school fees.
The way schools are set up and run is "devolved": that means that rather than having the same rules as England, leaders in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can decide their own rules for how their schools are run. That is why schools may be slightly different across the UK.
The national curriculum is what the government says that children should have to learn when they are at schools paid for by them
This is a school which is paid for by the government, so your parents will not have to pay school fees. The majority of children go to this kind of school.
Generally, schools that are paid for by the government have to follow the national curriculum.
A comprehensive school is the name for a school which anyone can go to - regardless of how well they do in exams - and where everybody is taught together.
These are schools which have a focused on a particular religion. They generally have to follow the national curriculum, but may have more freedom when it comes to what is taught about religion or over which children go to them.
Grammar schools are schools which children can go to from the age of 11, which the government pays for.
But they are different to comprehensives because they select their pupils using an exam known as the "11-plus", which kids sit at the age of 10 or 11.
The test often involves things like maths, verbal reasoning, comprehension and creative writing.
There used to be hundreds of grammar schools in England and Wales, but in the 1960s, the government said that everybody should be accepted into schools and taught in the same way - regardless of how well they could do in an exam.
As a result, the number of grammar schools went down.
There are now no state grammar schools in Wales and Scotland, but they still exist in parts of England and Northern Ireland.
These are types of school that are paid for by the government but are allowed more freedom over their own curriculum, timetables and the students they let in.
These schools, also called private schools, have more say over how they run themselves, as they are not paid for by the government.
To go to one of these schools, your parents would have to pay school fees, which are used to pay to run the school.
If you go to an independent school, you may not study the same things as children at state schools, because the teachers can make more decisions about what they would like to teach.
This is a type of pre-school, which you will tend to go to between the ages of around three and five. You might also hear it being called kindergarten.
This is the first school you went to at about the age of five. You stay there until you finish Year Six, when you are about 11.
You may be able to remember your first day at primary school!
This is a school you go to after you finish primary school, usually at the age of 11.
The most famous school of Witchcraft and Wizardry is of course Hogwarts. In order to go here, you will receive your letter by owl at the age of 11. If you are a muggle though, it might not be possible to go this kind of school.
...of course we're joking! This school doesn't exist, unfortunately! | Children all over the country go to many different kinds of schools. | 37696598 |
The former BBC Young Musician of the Year was speaking after conducting a master class for three teenage students in Belfast.
She said: "Teaching really teaches you a lot, because it forces you to analyse things. I find it helps me in that way. It forces you to think very carefully, so I do enjoy it."
For most of the time, however, Jennifer is extremely busy performing as a soloist with major orchestras.
Her international career blossomed after her acclaimed debut at the BBC Proms aged just 15.
At 12, she was the youngest ever Young Musician of the Year and the youngest major prize winner in the Menuhin International Violin competition.
She said teaching younger players was always a valuable experience.
"They can teach you lots of things as well from the way they play," she said.
Georgia Begley from Sullivan Upper School said: "I really learned a lot about how to phrase things and how to really get the character of the piece."
Susanna Griffin, a pupil at Strathearn School said she had enjoyed learning more about the physical aspect of performance.
"Your body language can tell a lot about the character of the music," she said.
Scott Lowry from Grosvenor Grammar School said the class had helped him to gain a better understanding of how to present a mature performance.
"My ultimate ambition is to play in a really big symphony orchestra and play great works of music," he said.
Jennifer stressed the importance of silence.
"It's amazing what you can do with silence, especially in cadenzas," she said.
"A little pause makes all the difference. Silence can say more than words sometimes."
Jennifer was in Belfast for a concert with the Ulster Orchestra, which arranges a series of master classes.
The next master class is on 25 March with the clarinettist Emile Jonason.
The season's final master class is on 20 May with the cellist Elisa Weilerstein. | Teaching is a two-way street according to leading violinist Jennifer Pike. | 30942947 |
BBC Wales has asked some of the main medical and health organisations to give an examination to the parties' manifestos and give their critique of their policies.
Here is the dissection of the Labour manifesto:
The Royal College of Physicians welcomed commitments to:
However, it was concerned:
The RCN, which represents 25,000 nurses in Wales, said the manifesto matched its own Time To Care campaign priorities in the following:
The BMA represents 8,000 doctors in Wales.
Like
We will complete the review of the functions of Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) and Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales to support integration.
HIW is not fit for purpose and does not carry the confidence of the medical profession, so we welcome the pledge to carry forward the review with a review to reforming it.
Specifically we would like a new government to:
Dislike
It is difficult to disagree with the health pledges outlined in this document, however, we are disappointed with the level of detail contained in many of the proposals. For instance, "we will provide more opportunities to keep fit and active" is something we would clearly welcome, but without a concrete proposal on how this would be done it is very difficult to scrutinise
RCPCH is responsible for training and examining paediatricians and has more than 600 members in Wales.
It welcomed:
It is concerned:
The other responses can be found here: | Health is arguably the most important issue for many voters at next week's Welsh Assembly election. | 36141125 |
Lord Lansley, health secretary from 2010-12, said he was "disappointed" that more funding was not announced in the Autumn Statement.
Tory council leader Izzi Seccombe said funding was needed now and councils had been "cut to the bone".
But Prime Minister Theresa May said ministers were already working to ease the situation.
Funding cuts to council-run social care in England have been blamed for a big increase in patients stuck in hospital beds because care cannot be arranged elsewhere.
But the chancellor did not specifically offer new resources either for the NHS or social care when outlining the Treasury's plans on Wednesday, only confirming that ministers would be sticking with departmental spending announced last year.
Speaking in the debate following his statement, Mr Hammond referred to an extra £10bn in money for the NHS by 2020-21 - which itself has been questioned by the health select committee and others.
You stay in your own home while getting help with everyday tasks such as washing, dressing and eating.
average amount of care provided per week, by your council
average paid per hour by your council, 2014-15
average paid per hour in your region if you pay for your own care, 2016
You live in a care home that provides round-the-clock support with everyday tasks.
TBC pay for their own care
You live in a care home which provides round-the-clock support for everyday tasks and nursing care. Depending on your medical needs, the NHS may contribute to your costs.
TBC pay for their own care
Savings, investments and income are assessed, along with the value of your home - unless you or a close relative live there.
Lord Lansley, who was health secretary during the early years of the coalition government, told BBC Radio 4's World at One he had thought "a substantial change in departmental expenditure was pretty unlikely" in Wednesday's statement.
But he added: "Not being surprised doesn't mean I wasn't disappointed. The next two years are going to be incredibly difficult and I think the time is now for trying to put some measures in place to try and help health and social care through those next two years."
He said improving social care provision could help tackle many of the "underlying problems" of the NHS: "I don't think that necessarily demands a lot of extra public funds, what it does mean however is the implementation of the plan that we put together in the last Parliament from the Dilnot Commission."
The independent commission recommended that social care costs be capped at £35,000 so people did not face losing much of their assets - Lord Lansley said it was not implemented at the time "because the Treasury didn't like it".
The government allowed councils to increase council tax by 2% this year to spend on care - but councils have claimed this is not enough to plug the shortfall in their care budgets because of the wider squeeze on their funding.
Speaking on Thursday, Prime Minister Theresa May said: "I recognise the concerns and challenges around social care. By the end of this parliament, the local authorities will have £3.5bn more to spend on social care and of course we're putting more money into the health service as well.
"But we need to see the health service and social care working together that's why the health secretary and the local communities secretary are appraised of the need for the challenges faced and are looking at this issue."
NHS: Budget controlled by NHS England and pays for hospitals, GPs, district nursing and mental health care. Services are provided free at the point of need.
Care: Budget controlled by councils and pays for care home and nursing home places as well as support in the home for tasks such as washing and dressing. Services are means-tested so only the poorest get help towards their costs.
But Conservative Warwickshire County Council leader Izzi Seccombe told the BBC councils had been "cut to the bone" and the funds available did not meet the demands of paying a national living wage as well as the needs of an increasing elderly population.
"By the end of 2020 we will see that amount coming in but the need is now, it is a tapered amount which will increase to the end of 2020 - right now we have a £1.3bn gap which is not being funded."
And Siva Anandaciva, head of analysis at NHS Providers which represents NHS trusts, said funding was failing to keep pace with soaring demand for NHS services - illustrated by longer A&E and operation waiting times and fewer people getting council-funded social care. The lack of announcement from the chancellor had been "very disappointing".
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he had been "utterly astonished" there had been no a mention of the of the NHS or of social care.
"There's an NHS funding crisis and there's a social care crisis in Britain. The solution has to be more money going in to it to pay for the services that are necessary and to reduce the level of bed blocking." | A former health secretary says an "incredibly difficult" two years await the NHS and social care in England. | 38095435 |
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue said it was called to the property in Coates Heath at 13:31 on Tuesday, after reports the building was set alight by a bolt of lightning.
It said the fire had burned through the roof space of the home, causing some of the structure to collapse.
Homeowner Simon Stanley said he was "devastated".
Mr Stanley told the BBC: "I was at work at the time and I got a call saying the house had been struck by lightning.
"We only built the house around eight years ago, so I'm devastated."
See more updates on this story and more from across Stoke and Staffordshire here
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue tweeted this footage of crews tacking the fire.
The fire service said the fire was more difficult to contain due to a limited water supply in the area. It said the service's water carrier had been refilled to put out the blaze. | Fire crews tackled a serious fire at a house, believed to have been started by a lightning strike. | 40795663 |
A total of 240 children were signed up to Rep's Children and were able to see special annual performances by Birmingham Repertory Theatre.
The theatre said all 400 babies born at Birmingham City and Sandwell hospitals in October 2004 were invited to join.
The babies saw their first performance, Open House, aged just six months.
It included actors singing the nursery rhyme Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and interactive play.
Other shows included Dreams Come Out to Play, which was performed in a tent on the main stage, and Princess and Ginger, which the Rep's Children helped create.
The project was funded by the city council, Sure Start, Heart of Birmingham PCT and the Baring Foundation.
A second Rep's Children project begun in 2013, as part of the theatre's centenary celebrations.
Alison Fuller, whose daughter Amaya was born on 1 October, 2004 and was among the first to join Rep's Children, said it had been an "absolute privilege" to take part.
"The Rep's vision was so forward thinking and in my humble opinion I believe the project has achieved what it set out to do, making the theatre accessible for all, regardless of race, culture or social status," she said.
MS Fuller said it had a "positive effect" on her family, including her three older children who have pursued paths in drama and theatre production.
Steve Ball, associate director at The Rep, said staff had enjoyed the experience and hoped the children would continue to see shows at the theatre.
"It's also been an amazing creative challenge for us to develop high quality and engaging live theatre for babies, toddlers and school-age children.
"When we started there were very few productions available to appeal to babies and toddlers, so we had to create it from scratch." | A decade-long project to allow children from some of Birmingham's most deprived areas to see free theatre for their first 10 years has come to a close. | 30625101 |
According to experts, it is not inconceivable that doctors will be giving health advice like this in the not too distant future.
After decades of research, the scientific world is moving closer to pinpointing how exposure to nature seems to promote well-being.
A recent US study found that being close to nature might soothe the mind by reducing rumination - when negative thoughts get stuck on repeat, playing over and over in the mind.
A team at Stanford University compared the effects of taking a nature walk through a greenspace with a stroll in an urban environment - in this case beside a busy road in Palo Alto.
Brain scans showed reduced activity in an area of the brain linked to risk of mental illness in participants who took a 90-minute walk among oaks, birds and squirrels.
They also reported lower levels of rumination.
Gregory Bratman of Stanford University, one of the researchers on the study, says moving to cities has "happened in a blink of an eye in terms of human evolution".
As he points out, never before have so many of us been removed from nature - already 50% of the global population lives in towns and cities; a figure that is projected to rise to 70% by 2050.
Some cities and nations are already thinking about the mental health benefits of nature when designing urban areas.
"There's an increasing body of evidence showing that natural versus urban areas benefit us at least emotionally with our mood and possibly also our cognitive development too," says Mr Bratman.
"You could think of these mental health benefits of nature as a psychological ecosystem service."
The Stanford University team is looking at ways to tease apart the "active ingredients" of the nature experience to find ways to bring nature into the city.
Meanwhile, Britain's Royal Horticultural Society is trying to encourage the public to bring nature into their own backyard, by replacing concrete with plants.
A garden at the Hampton Court Flower Show for the Greening Grey Britain campaign showcased ways to make urban environments rich in both vegetation and nature.
Plants from the garden are to be moved to Bristol to green-up a street for the community, including St Mungo's hostel for the homeless.
Nigel Dunnett, Professor of planting design and vegetation technology at the University of Sheffield, is behind the garden.
He says we "evolved with nature and it's completely unnatural for us to be separated from it".
He wants a shift in thinking to make developers invest in providing natural surroundings and for horticulturalists to get involved in green infrastructure projects.
"There is a big role for horticulture in this whole movement of greening cities," he adds.
"We have to be really radical, really innovative to get into places where you normally wouldn't get to see things growing."
One health trend that is popular mainly in Japan and South Korea is Shinrin-yoku, a term that means "taking in the forest atmosphere" or "forest bathing".
A study conducted in 24 forests across Japan found that walking among trees lowered blood pressure, the pulse rate, and levels of the hormone cortisol, which is released in response to stress.
According to psychologist Dr Mathew White of Exeter University, research into the link between nature and well-being is increasingly focussing on effects on the body and brain, such as how brain activity corresponds with the nature experience.
"It does start to tell us some of the cognitive elements that could be at play in why urban environments are so taxing to the brain," he says.
He says several projects are underway to try to develop "green prescriptions" for exposure to nature that would be of benefit people going through anxiety or depression.
The Stanford University research is published in the journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. | "Here's your prescription, walk in the forest five times a week for an hour." | 33368691 |
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