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Lawmakers voted unanimously in favour of a resolution that "Pakistan should maintain neutrality" in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia had asked Pakistan last month to contribute ships, aircraft and troops to the campaign to restore President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi.
Meanwhile, two planes have delivered relief supplies to Yemen's capital.
The aircraft were carrying medicines, bandages and surgical equipment from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the UN Children's Fund (Unicef).
The organisations had to wait days before receiving clearance from all sides in the conflict for the flights to Yemen, where the UN says basic services are unravelling, with widespread food and fuel shortages.
Pakistan's parliament began debating whether to join the coalition on Monday. Although Saudi Arabia is an ally, many lawmakers spoke out against sending troops to Yemen.
Friday's resolution backed the Pakistani government's commitment to protect Saudi territorial integrity and Islamic holy places located inside the kingdom.
"The parliament of Pakistan expresses serious concern on the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in Yemen and its implications for peace and stability of the region," the resolution said.
"[It] desires that Pakistan should maintain neutrality in the Yemen conflict so as to be able to play a proactive diplomatic role to end the crisis."
Saudi Arabia has been a major foreign donor to Pakistan - some say perhaps the third-largest after the US and China.
Late last year, for example, what finance minister Ishaq Dar initially described as a $3bn (£2bn) "gift from a friendly source" turned out to be Saudi largesse that was used to stabilise a free-falling rupee against the US dollar. Soon afterwards Pakistan officially backed the Saudi position on Syria.
So some resentment in Saudi quarters is to be expected from this vote. But Pakistanis have still left room for a troop deployment in Saudi Arabia if not in Yemen, which Saudis will certainly need if the conflict in Yemen drags on for longer.
There is a precedent for this. During the first Gulf War in 1991, Pakistan deployed two brigades to "defend holy sites" in Saudi Arabia.
The only other example of a Pakistani troop deployment abroad is to Jordan during the "Black September" of 1970, to help that government put down a Palestinian insurgency.
The coalition of nine mostly Sunni Arab states is seeking to "defend the legitimate government" against the Houthis, a Zaidi Shia rebel movement that the US and Saudi Arabia allege is receiving military assistance from regional Shia power Iran.
Analysts say Pakistan, which has a Sunni majority but also a sizeable Shia minority, fears being caught between the two if it sends troops to Yemen.
Earlier this week, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif travelled to Islamabad to urge Pakistan's leaders to reject the Saudi request.
The rebels and allied army units loyal to Yemen's ousted former President Ali Abdullah Saleh took full control of Sanaa in January and placed Mr Hadi under house arrest.
He escaped and took refuge in Aden in February, but left the country at the end of March when the Houthis reached the outskirts of the southern port city.
More than two weeks of air strikes have failed to halt the Houthi advance into Aden, as well as neighbouring southern and eastern provinces. Overnight, coalition aircraft targeted the defence ministry building in Sanaa and weapons storage sites.
On Thursday, the UN's humanitarian co-ordinator for Yemen called for a humanitarian "pause" in the bombardment and fighting on the ground to allow in urgent aid deliveries.
Johannes van der Klaauw told reporters in Geneva that the conflict had now spread to 15 of Yemen's 22 provinces.
He described the situation in Aden in particular as "catastrophic", a descent into urban warfare, with control of the air and seaports shifting daily between rival groups. A million people in the city risked being cut off from access to clean water within a matter of days unless additional fuel is brought in, he said.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says almost 650 people have been killed and more than 2,200 have been injured since 19 March, but Mr van der Klaauw said the actual number of casualties was likely to be far higher because many were not being brought to hospital or were being buried immediately.
Who is fighting whom in Yemen?
Houthis - The Zaidi Shia Muslim rebels from the north overran Sanaa last year and then expanded their control. They want to replace Mr Hadi, whose government they say is corrupt. The US alleges Iran is providing military assistance to the rebels.
Ali Abdullah Saleh - Military units loyal to the former president - forced to hand over power in 2011 after mass protests - are fighting alongside the Houthis.
Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi - The president fled abroad in March as the rebels advanced on Aden, where he had taken refuge in February. Sunni Muslim tribesmen and Southern separatists have formed militia to fight the rebels.
Saudi-led coalition - A US-backed coalition of nine, mostly Sunni Arab states says it is seeking to "defend the legitimate government" of Mr Hadi.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula - AQAP opposes both the Houthis and President Hadi. A rival affiliate of Islamic State has also recently emerged. | Pakistan's parliament has decided against military involvement in the Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen, after days of debate. | 32246547 |
Marlowe has long been suspected in some quarters of having a hand in some of Shakespeare's works.
The two dramatists will now jointly appear on the title pages for the Henry VI plays in New Oxford Shakespeare.
Researchers have verified Marlowe's contribution "strongly and clearly enough", editor Gary Taylor said.
Marlowe, who is known for writing plays including Doctor Faustus, was first suspected of contributing to Henry VI Parts I, II and III - along with other Shakespeare plays - as far back as the 18th Century.
But this marks the first time he has received an official credit.
Scholars working on New Oxford Shakespeare, a collection of all of Shakespeare's known works, said his collaboration with other playwrights was more extensive than has previously been known.
The research, by 23 international scholars, has identified 17 of 44 Shakespeare plays as being co-written with other authors.
The new research involved both traditional textual analysis and the use of computerised tools to examine the scripts.
Gary Taylor, one of the New Oxford Shakespeare's general editors, told The Guardian: "We have been able to verify Marlowe's presence in those three plays strongly and clearly enough.
"We can now be confident that they didn't just influence each other, but they worked with each other. Rivals sometimes collaborate."
Carol Rutter, professor of Shakespeare and performance studies at the University of Warwick, told BBC News: "It will still be open for people to make up their own minds. I don't think [Oxford University Press] putting their brand mark on an attribution settles the issue for most people."
But it is clear Shakespeare did work with several other figures in theatre at the time, she added.
"I believe Shakespeare collaborated with all kinds of people... but I would be very surprised if Marlowe was one of them," she said.
"The reason for that is that while these were being written, Marlowe was the poster boy of theatre writing. Why would he agree to collaborate with a non-entity of an actor?"
Asked who else might have influenced Shakespeare's work, Prof Rutter said: "I would suggest we should look not to another playwright but to the actors.
"Yes, Shakespeare collaborated. But it's much more likely that he started his career working for a company where he was already an actor, and collaborated not with another playwright but with the actors - who will have had Marlowe very much in their heads, on the stage, in their voices.
"They were the ones putting Marlowe's influence into the plays."
Prof Rutter added: "We have really stopped thinking about the richness of the writing experience in the early modern theatre, and by crediting Marlowe, people like Gary Taylor are making us attend to that."
The authorship of Shakespeare's works have been debated for centuries. Academics have suggested that four writers - including Marlowe - wrote some or all of his plays.
The film Anonymous, released in 2011, suggested Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, was behind the playwright's works.
Actor Mark Rylance, who appeared in the film, also chairs the Shakespearean Authorship Trust, the society which has argued since 1922 that the writer was unlikely to be the true author of the plays credited to him.
Other playwrights put forward as being the real authors include Sir Francis Bacon and William Stanley, 6th Earl of Derby.
High-profile figures who have voiced doubts about Shakespeare being the true author include Charlie Chaplin and Mark Twain, who said: "So far as anybody actually knows and can prove, Shakespeare of Stratford-on-Avon never wrote a play in his life."
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram, or if you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk. | Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe is to be credited by Oxford University Press as Shakespeare's co-writer on three of the Bard's plays. | 37750558 |
Abdulkadir Masharipov is believed to have mounted the assault on the Reina club which left 39 people dead.
The Uzbek national is said to have been caught in Istanbul's Esenyurt district.
Citizens of Israel, France, Tunisia, Lebanon, India, Belgium, Jordan and Saudi Arabia were among the victims, and dozens of people were injured.
So-called Islamic State (IS) said it was behind the attack, saying it was revenge for Turkish military involvement in Syria.
The gunman arrived at the club by taxi early that Sunday, before rushing through the entrance with a long-barrelled gun he had taken from the boot of the car.
He fired randomly at people celebrating the new year.
It was the culmination of a huge police manhunt: a raid on the Istanbul suburb of Esenyurt that finally caught the alleged Reina attacker, named as Uzbek national Abdulkadir Masharipov.
Photographs show him with a heavily bruised face, wearing a grey T-shirt and being held by his throat.
There had been fears that the gunman had managed to escape Turkey, perhaps to territory held by so-called Islamic State, which said it was behind the attack.
The Turkish authorities will be hugely relieved at his capture. But the far greater challenge for them is to secure this country and step up intelligence to halt the wave of terror attacks that has engulfed Turkey.
Police reportedly found the suspect along with his four year-old son at the home of a Kyrgyz friend in the city. Turkish media say that his friend was also detained, along with three women.
According to the Hurriyet newspaper, he was due to undergo medical checks before being taken in for interrogation at a police headquarters.
Sources: Turkish media
Turkish media report that the suspect rented a flat in the central Turkish city of Konya with a woman believed to be his wife and two children. He arrived in Istanbul on 15 December, according to Hurriyet's sources.
The reports add that police also carried out raids on other suspected IS militants.
Turkey has been battling IS inside northern Syria while seeking to push back ethnic Kurds in the region too.
Reina was one of Istanbul's best-known clubs, with a view across the Bosphorus towards Asia.
It attracted singers, actors and sports stars as well as foreign tourists.
20 August 2016: Bomb attack on wedding party in Gaziantep kills at least 30 people, in an attack claimed by IS
28 June 2016: A gun and bomb attack on Ataturk airport in Istanbul kills 41 people, blamed on IS militants
19 March 2016: Suicide bomb kills four people in shopping street in Istanbul. IS blamed
12 January 2016: 12 Germans killed by IS bomber in tourist area of Istanbul
10 October 2015: More than 100 killed at peace rally outside railway station in Ankara; blamed on IS
20 July 2015: 34 people killed in bombing in Suruc, near Syrian border; IS blamed | Turkish police have arrested the main suspect in the New Year's Eve attack on an exclusive nightclub in Istanbul after a huge manhunt. | 38645787 |
Alex Parle, 22, Conor Gartland, 18, and Thomas O'Connor, 23, pleaded guilty to involvement in seven raids in London and Manchester.
The Old Bailey heard they smashed their way into cash transfer shops and jewellers wielding sledgehammers and machetes before escaping on mopeds.
The gang was caught after one of them was tackled by a London jeweller.
Parle was jailed for 10 years, while Gartland received eight years detention and "key organiser" O'Connor was sentenced to 12-and-a-half years.
The court heard that jeweller Dominic Carr, of Carr Jewellers in Liverpool Street, London, tackled Parle after the gang smashed their way into his premises on 22 January.
O'Connor and an unidentified robber used sledgehammers to shatter cabinets and snatched Rolex and Omega watches worth more than £222,000 before attempting to escape on a moped.
But a video by a member of public showed Parle failing to mount the back of one of the mopeds and Mr Carr managed to tackle him.
Parle produced a large machete and swung it around at the jeweller before running away.
He was later arrested by police.
In his statement, Mr Carr told the court: "I do not see myself as any kind of hero. My reaction that day was a spontaneous response to protect, but the repercussions of it have been tremendous.
"I am reminded of what happened on an almost daily basis. The attack on my premises was terrifying."
Mr Carr said he was now "wary" every time a motorbike passed his shop.
O'Connor, of Swan Road, Surrey Quays, Parle, of Brunel Road, Surrey Quays, and Gartland, of Druid Street, Bankside, pleaded guilty to plotting to commit robbery.
22 January 2014: Alex Parle, Conor Gartland and Thomas O'Connor snatched jewellery and Rolex watches from Carr Jewellers in London's Liverpool Street.
16 February 2014: Gartland and an unknown person were accused of trying to rob Akdeniz Jewellers, in Walworth Road, south east London.
20 December 2014: All three defendants took £1,250 from Bilex International in Peckham High Street.
20 December 2014: Later the same day, Parle and Gartland made off with £2,392.47 from Unistream Money Transfer Shop in West Ham Lane, Stratford, east London.
22 December 2014: Parle, Gartland and O'Connor stole £29,000 from Kushiaria Money Exchange, in Commercial Road, Tower Hamlets, east London
13 January 2015: All three defendants took £37,448.77 of jewellery and watches from a jeweller's in Crofton Road, Orpington, Kent.
15 January 2015: The gang took eight watches during a raid on the Cheshire Watch Company in King Street West, Manchester. | A machete-wielding gang has been jailed for a smash and grab crime spree in which items worth £550,000 were stolen. | 35136070 |
The blaze at the Love Lei shop in John Street broke out in the ground floor of the building at about 17:00 GMT.
A 48-year-old women was taken to Sunderland Royal Hospital suffering from the effects of smoke inhalation.
The fire service said it still had three appliances at the scene and the road was shut between St Thomas' Street and Bedford Street.
At the height of the blaze the brigade said nine appliances had been used to bring the fire under control.
Leila Chen, 31, who owns the business, said: "A friend phoned me and said my shop was on fire, and I ran down. But we are not allowed in yet.
"I have owned the business since 2010 and this has never happened to me before, so I don't know what to do."
Her father-in-law Tony Swalwell, who owns the building, said: "It seems that the fire was somehow started in the units on the ground floor.
"At about 17:30 we got phone calls about the shop, one was from a lady who was in quite a bit of shock. She was then taken to hospital." | A fire at a bridal shop in Sunderland is believed to have destroyed about 100 dresses. | 35202987 |
Sinfield, 35, switched codes to join Yorkshire Carnegie in October after helping the Headingley side to the treble in his final season.
He captained the Rhinos for 13 years and won seven Grand Finals, three World Club Challenges and two Challenge Cups.
"I'll miss playing rugby league every day for the rest of my life, that's just the reality of it," he told BBC Radio Leeds.
Following Sinfield's departure, the Rhinos have made a slow start to the 2016 season, losing four of their opening six league games and suffering defeat by North Queensland Cowboys in the World Club Challenge.
"I want the Rhinos to do well because there's a big part of me still in there," Sinfield said.
"It's been tough to watch but it would have been hard if they'd won every game because I miss the lads and I miss playing.
"It had to end at some stage."
Sinfield, who finished second in BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2015, helped Carnegie reach the final of the British & Irish Cup on Sunday.
He made his debut for the club in November and has admitted he underestimated how big a change he was making when he switched codes.
"I'm learning and I'm getting better every week," he said. "When you look at it from the outside you think they're very similar but the longer I have been in it the more distant apart the games are.
"The experience has been good and I'm really glad I did it." | Leeds Rhinos legend Kevin Sinfield says he misses rugby league "every day". | 35872833 |
The inquiry into the Al-Hijrah Trust will look into allegations its trustees failed to comply with financial regulations.
The commission, which regulates charities in England and Wales, said it followed an inspection in February.
Lawyers acting on behalf of the Al-Hijrah Trust have declined to comment.
The commission said its inquiry would focus on the charity's finances and particularly the rent it is paid by the Al-Hijrah School.
A spokesman said: "The charity's trustees have repeatedly failed to submit the charity's accounts within the statutory timescales and address concerns, previously raised by the commission, over the charity's internal financial controls."
The commission added the trust was not responsible for the running of the school or its funding, and said the school was not the subject of the inquiry.
In December, Birmingham City Council launched an investigation into claims the Al-Hijrah Trust used £1m of taxpayers' money to set up a faith school in Pakistan.
A council spokesperson said: "We continue to work with the relevant statutory agencies and will consider the findings of the Charity Commission." | A charitable trust in Birmingham which runs a school, library, mosque and community centre is being investigated by the Charity Commission. | 33727762 |
9 November 2016 Last updated at 16:15 GMT
Trump beat rival Hillary Clinton to the top spot, in an election which has divided many people's opinions.
He will become the 45th president of the United States.
We asked some UK kids what their message to Donald Trump would be... | American businessman Donald Trump has won the US election, meaning he will be the next president of the United States. | 37925080 |
Brighter Futures was one of 21 projects across the country to get a share of £3.5m grants from the government's Homelessness Transition Fund.
The charity said the money would be used to find accommodation for the 66 rough sleepers believed to be in Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme.
It said two key workers would also be employed to provide support.
Brighter Futures said the money would allow it to focus better on the long-term homeless in the area, many of whom had complex issues including alcohol and drug addictions and mental health problems.
"The goal is to accommodate them all and ensure they do not return to the streets," it said.
The key workers are also expected to help rough sleepers access treatments and therapies, as well as advice on issues such as debt and benefits. | A Stoke-on-Trent homelessness charity has been given almost £200,000 in a bid to "end" rough sleeping in the city. | 19788068 |
In Rhyl, Denbighshire - one of the worst-hit areas - evacuees are being cared for at the town's leisure centre, and 400 properties are without power.
Many were ferried to safety by the RNLI and emergency services.
Another high tide is expected in the area just after midnight, but serious flooding is not expected.
Thursday's storm hit the coastline about lunchtime causing major disruption with roads closed, schools shut and trains stopped.
Two severe warnings - suggesting there was a danger to life - had been issued for the area earlier on Thursday.
In Rhyl, one of the worst affected areas, a rest centre has been set up at the leisure centre for residents and schoolchildren forced to leave buildings because of the tidal surge.
At one point, up to 400 people were being cared for there, but about 90 remained by Thursday evening.
Denbighshire council said 400 properties were without power, in addition to the homes that had been affected by flooding.
At least 25 residents and six dogs were rescued and two inshore lifeboats manned by RNLI crews and assisted by the fire service ferried people to safety from flooded bungalows in Rhyl.
At the height of the flooding, the fire service dealt with 34 flood related calls in a four hour period.
By Chris DeardenBBC Wales News
Most of the flood water in Kinmel Bay, Conwy, has receded, though the local Asda car park is still under water, and water surrounds a nursing home like a moat.
But it's the possibility of further flooding this evening which is now worrying residents as the light begins to fade.
Supermarket staff are busy reinforcing the front doors with sandbags on both sides, and on the seafront, council workers are placing concrete blocks against the flood gates to make sure they hold.
One resident, Kieran Jones (pictured above), has even bricked up his own doorway to give extra protection.
A builder by trade, he said: "I used rapid hardening cement so it will set before any flood waters arrive this evening.
"It was quite scary to see the flood waters coming towards the house this morning.
"We were lucky they didn't get inside the house earlier, but I don't want to take any chances tonight."
Red Cross volunteers were also helping in Rhyl, sending 4x4 vehicles to help with evacuations.
All of the flood warnings were lifted across north Wales at about 16:00 GMT including the highest state of alert at Greenfield, Bagillt and Point of Ayr.
Earlier, people living near the River Dee at Saltney, Flintshire said they could not remember the river being so high and several cars were caught in the flood water.
A BBC reporter at Talacre, Flintshire said the area was "like a ghost town an hour and a half after the evacuation.
"The Dee estuary is bubbling away like a broth."
There were reports that the defences had broken.
During the height of the storm, scaffolding being used in roof repairs at an Aldi store in Mold, Flintshire, collapsed onto cars in high winds.
An Aldi spokesperson said: "Although nobody was hurt in the incident, we immediately evacuated the store."
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) had warned that high tides and gale force winds could "cause sea surges at their highest levels for the last 10 years, possibly 20 years".
Strong winds of between 60-70mph (97-113km/h) had been reported on the Llyn peninsula on Thursday morning.
The NRW had urged people to keep away from sea fronts and said emergency response workers were at "key sites".
Roads in Wrexham were also affected by fallen trees. Emergency teams went to Ruabon, Johnstown and Wrexham bypass, among other areas.
Flintshire Bridge which straddles the Dee at Connah's Quay was closed.
Meanwhile, Virgin Trains stopped services between Chester and Holyhead.
And Arriva Trains Wales said some of its services had been hit.
The flooding was caused by a storm surge from a combination of low pressure and winds of up to 70 mph, causing water to pile high.
At high tide, the sea level rose by at least a metre above usual levels.
The highest wind speed was 77mph inland at Capel Curig in Conwy.
Elsewhere, a 50 tonne tree fell on top of a car, blocking the A40 near Crickhowell, Powys.
Those inside were taken to hospital Dyfed-Powys Police said they are not believed to be seriously injured.
A Welsh government spokesperson said: "We are in contact with the UK Government on the general situation, and with Natural Resources Wales and responder agencies in Wales on conditions in North Wales."
The Met Office expects the worst of Thursday's weather to hit north and west Scotland and parts of north and eastern England, and has issued an amber "be prepared" warning.
Flood alerts updates and information are available on Floodline 0845 988 11 88. | About 400 people were forced to leave their homes after high tides and gale force winds battered north Wales causing flooding. | 25220290 |
Well, not if you are Tom Meechan.
As a fresh-faced teen new to the University of Birmingham, the striker turned up to mass football try-outs where, no matter how terrible you are, if you pay a fiver you can take a punt at joining one of the university's official teams.
But, drowned out in a sea of mediocrity and hangovers, he failed to make the cut and was not asked back.
Wind the clock forward a few years and the 25-year-old has just joined League Two side Newport County.
"I should think some of them will probably be quite surprised," Meechan said of those that missed him at that trial.
Eventually, at another trial at Christmas, the sports and exercise science student smashed in a volley to make his seniors sit up and take notice - but only so much for the third team.
His goals helped them win the title, but he never made the step up any higher than the second team.
"We always said 'how is Tom Meechan not playing for the first team?'," said former team-mate Sam Brown.
"No matter what level you play at, if you have the ability to score, that counts. Tom always scored, he never missed one-on-ones, he anticipated the ball well, he's so quick and he's just got a natural eye for goal."
At most universities, there will always be a handful of people that have dropped out of professional teams' academies.
One of Meechan's contemporaries was former Arsenal schoolboy Christian Burgess, who was picked up by Middlesbrough while studying for a history degree and now plays for Portsmouth, in the same division as Newport.
Names like the Gunners on your CV will certainly help your reputation when it comes to choosing which team you will play for, but Brown added the team's success may have also held him back.
"We just got in such a natural rhythm of scoring that it probably was that we didn't really want to let him go to the first team," he said.
And how does Meechan think he would have done if given a chance in the first team?
"I scored quite a few goals for the second and third team, but never really had a chance to play in the first team," he said. "I think if I had, I'd have done alright."
After finishing his degree, he did a PGCE conversion course to become a high school maths teacher in Cambridgeshire, where he combined his work with a fledgling non-league football career for Godmanchester Rovers, St Ives Town and St Neots.
"To start a teaching career is quite hectic," he said. "Training during my PGCE year and being first year as a teacher, it was quite difficult to juggle playing football at the same time, with all the travelling and everything involved in that.
"I think I will miss teaching, I did really enjoy it, but it's too good an opportunity to turn down to become a footballer."
After Meechan scored a staggering 53 goals in a season for Thurlow Nunn League Premier Division side Godmanchester, he moved to seventh-tier club St Neots.
Despite the step up, again his goalscoring record - a division-leading 21 - caught the attention of Football League clubs and, amid interest from other teams, he joined Warren Feeney's Newport.
Meechan's move has a few shades of Conor Washington in it, to say the least.
Washington joined the Exiles from one of Meechan's former clubs, St Ives, albeit at a younger age, before moving to Peterborough and then being sold to Championship side QPR for a reported £2.5m.
"It's obviously a similar story, particularly with Conor being from the same area," said Meechan.
"One of the pulls of joining Newport was their ability to develop players and some have gone on to bigger clubs from there.
"It's a bit surreal at the moment going into training every day and just living the life of a footballer. It's very different to what I was used to.
"It's a huge step going three leagues up halfway through the season. So for the rest of the season, I'm just going to go into training, work hard and see what happens from there.
"Hopefully I can repay the faith Newport have shown in me when they purchased me."
That is faith that the University of Birmingham first team probably wish they had had. | A player who will later be deemed good enough for professional football will surely have no trouble getting into a university team, right? | 35643930 |
The 21-year-old, who has yet to play for Spurs' first team, has made 18 appearances for Posh since joining the club at the end of August.
McGee was due to return to White Hart Lane at the beginning of January.
"He has been top drawer since he joined the club and he is only going to get better," Posh boss Grant McCann said. | Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Luke McGee has extended his loan deal at League One Peterborough United until the end of the season. | 38341033 |
N Srinivasan recently stood down temporarily as chief of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) following a Supreme Court ruling.
He owns a team in the IPL, the world's richest cricket tournament.
He is regarded as the world's most powerful cricket administrator.
He was elected chairman of cricket's world governing body, the International Cricket Council, in February and is due to take up the role in July.
Last month, former India captain and batting legend Sunil Gavaskar was installed as the interim head of the cricket board.
The Supreme Court said on Wednesday that the BCCI should appoint a panel to investigate the charges against Mr Srinivasan and 12 others, including some players.
"Having come to know the nature of allegations, we cannot close our eyes," the court said.
The court said when the allegations of corruption in IPL "were brought to his [Mr Srinivasan's] notice... he did not take any action. That means he was aware about the allegations and did not take it seriously".
The seventh edition of the 20-over tournament, which features eight teams, begins on Wednesday and runs until 1 June.
The last season of the IPL was dogged by allegations of spot-fixing and betting.
Spot-fixing involves players bowling wides and no-balls at certain times arranged beforehand with bookmakers.
Mr Srinivasan had "stepped aside" from his post as BCCI president in June last year after his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan was arrested over allegations of betting.
Mr Meiyappan was later freed on bail, and Mr Srinivasan returned as the head of the cricket board before he was asked to leave his post. Both men deny any wrongdoing.
The IPL is considered to be the world's showcase for Twenty20 cricket. Top Indian and international players take part, contributing to what is the world's richest cricket tournament. | India's Supreme Court has asked the cricket board to investigate the role of a top cricket official and 12 others in spot-fixing and illegal betting in the Indian Premier League. | 27049214 |
Robert Pride-McLeod, 49, was found dead in a cellar at the hostel on Robert Street on 21 January 2007.
An inquest recorded an open verdict into his death but post-mortem tests found he had suffered a head injury.
Detectives, who first reopened the case in 2015, said they are determined to find those responsible for his death.
Mr Pride-McLeod, who had heart problems, was made homeless nine days before his death.
Three people were arrested during the initial investigation but were released without charge.
It is thought Mr Pride-McLeod was assaulted shortly before he died.
More on this and other local stories from across North Yorkshire
Det Insp Mark Pearson of North Yorkshire Police said he believes there are still people in the Harrogate community that hold vital information about what happened but have not yet come forward.
"Someone will know what happened in the final moments of Mr Pride-McLeod's life and I'd urge them to get in touch," he said.
Mr Pride-McLeod was made homeless on 12 January 2007 and was given a room on the first floor of the hostel.
His room was found empty three days later and he was found dead later that week.
No-one has reported seeing him since he was helped to his room by a security guard, Mr Pearson said.
The house where Mr Pride-McLeod was found is no longer a homeless hostel but at the time there were seven rooms and a flat which were occupied. | Detectives have renewed an appeal for information about the death of a Harrogate man in a homeless hostel 10 years ago. | 38594095 |
While several voice regret at the potential damage to the widely popular Lula's reputation, they also argue it also sends a strong signal about the rule of the law in Brazil.
"It is a profoundly sad day, but it also demonstrates the fact that no-one, not even Lula, is above the law," Eliane Cantanhede writes in the Estadao daily.
She adds that there is now a strong possibility that the scandal could give a new impetus to attempts to impeach Ms Rousseff.
Cantanhede also voices the fear that this may be a struggle that plays out through violence on the streets.
"Dilma is totally isolated in her palaces, while Lula is moving away from his 'peace and love' image and calling his troops to war," she warns.
In newspaper Globo, Miriam Leitao says the search of Lula's residence and his temporary arrest - codenamed Operation Aletheia ("Truth" in ancient Greek) - has "raised the political temperature to its highest level".
But she also voices satisfaction that "no-one in the country is an untouchable person anymore, and that is what Aletheia is proving".
Writing in Folha de Sao Paulo, Igor Gielow argues that the latest events will give a powerful boost to the campaign to remove the Workers' Party from power, already fuelled by anger at corruption and the poor economy.
He also predicts that supporters of Lula may still have the strength and support to survive the wider investigation against him - dubbed Operation Lava Jato, or Car Wash.
"Lula is a master of resurrections and has the best-known political resilience in the country - but this could be drowned by the [car wash] water jets," he says.
Speaking on Brazil's Radio CBN on Friday, analyst Merval Pereira said he believed Lula would have a tough fight on his hands.
"The evidence that the prosecutors have gathered is very strong and the former president will probably be tried," Mr Pereira argued.
Journalist Carlos Alberto Sardenberg - speaking to the same station - agreed, saying that investigating authorities must be sure of their data as it "will provoke a strong reaction from the PT, its allies and the government, especially President Dilma Rousseff".
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. | Brazilian media commentators believe former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's questioning in a major fraud inquiry could have serious repercussions for his future and that of his ally and successor, President Dilma Rousseff. | 35729660 |
The figure takes borrowing for the financial year to date to £74.2bn, £11bn lower than at this point in 2014.
The running total is already above the £68.9bn forecast for the whole fiscal year by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).
However, government finances usually record a surplus in January as a large number of tax bills are paid then.
Both October and November's monthly borrowing figures had been higher than expected, leading some economists to doubt that the OBR's borrowing forecast for the current financial year would be met.
Commenting on the latest borrowing figures the OBR said in a statement: "Meeting our full-year forecast for 2015-16... would require borrowing to fall by £20.2bn in the year as a whole.
"That implies an overall surplus of around £5.5bn over the next three months, compared with a £4bn deficit in the same period last year."
"Our forecast does assume stronger growth in [tax] receipts in the remainder of the year... But considerable uncertainty nonetheless remains over prospects for the rest of the financial year."
In the 2014-15 financial year, borrowing was £89.1bn.
The latest borrowing figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) mean total public sector net debt - excluding support for public sector banks - is now £1.54 trillion, or 81.0% of GDP.
Chancellor George Osborne's overall plan is to eliminate the annual gap between government spending and revenue by the end of this decade.
This December's figure was lower than last year partly because last year the UK made a one-off payment to the European Union to reflect revised estimates to gross national income.
Paul Hollingsworth, UK economist at analysts Capital Economics said the chancellor still looked likely to miss the OBR's target: "Today's figures left the cumulative borrowing total for the fiscal year so far at £74.2bn, above the OBR's forecast of £68.9bn for the fiscal year as a whole.
"Granted, January typically sees a big surplus which should bring the total closer to this estimate. But borrowing still looks likely to overshoot the target this year, possibly by as much as £10.0bn."
David Kern, chief economist at the British Chambers of Commerce, said it was still possible the chancellor would meet the target - although the latest drop in the oil price could make that harder.
"After November's setback, the marked improvement in December makes it likely that public finances will show an overall improvement in the current financial year, and there is a chance that the OBR's forecast made in the Autumn Statement will be met."
But he added there was "no room for complacency".
"The weaker financial sector and depleted oil and gas output mean that the UK's ability to generate tax receipts has experienced a long-term decline," Mr Kern said.
Conversely, Michael Martins, an economist at the Institute of Directors, said the recent volatility in the financial markets could provide a short-term boost for the government by lowering the cost of borrowing.
In times of market turbulence, investors often turn to government bonds, a move that lowers the interest rates payable by the government on them.
The ONS recently changed the way public debt was calculated to include debt carried by housing associations and other social housing providers. It will start to include this in the borrowing figures from next month.
The OBR's November forecast anticipated the effect on the public finances of the ONS decision.
It estimated that would add £4.5bn to borrowing in 2014-15 and £4.6bn in 2015-16, something it pointed out would have little effect on the year-on-year changes. | The government borrowed £7.5bn in December, £4.3bn lower than the year before, official figures show. | 35380305 |
Vijender Singh, an Olympic medallist, beat Zulpikar Maimaitiali on Saturday, winning the WBO Oriental Super Middleweight belt from him.
But he dedicated his win to the "India-China friendship", and said he wanted to give the belt back.
India and China have been feuding over a disputed border area since June.
The row erupted when India opposed China's attempt to extend a border road through a plateau known as Doklam in India and Donglang in China.
Mr Singh, 31, has been widely praised in India for his win in the much-anticipated fight in Mumbai.
But some appear not to share his message of reconciliation.
"Chinese met a grand defeat in Mumbai and same will happen in Doklam," a yoga guru and businessman called Baba Ramdev tweeted.
Why is the India-China border stand-off escalating?
It is unclear if the Chinese competitor has responded to the offer, or if competition officials would allow the belt to be returned.
The disputed plateau lies at a junction between China, the north-eastern Indian state of Sikkim and Bhutan.
It is currently disputed between China and Bhutan. India supports Bhutan's claim over it.
India is concerned that if the road is completed, it will give China greater access to India's strategically vulnerable "chicken's neck", a 20km (12-mile) wide corridor that links the seven north-eastern states to the Indian mainland.
On Thursday China's defence ministry warned India that it would not back down. | An Indian boxer who beat a Chinese rival has offered to return the championship belt he won as peace gesture, amid a tense border stand-off. | 40843119 |
The blaze broke out in Queens Road in Somersham, Cambridgeshire, at about 20:00 BST on Monday.
The two people died at the scene, police said. Neighbouring houses were evacuated as the firefighters spent about three hours tackling the blaze.
Police said they were not treating the fire as suspicious. The cause is not yet known and the fire service is continuing its investigation.
More on this and other news from Cambridgeshire | A man and a woman have died in a house fire. | 35916659 |
DJI introduced geo-fencing in 2013 - a technology that uses GPS location signals to stop its machines flying close to airports, professional sports events and other restricted zones.
The opt-out allows operators to disable the ban in many, but not all, cases.
The Chinese firm says it will keep a record of those who use the feature.
It suggests the move will make it easier for authorised personnel to carry out inspections and other sanctioned activities in controlled areas.
But one expert questioned the wisdom of the move.
DJI's Geo app is used to control its Phantom and Inspire drones.
If the pilot sends one of the aircraft into a flagged zone, a prompt appears asking them to verify their account and acknowledge what they are doing.
In the past, the only way to achieve this was to request an override from the company or hack the drones' firmware.
"We don't have the ability to verify if someone has authorisation," Brendan Schulman, DJI's legal affairs chief told the BBC.
"Essentially, the principle here is operator responsibility and accountability.
"Just like driving a car, it is up to the operator to be licensed, to have the car registered and insured - the manufacturer of an automobile doesn't decide who gets to drive or not.
"Similarly, we have provided a mechanism for operators to take responsibility and verify their accounts and then go ahead and fly in most of these locations, which [takes into account] the balance between safety and innovation."
To make use of the override, a user must have given DJI their credit card details or a mobile number to act as an ID.
This means the firm can help the authorities track down those who misuse it.
"Our policy is to provide information about our customers only in response to a valid legal request," Mr Schulman said.
"So, in the US it would be a subpoena or a warrant or a court order."
It remains impossible to use the app to avoid geo-fencing over the US capital, Washington DC. DJI has also added new areas that cannot be unlocked including prisons, nuclear power plants and the innermost areas of busy airports.
One drones expert raised concerns, suggesting it should be up to regulators - rather than a manufacturer - to decide who bypasses the no-fly limitation.
"It would probably make more sense that if someone needed to violate geo-fencing rules, it should be done in a more specific controlled manner than a broad way in which pretty much anyone can do it and there's just a record of it," commented Ravi Vaidyanathan, a robotics lecturer at Imperial College London.
Although the UK government has raised the prospect of making geo-fencing mandatory on drones, at present it is not a compulsory feature anywhere in the world.
"Tough penalties are already in place for misuse of drones, including up to five years' imprisonment for endangering an aircraft," said a spokeswoman for the UK's Department of Transport.
"We will be consulting on proposals, including registration and licensing options, before a government strategy is published later this year."
DJI noted that it had allowed some users to beta test its opt-out since December, and was not aware of it causing problems.
"Someone who is going to misuse a drone will purchase another brand or try to disable the systems [anyway]," added Mr Schulman.
"The feature presumes the good faith of responsible operators and that is what we've seen." | The bestselling drone-maker has updated its app to let owners bypass a feature that stops its aircraft flying into or taking off in sensitive locations. | 36717538 |
The man, who is aged in his 40s, was taken to hospital with serious injuries after the attack at a house in Vicarage Hill, Westerham, on Sunday.
Kent Police said the injuries inflicted by the dogs were not life threatening.
Officers in riot gear contained the animals in one room of the property before they were removed.
The animals were then sedated by specialists, assisted by an RSPCA inspector and an independent vet.
Firearms officers were called to the scene and the road outside the property was closed temporarily to "ensure public safety".
In a statement, Kent Police said the dogs, believed to be bullmastiffs, belonged to the man's friend.
It added: "Five dogs believed to be bullmastiffs have been safely removed from the property and work to ensure their welfare is ongoing by police and partner agencies.
"We are managing the dogs' welfare but it is too soon to say what will happen to them." | A man who was bitten on the head, neck and arms by up to five dogs was looking after the animals for a friend, it has been revealed. | 35742918 |
The Bears Ears National Monument and the Gold Butte National Monument will protect areas rich in Native American artefacts from energy drilling.
Some Republicans in those states are opposed to the move and say it amounts to a federal land-grab.
It comes as Mr Obama attempts to secure his environmental legacy.
Since the election of Republican Donald Trump as next US president, Mr Obama has moved to block new mining claims by Yellowstone National Park and new oil drilling in the vulnerable Arctic Ocean.
The Hawaiian-born president has protected more land and water acreage than any other US president.
But experts say it will be hard for Mr Trump to reverse it when he takes power.
Christy Goldfuss, managing director of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, said a sitting president cannot undo a previous president's national monument designations.
However, western lawmakers reacted with outrage to the announcement, which came as Congress was in recess for the holiday season.
They see it as government overreach and a block to potential energy development.
"This arrogant act by a lame duck president will not stand," said Utah Senator Mike Lee about Bears Ears, which is named for a set of rock formations.
In what Native American tribes view as a victory, the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah will cover 1.35 million acres in the Four Corners region.
It will protect the estimated 100,000 archaeological sites in the area including ancient cliff dwellings.
In Nevada, the 300,000-acre Gold Butte National Monument outside Las Vegas will protect rock art, fossils and recently discovered dinosaur tracks.
Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye praised the announcement.
"We have always looked to Bears Ears as a place of refuge," Mr Begaye said.
"The rocks, the winds, the land - they are living, breathing things that deserve timely and lasting protection." | President Barack Obama has unilaterally designated two new "national monument" nature preserves in the western US states of Nevada and Utah. | 38462136 |
There has been a wave of anti-government protests and dozens of people have been killed in protest-related violence since April
Here, we look more in depth at the problems facing Venezuela and its president, Nicolas Maduro.
Venezuela is split into Chavistas, the name given to the followers of the socialist policies of the late President Hugo Chavez, and those who cannot wait to see an end to the 18 years in power of his United Socialist Party (PSUV).
After the socialist leader died in 2013, Nicolas Maduro, also of the PSUV, was elected president on a promise to continue Mr Chavez's policies.
Chavistas praise the two men for using Venezuela's oil riches to markedly reduce inequality and for lifting many Venezuelans out of poverty.
But the opposition says that since the PSUV came to power in 1999, the socialist party has eroded Venezuela's democratic institutions and mismanaged its economy.
Chavistas in turn accuse the opposition of being elitist and of exploiting poor Venezuelans to increase their own riches.
They also allege that opposition leaders are in the pay of the United States, a country with which Venezuela has had fraught relations in recent years.
Mr Maduro has not been able to inspire Chavistas in the same way his predecessor did. His government has furthermore been hampered by falling oil prices.
Oil accounts for about 95% of Venezuela's export revenues and was used to finance some of the government's generous social programmes which, according to official figures, have provided more than one million poor Venezuelans with homes.
The lack of oil revenue has forced the government to curtail its social programmes, leading to an erosion of support among its core backers.
Watch: Maduro pelted by protesters
A series of events has further heightened tensions between the government and the opposition and led to renewed street protests.
Key was the surprise announcement by the Supreme Court on 29 March that it was taking over the powers of the opposition-controlled National Assembly.
The opposition said that the ruling undermined the country's separation of powers and took Venezuela a step closer to one-man rule under President Nicolas Maduro.
The court argued that the National Assembly had disregarded previous Supreme Court rulings and was therefore in contempt.
While the Supreme Court reversed its ruling just three days later, distrust of the court did not subside.
They have four key demands:
Faced with almost daily protests, President Maduro probably felt he needed to make a move.
Not willing to give in to the opposition's demand for early presidential elections, he chose to announce the creation of a constituent assembly.
President Maduro says the opposition is trying to illegally overthrow his elected government and blames the country's problems on an "economic war" being waged against him.
He argues that a new constitution will "neutralise" the opposition and defeat "coup-plotters" and thereby promote peace in Venezuela.
Opposition leaders have denounced the move as an attempt by President Maduro to maximise his power and cling on to it for longer.
They argue that the process of setting up a constituent assembly and drawing up a new constitution would almost certainly mean that regional elections due to be held this year and presidential polls scheduled for December 2018 would be delayed.
They also fear that the constituent assembly would further weaken the National Assembly, Venezuela's opposition-controlled legislative body.
National Assembly leader Julio Borges called it "a scam to deceive the Venezuelan people with a mechanism that is nothing more than a tightening of the coup in Venezuela". | Tension in Venezuela is on the rise again as the opposition and the government accuse each other of trying to stage a coup. | 36319877 |
Promoted to open, the 24-year-old made 126 off 147 balls, with two sixes off spinner Zafar Ansari and 18 fours.
He shared a stand of 120 with Ben Raine (57), but the last five wickets went for 17 as they were all out for 292.
Matt Dunn claimed 4-72 for Surrey and Kevin Pietersen made 35 not out as they ended the day well-placed on 105-2.
Pietersen will be looking for a big innings on the second day to send a message to Andrew Strauss - England's newly appointed director of cricket - ahead of the summer Test series against New Zealand and Australia.
He has only managed scores of 19, 53 not out, 32 and eight not out since starting the summer with a century against Oxford MCCU, but an unbroken stand of 54 with Sri Lanka international Kumar Sangakkara (also 35) put Surrey in a healthy position overnight.
Surrey fast bowler Matt Dunn:
"As a bowling unit we applied pressure throughout. They had a really good partnership in the middle, which set us back a bit.
"Lewis Hill played really well, but I think we kept them to what we think is a below par score."
Leicestershire opener Lewis Hill:
"My heart rate was going quite fast in the nineties, but Ben Raine did a great job calming me down.
"The idea was to be positive and pounce on anything loose. I was disappointed to get out when I did. I probably lost my concentration a little bit." | Lewis Hill scored his maiden first-class century in only his second appearance for Leicestershire on the opening day against Surrey at The Oval. | 32654508 |
Our arrest was dramatic.
We were on a quiet stretch of road in the capital, Doha, on our way to film a group of workers from Nepal.
The working and housing conditions of migrant workers constructing new buildings in Qatar ahead of the World Cup have been heavily criticised and we wanted to see them for ourselves.
Suddenly, eight white cars surrounded our vehicle and directed us on to a side road at speed.
A dozen security officers frisked us in the street, shouting at us when we tried to talk. They took away our equipment and hard drives and drove us to their headquarters.
Later, in the city's main police station, the cameraman, translator, driver and I were interrogated separately by intelligence officers. The questioning was hostile.
We were never accused of anything directly, instead they asked over and over what we had done and who we had met.
During a pause in proceedings, one officer whispered that I couldn't make a phone call to let people know where we were. He explained that our detention was being dealt with as a matter of national security.
An hour into my grilling, one of the interrogators brought out a paper folder of photographs which proved they had been trailing me in cars and on foot for two days since the moment I'd arrived.
I was shown pictures of myself and the team standing in the street, at a coffee shop, on board a bus and even lying next to a swimming pool with friends. It was a shock. I had never suspected I was being tailed.
At 01:00, we were taken to the local prison.
It was meant to be the first day of our PR tour but instead we were later handcuffed and taken to be questioned for a second time, at the department of public prosecutions.
Thirteen hours of waiting around and questioning later, one of the interrogators snapped. "This is not Disneyland," he barked. "You can't stick your camera anywhere."
It was as if he felt we were treating his country like something to be gawped at, suggesting we thought of trips to see controversial housing and working conditions as a form of entertainment.
"The Government Communications Office invited a dozen reporters to see - first-hand - some sub-standard labour accommodation as well as some of the newer labour villages. We gave the reporters free rein to interview whomever they chose and to roam unaccompanied in the labour villages.
"Perhaps anticipating that the government would not provide this sort of access, the BBC crew decided to do their own site visits and interviews in the days leading up to the planned tour. In doing so, they trespassed on private property, which is against the law in Qatar just as it is in most countries. Security forces were called and the BBC crew was detained."
"We are pleased that the BBC team has been released but we deplore the fact that they were detained in the first place. Their presence in Qatar was no secret and they were engaged in a perfectly proper piece of journalism.
"The Qatari authorities have made a series of conflicting allegations to justify the detention, all of which the team rejects. We are pressing the Qatari authorities for a full explanation and for the return of the confiscated equipment."
In perfect English and with more than a touch of malice, he threatened us with another four days in prison - to teach us a lesson.
I began my second night in prison on a disgusting soiled mattress. At least we did not go hungry, as we had the previous day. One of the guards took pity on us and sent out for roast chicken with rice.
In the early hours of the next morning, just as suddenly as we were arrested, we were released.
Bizarrely, we were allowed to join the organised press trip for which we had come.
It was as if nothing had happened, despite the fact that our kit was still impounded, and we were banned from leaving the country.
I can only report on what has happened now that our travel ban has been lifted.
No charges were brought, but our belongings have still not been returned.
So why does Qatar welcome members of the international media while at the same time imprisoning them?
Is it a case of the left arm not knowing what the right arm is doing, or is it an internal struggle for control between modernisers and conservatives?
Whatever the explanation, Qatar's Jekyll-and-Hyde approach to journalism has been exposed by the spotlight that has been thrown on it after winning the World Cup bid.
Other journalists and activists, including a German TV crew, have also recently been detained.
How the country handles the media, as it prepares to host one of the world's most watched sporting events, is now also becoming a concern.
Mustafa Qadri, Amnesty International's Gulf migrant rights researcher, told us the detentions of journalists and activists could be attempts "to intimidate those who seek to expose labour abuse in Qatar".
Qatar, the world's richest country for its population size of little more than two million people, is pouring money into trying to improve its reputation for allowing poor living standards for low-skilled workers to persist.
Inside Qatar's squalid labour camps
A highly respected London-based PR firm, Portland Communications, now courts international journalists. On the day we left prison, it showed us spacious and comfortable villas for construction workers, with swimming pools, gyms and welfare officers.
This was part of the showcase tour of workers' accommodation, and it was organised by the prime minister's office.
Qatar's World Cup organising committee, which answers to Fifa, was helping to run the tour.
Fifa says it is now investigating what happened to us. It has issued the following statement: "Any instance relating to an apparent restriction of press freedom is of concern to Fifa and will be looked into with the seriousness it deserves."
Following our detention, the minister of labour agreed to talk to us on camera about how the media can cover what human rights campaigners have identified as "forced labour" within his country.
"Qatar is an open country forever, since ever," Abdullah al-Khulaifi said.
"The shortcomings that I am facing, the problems I am facing, I cannot hide. Qatar is open and now with the smartphones, everyone is a journalist," he said.
He said the negative coverage of migrant workers' conditions was wildly overblown and that much progress had been made to improve basic conditions for migrant workers.
The government has implemented a wage protection scheme. It says at least 450 companies have been banned from working in the country and more than $6m (£3.8m) of fines have been handed out to firms mistreating workers, and the number of inspectors has been doubled.
Workers are now ferried to and from work in buses, not lorries.
But change has not come easily in what one security guard privately described to me as a country with surveillance officers everywhere.
Without trade unions or a free media, bosses of large domestic and international companies have little incentive to radically improve conditions for well over a million labourers desperate for money.
Before we were detained, I met an 18-year-old mechanic, one of the 400,000 Nepalese workers there.
He said he wanted to support his older brothers because his father had died and the family was struggling financially.
He paid a recruitment agency in Nepal $600 to arrange his visa to work in Qatar and was told he would earn $300 a month.
When he arrived he was told his salary, as a labour camp cleaner for air conditioning mechanics, was in fact $165 a month. He said he has never been given a copy of the contract he signed. Worse still, he said he could not understand it as it was in English.
It's a very common trick that foreign recruitment agents play before workers even get to Qatar, and very difficult for Qatar itself to police, although it says it is trying.
This young man now finds himself at the mercy of Qatar's restrictive kafala system, which prevents workers from changing jobs for five years. Being tied to an employer in that way can leave migrant workers open to exploitation.
However, with so much money needed for rebuilding decimated parts of Nepal, there will be no shortage of future volunteers.
And as Qatar's World Cup approaches, the focus on migrant labour is only likely to increase.
UPDATE, 25 May: After three weeks of asking the authorities to return our equipment, alongside pressure from Fifa, diplomats and politicians, it is now back in our hands. Intelligence officers have wiped the video footage from our memory cards and the translator's phone is broken. | We were invited to Qatar by the prime minister's office to see new flagship accommodation for low-paid migrant workers in early May - but while gathering additional material for our report, we ended up being thrown into prison for doing our jobs. | 32775563 |
The tourists came within 6.3 overs of securing a draw, but Cook pointed to England's loss of seven wickets for 36 runs on Saturday.
"In these conditions you can't afford those two or three hours," said Cook.
"But the character we have shown today - we are disappointed not to get over the line."
England number eight Adil Rashid, playing in only his second Test, batted for four hours on a wearing fifth-day pitch while Mark Wood and Stuart Broad also provided admirable final-day assistance.
Joe Root (71), Jonny Bairstow (22) and Jos Buttler (7) were all dismissed before lunch, but the tailenders threatened to deny Pakistan what had looked a routine victory.
Spinners Yasir Shah (4-87) and Zulfiqar Babar (3-53) finally broke through in the final hour of the day to ensure the hosts head into the final Test of the series at Sharjah on Sunday 1-0 up.
"These are a fantastic bunch of players," added Cook. "The lower order showed a lot of character.
"You always think that it is never over. Mark Wood and Jimmy Anderson are capable so it wasn't impossible. Some good things have come out of this but we shouldn't have been in that position.
"We will dust ourselves off now. It will be a great last Test."
England have concerns over the form of Jos Buttler, Ian Bell and Moeen Ali, while Cook has a groin injury.
Buttler averages 13 in his past 12 Test innings, Bell averages 26.55 in 2015 while Moeen's six wickets against Pakistan have come at a cost of 53 runs each and he has scored 48 runs in four innings as opener.
"Moeen didn't quite get it right with the ball," Cook added on Sky Sports. "Sometimes when you are expected to turn it and take wickets you try too hard and force it.
"He will be disappointed. We are lucky we have a six-man attack to share the load.
"Jos is going through a tough time. This is what happens in international cricket, that someone is struggling.
"I am proud of my fitness. Yesterday I had a sore groin that hampered me. Maybe these days in the heat have taken their toll. I should be OK for the third Test."
Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq said: "You have to give credit to the opposition.
"They showed character. They played very well on the last day against two really good spinners.
"Overall, the spinners bowled well, under pressure. When we needed the breakthrough they kept their nerve." | England captain Alastair Cook blamed a first-innings batting collapse for his side's defeat by Pakistan in the second Test in Dubai. | 34640707 |
Now, the five-year civil war that rages in Syria has left much of it destroyed and divided roughly in two, with President Bashar al-Assad's forces controlling the west and the rebels the east.
A month ago, government forces re-imposed a siege on the east, and launched an all-out assault to take full control of the city, accompanied by an intense and sustained aerial bombardment.
Activists say the offensive has left hundreds of civilians dead, but the government and its ally Russia have denied targeting them and blamed rebel fighters for operating in residential areas.
But what about the 275,000 people who are trapped there? Where are they getting their food from? Do they have enough water and medicine?
There is no single group in charge in eastern Aleppo - it is divided between mainstream rebels backed by the US and its allies; the al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly known as al-Nusra Front; and Kurdish forces, who say they support neither the government or the opposition.
In the Kurdish-controlled district of Sheikh Maqsoud, markets are well stocked and prices are stable, according to the Reach Initiative, which is in touch with people on the ground to gather regular humanitarian reports.
One road out of Sheikh Maqsoud has opened up in the daytime, allowing people to get out and goods to get in. But the district is surrounded by checkpoints, meaning people from the other areas under siege cannot get in and out easily.
In other parts of eastern Aleppo, the situation is more urgent. Generators are running out of fuel, meaning electric power is sporadic, and some air raid shelters - where residents may spend hours or wait overnight for bombing to stop - are not wired with electric light at all.
Humanitarian aid agencies have been unable to get into eastern Aleppo since the siege resumed on 4 September.
Both the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross have been calling for humanitarian corridors to be opened up since then, but so far those calls have been ignored.
That said, charities are still in contact with people who live there.
Reach says some markets are still up and running in parts of Aleppo under siege, but for key foodstuffs like eggs, flour, vegetables, fruit, chicken and cooking oil, whether you will get them or not is touch-and-go.
In three districts - Qadi Askar, Masakin Hanano and Tariq al-Bab - markets have run out of flour completely. Reach says some people are rationing their last pieces of dried bread and tubes of tomato paste, while others are bartering what is left in their cupboards.
For food that you can get, the price is hugely inflated.
Before the conflict, seven pieces of flatbread cost 15 Syrian pounds. Now, it comes in packets of six pieces, costing 451 Syrian pounds on average (£1.66, $2.12) - expensive in a city under siege, where many ways of earning money have disappeared.
Water, too, has become a weapon in the war as government forces attempt to make the rebels and civilians in eastern Aleppo surrender.
Pumping stations have been damaged in the bombing and most of the city - including parts of the government-held west where some 1.2 million people live - has no running water coming out of the taps.
People are buying water from wells and privately-owned water tankers, and carrying it home in buckets. Many have reported that it tastes bad, and there is no guarantee that it is free of disease.
It is hard to say whether anyone has died of hunger in the siege because with aid agencies unable to get inside, they cannot accurately diagnose the level of malnutrition.
But Pablo Marco from the charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said: "The siege is pushing people towards starvation."
Many doctors have fled the city as refugees or been killed in the fighting, and there are just 30 doctors remaining in eastern Aleppo.
Using the UN's estimate for the number of people trapped there - 275,000 - that means there is roughly one doctor for every 9,100 people.
This in a place that is being bombed every day - at least 376 people were killed and 1,266 wounded in the first two weeks of the latest government's assault, according to the UN.
The places where doctors work have been repeatedly targeted by government and Russian air strikes, activists and charities say. The UN says six hospitals are still operating, although they are only partially functional.
Two hospitals have been almost totally destroyed in the past two weeks, and three doctors and two nurses killed.
Mr Marco from MSF painted a troubling picture of the state of healthcare in the area.
He said: "The few remaining hospitals are collapsing under a flow of hundreds of wounded lying in agony on the floors of wards and corridors.
"Doctors are performing brain and abdominal surgeries to the victims of bombing on the floors of the emergency rooms, for lack of available operating theatres."
But some creative innovation helps save lives. Some doctors are using Skype to get help carrying out operations that they personally have never done before.
Other medical facts of life in besieged Aleppo:
And it is not just in the aftermath of air strikes that people's health and lives are at risk. Medications for heart disease, diabetes and other long-term conditions are running short too.
Zulfiye Kazim of Reach Initiative said long-term medical supplies are frequently reported as being the most urgent. She said: "They're not something that can be left out in favour of conflict-related medications. They are actually prioritised."
Women's hygiene products like sanitary pads are not easily available in besieged Aleppo, except in the Kurdish-controlled area. Women and girls who are on their periods are forced to use old rags instead of disposable sanitary pads.
As water is not guaranteed to be clean, doing so means they could get infections.
In August, the UN Children's Fund (Unicef) estimated that 35,000 people were internally displaced inside eastern Aleppo, some of whom were in official shelters run in abandoned buildings, others staying with family or friends, and still others sleeping outdoors in parks and streets.
Not many will have been able to leave since then - and it is likely that the number of people not sleeping in their own homes has gone up. And even those who are still at home know they are not safe.
Ms Kazim told the BBC: "People are saying there is no safe place to go. There may be many who are staying in places that they don't consider to be adequate but they're staying anyway."
Nearly half the people who live in besieged Aleppo are under the age of 18. Many of their schools have closed or moved. Some of the buildings have been bombed, while others are being used as shelters for displaced people, or fighters in the conflict are using them for military purposes.
It might be difficult to imagine any child going back to school when bombs are falling.
But if not at school, the children who are in Aleppo are still at risk: playing in the street, at home or even swimming in bomb craters. And when schools re-opened last week, some children were there.
One girl, Judy, walks through rubble to get to class. She told Unicef: "I go to school every day except for the times when I hear the planes."
Teacher Wissam Zarqa works at a school in a besieged area. He told the BBC that the number of students was "less than usual" but said parents did not always take the first week of term seriously, and that numbers might pick up as pupils learned where the school's new building was.
A supporter of the rebels, Mr Zarqa said: "After all these crimes we will feel ashamed if we just run away. The next generation should have a better country to live in."
Why are Aleppo's children so badly affected?
Reporting by Nalina Eggert | Aleppo was once a place of culture and commerce, with a jewel of an old city that was on Unesco's list of world heritage sites. | 37561618 |
Mr Nesbitt was addressing delegates at the UUP's spring conference.
"Without co-operation, there was a real danger that our capital city would have no pro-union MP after 7 May," he said.
Mr Nesbitt said its "pro-union potential" had not been maximised, as the DUP "would not discuss South Belfast in a practical manner".
"So, the understanding is not what (DUP leader) Peter Robinson wanted any more than it is what I wanted, but politics is about the art of the possible, and this arrangement was the best possible, given the different direction the DUP was approaching from," he said.
The deal involves four constituencies where the UUP and DUP will field a single candidate in May's general election.
The UUP is standing aside in both North and East Belfast in favour of the DUP.
In return, the DUP is encouraging support for UUP candidates in Fermanagh and South Tyrone, and in Newry and Armagh. | Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt has said his party's electoral pact with the DUP in four Westminster seats is the "best possible" arrangement. | 32101060 |
The money will help the ride-hailing service to expand in the Middle East, where the company says 80% of its Saudi Arabian users are women.
Women are banned from driving themselves in the country.
The new funding values Uber at $62.5bn and will put one of the fund's managing directors, Yasir al-Rumayyan, on the board.
The investment from the Public Investment Fund, set up by the kingdom to develop the country and invest its oil revenues, was part of Uber's most recent fundraising round.
Uber will invest $250m in the Middle East, where it has been expanding aggressively.
So-called ride-hailing apps, whereby vetted drivers pick up paying passengers, are expanding rapidly around the world, despite certain cities banning the services amid fears over the standards and licensing of drivers.
The European Commission on Thursday warned against restrictions on "sharing economy" services such as Uber and Airbnb.
"Absolute bans and quantitative restrictions should only be used as a measure of last resort," it said.
Any restrictions by EU members on these online services should be proportionate to the public interest, the Commission added.
Ride-hailing apps have attracted significant cash injections from a range of investors.
Carmakers Toyota and Volkswagen recently struck separate partnerships with Uber and Gett, an Israel-based rideshare operator.
Uber's deal with Toyota followed Apple's $1bn investment in Chinese ride-hailing service Didi Chuxing.
In March, General Motors invested $500m in Lyft, a US rival to Uber, to help develop an on-demand network of self-driving cars. | Uber has attracted a $3.5bn (£2.43bn) investment from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. | 36430850 |
The 34-year-old told Racing 92 he could not play in Sunday's Champions Cup semi-final with Leicester as he had to attend to a family matter in Argentina.
But he was pictured in the United States socialising with members of French football club Paris St-Germain.
In a statement, Racing said the suspension is a "precautionary measure prior to launching legal proceedings".
In Castrogiovanni's absence, the Parisian side beat Leicester 19-16 and will meet Saracens in the final on 14 May. | Italy prop Martin Castrogiovanni has been suspended by his club after he was pictured in Las Vegas last weekend. | 36144963 |
Traditionally, Christians would eat pancakes on the last day before Lent begins, to use up foods like eggs and milk, before starting 40 days of fasting for lent.
Now, Pancake Day is celebrated by people all over the world, and some people even hold pancake-flipping competitions.
If you want to join in, you could try this basic pancake recipe, adapted from celeb chef Delia Smith, to make enough mixture for 12-14 pancakes. Yum!
But don't forget to ask your mum and dad to help!
Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl.
Make a well in the centre of the flour and break the eggs into it.
Begin whisking the eggs.
Gradually add small quantities of the milk and water mixture, still whisking.
Whisk until all the liquid has been added and the batter has the consistency of thin cream.
Melt the butter in a pan.
Spoon 2 tbsp of it into the batter and whisk it in. Use the rest of the butter to grease the frying pan before you make each pancake.
Get the pan really hot, then turn the heat down to medium - be really careful doing this bit. You might want to get your mum and dad to help at this point!
Ladle 2 tbsp of the batter into the hot pan all in one go.
Tip it around from side to side to get the base evenly coated with batter.
After about half a minute, and when the bottom is golden in colour, flip the pancake over.
The other side will only need a few seconds to cook.
Slide the pancake out of the pan onto a plate.
To serve, sprinkle each pancake with freshly squeezed lemon juice and caster sugar.
Enjoy! | On Shrove Tuesday, people will be tucking into a pancake feast, as part of a tradition that has lasted for centuries. | 14169054 |
The president said that the two countries would stay close to ensure "economic growth and financial stability".
He said the UK and EU were still "indispensable partners" for the US.
The UK's decision to leave the EU had raised questions about its relationship with the US, a long-time ally.
"While the UK's relationship with the EU will change, one thing that will not change is special relationship that exists between our two nations," Mr Obama said.
The president said he was confident that the UK was committed to an orderly transition from the EU.
During a visit to the UK in April Mr Obama urged Britons to vote to stay in the EU.
He warned that a Brexit would put the UK at "the back of the queue" for negotiating a trade deal with the US, which is focused on striking a free trade deal with the EU.
Mr Obama said he valued his relationship with David Cameron, who said today he would step down as prime minister by October. The two men will have been in office for nearly the same period of time.
The president was speaking at Stanford University on Friday at an entrepreneur summit.
"Yesterday's vote speaks to the ongoing changes and challenges that are raised by globalisation," he told the audience. | Barack Obama said that the special relationship between the US and the UK would endure despite Britain's decision to leave the European Union. | 36626660 |
Aides to Leishemba Sanajaoba say the decision was taken without his consent.
They say it is in violation of a 2006 agreement between the once powerful royal family and the state government.
The authorities say they want to take over the palace and surrounding land to develop it as a heritage site.
King Sanajaoba began his fast on Monday, two days after the Manipur cabinet decided to take over the Sana Konung palace in the state capital, Imphal.
"The king feels betrayed because the government is violating a 2006 memorandum between the two that clearly said no decision would be taken about the palace without his consent," said his adviser Puyam Tomcha.
State officials say they want to renovate the palace and turn it into a tourist attraction.
"The government will arrange for alternative accommodation for King Sanajaoba," a spokesman said.
"We are taking over the palace to turn it around and preserve royal artefacts in it so that the future generations will know about the glorious past of Manipur."
Another big palace in Imphal - the Kangla palace - is being turned into a museum.
The government argues that much of the land around Sana Konung palace has lost its traditional character because it was sold by former King Okendra and used for the construction of high-rise buildings.
"This is why we have appealed to the residents to let the government take over the land around the palace so that we can relive the olden times," the official said.
The Manipur royal family occupied the Kangla palace after the 1891 Anglo-Manipur War and built the Sana Konung for the royals to live in.
Later, it became a military headquarters, housing the paramilitary Assam Rifles after the state joined the Indian federation.
However, the royals, who now have little real power or influence, continue to live in Sana Konung.
In the neighbouring state of Tripura, the royal family has been living in a part of the Ujjyanta palace in the state capital, Agartala, ever since the government acquired most of the building to house the state legislative assembly.
Both Tripura and Manipur became parts of India on 15 October 1949.
But while Tripura's royals have been influential in state politics and are financially much better off, their counterparts in Manipur have struggled to make ends meet.
In recent years they have often been forced to sell land to meet their expenses.
While friends, family and attendants have joined King Sanajaoba's protest over the move, many others in Manipur say the government should have taken the royal family into its confidence before announcing the renovation project.
Manipur has been in the news for another highly publicised hunger strike. For 13 years, Irom Sharmila has refused to eat in protest at the special powers which she, like many Manipuris, feel have been grossly abused by Indian security forces during counter-insurgency operations in the state. She is force-fed through her nose.
Although King Sanajaoba's fast may not continue for that long, it has created ripples in the state where many feel his forefathers were forced to join India. | The titular king of India's north-eastern state of Manipur is on hunger strike, aides say, in protest against the state government's decision to evict him from his ancestral palace. | 23065247 |
England captain Heather Knight's 52 helped Storm chase down Loughborough's total with three balls remaining.
Ellyse Perry (64 not out) had scored more than half of Lightning's runs as they posted a below par 124-7.
Storm reached 124-3 by their 19th over but then lost two quick wickets, before Georgia Hennessy hit the winning runs.
Table-topping Southern Vipers await in the final, which begins at 15:00 BST on Sunday.
Victory saw Storm avenge their five-run loss to Lightning in the group stages, their only loss in the tournament so far.
West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor toppled Lightning's top order, bowling Dane van Niekerk and trapping Georgia Elwiss lbw, before Sophie Devine and Perry's 58-run third-wicket stand steadied the ship.
Perry reached her first half-century of the Super League and then the Australia all-rounder and Thea Brookes together smashed 20 off the final over to trudge past 120.
With Lightning needing a quick breakthrough, South Africa all-rounder Van Niekerk made up for a poor show with the bat as she bowled Rachel Priest.
However, tournament top-scorer Taylor and Knight shared 57 off 50 balls to put their side in control and kept alive Storm's hopes of lifting the inaugural Super League trophy. | Western Storm set up a Super League final against Southern Vipers as they eased to a five-wicket semi-final victory over Loughborough Lightning. | 37149522 |
"In college I was studying to become a doctor, but I was constantly doodling in the margins of my medical books," she says.
"Shortly afterwards I decided to take a U-turn and managed to persuade my parents to let me take fine arts."
The decision paid off.
The star of Nazar's comics, Gogi, is a progressive, educated Pakistani woman who wears polka-dotted dresses - and is loved by thousands around the world.
One of her favourite cartoons explores how many in Pakistan prefer having sons to daughters.
"In our country a girl's birth isn't celebrated very much and I really hate that," Nazar says.
She focuses on social issues and contradictions in society, saying: "I get inspiration from things that happen around me."
The Gogi comics have messages about women's education and the environment - but also depict the humorous side of everyday life in Pakistan.
Nazar says she began reading comic books as a child in the US: "It really began when my father was on a posting in Washington.
"When we returned to Pakistan, unable to find any local comic books, I stuck to the comics I used to read in the US and frequented the local bookshop to borrow, exchange or buy comics."
After she dropped her pre-medical degree to pursue her love of drawing, she won a scholarship for art.
However, she says: "It was a struggle because there was no training offered in comic art.
"I joined an art institute but I had no formal classes, I was just told to draw a cartoon everyday."
"I borrowed some 'teach yourself' books on cartooning and while that kept me going for some months, the real work began when I got a job with a daily newspaper."
Although Gogi is beloved by many in Pakistan, Nazar says her strip is not often published in local newspapers because comics about social issues are "not as popular as political cartoons".
"I've tried to turn my attention to social media now, and instead of newspapers, I've made awareness raising comic books," she says.
"I've made 14 comic books on a range of issues like extremism and corruption, girls' education and women's rights."
Pakistan ranks 147 out of 180 countries for press freedom, according to the Reporters Without Borders index.
Nazar admits that she sometimes has to self-censor: "In a way there's a lot of freedom of speech in Pakistan but it's only limited to certain topics that don't address some of the more real issues that affect people.
"Tolerating freedom of speech will only happen in it's truest sense when people's mindsets also change."
However, she also believes that comics offer a unique way for people to express themselves.
"I stay away from religion-related topics but it's not like I haven't addressed any taboos at all," she says.
"In some cases I've used quotations from the Holy Koran and got approval from clergies to support my cartoons on education as a basic right for girls and anti-sexual harassment cartoons."
"I think you can get away with saying a lot through cartoons that you can't say in any other way." | Pakistan's first female professional cartoonist, Nigar Nazar, nearly ended up becoming a doctor. | 36101148 |
Springfield House Medical Centre in Oldham was given the lowest possible grade when assessed by the Care Quality Commission for safety, effectiveness, and quality of leadership.
The CQC said the Huddersfield Road surgery also "requires improvement" when it comes to the care it provides patients and its "responsiveness".
The practice has yet to comment.
Inspectors in September found staff training "was not well-monitored".
A previous inspection in 2015 rated the practice as "requiring improvement".
Alison Holbourn, deputy chief inspector of general practice at the CQC, said patients "aren't getting the high quality care which everyone should expect".
"It was worrying to see that training at the practice wasn't well-monitored and there was no evidence of all staff completing the appropriate training to carry out their role.
"We found that the practice weren't responsive to the needs of the people using the service, for example we saw no extended opening times, or programmes for specific groups such as carers."
The CQC said the surgery would be kept under review and could face closure unless sufficient improvements are made during the next six months. | A general practice surgery has been put in special measures after being rated "inadequate" by health inspectors. | 38471632 |
Capita was for the second day the biggest faller, ending 4% lower - having sunk 27% on Thursday after a profit warning.
Banks recovered from heavy falls after speculative reports that troubled Deutsche Bank's US fine may be reduced.
Barclays ended 0.3% up and Royal Bank of Scotland was 0.96% better.
Oil prices, boosted this week in the wake of hopes of an Opec agreement to cut output, made further gains.
Brent crude rose 0.18% to $49.99 a barrel, and US crude was trading 0.5% up at $48.05.
On the currency markets, the pound was up 0.29% against the dollar at $1.3005 and up 0.20% against the euro at €1.1578. | (Close): London's FTSE 100 eased back from a fall of more than 1% to close down by 0.34% at 6,895.8 points. | 37516705 |
Local police confirmed it was Braz, but the circumstances of her death are unknown.
The singer, who was 63, was discovered close to her home in Saquarema, Rio de Janeiro state.
International hit Lambada was released by French group Kaoma in 1989, with Braz providing the Portuguese vocals.
It sold millions of copies around the world.
In Portuguese, the song was known as Chorando se foi (Crying he/she went).
The tune and lyrics were based on a Bolivian song, but the title, Lambada, came from a dance style in northern Brazil.
The Bolivian brothers, who recorded the original version with their group Los Kjarkas in 1981, took legal action against Kaoma for the song's unauthorised translation and were reported to have received a pay-off.
The song, with its catchy beat and sensual lyrics, continues to inspire musicians today.
US pop singer Jennifer Lopez used the tune in her 2010 hit On The Floor.
British group The Spice Girls mentioned the Lambada by name in their 1998 single Spice Up Your Life.
UK electronic group Clean Bandit cited it, in a BBC interview, as one of their biggest inspirations.
"It's been quite inspirational for us," said band member Grace Chatto. "It's got that mix of euphoria but also melancholy and beauty that we try to recreate." | Loalwa Braz, the Brazilian singer best known for the 1980s hit Lambada, has been found dead in a burnt-out car in Brazil. | 38681413 |
More than 20 male golfers, including the world's top four, have withdrawn from Rio 2016, leading to questions over the sport's place at future Games.
ICC chief executive Dave Richardson suggested cricketers could do the same.
"Will cricketers regard the Olympics as our pinnacle?" he asked BBC Test Match Special.
"If it is not, then should it be there in the first place?"
While most golfers pulling out of the Games - their sport has not featured at the event for 112 years - have cited fears over the Zika virus, some have suggested a gold medal holds no appeal for top players.
World number four Rory McIlroy, who had been expected to play for Ireland, said he is more concerned with winning golf's major tournaments.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Richardson added: "Golf is a very good lesson to be learned. They have put a lot of work in and, for the top players not to play, they will probably be under fire from the International Olympic Committee."
Olympic chiefs have said they will look at the number of top golfers not playing at Rio this summer when considering the line-up for Tokyo 2020.
A committee from cricket's rule-makers, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), has proposed the sport apply for Olympic inclusion for Twenty20 cricket in 2024.
As well as regular Test series between cricket-playing nations, teams also compete for the World Cup, the World Twenty20 and the Champions Trophy.
Richardson, though, says an Olympic place for cricket "would do wonders for the game".
He added: "If we want to truly globalise the game, engage China, America, Asia and parts of Europe then we have to be at the Olympics."
Cricket last appeared at the 1900 Paris Games, when just two teams - Great Britain and France - were involved. | Cricket must learn a lesson from golf as it pushes for Olympic inclusion, the head of the International Cricket Council has warned. | 36796699 |
The free event involved the closure of four miles (6km) of Southsea's seafront roads for four hours.
The city council, which organised the event with Portsmouth Cycle Forum, said it was about health and encouraging more people to cycle.
The authority also said it was an opportunity for children and beginners to get used to riding on roads "without the worry of vehicles". | Up to 3,000 cyclists have taken part in the first Pedal Portsmouth event. | 34374063 |
Earlier in March, The Times suggested trials would take place on a "quiet stretch" of the M6 motorway in Cumbria in 2016.
The government has now confirmed "lorry platooning" trials, in which vehicles form a convoy headed by a driver in the leading lorry, will go ahead.
It also announced that driverless cars will be trialled on UK roads by 2017.
In the Budget, published on Wednesday, the government said it wanted the UK to be "a global centre for excellence in connected and autonomous vehicles".
Companies such as Ford and Google have been testing autonomous cars for months, but trials typically take place in California.
Edmund King, president of roadside recovery firm AA, has questioned the feasibility of a lorry platooning scheme in the UK.
"The problem with the UK motorway network is that we have more entrances and exits of our motorways than any other motorways in Europe or indeed the world," he said earlier in March.
"Therefore it's very difficult to have a 44 tonne 10-lorry platoon, because other vehicles need to get past the platoon to enter or exit the road."
Other technology-related points in the Budget included:
More from the Budget: Key points at-a-glance | Driverless lorries and cars will be trialled in the UK, the government has confirmed in its Budget. | 35820873 |
Martyn Bennett died in 2005, at the age of 33, but his blending of traditional tunes with dance beats revolutionised the musical landscape.
The festival runs for 18 days until 1 February at venues across Glasgow.
It will feature more than 300 events and about 2,000 musicians from all over the world.
Highlights of the festival programme include a tribute to singer, songwriter, author, poet and activist Ewan MacColl, who established Scotland's first folk club.
There will also be a celebration of the life and music of Rory Gallagher, the Irish-born blues-rock guitarist who died in 1995.
The line-up for the festival also includes big names such as Fairport Convention, appearing for the first time since 2006, Tweedy, Shooglenifty, Lambchop, King Creosote, Eddi Reader and Karine Polwart.
Glaswegian film score composer Craig Armstrong, whose lengthy list of credits include Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet and Moulin Rouge! as well as Love Actually, Fever Pitch, The Incredible Hulk and The Great Gatsby, will revisit some of his best-loved cinematic work and perform tracks from his new album.
While Crossing The Minch pays homage to Pipe Major Donald MacLeod who survived World War Two to become one of the world's greatest pipers.
Celtic Connections musical director Donald Shaw said one of the unique features of Celtic Connections was the one-off collaborations between artists from different traditions around the world.
He also said that artists such as Carlos Nunez, Le Vent du Nord and Angelique Kidjo had been asked to "think outside the box and do something really special for Glasgow".
The opening concert on Thursday night is dedicated to Bennett, an iconoclastic virtuoso who blended traditional voices with hard-core electronic dance beats.
The concert will feature a full orchestration of his final album, Grit, which has been credited with starting the musical evolution of Celtic fusion.
Donald Shaw said Bennett had constantly tried to find a way to present Scottish music in a different light.
He said: "Like all great innovators he was not copying, he was not trying to recreate what had gone before.
"He felt that traditional songs should live and breathe in whatever form could be exciting musically. He saw that as being liberating for the music and the songs."
For the opening concert, violinist and composer Greg Lawson has reconstructed the studio-created album for a custom-designed orchestra of folk, jazz and classical players.
Lawson's reimagined version features a cast of about 80 musicians and singers.
"When you enter the landscape of Martyn Bennett's mind," he said.
"It's amazing how many people you need to accomplish what he did by himself." | The opening concert of the 22nd Celtic Connections music festival will pay tribute to visionary Scottish musician who died of cancer a decade ago. | 30782066 |
Brent crude oil has fallen to $103.70 (£62) a barrel, its lowest rate since November 2013.
In July, oil hit its highest level in nine months, valued at $115.71 per barrel. Violence in Iraq was cited as the reason for the rise.
The current dip in price has led to an increase in demand from wealthy states.
Iraq has scheduled to export about 2.4 million barrels per day of Basra Light crude in September, up from 2.2 million in the previous month.
In a report on Tuesday, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said: "Oil prices seem almost eerily calm in the face of mounting geopolitical risks spanning an unusually large swathe of the oil-producing world."
The agency said that while tensions in Iraq and fighting in Ukraine continued, other oil resources were available, such as those of the US, Libya and Saudi Arabia.
According to the IEA: "The Atlantic market is currently so well supplied that incremental Libyan barrels are reportedly having a hard time finding buyers."
It had been thought that sanctions imposed by the US and EU on Russia over its support for Ukrainian rebels might affect oil distribution.
But the IEA said: "The consensus in the industry seems to be that neither set of sanctions will have any tangible near-term impact on supplies."
Oil analyst Malcolm Bracken said there was no need to worry about Russian oil, as the most testing time was past.
He said: "The Crimean crisis hasn't tempted [Russian President Vladimir] Putin to disrupt oil supply, and nor has the Donbas crisis, so most of the crisis premium from earlier in the year has unwound.
"Russia's oil flows west, and [Mr Putin] needs our money even more than we need his oil. This limits his options more than ours.
"It is the largest oil producer in the world, at over 10 billion barrels equivalent per day or 13% of world supply.
"Russia turning the taps off would cause an oil shock in the West as it would cause a steep rise in prices and significant disruption, especially in Germany. It would also bankrupt the Russian state."
Concerns over Iraq have also been mounting.
Amrita Sen, chief oil analyst at Energy Aspects, told the BBC: "We do not expect southern Iraqi oil exports [which account for the bulk of Iraqi exports] to be impacted by the current conflict, as the fields remain far away from where the fighting is currently ongoing.
"In the highly unlikely and very small probability that southern exports do get impacted, oil prices are likely to rise sharply, possibly towards $130 or higher, as it will not be possible for the world to replace Iraqi production, simply because the world doesn't have that much spare capacity available." | Global oil prices have fallen to their lowest level in nine months, despite fears that conflicts in Ukraine and Iraq would inflate prices. | 28768624 |
It follows concerns some Irish passport holders, refused or no longer entitled to a work visa, used the Irish version of their name to apply again.
Australian's Department of Immigration and Border Protection met Irish government officials about the issue.
The Irish government said it was not appropriate to disclose what was discussed.
In a statement to the Irish Independent newspaper, the Australian department said it was "aware of and is investigating a migration fraud involving Irish applicants using new passport features to access Australian visas".
It added: "Accurately identifying non-citizens underpins the integrity of Australia's migration, visa and citizenship programmes and is the basis for all security and character checks completed before making a decision about whether to grant a visa to come to Australia."
A spokesperson for the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs said: "The Passport Service assesses the credibility of each application individually when requested to change a name on a passport.
"The decision must be approved by the head of the Passport Office.
"This policy seeks to protect the integrity and security of our passports against passport or identity fraud, while at the same time balancing the wishes of those genuine citizens, who wish to use the Irish language more frequently in their daily lives."
Almost 90,000 people have emigrated from the Republic of Ireland to Australia since the start of the global economic downturn in 2008, according to Ireland's Central Statistics Office.
The number appeared to peak in 2012, when an estimated 18,200 emigrated to the other side of the world. By contrast, the figure dropped to 10,000 last year. | Australia is investigating "migration fraud" involving Irish citizens seeking visas by using passports issued in the Irish language version of their names. | 32286370 |
Legg, 16, opened the scoring with his first goal for the Green Lions, but they suffered a sixth successive loss.
"I thought the team needed Robbie Legg and Robbie Legg needs to be in the team," Vance told BBC Radio Guernsey.
"I'm delighted for him, his movement's outstanding, and the players are trusting him. There's more to come."
A Ross Allen penalty and Craig Young strike put the Channel Islanders 3-2 ahead but they went on to concede four goals for the third consecutive game.
They remain 11th in the table, but are now seven points adrift of the play-offs with eight games remaining.
"There were some crazy, ridiculous decisions but you've got to live with that," added Vance.
"I asked the boys to go and be brave in possession and generally I felt they did that.
"We got absolutely nothing, but what I did say is that we can go to training and be a little bit more buoyant than we deserved to be a few weeks back." | Boss Tony Vance praised the performance of teenager Robbie Legg in Guernsey FC's 4-3 Isthmian League Division One South defeat by Whyteleafe. | 35744710 |
The "baiting out" footage, which has attracted thousands of YouTube views, involves youths naming teenagers and accusing them of sexual promiscuity.
The dad said his 14-year-old daughter had been subjected to "cruel" bullying, which had damaged her confidence.
Teachers have reported a 40% rise in cyberbullying in the past five years.
More on this and other news from London
Allan Foulds, president of the Association of School and College Leaders' (ASCL) said cyberbullying was a growing concern for head teachers but schools were already doing "a great deal" to tackle it, by raising awareness of it as part of the syllabus.
He said it was also raised in school assemblies and police visited schools to talk about about the legality, seriousness and consequences of cyberbullying.
The father, who did not want to be named, said some Year 10 boys were approached by 18-year-old YouTuber Jannes Lenting from Peckham, who was filming near a shopping centre in east London and "incited" them to describe and name girls on camera who they felt were sexually promiscuous.
He said his 14-year-old daughter was unfairly named, without any chance to defend herself.
He said after reporting the bullying to the school, he tracked down the film-maker and asked him to remove the footage, but the YouTuber refused as it was making him money. Mr Lenting has disputed this version of events.
He also denied that his baiting out videos amounted to bullying.
"Nah, I wouldn't say it was bullying. It's a bit more banter, like. It's not really too serious," he said.
Cyberbullying is when a person uses technology to deliberately upset someone else.
There is no specific law that makes cyberbullying illegal but it can be considered a criminal offence under several different acts including:
Source: Kent Police
Mr Lenting told BBC News tackling controversial subjects others found degrading made him more successful.
He said: "When you bring in the [derogatory slang for a woman] it brings in a lot more views. It's a bit more controversial, also it's more shareable and people can relate to it a bit more."
YouTube pays some contributors for footage which attracts advertising revenue based on the volume of hits it receives.
Fellow YouTuber Cassidy Valentine said she was also the victim of a baiting out video. She said she was identified by a different interviewee because she had appeared in a music video walking through a park and linking arms with a man who was not her boyfriend.
She said: "Is that sexual intercourse? Is that kissing? Is that inappropriate touching? No. I am an actress. This is what I do as a job."
She told BBC News being publicly and wrongly identified as promiscuous was "really embarrassing" and made her feel humiliated.
"To have my name put out there is like I am being laughed at for no reason at all and no-one should have to feel like that," she said.
YouTube said people could ask to have footage of themselves taken down.
The company also said it had policies regarding harassment and cyberbullying and would remove inappropriate video from the site.
If you suspect you are being bullied online or by text
Childline has more advice on how to deal with cyberbullying
Bullying UK has more information about how to deal with bullying | A father from east London has called for head teachers to do more to tackle cyber-bullying on social media after his daughter was "baited out". | 35816842 |
The magazine said he was the first man to be included on the list because of his campaigning for women's rights.
Bono said he was "sure he didn't deserve it" but the battle for gender equality couldn't be won "unless men lead it along with women".
He is on a list that also includes Gwen Stefani, actress and campaigner Zendaya and Olympic gymnast Simone Biles.
Bono said he was "grateful" for the honour and said men were "largely responsible for the problem, so we have to be involved in the solutions".
But the magazine's decision has been heavily criticised on social media.
Comedy writer Travon Free tweeted "Does Glamour magazine know giving bono the Woman of the year award to trying to undo patriarchy undercuts the entire point of the award."
Another user named Stephanie Peat tweeted: "Bono has been named Glamour's woman of the year. To be fair with only 3.7 billion women it must be tough to find a worthy one."
The magazine's editor-in-chief Cindi Leive said they had talked for years about including a man but had always ruled it out. But she said "it started to seem that that might be an outdated way of looking at things".
"There are so many men who really are doing wonderful things for women these days. Some men get it and Bono is one of those guys," she said.
The honour comes after Bono and his One campaign launched a Poverty is Sexist movement last year.
Leive said: "The idea that a man who could select any cause in the world to call his own, or no cause at all, is choosing to work, and not just for one night or at a special event, but consistently day after day and month after month on behalf of women, is incredibly cool and absolutely deserves applause."
The decision has been supported by CNN's Christiane Amanpour, who has written an article in praise of her friend Bono for the magazine.
She wrote: "I'm on Glamour's side: I think Bono is the perfect choice for this first-time honor because, now 56, he's been trying to do good for as long as he's been making music.
"By establishing Poverty Is Sexist, Bono is making it clear that powerful men can, and should, take on these deep-rooted issues."
Also honoured as Glamour's Women of the Year are Patrisse Cullors, Opal Tometi and Alicia Garza, the founders of the Black Lives Matter movement; managing director of the International Monetary Fund Christine Lagarde; anti-Isis campaigner Nadia Murad; and plus-size model Ashley Graham.
They are joined by fashion designer Miuccia Prada and the Stanford sexual assault case survivor whose witness impact statement went viral, who is known only as Emily Doe.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram at bbcnewsents, or if you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk. | Glamour magazine has been criticised for naming U2 frontman Bono on its annual Women of the Year list. | 37845314 |
The trust had been rapped over the way it investigated patient deaths with calls for Katrina Percy to resign.
An investigation commissioned by NHS England found only 272 of the 722 deaths in the trust over the previous four years were dealt with properly.
But Ms Percy will continue in her role, interim chair Tim Smart has said.
In April, inspectors said the trust was "continuing to put patients at risk".
Then in June, the trust accepted responsibility for the death of 18-year-old Connor Sparrowhawk, who drowned in a bath at one of its facilities - Slade House in Oxford.
It admitted it "caused" the death of Connor - who had suffered an epileptic seizure before he died in July 2013 - and offered his family £80,000 compensation.
Following a six-week comprehensive review however, Mr Smart said it was clear the executive team had been "too stretched to guarantee high quality services".
He recommended the trust should "transform the way in which it delivers services, and makes changes to the structure and strength of its leadership team".
"[I am] satisfied that whilst the board should have acted in a more united way, I have found no evidence of negligence or incompetence of any individual board member," he said.
Regarding Ms Percy, he said she had been "too operationally focused" and this would be shifted to oversee the "delivery of the future strategy of the trust, which I believe needs to be accelerated".
Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust covers Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. | The chief executive of the much-criticised Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust will keep her job, it has been announced. | 36671347 |
The 29-year-old Welshman finished 19th on the second stage, leaving him 54 seconds behind overall leader Nairo Quintana of Colombia.
Russia's Ilnur Zakarin outsprinted Quintana to take the stage win.
Tour de France champion Chris Froome was off the pace after suffering a puncture with 21km remaining.
Tour de Romandie, stage two:
1. Ilnur Zakarin (Russia / Katusha) 4hrs 28mins 40secs
2. Nairo Quintana (Colombia / Movistar) Same time
3. Rui Costa (Portugal / Lampre) +26secs
4. Rigoberto Uran (Colombia / Cannondale)
5. Thibaut Pinot (France / FDJ)
6. Jon Izagirre (Spain / Movistar)
7. Rafal Majka (Poland / Tinkoff)
8. Mathias Frank (Switzerland / IAM Cycling)
9. Pierre Rolland (France / Cannondale)
10. Simon Spilak (Slovenia / Katusha)
11. Bauke Mollema (Netherlands / Trek)
Selected others:
19. Geraint Thomas (Britain / Team Sky) +57secs
Overall classification:
1. Nairo Quintana (Colombia / Movistar) 7hrs 02mins 09secs
2. Ilnur Zakarin (Russia / Katusha) +10secs
3. Jon Izagirre (Spain / Movistar) +16secs
4. Thibaut Pinot (France / FDJ) +28secs
5. Rui Costa (Portugal / Lampre) +32secs
6. Mathias Frank (Switzerland / IAM Cycling) +33secs
7. Simon Spilak (Slovenia / Katusha) +38secs
8. Pierre Rolland (France / Cannondale) +39secs
9. Bauke Mollema (Netherlands / Trek) +40secs
10. Rigoberto Uran (Colombia / Cannondale) +42secs
Selected others:
14. Geraint Thomas (Britain / Team Sky) +58secs | Britain's Geraint Thomas slipped from third to 14th after the second stage of the six-day Tour de Romandie in Switzerland. | 36162493 |
The juvenile common seal had been in Ferry Lagoon near Swavesey, Cambridgeshire, for "a couple of weeks", the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP) said.
Its body was recovered from the edge of the lagoon, adjacent to the River Great Ouse, after it died on 1 March.
The CSIP said a post-mortem examination would be carried out on the animal's body to establish the cause of death.
Common seals are normally found on islands, rocky shores and cliffs, and are particularly common around western Scotland and the northern UK islands.
Rob Deaville, project manager at CSIP, said seals were not normally resident so far inland, but had occasionally made their way up river streams in the past, including the River Great Ouse.
In 2013, a seal was filmed "hopping" into a lake in nearby Fen Drayton Lakes Reserve.
Mr Deaville said he recommended if people spot seals far inland, they should contact British Divers Marine Life Rescue, whose marine mammal medics can monitor the situation and act appropriately where needed. | The body of a young seal has been found in a lagoon 60km (37 miles) inland. | 35735248 |
Sleman Ahmed, 33, was detained in Bordesley Green in Birmingham, and Shamel Zorab, 37, in Eccles in Greater Manchester.
The Iraqi nationals are wanted by authorities in Belgium and are due in court on Friday.
They are accused of being in contact with a web of people-smugglers and collecting fees from migrants.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) and Belgian Federal Police are investigating a Kurdish criminal network suspected of smuggling people into the UK in lorries.
Ten people have already been arrested in Belgium and await trial there.
The arrests were part of an operation co-ordinated by the NCA and supported by officers from Greater Manchester Police and West Midlands Police.
Colin Williams from the NCA said: "We believe this crime group is involved in attempting to smuggle people into the UK on an almost daily basis, and our co-operation with the Belgian authorities on this investigation continues."
Mr Ahmed and Mr Zorab are due at Westminster Magistrates Court for an extradition hearing on Friday. | Two men have been arrested on suspicion of being part of a network which daily smuggled up to 20 migrants into the UK. | 35256788 |
Over 1,500 employees and supporters converged on the fast-food giant's headquarters in Illinois on Wednesday.
Larger protests are planned for Thursday morning, before the company's annual shareholder meeting.
The company has been under pressure from workers to raise wages, just as investors have become increasingly unhappy with the firm's slumping sales.
Customers in the company's biggest market - the US, which is responsible for 40% of its operating income - have been increasingly foregoing McDonald's and other fast-food restaurants in favour of so-called "fast casual" chains like Shake Shack and Chipotle.
That has caused the firm's share price to sink - and let to grumbling amongst shareholders, who will vent their frustrations with McDonald's management on Thursday behind closed doors. McDonald's has banned media from attending the meeting.
Earlier in May, chief executive Steve Easterbrook - the Brit who took over the firm in January - unveiled plans to turn around the company after it reported yet another quarter of disappointing results.
McDonald's is facing pressure on all sides: from customers, investors, and increasingly, workers.
The company has been under pressure for over two years by the Fast for 15 campaign - a group of workers, backed by traditional labour unions - that has called on McDonald's and others to raise the base amount it pays workers to a so-called "living wage" of $15 (£9.7) per hour.
The current US federal minimum wage is $7.25, but some states and cities - most notably, Los Angeles - have higher minimums.
Outside McDonald's headquarters in Oak Brook, protesters carried banners and balloons, and chanted slogans.
"I've been working at McDonald's for the last 23 years and I'm still living in poverty," Tyre Johnson told the BBC at the protest.
Mr Johnson says he started working at a McDonald's in Chicago in 1992 for $4.25 per hour and currently only makes $8.55.
"The shareholders of McDonald's are investing money into a million dollar bigtime boss - why can't they invest that money into the workers?" he added.
McDonald's, for its part, dismissed the protestors.
"Today's protest in Oak Brook is the latest instance in an $80m publicity campaign organised and paid for by the Service Employees International Union and its members," said the company in a statement.
"McDonald's and its more than 3,000 independent franchisees are standing strong and together in the face of this union attack."
However, McDonald's has already said it plans to raise the wage it pays workers to above $9 per hour - and several other firms, including Wal-mart and Target, have said they will increase their hourly minimums in the wake of the protests.
Part of the move, experts say, is that as the US economy recovers, large firms have to increase their base wages to keep workers.
But the companies also face mandatory wage increases in the several states and US cities that have voted to raise the local minimum wages since 2014.
On Tuesday, Los Angeles became the largest US city to boost wages, voting to increase the minimum wage in the city to $15 per hour by 2020. Experts say that amounts a $2.4bn wage increase to over 500,000 workers in the city.
"This really is a watershed," Ken Jacobs, head of the University of California-Berkeley's Labor Center, who added that the Fast for 15 movement was not just about wages but also about the right to organise fast food workers into a union.
Prof Jacob's said that while the city and state minimum wage legislation might be more impactful: "It is the protest at company headquarters that are moving the policy makers." | Workers and labour unions are stepping up their pressure on McDonald's to raise the wages it pays workers. | 32822464 |
Patrick Joseph O'Neill, of no fixed address, was one of three masked men who forced their way into the victim's home in Ardoyne in November 2010.
The man was shot several times in the legs and groin in front of his mother, who fought back with kitchen knives.
O'Neill was arrested in 2015, when DNA found on her knives was traced to him.
Belfast Crown Court heard that the gun used to shoot the victim at his mother's home in Brompton Park was a Glock pistol that had been stolen during a burglary at a policeman's house in 2006.
At least five shots were discharged, and the injured man has been left in "chronic pain" with permanent scarring.
The dissident republican paramilitary group, Óglaigh na hÉireann, claimed responsibility for the so-called punishment shooting shortly after it took place.
O'Neill admitted his involvement in the gun attack in October this year, but on Monday the judge said it has never been established which of the three men pulled the trigger.
The court was told that 41-year-old O'Neill, who has six children and three grandchildren, has a limited criminal record and had not been associated with any similar offending since the 2010 shooting.
Jailing him, the judge said that despite the seriousness of the offences, he did not consider O'Neill to present a danger to the public.
A previous hearing was told that on the evening of 15 November 2010, the victim's mother tried to defend both her and her son by arming herself with kitchen knives, but the masked gang threatened to shoot her as well.
Investigators recovered a DNA sample from one of her knives and, last year it was matched to O'Neill when he was arrested for a unrelated domestic offence.
While he was awaiting trial, O'Neill had his bail conditions relaxed so he could go to a Belfast music festival, headlined by the band Madness.
Last month, he pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm with intent, and unlawfully and maliciously causing grievous bodily harm, on the grounds of joint enterprise.
The judge accepted there was no evidence to suggest O'Neill was the gunman, but said he would have been "fully aware" of the intent of the masked gunmen.
As he was led from the dock to begin his sentence, O'Neill gave the thumbs up to family and friends in the public gallery.
Following the sentencing, police released a photo of the heavily bloodstained scene of the shooting.
In a statement, PSNI Det Insp Andy Workman said: "The victim sustained serious injuries as a result of this attack.
"It was an example of nameless and faceless individuals using a paramilitary flag of convenience, in this case Óglaigh na hÉireann, to inflict life-changing harm on someone without any reference to a judge, jury or the normal processes of the criminal justice system." | A man who admitted taking part in a paramilitary shooting in Belfast has been sentenced to five years in jail and a further five years on licence. | 38133077 |
Laura Trott, Joanna Rowsell-Shand, Barker and Katie Archibald clocked a time of four minutes 10.236 seconds to beat the USA in world record time.
Barker emulated the gold achieved by fellow Cardiff cyclist Owain Doull in the men's team pursuit last night.
"What do people say at a time like this? It is incredible," Barker said.
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"It felt like the race just flashed by a bit, but when I saw the time we did, I think it was no wonder I was struggling a little bit."
The 21-year old is competing in her first Olympic games.
Team GB's Laura Trott won a record third gold medal.
Barker's gold success earned Wales a seventh Olympic podium position after Doull's gold, two silvers for swimmer Jazz Carlin and second places for rower Vicky Thornley and Rugby Sevens stars James Davies and Sam Cross.
Becky James subsequently won Wales' eighth medal in the keirin by achieving a silver medal.
This medal haul now eclipses Wales' best of seven that was achieved at London 2012 with another week of competition remaining.
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Wales have now won five cycling golf medals in the past three Olympic Games.
They had not won an Olympic title in 36 years when Nicole Cooke stormed to women's road race gold in 2008 - the first Welsh cycling medal ever at an Olympics.
But since Cooke's win in Beijing, Wales have won three more cycling gold medals with Barker also emulating Geraint Thomas in 2008 and 2012.
The showdown between Britain and USA was perfectly poised after sensational runs in qualification.
The Americans lowered the mark set by Britain in qualifying, recording a time of four minutes, 12.282 seconds to break the world record.
However, Team GB's Trott, Rowsell-Shand, Barker and Archibald eclipsed that in beating Canada, stopping the clock at 4:12.152.
Find out how to get into cycling with our special guide. | Wales' Elinor Barker has claimed a gold medal in cycling after Team GB stormed to success in the team pursuit. | 37074108 |
He was suspended from office in December pending a probe into his alleged ties with the former governor of the rich mining province of Ancash.
Ex-governor Cesar Alvarez is in jail while on trial for alleged corruption.
Mr Ramos is accused of covering up for Mr Alvarez while he was head of an auditing department.
Mr Ramos said the allegations were part of "a plot and conspiracy against me". He has five days to appeal against the decision.
A commission which oversees the judiciary voted five to one to fire Mr Ramos.
It said it had found links between Mr Ramos and Mr Alvarez, who is on trial for allegedly granting public work contracts in exchange for bribes.
Investigators said Mr Ramos had arranged to have prosecutors investigating Mr Alvarez fired.
Pablo Sanchez, who has been acting as interim attorney general since Mr Ramos was suspended, is expected to take over the post.
The sacking of the attorney general comes just six weeks after the prime minister was forced to step down over allegations that the country's intelligence services had spied on politicians, journalists and businesspeople.
Analysts say the scandals have hurt President Ollanta Humala, whose approval rating has plummeted to 24%, according to a poll conducted last month. | Peruvian Attorney General Carlos Ramos Heredia has been dismissed over corruption allegations which predate his time in the post. | 32734657 |
Armed officers and negotiators were called to Cynwyd, near Corwen, as North Wales Police closed part of the area at 21:45 GMT on Wednesday.
Police said a man in his 20s barricaded himself into a property and threatened officers with a firearm during the incident.
Ysgol Bro Dyfrdwy was closed due to the "serious incident".
Police asked motorists and residents to avoid the area before issuing an update after 09:00 GMT on Thursday to say a man had been taken into custody.
Supt Steve Williams said: "I would like to thank the residents of Cynwyd for their cooperation and especially the head of Ysgol Bro Dyfrdwy who agreed to close the school and to contact parents and staff." | A man is in police custody following an armed standoff in a Denbighshire village overnight. | 32064302 |
Spieth, 22, pulled out because of fears concerning the Zika virus in Brazil.
The American is the latest high-profile player to pull out of the event in Rio, where the sport is making its return to the Games after a 112-year absence.
World number one Jason Day, number two Dustin Johnson and number four Rory McIlroy have all already pulled out.
The Zika virus has been linked to defects in newborn babies.
Two-time major winner Spieth, who is replaced by Matt Kuchar, is expected to give details about his withdrawal at a news conference before the Open Championship on Tuesday.
IGF president Peter Dawson said the number of withdrawals by top players "hasn't shed golf in the best light".
He added: "We do understand why these individual decisions have been made.
"Personally, I think there's been something of an overreaction to the Zika situation, but that's for individuals to determine, and there's certainly a great deal of concern about this issue inside the game of golf."
Meanwhile, defending Open champion Zach Johnson has questioned the inclusion of golf, football and basketball in the Olympics.
Johnson, 40, said the three sports would instead count majors, the World Cup and the NBA as their pinnacles.
"I don't know if golf has its place," Johnson said. "Basketball and soccer, do they really need to be in there either? My guess is they want a World Cup, an NBA Championship, before a gold medal.
"No offence to the Olympics but I'd rather be on the Ryder Cup team. As an American golfer I have that opportunity and that's what I'd rather do."
American Bubba Watson, the world number five, is now the highest-ranked player on the Olympic list, while Masters champion Danny Willett (nine in the world) and fellow Englishman Justin Rose (11th) are the highest-ranked Britons due to compete.
Australian Adam Scott and South African Louis Oosthuizen are among the other major winners who will not take part but USA Ryder Cup team-mates Rickie Fowler and Patrick Reed will compete.
The Olympics take place from 5 to 21 August, with the men's golf tournament from 11 to 14 August. | World number three Jordan Spieth will not take part in this summer's Olympic Games, the International Golf Federation says. | 36768330 |
Researchers at University College, London have developed a way of finding unique markings within a tumour - its "Achilles heel" - allowing the body to target the disease.
But the personalised method, reported in Science journal, would be expensive and has not yet been tried in patients.
Experts said the idea made sense but could be more complicated in reality.
However, the researchers, whose work was funded by Cancer Research UK, believe their discovery could form the backbone of new treatments and hope to test it in patients within two years.
They believe by analysing the DNA, they'll be able to develop bespoke treatment.
People have tried to steer the immune system to kill tumours before, but cancer vaccines have largely flopped.
One explanation is that they are training the body's own defences to go after the wrong target.
The problem is cancers are not made up of identical cells - they are a heavily mutated, genetic mess and samples at different sites within a tumour can look and behave very differently.
They grow a bit like a tree with core "trunk" mutations, but then mutations that branch off in all directions. It is known as cancer heterogeneity.
The international study developed a way of discovering the "trunk" mutations that change antigens - the proteins that stick out from the surface of cancer cells.
Professor Charles Swanton, from the UCL Cancer Institute, added: "This is exciting. Now we can prioritise and target tumour antigens that are present in every cell - the Achilles heel of these highly complex cancers.
"This is really fascinating and takes personalised medicine to its absolute limit, where each patient would have a unique, bespoke treatment."
There are two approaches being suggested for targeting the trunk mutations.
The first is to develop cancer vaccines for each patient that train the immune system to spot them.
The second is to "fish" for immune cells that already target those mutations and swell their numbers in the lab, and then put them back into the body.
Dr Marco Gerlinger, from the Institute of Cancer Research, said: "This is a very important step and makes us think about heterogeneity as a problem and why this gives cancer this big advantage.
"Targeting trunk mutations makes sense from many points of view, but it is early days and whether it's that simple, I'm not entirely sure.
"Many cancers are not standing still but they keep evolving constantly. These are moving targets which makes it difficult to get them under control.
"Cancers that can change and evolve could lose the initial antigen or maybe come up with smokescreens of other good antigens so that the immune system gets confused."
James Gallagher, health editor, BBC News website
Harnessing the power of the immune system - what's known as immunotherapy - is the most exciting field in cancer and probably in all of medicine right now.
But while that excitement is justified, claims that a cure for cancer is around the corner are not.
Medical research is littered with the graves of hyped treatments that just never worked.
Two decades ago, gene therapy was "hype-central" and we're still waiting for it to transform medicine.
This study demonstrates some spectacular science that furthers understanding of how the immune system and cancer interact.
But this new knowledge has not been used to treat a single patient. There have not even been animal studies. So there is a real risk it will not work.
Even if it does, this is an hugely expensive approach that would need to be customised to every patient in a process that takes more than a year from start to finish.
Some immunotherapy treatments work spectacularly with some patients' cancer disappearing entirely.
They take the brakes off the immune system, freeing it up to fight cancer.
The researchers hope the combination of removing the immune system's brakes and then taking over the steering wheel, will save lives.
Professor Peter Johnson, from Cancer Research UK, said the research had shown "impressive results in the clinic" and although "the technology is complicated and quite recent... once you start doing it the cost will come down".
Dr Stefan Symeonides, clinician scientist in experimental cancer medicine at the University of Edinburgh, said designing a personalised vaccine was currently impractical, especially when a patient needed treatment straight away.
But he added that the "very elegant" study did provide a ground-breaking insight into current immunotherapy drugs, which do not yet work for most people.
"It's not just the number of antigens, it's how many of the cancer cells have them," he said.
"This data will be quoted in discussions for years, as we try to understand which patients benefit from immunotherapy drugs, which ones don't, and why, so we can improve those therapies."
Follow James on Twitter. | Scientists believe they have discovered a way to "steer" the immune system to kill cancers. | 35718491 |
Even the youngest know most of it by heart, saluting as best they can as they sing praise to an army that keeps them safe.
In this heavily protected central neighbourhood of Mezzeh, it is not just a song. In Syria, it is back to school at a time of war.
The United Nation's Children's Fund, using government figures, estimates that about 10% of schools across Syria are shut - 2,000 damaged or destroyed, and 607 used by displaced persons.
This school in Mezzeh took in 100 new students this term who came from areas where schools did not open, or parents felt it was not safe enough.
No official figures are available for Damascus schools. To say schools are shut is to admit the government has lost control in some parts of the capital.
"Are you happy to be back at school?" asks the teacher Kozeh in front of a class decorated with pictures of Winnie the Pooh and President Bashar al-Assad.
A classroom packed with eager young children shouts "Yes!"
"Are you afraid of anything?" she probes more gently.
"No!" they loudly shout in unison.
As I sit down to talk to eight-year-old Fadi, the loud thud of a shell is clearly audible. "What's that boom boom?" I ask him.
"Oh, it's far away," he said with an impish smile and a dismissive wave of his hand.
Teachers here, most of whom still seem to strongly support their government, try hard to make children feel safe.
"Children are like a blank sheet of paper," reflected the counsellor Ruba Shikh Hasan. "We're trying to write good stuff on it."
"I didn't hear it," the feisty headmistress Sawsan Farah insists when another shell lands in the distance. "I just have the sound of the children's voices in my ears."
"The new school year is the renewal of life," she explained further. "The army is doing its best to help us. The explosions are far away."
But as we leave the school, we are told there are clashes just a few streets away, on the other side of a four-lane highway streaming with cars.
We try to drive to there to investigate. But it is not easy to move around in a city of many more checkpoints, including impromptu barriers where soldiers take up positions at the roadside.
Once they see we are travelling with a government minder, with an official letter of permission, we are allowed to move on, sometimes even with a friendly wave.
"You're welcome," says one soldier, who reminds us to "tell the truth".
But some roads in this neighbourhood are now completely blocked by concrete barriers.
We are stopped, and told we can go no further, at one entrance flanked by two heavily sandbagged positions adorned with Syrian flags and photographs of a stern-faced President Assad.
Even from the roads outside, the damage is clearly visible after weeks of a government onslaught against opposition fighters and activists who infiltrated this area, and many others, in mid-July.
Some houses lie in ruin. Mezzeh's distinctive cactus fields are just stumps in razed fields.
Some residents, who did not want to be identified, said people were still living in fear.
"Some people say the neighbourhood is safer now. But most people want to see change. It's just that we don't want it through war on our streets," one man said wearily.
Mezzeh is a microcosm of a wider city that is divided not just neighbourhood to neighbourhood, but even from one street to the next.
Many Syrians told me they stick to their own districts now, as movement through the city is strictly controlled.
In some areas of Damascus, streets are crowded, traffic is brisk, and shops are open although many businesses are clearly suffering. Every chic clothing shop seems to be slashing prices by up to 80%.
Some of the city's beautifully manicured parks are still full of families and young couples enjoying the warmth of a Damascene September.
But turn a corner, and there is another park crowded with displaced people who have nowhere else to go.
Activists and aid workers say areas on the southern outskirts, where the opposition has been strongest, are "disaster zones" after intensive government shelling.
An aid official allowed to visit one area said it looked as though an earthquake had struck.
There is still heavy fighting in some districts. And the sound of shelling goes on day and night.
Our BBC team has not been allowed near to see the damage for ourselves.
But from every point in this city, you can hear the shells landing. You can see plumes of smoke drifting across the sky.
But inside the walls of Nahla Zaidan school, there is still a more familiar ring.
Children shout the ruling Baath Party slogans that generations of Syrians have grown up with. There is no sense here change will come anytime soon. | In Nahla Zaidan school, young children stand tall in blue uniforms, orange scarves knotted carefully, singing their national anthem with as loud a voice as they can muster. | 19657762 |
Royal British Legion Scotland's Inverness Branch and Highland Council have asked families in the city and surrounding area to provide details.
The names will be added to the Cavell Gardens War Memorial.
Conflicts since 1945 include the Korean and Falkland wars and operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Highland Council said: "To enable the authorities to verify the details for the entry on the war memorial, they require as much information about the deceased as possible.
"Such as the number, rank and full name of the deceased, ship, unit, regiment, squadron or base, conflict in which the incident occurred."
The memorial on a bank of the River Ness recalls those killed in the two world wars.
With a 10m (33ft) high red sandstone Celtic cross, the memorial was unveiled in 1922.
According to Gaelic heritage website
Am Baile
, one in seven men in Inverness parish died while serving in the forces during World War I from 1914-18.
Cavell Gardens were named after Edith Cavell, a nurse who helped French and British soldiers to flee to Holland during the war.
She was executed by German soldiers in Brussels in October 1915. | Names of military personnel killed in conflicts since the end of World War II are to be added to a war memorial in Inverness. | 18442049 |
June and Gordon Matthews said that The Moorside, starring Sheridan Smith, was "sick and disgusting" and the events should not be treated as entertainment.
The Moorside - named after the estate in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, where the real-life events unfolded - will be screened on BBC One on Tuesday with the second and concluding part the following week.
But rather than being Shannon's story, the BBC says it actually focuses on the experience of the woman who led the campaign to find the youngster.
Sheridan Smith will star as Julie Bushby, a member of Dewsbury's residents and tenants association.
"The themes of faith and trust in human nature, and the way the whole community came together, really inspired me," said Smith.
Bushby has given a small selection of newspaper and TV interviews in the past week, praising Smith's portrayal and revealing that the actress has stayed in touch since filming.
The programme was written by screenwriter Neil McKay, who had previously penned TV dramas based around the real-life stories of Myra Hindley (See No Evil) and Fred West (Appropriate Adult).
The hoax kidnapping of the West Yorkshire schoolgirl dominated news headlines in 2008.
As local police undertook their biggest search operation since the Yorkshire Ripper, the nine-year-old was being drugged and hidden in the base of a divan bed by the very people appealing for her safe return.
Her mother, Karen, and Michael Donovan, the uncle of Karen's partner, were sent to prison for eight years for kidnap, false imprisonment and perverting the course of justice, after the court heard about their plot to hide the child and claim a £50,000 reward that subsequently had been offered by the Sun.
The crime shocked the nation, but that shock was felt even more keenly in the local community, which had been seen playing a big part in the 24 days of searching; printing T-shirts, organising fundraising, and praying for the safety of Shannon.
Matthews reported Shannon missing at 18:48 GMT on 19 February 2008 after she had failed to return home from a swimming trip with her school.
The last confirmed sighting of her had been outside Westmoor Junior School, in Dewsbury, at 15:10 GMT.
Within 24 hours, West Yorkshire Police had started a massive search for her, with more than 200 officers involved.
And the community began its own operation, printing copies of Shannon's picture and posting them up around the neighbourhood.
The idea that Shannon had run away from home was touted, but her family insisted it would be totally out of character.
As the search entered its second day, around 200 volunteers joined the 200 officers already looking for Shannon.
Within the first week, specialists were drafted in to help, from behavioural experts and a dedicated team of scientists, to mountain rescue teams and specially trained dogs.
But when they found no sign of her, police warned that she may have "fallen into the wrong hands" and said they were "gravely concerned".
They also revealed a scribbled note on Shannon's bedroom wall, saying she wanted to see more of her natural father.
On the eve of Mother's Day, 11 days after Shannon had disappeared, her mother launched an emotional appeal for her daughter's return.
"Mother's Day is a day when every mum wants her children around them," she said. "Today I don't want cards or presents, I just want my darling daughter home safely.
"I have a special bond with Shannon and I feel sure that she is alive and will come home to her mum."
It was that day that the Sun made its first reward offer of £20,000 for anyone with information that would lead to finding Shannon.
Newspapers, with support from police, occasionally make such reward offers when crimes are committed. Occasionally, they are known to provide a breakthrough and the newspaper which makes the offer may gain the benefit of a close relationship with the detectives and victims.
Matthews continued to appear on TV and make statements begging for her daughter to come home.
She asked for whoever had her to release her, said the family no longer felt safe and even suggested someone close to the family had taken Shannon to "get at her".
Others added their voices to the plea, including the head teacher from Shannon's school.
And the community was still out every day trying to find where she had gone, supporting the family and wearing T-shirts emblazoned with Shannon's face.
The reward from the Sun was upped to £50,000 in another bid to find her.
On 14 March 2008, Shannon was found alive. She was hidden in the base of a divan bed at a house in Batley Carr, less than a mile from her home.
The house belonged to Donovan, who was arrested after a struggle with police.
Matthews denied any part in the hoax but Shannon was taken straight into care after her discovery.
The mother and daughter saw each other for the first time on 3 April, but three days later Matthews was charged with child neglect and perverting the course of justice over her daughter's disappearance, joining Donovan in the dock.
The community was left in shock.
A Freedom of Information request to West Yorkshire Police revealed the investigation into Shannon's disappearance cost £2,659,000.
On 5 September 2008, Matthews and Donovan denied all the charges at Leeds Crown Court.
The trial started in November and on day one it was revealed that Shannon had been drugged and tethered in the flat where she was found.
Prosecutors described Matthews as a "Jekyll and Hyde" character, who forced a sad look on her face when police and media were around.
Donovan was described as a fantasist by his own niece, and he claimed Matthews paid him and then threatened him to keep Shannon hidden.
The pair kept denying their parts.
Julian Goose, summing up the case for the prosecution, said Matthews had "lied and lied and lied again" as she told five different versions regarding her daughter's disappearance.
Alan Conrad, who was defending Donovan, said his client was not an "evil monster" but in reality he was a "pathetic inadequate" who was "vulnerable, unsophisticated and weak in body and mind".
On 4 December 2008, the pair were found guilty, with the jury taking just six hours on their unanimous verdict.
On 23 January 2009, they were sentenced to eight years each in prison. Matthews was released in 2012 after serving half her sentence, by which time Donovan had already been freed.
Shannon is now 18 and living with a different family.
The two-part drama The Moorside will air on Tuesday, 7 February, and Tuesday, 14 February, at 21:00 GMT on BBC One. | A new BBC drama set around the hoax kidnapping of nine-year-old Shannon Matthews has drawn criticism from the victim's grandparents. | 38881419 |
Examiners were called in to assess the bridge near the Rushcutters pub at Thorpe St Andrew at about 12:00 BST.
Train services between Norwich and Lowestoft, Great Yarmouth and Sheringham were delayed, altered or cancelled.
The Broads Authority has issued a safety warning to boat owners in light of the incident.
No injuries were reported. Those on board the 44ft (13m) Flybridge boat "Mustang" declined to comment.
The Broads Authority helped the crew on board Mustang to safety, and Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service helped secure the release of the boat.
Head of Ranger Services Adrian Vernon said it was not common for boats to hit bridges but boat owners should always check they have enough clearance to pass underneath a bridge.
Gauge boards are placed at bridges denoting their height, he added.
Abellio Greater Anglia said all train lines were open again by mid-afternoon but some services were still subject to 15-minute delays.
Alphacraft, the cruiser-hire company which owns the boat, declined to comment. | A boat caused train delays after it hit a railway bridge over the River Yare on the Norfolk Broads. | 32958732 |
The move to start charging follows the introduction of a new national policy on policing commercial events.
The cost has still to be worked out but Police Scotland deny claims it will be as much as £250,000.
Edinburgh city council wants the charges delayed until after 2015.
Singer Lily Allen is to headline this year's Edinburgh's Hogmanay Concert in the Gardens.
The 29-year-old will play West Princes Street Gardens.
The Hogmanay celebrations are produced by two companies - Unique Events and Underbelly.
When Edinburgh council set the current budget in 2012, policing costs were not factored in.
Last year, more than 300 officers from across the east of Scotland policed the Princes Street event.
Chief Supt Mark Williams, this year's Police Gold Commander, said "We have been working with the City of Edinburgh Council and event organisers for some months to plan and deliver this year's Hogmanay celebrations.
"Part of that dialogue includes the charging arrangements.
"Planning is at an advanced stage and I am certain that all the agencies involved will work together to deliver a fantastic event."
The force told BBC Scotland the bill would be "far less" than the £250,000 figure being quoted by critics, but that the total had still to be worked out.
The new national force, Police Scotland, has introduced a single policy on charging for policing commercial events.
Previously, the old regional police forces had different approaches.
Police Scotland say they cannot absorb the costs of policing commercial events at the expense of the public purse.
In general, organisers should expect to be charged for the full policing costs.
Police say they will work with event organisers to find ways of minimising the costs - for instance, where private security firms are also being used by the organisers.
The number of officers deployed to the Princes Street party has reduced over time.
But with 85,000 party-goers likely to turn out, a considerable number would still be required to police the event.
Councillor Steve Cardownie, Edinburgh's festivals and events champion, said the council was working "hand in hand with both the local police and the event organisers".
He added: "Any decision on charging is for the Scottish Police Authority to take."
"I advise everyone to make sure they buy their tickets for this year's Hogmanay celebrations before the discount for residents runs out on 28 November.
"It is going to be the place to bring in the bells for 2015." | Police Scotland want the organisers of Edinburgh's Hogmanay celebrations to help pay towards the cost of policing the event for the first time, it has emerged. | 29934306 |
Well, within a couple of days I was proved wrong. The Conservatives came up with a plan which could involve major changes in the way the internet is regulated.
They say that if they are re-elected they will act to prevent children from getting access to websites offering pornography. That is a policy which other parties are very unlikely to oppose, but it could become more controversial once the practicalities of making this work become clear.
The Culture Secretary Sajid Javid explained at the weekend that the plan involved setting up a new regulator to ensure that websites verified the age of anyone who wanted to see pornographic material.
In fact, this is exactly the change in the law that was demanded last year by an existing regulator Atvod, which monitors online video sites and has been seeking to make sure companies don't allow children to see material they would not be allowed to buy in a shop.
There are, however, two problems. How do you set up an age-verification system, and how do you deal with overseas sites that refuse to comply with British regulations?
Age verification has proved tricky for sites like Facebook, but it may be about to get easier. The government's new Verify system, which uses independent identity checkers such as Experian and the Post Office, could be imposed on the pornography websites. Mind you, Verify has had some teething problems. Some civil liberties groups see it as a way of bringing in ID cards by the back door and there is also the question of whether adult pornography users should be forced, in effect, to register their activities with the government.
But the trickier issue is how to deal with the vast majority of pornography sites which are outside the UK and may be disinclined to obey the rules. Dr Gilad Rosner, an academic who has been an adviser to the Cabinet Office on privacy, says this would have to involve forcing internet service providers to blacklist offending sites. But, he points out, this approach has been tried with illegal file sharing sites and has largely failed.
"In the end," says Dr Rosner, "this is another battle between the global nature of the internet versus states attempting to enforce national laws."
Meanwhile, there is also some doubt about the scale of the problem. A couple of days before the Tories unveiled their plan, the NSPCC made headlines with a survey claiming that a tenth of 12 and 13-year-olds felt they were addicted to pornography.
But the Vice News site examined the methodology behind this research and found it wanting. The survey was carried out by a market research group which pays people for taking part in surveys and boasts that its polls "generate content and news angles and secure exposure for your brand".
There is no doubt that parents are worried about what their children see online, and that politicians want to be seen to be offering policies which can help. But experience shows that it is easy to talk about measures to control what happens online, much harder to put them into practice. | The other day I asked whether technology would be an issue at the general election - and concluded that it almost certainly would not. | 32202649 |
Constantin Radu, 32, of Salt Hill Way, Slough, admitted causing death by dangerous driving after his car mounted a pavement on Wexham Road in September last year, hitting two men.
Jacob Chapman-Pickett, 20, died the following day and the other man was treated in hospital.
Radu was sentenced at Reading Crown Court on Thursday.
Mr Chapman-Pickett was due to start university on the day he was hit by Radu's Rover 45.
His father, Keith Pickett, said: "His honesty, loyalty and sense of fairness, along with his sense of humour, cheeky grin and willingness to help anybody, were things that made this world a better place.
"A part of me died with Jacob and there will always be a part of myself missing."
Radu was also sentenced four months, to run concurrently, for driving with excess alcohol and disqualified from driving for 13 years and three months.
He had no insurance or UK driving licence and had a previous conviction for drinking and driving in Romania.
PC Victoria Jones said: "This is a tragic and unnecessary loss of life caused by the reckless behaviour of a driver who had been drinking.
"The result is that a young man, at the start of his adult life, has died." | A motorist has been jailed for six and a half years for killing a pedestrian while over the drink-drive limit. | 34362593 |
An Arrow-3 missile hit a target above the Earth's atmosphere that simulated the trajectory of long-range missiles like the Iranian Shahab-3.
Further tests are expected before the system, which is being developed together with the US, can be deployed.
It is the latest layer in Israel's system of shields, designed to protect it from external threats.
The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which fought a war with Israel in 2006, is reported to have more than 100,000 missiles and rockets which can reach anywhere in Israel.
Iran, which calls for Israel's eradication, also has missiles which can reach Israel and beyond.
The Israeli defence ministry hailed Thursday's test as a "major milestone".
A similar test a year ago failed because the system was not able to lock on to the target.
Israel's missile shield also includes the already-deployed "Iron Dome" system that targets short-range rockets fired by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, and the mid-range "David's Sling" that is close to being operational and will target missiles supplied to Hezbollah by Iran. | Israel's defence ministry says it has successfully tested an advanced ballistic missile defence system. | 35060934 |
About 4,300 soldiers and their families are to move to Wiltshire from Germany and UK bases in the next six years.
At a public meeting on Wednesday some residents expressed concerns about local roads coping with the influx.
But Paul Mannering, from the DIO, said the plans "will not go through without the appropriate considerations".
By 2019, the Ministry of Defence is planning to base around 28% of the British Army in and around Salisbury Plain.
To cope with the influx of soldiers and their 3,000 dependents, the army is proposing to build 300 new homes at Ludgershall, 540 at Larkhill and 277 at Bulford.
Graham Wright, Liberal Democrat county councillor, said he was happy with the army's proposals but other residents said their concerns about "schooling and transport links" had not been answered by the DIO.
But Mr Mannering, the DIO's requirements manager, said their concerns would be "taken on board" to ensure the plan was not "railroaded through".
He said: "The plan is to develop communities, not houses - and the transport plans, there's more work needed.
"But there's a full planning process to go through yet and opinions do count."
Residents have until 17 June to comment on the plans before they are handed to Wiltshire Council in July. | "More work" is needed on transport plans for 1,300 new troops' homes on Salisbury Plain, according to Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO). | 27616386 |
Directed by Clint Eastwood, the drama is up for six Oscars including best film and best actor for Bradley Cooper.
Recounting the story of real life Navy Seal Chris Kyle, it has now made a total of $200.1m (£133.2m).
"We've never quite seen anything like this at this time of year," said box office expert Paul Dergarabedian.
"American Sniper is helping to propel the box office, which is already 9.3 percent ahead of the same time last year."
The film has also dominated headlines. In the past few days it has been blamed for an increase in threats against Muslims in the US, according to an Arab-American civil rights group.
While American Sniper is breaking records at the top of the US box office, at the other end of the scale Johnny Depp's comedy heist film Mortdecai debuted in ninth place, taking only $4.1m (£2.7) in ticket sales.
It is the star's third consecutive box office flop in a leading role, after 2014's Transcendence and 2013's The Lone Ranger.
Jennifer Lopez fared better, taking second place in this week's chart with the Boy Next Door, in which she stars as a teacher who has an affair with a younger man.
British film Paddington stayed steady in third place in its second week of release, taking $12.4m (£8.25m). | American Sniper has continued to dominate the US box office for a second week with takings of $64.4m (£42.8m), according to studio estimates. | 30985083 |
It is 60 years since the King's Own Scottish Borderers were deployed to a campaign they will never forget.
The Malayan Emergency, as it became known, was a bitter conflict against hardened ethnic Chinese communists.
Sometimes called the "forgotten war", its memories remain strong among the young national servicemen of the day.
Few of the teenage soldiers had previously been away from home and were setting off on a lengthy journey unaware of the conditions they would have to face.
For many of them, the furthest afield they had travelled was Southerness, Edinburgh or perhaps Blackpool.
To Arthur Haining from Glencaple, for instance, a trip to his uncle on a farm at New Galloway had been a major event.
"My father couldn't afford to go anywhere on holidays like they do nowadays - Butlins or abroad," he said.
"We got the boat from Southampton - the troop ship - we couldn't compare it with anything.
"It was great - seeing the sea and the flying fish - everything was new. There was no television when I was a boy so seeing all these foreign people and seeing how they operated, it was great."
That experience was echoed by Leslie Thin from Galashiels.
"In those days it was only those and such as those that could go holidays abroad," he said.
"You saw things things that you never dreamed you would have seen."
Their destination saw them enter a conflict in which they not only had to face a hostile environment of heat and humidity, deadly insects and debilitating illnesses, but fight an unseen enemy in guerrilla-type fashion.
Willie Jardine, from Dumfries, had never imagined the conditions he met could exist.
"Nobody knew where the enemy was, but they were there," he said.
"You were walking in darkness in the jungle - you never knew what was in front of you.
"It could have been an ambush - there were one or two. It is something you will never forget."
It was a very similar experience for George Wright from Jedburgh.
"The heat and the humidity was something else," he said.
"When you made camp at night, each person had a poncho cape - you used it as a ground sheet.
"The whole movement of earth under your feet was just a mass of ants and beetles. And during the day you were just soaking wet with sweat."
Mr Wright, too, lived with the constant threat of ambush from the enemy.
"The jungle was so thick," he explained, "that he could have been four feet away from you and you would never have seen him."
This week these former servicemen will mark the anniversary of the regiment's introduction to the campaign.
Eventually the British, Malayan and Commonwealth forces pushed the communists back far into the jungle, finally ending the conflict in 1960.
But by then 2,500 soldiers had died and those who survived will never forget their experiences. | Across the south of Scotland and beyond this week brings a significant anniversary from many men now well into their seventies. | 34255936 |
Dywedodd Ysgrifennydd yr Economi Ken Skates y bydd y cytundeb gyda Eastern Airways yn sicrhau na fyddai unrhyw amhariad ar y gwasanaeth.
Fe ddywedodd Citywing - oedd yn arfer rhedeg y gwasanaeth - fore Sadwrn y bydd yr hediadau yn dod i ben wedi i'r cwmni gael ei ddirwyn i ben.
Ond bydd pob tocyn oedd eisoes wedi'u prynu ar gyfer gwasanaeth Citywing nawr yn gymwys ar gyfer rhai Eastern Airways.
Dywedodd Mr Skates: "Rwy'n ddiolchgar i Eastern Airways, yr Awdurdod Hedfan Sifil, meysydd awyr Caerdydd ac Ynys Môn ac RAF Fali am eu cefnogaeth a'u help i sicrhau bod y newid rhwng darparwyr wedi digwydd mor sydyn."
Mae'r gwasanaeth yn hedfan rhwng Caerdydd a'r Fali ar Ynys Môn o ddydd Llun i ddydd Gwener.
Dywedodd cyfarwyddwyr Citywing fore Sadwrn eu bod wedi cymryd y penderfyniad i ddirwyn i ben wedi i'r cwmni oedd yn gweithredu'r teithiau, Van Air, gael ei hatal rhag hedfan am resymau diogelwch ddiwedd mis Chwefror.
Roedd Citywing hefyd yn rhedeg awyrennau rhwng Blackpool ac Ynys Manaw, ac o Faes Awyr Sir Gaerloyw.
Cafodd awyrennau Van Air - sydd wedi ei gofrestru yn y Weriniaeth Tsiec - eu hatal gan yr Awdurdod Hedfan Sifil ar 28 Chwefror yn dilyn digwyddiad ar Ynys Manaw yn ystod Storm Doris.
Fe wnaeth y cwmni Danaidd, North Flying, gamu i'r bwlch ar fyr rybudd, ond dywedodd Citywing eu bod wedi cael trafferth cynnal y gwasanaeth ers hynny.
Dywedodd Citywing yn eu datganiad fore Sadwrn bod y gwasanaeth "wedi profi'n anghynaladwy yn fasnachol". | Mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi dod i gytundeb gyda chwmni newydd i gymryd rheolaeth o'r gwasanaeth awyr rhwng Caerdydd ac Ynys Môn. | 39246088 |
Nasa tries to make one of these mosaics at every location where the robot drills into the surface.
This latest picture was taken by the rover at "Buckskin" - the seventh rock target on the mission to provide a sample for analysis.
The portrait differs from previous ones in that it is taken from a low angle.
Curiosity manages this smart piece of planetary photography in the same way that any human would take a selfie - by holding a camera at arm's length and framing its own form.
The camera used is the "hand lens" known as Mahli. Normally used to study mineral grains in rocks at very close quarters, it can also be focussed on infinity.
Engineers instruct Mahli to send back multiple shots of the rover, after first practising the shoot sequence on a test vehicle kept on Earth.
The pictures must then be stitched together to make the final scene.
Slightly different arm positions mean only the camera and its turret mount are missing from the finished product, although their shadow is caught on the ground.
At Buckskin, the surface sloped slightly away from the rover, meaning the robot could on this occasion get the camera much lower without the risk of banging the hardware on the rock. This made for a new perspective compared with previous selfies, showing more of Curiosity's front and belly.
There are two grey patches in front of the rover. The triangular patch is where the robot drilled Buckskin. A dark 1.6cm-wide circle shows where the hammer tool went into the ground. The grey patch closest to the vehicle is a dump of powdered rock too large in grain size to be sent for analysis in the labs that sit inside Curiosity's body.
The robot has now been on Mars for three Earth years. It is in a deep equatorial bowl known as Gale Crater.
At the centre of this depression is a huge mountain, informally called Mount Sharp. Curiosity is currently climbing through its foothills, examining the rocks as it goes.
The analysis so far has shown the crater to have hosted a lake many billions of years ago. The sedimentary deposits record abundant evidence for the flowing water that must have fed this lake. The conditions back then, say scientists, could very probably have allowed microbial life to flourish - if it ever existed on Mars.
As it climbs the mountain, Curiosity will likely find evidence of the planet's drying. Today, Mars is desiccated and cold. Scientists want to understand when and how this transformation took place.
Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos | The US space agency has issued another of the "selfie" portraits acquired by the Curiosity rover on Mars. | 34006653 |
In his New Year message, the Labour leader said 2016 would "live long in all our memories" and would be defined by the EU referendum.
The UK now had "the chance to do things differently" after the vote, he said.
He said Labour would not block Brexit but would not support a deal with the EU which merely "protects the bankers in the City".
In his own end of year message to activists, Lib Dem leader Tim Farron has appealed to disenchanted Labour supporters to join his party saying they are the "voice of optimism" in British politics.
Mr Corbyn began 2016 saying it would be "the start of a journey to elect a Labour government in 2020".
But he had to contend with a leadership challenge in the summer, which came after mass resignations from his front bench who were unhappy about his EU referendum campaign performance.
His New Year's message says 2017 offers everyone the chance to "start afresh", saying: "2016 will be defined in history by the referendum on our EU membership.
"People didn't trust politicians and they didn't trust the European Union. I understand that.
"I've spent over 40 years in politics campaigning for a better way of doing things, standing up for people, taking on the establishment, and opposing decisions that would make us worse off.
"We now have the chance to do things differently. To build an economy that invests and works for everyone across all our nations and regions."
Mr Corbyn has said his party will try to amend legislation if the government is forced to consult Parliament before triggering Brexit, but has said this will not mean the process being delayed.
He said Labour "accepts and respects" the referendum result, adding: "We won't be blocking our leaving the European Union, but we won't stand by.
"A Brexit that protects the bankers in the City and continues to give corporate handouts to the biggest companies is not good enough."
Mr Corbyn said the UK's political system was "letting down the people of this country", urging action on social care, homelessness, job security and education.
Reflecting on the challenges ahead in 2017, Mr Farron said the UK faced an "uncertain" future, with "widespread" economic insecurity, no plan for leaving the EU and an NHS and social care system was in crisis.
Mr Farron, whose Lib Dems ended the year on a high by winning the Richmond Park by-election, said his party would continue to fight for a Britain that was "open, tolerant and united".
"If you worry that the government is embarking on the most extreme, divisive version of Brexit possible, ripping us out of the single market with no regard for the impact on the lives and livelihoods of millions of our fellow citizens," he said.
"If you are fed up with a Labour Party that would rather fight with itself than hold the Conservatives to account. Then join the real voice of opposition.
"Don't shrug your shoulders. Don't look the other way. Get involved... and together we can make 2017 a year for optimism." | Jeremy Corbyn says he understands the lack of trust in politicians and the EU that led to the Brexit vote. | 38459140 |
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Hodgson said Sterling, 19, complained about fatigue on the eve of the game.
"He said, 'I'm feeling tired, I'd rather sit this one out'," Hodgson told BBC Radio 5 live after the 1-0 win.
The 67-year-old added: "It's unfair if all the expectations to give the player a little bit of a break fall on me."
Sterling came on in the 64th minute for club-mate Jordan Henderson, and was fouled for the free-kick that England captain Wayne Rooney curled into the bottom right-hand corner to maintain England's 100% record after three games in Group E.
The teenager has already been rested by club manager Brendan Rodgers this campaign for the league match against Aston Villa in September.
"He broke into the Liverpool team, had a fantastic season and then went to the World Cup. He is only a 19-year-old," added Hodgson.
"It is not as simple as the training you are having may be taking a bit of juice from your legs.
"There is an awful lot going on in your head as well, so perhaps it is quite simply that the season has not started as well for Liverpool, and he is in the spotlight for England and Liverpool. Maybe that has had some effect. I don't know. It's a theory."
Another Anfield team-mate, Adam Lallana, was picked instead of Sterling in the starting XI in Tallinn.
"To be fair to the lad [Sterling], I had a decision to make because Lallana was so good in the second half against San Marino.
"It was simple one. When he suggested he wasn't 100% in terms of fitness and recovery, it would have been foolish to leave a player like Lallana, who is raring to go, out of the team.
"Having Sterling up your sleeve can be a very, very important factor. There's nothing wrong with him. I'm sure when he goes back to Liverpool he'll be fine."
Meanwhile, Hodgson clarified that he had not been intending to replace Rooney just before he broke the deadlock with a 73rd-minute free-kick.
"Wayne would have been frustrated and disappointed if this ended 0-0 - he's a self-critical player and self-critical captain," he said.
"He would have looked at the performance of himself and other front players and would have said 'we are playing good football, but it's up to us to put the chances away'.
"If he hadn't put that away he would been the first one to criticise himself for not doing so." | England coach Roy Hodgson believes he should not be solely responsible for resting Raheem Sterling after the Liverpool midfielder asked to "sit out" the Euro 2016 qualifier in Estonia. | 29591578 |
The men were sentenced to death by a military court and are the first to be hanged in relation to the attack.
Taliban militants stormed the Army Public School in the north-western city of Peshawar on 16 December 2014.
The hangings come just two weeks ahead of the anniversary of the attack, which shocked the nation.
The massacre prompted a crackdown on Islamist militants, the establishment of military courts to try terror suspects and the resumption of capital punishment after a six-year moratorium.
These executions are timed to coincide with the first anniversary of the Peshawar school massacre. The trials were held in a military court, and proceedings were shrouded in secrecy.
A recent military statement claimed the convicts were linked to the little-known Toheedwal Jihad group of the Pakistani Taliban. It said they had admitted to involvement in previous attacks on military targets, including the 2012 assault on the air force base in Peshawar. But it did not specify how they were linked to the Army Public School shootings of last December.
There is no way of knowing if they were provided adequate legal defence, or if they appealed against their convictions in the military court of appeals, which is allowed under the law.
After the school attack, the government decided to set up military courts to try civilians involved in terrorism. The move was opposed by human rights groups who argued it would lead to miscarriages of justice and summary executions.
Earlier this week, army chief Gen Raheel Sharif signed death warrants for the four militants who were named as Maulvi Abdus Salam, Hazrat Ali, Mujeebur Rehman and Sabeel.
Security officials said the four men were executed early on Wednesday at a jail in the north-western city of Kohat.
They were convicted in a military court of aiding and abetting the militants who carried out the attack, all of whom were killed in battle with security forces on the day.
During the assault, militants scaled the walls to get into the school and set off a bomb before moving from classroom to classroom shooting indiscriminately at both children and teachers.
The school was near a military complex in Peshawar and a number of its students were the children of military personnel.
"The rest should be caught too, no-one should be spared," Waheed Anjum, an 18-year-old survivor of the attack, told AFP news agency.
"The hangings won't bring back my son, but now other people's sons will be kept safer," said Tufail Ahmed Khan, who lost one son in the attack while another was wounded.
Peshawar, which is close to the Afghan border, has seen some of the worst of the militant violence to assail the country over the last decade.
The Pakistani authorities believe 27 militants were involved in the attack. Nine were killed during the siege and officials say 12 suspects were arrested.
In all, six men were sentenced to death in August after secret military trials. A seventh was given life in jail, while two of the condemned men are still to be hanged.
How many other suspects were caught, or remain in custody, is unclear. | Pakistan has hanged four men linked to last December's massacre at an army school which killed more than 150 people, mostly children. | 34981382 |
The 22-year-old's comments come after ex-cyclist Nicole Cooke said British Cycling was run "by men for men".
Cooke, 33, made the claim to a Culture, Media and Sport select committee in Westminster on Tuesday.
However, Barker told BBC Radio Wales Sport that there has never been a better time to be a female cyclist.
"There's still a lot of sexism in cycling today. It's not always blatantly obvious like a pay gap or races not being put on," Barker, who won gold for Team GB in the team pursuit in Rio, said.
"Times have changed a little bit since Nicole's time.
"I can understand her frustrations but, as much as there is sexism in sport today, there's not been a better time to be a female cyclist. I certainly can't complain about the amount of support.
"There are so many more British female riders that can be full-time and don't need to get jobs and hopefully that's going to be on the rise."
While giving evidence to the committee, Cooke answered "yes I do" when asked by MPs whether she thought sexism was culturally embedded in British Cycling.
The 2008 road race champion also said they did "nothing for the women" and that the body showed only "transient" support for female road riders.
Regarding Cooke's accusations, British Cycling said in a statement: "There is always more that can be done and we strive to make continual improvements to ensure that cycling is reaching out to women and girls of all ages and abilities."
Barker says issues beneath the surface of Cooke's accusations do need to be addressed.
"I think sometimes it's the subtle things that can be quite damaging - the choice of music while the women are racing can often be quite trivial and it downgrades the racing a little bit," Barker continued.
"When the men have got awesome rock theme tunes to their racing, it makes it more exciting and it draws the crowd in, whereas when the woman's is on, there's this sort of fluffy music and it doesn't make the crowd that excited.
"There are different levels to it. Equality needs to be across it all rather than just focusing on the pay gap. It needs to be all these little things to raise the profile of women's cycling."
An independent review into British Cycling was set up after former technical director Shane Sutton was accused of using offensive and discriminatory language towards cyclist Jess Varnish.
Sutton was cleared of eight of the nine charges against him, but was found guilty of using sexist language. He denies any wrongdoing. | Olympic gold medallist Elinor Barker says there is "still a lot of sexism" within the sport of cycling, but it is not "blatantly obvious". | 38757408 |
Local politicians and some staff have voiced concern that it could affect workers' jobs and lead to an increase in customers' bills.
About 20 opponents waving banners made their views known outside the meeting.
Severn Trent Water said it plans to build on Dee Valley's customer service record and make a "significant" investment in the region.
Dee Valley Water employs about 180 people and has 230,000 customers across the Wrexham and Chester areas.
Customers pay an average of £145 a year for their water compared with £172 for Severn Trent.
Severn Trent Water have outbid London investment firm, Ancala, which offered about £78.5m.
About 120 Dee Valley shareholders met at Wrexham's Ramada Plaza hotel to cast their votes, although some do not know yet if their votes will count.
Dee Valley is seeking clarity after one shareholder transferred ownership of more than 400 shares to individuals.
A court hearing to establish the validity of the votes and sanction the takeover is due to take place later this month.
Plaid Cymru and Labour politicians oppose the possible takeover with Wrexham MP Ian Lucas saying Severn Trent was "not welcome".
He said: "We wonder why it is that Severn Trent want to acquire Dee Valley Water and I think the short answer to that is that they want to pay more money to their shareholders.
"We are happy with things as they are. We want it to stay that way."'
A spokesman for Seven Trent said it was the "best long long-term owner for Dee Valley".
"We have always said we are committed to maintaining front line field force operations in Wrexham and Chester," the spokesman said.
"We have already met with Dee Valley employees since we announced our offer and attach great significance to their skills and operational and technical expertise." | Shareholders in Wrexham's Dee Valley Water company have met to vote on an £84m takeover by Severn Trent Water. | 38595633 |
The move comes after the 20-year-old signed a new contract with the Royals, which will keep him at the Madejski Stadium until the summer of 2017.
Tanner made his debut for Reading in August and has scored one goal in five appearances for the Berkshire club.
Reading, who are 18th in the Championship, have the option of recalling Tanner after a month.
AFC Wimbledon manager Neal Ardley said their scouting reports showed Tanner was "one of the best young talents around".
He told the club website: "With the qualities and talent that Craig has, we believe he could be an exciting player who can cope with the demands at this level." | League Two side AFC Wimbledon have signed Reading striker Craig Tanner on loan until the end of the season. | 30934068 |
Wigan striker Grigg and and MK Dons full-back Hodson are set to get the nod when boss Michael O'Neill cuts five names from his current 28-player squad.
Liam Boyce, Billy McKay, Daniel Lafferty, Ben Reeves and Michael Smith were all conspicuous absentees from training on Thursday.
O'Neill will announce his squad for the tournament on Saturday.
The make-up of the final 23-man squad is unlikely to have been affected by Friday night's 3-0 win over Belarus as all players appear to have emerged unscathed from the warm-up fixture at Windsor Park.
However, it is believed O'Neill told each player on Wednesday of his decision on whether they will be on the plane to France.
Grigg, who scored 10 goals in Wigan's final nine games of the season, was fighting for the final striker berth with Ross County's Boyce and Dundee United forward McKay.
Peterborough defender Smith and and Burnley's Lafferty are poised to miss out as Hodson takes the last full-back slot.
Michael O'Neill's squad announcement on Saturday will be streamed live on the BBC Sport website | Will Grigg and Lee Hodson appear to have grabbed the final places in the Northern Ireland squad for Euro 2016. | 36396373 |
Murray, 31, had reached the last eight for the first time but he and Soares went down 3-6 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-4) to Santiago Gonzalez of Mexico and Donald Young of the United States.
"We had our chance, didn't take it and it came back to haunt us," Murray said.
"We should have won, we should have found a way to get through it."
He added: "It was a big opportunity, a lot of guys had lost and it was pretty open."
In 2016, Murray and Soares won the Australian and US Open doubles titles.
Find out how to get into tennis in our special guide.
Earlier on Monday Andy Murray made it through to the singles quarter-finals.
The younger Murray came through to beat Karen Khachanov 6-3 6-4 6-4 to claim his 650th Tour-level victory in two hours and four minutes. | Jamie Murray's French Open is over after he and doubles partner Bruno Soares lost a third-set tie-break at Roland Garros. | 40164675 |
2 November 2016 Last updated at 07:34 GMT
According to the Rugby Football Union, 10,000 more females are playing rugby in England now compared to 2014.
Jenny visits a new club in Peterborough to find out why the world of tries and tackles has been attracting more players recently. | There's been a big rise in the numbers of girls and women taking up rugby over the past two years. | 37841278 |
An anonymous bidder bought the gloves at an auction in Cleveland, US.
The bout, dubbed the "Fight of the Century", saw Frazier beat Ali by a unanimous decision to become the undisputed World Heavyweight Champion.
Ali later beat Frazier in 1974 and 1975, cementing his reputation as the greatest boxer of all time.
The fight was laden with political as well as sporting significance, as Ali had been stripped of his title for refusing to enlist in the US Army during the Vietnam War.
A previous pair of gloves worn by Ali in his first World Championship fight were sold for $836,500 by the same auction house. | The boxing gloves worn by Muhammad Ali during his 1971 fight with Joe Frazier have been sold at auction for $388,375. | 28599105 |
More than 200 of the spherical bombs were tested at Loch Striven during World War Two but were never used.
Members of the British Sub-Aqua Club and the Royal Navy will attempt to lift two of them.
The recovered bombs will then be displayed at the de Havilland Aircraft Museum in Hertfordshire and at the Brooklands Museum in Surrey.
The prototype bombs, which were never used operationally, do not contain any explosives.
Highball was the military codename for the weapons, a naval version of the "Upkeep" bouncing bombs used in the Dambusters raid in May 1943.
It was one of five bombs developed by Sir Barnes Wallis and was designed to be used against ships.
Iain Murray, a trustee of the Barnes Wallis Foundation, told the BBC: "The main purpose of developing Highball was to attack the battleship Tirpitz which was moored in the Norwegian fjords.
"Unfortunately it was located in an awkward position so it was difficult to attack using Highball and it was ultimately attacked using midget submarines.
"Subsequently the Highball squadron moved to the Pacific with the intention of attacking Japanese warships, but the war came to an end before that could actually happen."
The bombs will be sent to two English aviation museums after conservation, completing the full set of Barnes Wallis bouncing bombs on public display.
Divers have been working for about seven years to devise a salvage plan since first surveying the loch. They will be helped by the Royal Navy, who are providing a ship and a crane for the lift.
The British Sub-Aqua Club is sending divers from Cheshire, Tyneside, Dundee, Cannock, London and Swindon.
Lindsay Brown, a member of the Dundee Sub-Aqua Club who is taking part in the salvage operation, said: "They're of an an age, of a technological innovation, that we'll possibly never see again.
"I feel that it shouldn't just be divers that are allowed to see these objects so I'm really glad that we're bringing a couple up so that other people have the chance to see part of our brilliant history." | A team of divers is planning to recover two historic Highball bouncing bombs from a loch in Argyll. | 40648104 |
Police spent hours checking documents at the 1MDB fund's Kuala Lumpur office.
Mr Najib denies allegations that nearly $700m were transferred to his personal bank accounts from the fund.
On Tuesday officials froze six accounts as part of the inquiry. The account holders were not identified.
But the country's attorney general has since clarified that none of the accounts frozen were ones allegedly held by Mr Najib.
The 1MDB fund said it was co-operating with the police investigation.
"We can confirm that a number of officials from the task force, conducting an inquiry into 1MDB, visited our offices today," it said in a statement.
"They were provided with a number of documents and materials to aid with the investigations currently taking place."
The fund, set up by Mr Najib in 2009 and still chaired by him, denies giving any money to the prime minister.
Meanwhile, in a BBC interview, Malaysia's former leader Mahathir Mohamed called on Mr Najib to show public proof that his assets are legal.
Correspondents say he is facing the biggest crisis of his political career - pressure has been mounting since the Wall Street Journal published a detailed report last week. He was already under fire over his leadership, particularly from Mr Mahathir.
Mr Najib has previously issued a statement on Facebook, saying that the various allegations made against him are "unsubstantiated" and "outrageous".
He accuses Mr Mahathir of trying to topple him and describes his former mentor's claim that 42bn ringgits ($11bn) have gone missing from the fund as "reckless".
"These are audited debts backed by 51bn ringgits [in] audited assets." Mr Najib said in his Facebook post. | The authorities in Malaysia have raided the office of a state investment fund as part of investigations into claims of corruption involving Prime Minister Najib Razak. | 33439788 |
Mr Pugh was defeated by independent Richard Priest in the Shanklin South ward by just 10 votes.
Independents won 20 seats. The Tories lost nine seats and their majority on the council. Turnout was just over 35%.
UKIP, which did not contest council elections on the island four years ago, won two seats.
With all the Isle of Wight results in, the Conservatives have 15 seats; Liberal Democrats lost four of their five seats while Labour gained a seat and now have two councillors.
Independent Mr Priest said his victory "shows the passion people had for the debate".
"We knew it was a tough, uphill battle," he said.
Mr Pugh had been a councillor for eight years, five of them as council leader.
He said he made "no apologies" for the council's education policy which had been criticised during the election campaign.
The island's school system has been reorganised from a three-tier to a two-tier structure, and since then three of its six secondary schools have been rated "inadequate" by Ofsted.
"After eight years in power, people are going to have a view on things," he said.
"Clearly I'm disappointed. It's been a privilege to serve the island.
"It's been difficult for the party both nationally and locally."
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Or | Isle of Wight council leader David Pugh has lost his seat to an independent candidate, as the Conservatives lost control of the authority | 22397014 |
The film - which was made by a team of animators in Edinburgh and Dundee - has been nominated in the Best Animated Feature Film category.
Director Sylvain Chomet set up a studio in the Scottish capital after visiting its film festival seven years ago.
The Illusionist, which has been described as a "fairytale depiction" of Scotland, is up against Toy Story 3 and How To Train Your Dragon.
The winner will be announced in Los Angeles on 27 February.
Mr Chomet, originally from Paris, was previously nominated for an Oscar in 2003 for Belleville Rendez-vous.
The Illusionist, which had its premiere at last year's Edinburgh Film Festival, is about a magician who travels to Edinburgh from Paris.
It was inspired by the French director's travels around Scotland. | Scottish film The Illusionist has been nominated for an Oscar. | 12280132 |
The 2013 winner, a 9-1 shot under jockey Jamie Moore, hit the front with three fences to go to beat Firebird Flyer (25-1) and Shotgun Paddy (12-1) into second and third respectively.
Trained by Kerry Lee, the 11-year-old is the first double winner of the race since Bonanza Boy in 1989.
The race was postponed from 27 December because of a waterlogged track.
"He's not had a lot of racing," Lee told Channel 4 Racing. "He really enjoys the way he is trained. The thing is to keep him sweet, to keep him fresh and keep the variety going.
"I think the Grand National has to be his target now this season, he really enjoys soft ground and this kind of trip, so it has to be on the cards."
The race had been under threat after recent heavy rain, and Emperor's Choice, winner in 2014, pulled up with 10 fences to jump in heavy going.
Mountainous won by two and three-quarter lengths despite Firebird Flyer closing late on.
Limonali is the only other two-time winner of the race - and like Mountainous he won it twice in three runnings (1959 and 1961).
Coral Welsh Grand National result
1 Mountainous 9-1 (Kerry Lee) Jamie Moore
2 Firebird Flyer 25-1
3 Shotgun Paddy 12-1
4 Saroque 33-1
5 Woodford County 12-1
20 ran. Distances: 2¾ lengths, 11 lengths, 8 lengths | Mountainous won the Welsh National for the second time with an impressive triumph at Chepstow. | 35272095 |
The Wigan player's partner gave birth 10 days ago, and Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill said Grigg "didn't feel being here was right".
"Will asked to not be in the squad due to a family situation, which I'm not going to go into," he added.
Defender Ryan McGivern and midfielder Matthew Lund are included.
Grigg, 25, missed the opening qualifier against the Czech Republic as his partner was expecting to give birth at the time.
"It's a blow for Will - he's been on the scoresheet and I had a good chat with him," added O'Neill at Wednesday's squad announcement.
Uncapped Rochdale midfielder Lund and Shrewsbury Town defender McGivern were late call-ups to the squad for the scoreless draw in Prague because of injuries, and they have another chance to impress O'Neill.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Hartlepool keeper Trevor Carson and Burton Albion defender Tom Flanagan are the other uncapped players in the 24-man squad.
Northern Ireland host minnows San Marino in Belfast on 8 October before facing world champions Germany in Hanover three days later.
Northern Ireland squad:
Goalkeepers: Michael McGovern (Norwich), Alan Mannus (St Johnstone), Trevor Carson (Hartlepool)
Defenders: Gareth McAuley, Jonny Evans (both West Brom), Craig Cathcart (Watford), Conor McLaughlin (Fleetwood), Lee Hodson (Rangers), Michael Smith (Peterborough), Tom Flanagan (Burton), Ryan McGivern (Shrewsbury Town)
Midfielders: Steven Davis (Southampton), Niall McGinn (Aberdeen), Oliver Norwood (Brighton), Corry Evans (Blackburn), Jamie Ward (Nottingham Forest), Shane Ferguson (Millwall), Stuart Dallas (Leeds), Paddy McNair (Sunderland), Matthew Lund (Rochdale)
Forwards: Kyle Lafferty (Norwich), Josh Magennis (Charlton), Conor Washington (QPR), Liam Boyce (Ross County) | Northern Ireland striker Will Grigg will miss next month's World Cup qualifiers against San Marino and Germany for family reasons. | 37508863 |
But it was pretty controversial!
Newsround breaks down what happened during the match. | Leicester City have kept Atletico Madrid within reach as they only allowed the Spaniards one goal in their Champions League quarter-final first leg. | 39586871 |
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the train would link Mumbai and Ahmedabad, cutting travel time on the route from eight hours to two.
The deal was one of a raft of agreements reached after talks between the two sides in Delhi.
The leaders of Asia's second and third largest economies also announced other areas of co-operation.
These include working on defence technology, and agreeing a memorandum of understanding on the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
The latter agreement is expected to allow Japan to export nuclear plant technologies to India.
Last week Mr Modi's cabinet cleared the $14.7bn (£9.6bn) cost of building the bullet train system.
The agreements with Japan came during a three-day visit to India by the Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, which began on Friday.
Both countries are in territorial disputes with China, and their new accords may be seen by some as a reaction against China's growing influence in the region. | India has agreed to buy a high-speed bullet train from Japan, in an attempt to transform its creaking rail system. | 35086944 |
The 26-year-old helped the Foxes win the Premier League title last season, scoring twice in 38 matches.
He joined them on a free transfer from Aston Villa in July 2014.
Albrighton told the club website: "The club have been great to me since I signed. I've had some amazing times here and we've reached the ultimate by winning the league last year."
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. | Leicester City midfielder Marc Albrighton has signed a new four-year deal. | 37224897 |
Boreham Wood's Delano Sam-Yorke played a one-two with with Harry White before firing home the only goal.
Adam Boyes' header hit the bar for Guiseley and Sam-Yorke struck the inside of the post for the Wood.
After 20th-placed Halifax's surprise win over Forest Green, the Wood now sit 19th on 47 points, while Guiseley are 21st on 46 points with one game left. | Boreham Wood defeated fellow strugglers Guiseley to leave the Yorkshire club in the National League relegation zone. | 36061554 |
England was awarded the 2021 World Cup in October after seeing off a rival bid from the United States and Canada, with North America recommended for 2025.
The tournament has always previously been played in Europe or Australasia.
RLIF chairman Nigel Wood said the award is "a historic moment in the global development of rugby league".
"It is exciting that our sport is expanding into a new destination for our premier event," he added.
"The USA and Canada provide world-class stadiums allied to a significant multi-cultural population which made the bid so persuasive."
The Toronto Wolfpack - Canada's first professional team - will compete in English rugby league's third tier in this coming season as part of the game's development in North America. | North America is set to host the 2025 World Cup after initial plans got the support of governing body the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF). | 38042943 |
The 31-year-old from Scotland was the judge's wildcard and one of five finalists who performed with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales at St David's Hall, Cardiff.
The week-long competition featured 20 young classical singers.
They were selected from an original list of 400 entrants before auditions.
Ms Morison was presented with the Cardiff Trophy and £15,000 prize money.
The other finalists were round winners Kang Wang, 29, a tenor from Australia, Anthony Clark Evans, 32, a baritone from the USA, Ariunbaatar Ganbaatar, 29, a baritone from Mongolia and Louise Alder, 30, a soprano from England.
Ms Alder was awarded the Dame Joan Sutherland Audience Prize.
The Welsh representative in the competition was Sioned Gwen Davies, a mezzo soprano from Colwyn Bay, Conwy county.
The final's judging panel was made up of director of Welsh National Opera David Pountney, mezzo-soprano Grace Bumbry, soprano Sumi Jo, baritone Wolfgang Holzmair and conductor Anu Tali. | Mezzo soprano Catriona Morison has been crowned the winner of this year's BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition. | 40320725 |
The sale includes paintings, a historic library, antique jewellery, and a vintage motorcycle.
The money will be used to restore the Glyn Cywarch estate in Talsarnau.
Lord Harlech inherited the estate when his father, former Conservative peer the 6th Baron Harlech, died in February.
Lord Harlech said of the restoration: "It's a big undertaking, but we'll get it done."
He added: "Just as my family collected fine art and antiques over the generations, it now feels the right time to find a new generation of collectors to enjoy them."
More than 400 items will be listed at the auction which will take place in London on 29 March, 2017.
Leading items include a 1936 Lagonda Rapier sports car which is valued between £20,000-Â25,000, and personally inscribed manuscripts by Jackie Kennedy, wife of the former US President John F Kennedy. | The contents of a Grade II-listed estate in Gwynedd which belong to the Harlech family will be sold at auction. | 37974086 |
Perry was a favourite "friend", playing the awkward and sarcastic Chandler Bing. But what is less well known is that Matthew Perry also had a hand in writing the scripts.
"I was in the writer's room for Friends," he says. "It was a pretty big writer's room.
"There were probably 20 people in there, 15 guys and five women. And they had a pie chart drawn up, so each character would have the same amount of time and had the same amount of scenes."
Perry was the only member of the cast who wanted to be in the writer's room. "I was curious about it", he says.
"In my off hours I would go there, just hanging out and pitching jokes. Writing is something that has always interested me."
He says he pitched jokes for all the characters, not just his own.
But the Matthew Perry I meet could not be further from Chandler Bing.
There are no quick-witted gags, no self-deprecating quips. We talk during rehearsals for his new play The End of Longing, which opens in London's West End this week.
Not only does he star in the play, but he has also written it. It marks his debut as a playwright. And he is nervous.
"I was scared to write something on my own and scared to see what the reaction would be.
"I'd never written anything by myself before, I'd always written with a partner. And I decided to try write something on my own and I started writing and these monologues came out, so I realised what I was writing was a play.
"And I just kept writing and kept writing until I was finished."
Perry says he wrote the play in 10 days, but it took another year of rewriting before he was happy.
He thinks it will appeal to "the Friends generation: it's really aimed at people in their 30s and 40s." It is about "four very broken people who are trying to find love."
Their lives are changed after they share a night in a bar in Los Angeles. "The message of the play is that people can change," he adds.
Perry's own struggles with drink and prescription drugs are well documented. He recently admitted his addiction meant he had little or no recollection of three years of Friends.
But while he plays an alcoholic in The End of Longing, and admits he has written about what he knows, he insists the play was not "very" autobiographical.
The character he plays is, he explains, "a very exaggerated form of myself. The roads we travelled are similar, but the way that he drinks and the way that he stops drinking is different from my road."
Perry's face looks older than the one currently looming out of promotional posters for The End of Longing. He is 46 but he is playing a 40-year-old in the play.
He thinks it is easier for actors to age in Hollywood than actresses: "It's a lot less fair to women." He says he has never been under any pressure to lose weight for a role or have plastic surgery.
He is unforthcoming when we talked about the controversy surrounding the whiteness of this year's Oscar acting nominees.
"I really can't comment on that, I don't know anything about that," he says.
But he adds that he does not think subliminal racism is at work. "A lot of black actors have won Academy Awards before, I don't really see that that's an issue."
He is more comfortable discussing the theatre and says he would like to write more plays. But however hard he tries, he knows he will never escape from Friends.
The cast gathered recently for a reunion to honour the television director James Burrows, which will be broadcast on American television later this month.
Perry was not there, because he was rehearsing in London. But that has not stopped speculation about a reunion.
"I don't know if that will ever happen," he says somewhat wearily, but: "I know a lot of people are interested in it happening.
"People still like the show, people still watch the show, it's on all the time and everybody would be interested to see the characters go on."
And for all those fans with their fingers crossed, Perry is not ruling out a revival.
"I think I'd be up for it, yeah," he smiles.
The End of Longing is at London's Playhouse Theatre until 14 May. | Friends star Matthew Perry is starring in London's West End in the play The End of Longing, which marks the premiere of the actor's playwriting debut. | 35472805 |
Joshua Clarke opened the scoring before half-time for the hosts as he finished off a sweeping move with Lasse Vibe poking home a second soon after.
Defender Maxime Colin scored his first goal for the Bees to extend the lead to 3-0 following a neat one-two with Vibe.
Yann Kermorgant pulled one back from the spot for Reading but Scott Hogan slotted home as Brentford moved fourth.
Despite the hosts having just 37% of possession, it was their clinical finishing that proved the difference.
Clarke opening his account for Brentford as he ended a five-man move that began on the edge of Reading's box.
Leading goalscorer Hogan chased after a through ball and managed to pull it back from the byeline to give Vibe the easiest of goals.
The Bees continued the second half on top and with the away side's defence ball-watching, right-back Colin smashed the ball into the net.
Kermogant's cool penalty gave the Royals hope but Hogan's seventh goal of the season helped Brentford bounce back in style from their 3-1 loss at Wolves on Saturday.
Match ends, Brentford 4, Reading 1.
Second Half ends, Brentford 4, Reading 1.
Corner, Reading. Conceded by Yoann Barbet.
Attempt blocked. Dominic Samuel (Reading) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Joseph Mendes.
Attempt blocked. Josh McEachran (Brentford) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Maxime Colin.
Attempt missed. Yann Kermorgant (Reading) right footed shot from the left side of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Joseph Mendes with a through ball.
Attempt saved. Sullay Kaikai (Brentford) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Romaine Sawyers.
Attempt missed. Harlee Dean (Brentford) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Yoann Barbet.
Attempt missed. Romaine Sawyers (Brentford) right footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses the top left corner. Assisted by Josh McEachran with a cross following a corner.
Corner, Brentford. Conceded by Chris Gunter.
Hand ball by Dominic Samuel (Reading).
Corner, Brentford. Conceded by Stephen Quinn.
Corner, Brentford. Conceded by Paul McShane.
Substitution, Brentford. Sullay Kaikai replaces Lasse Vibe.
Corner, Brentford. Conceded by Jordan Obita.
Goal! Brentford 4, Reading 1. Scott Hogan (Brentford) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Josh McEachran with a through ball.
Substitution, Reading. Dominic Samuel replaces Callum Harriott.
Substitution, Reading. Joseph Mendes replaces Roy Beerens.
Substitution, Brentford. Josh McEachran replaces Alan McCormack.
Foul by Roy Beerens (Reading).
Alan McCormack (Brentford) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt missed. Scott Hogan (Brentford) right footed shot from the left side of the box is high and wide to the left.
Nico Yennaris (Brentford) is shown the yellow card.
Stephen Quinn (Reading) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Nico Yennaris (Brentford).
Foul by George Evans (Reading).
Alan McCormack (Brentford) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. George Evans (Reading) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right.
Corner, Brentford. Conceded by Jordan Obita.
Corner, Brentford. Conceded by Liam Moore.
Foul by Callum Harriott (Reading).
Lasse Vibe (Brentford) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Offside, Reading. Yann Kermorgant tries a through ball, but Stephen Quinn is caught offside.
Substitution, Brentford. Yoann Barbet replaces Andreas Bjelland.
Andreas Bjelland (Brentford) is shown the yellow card.
Corner, Brentford. Conceded by Jordan Obita.
Foul by Stephen Quinn (Reading).
Maxime Colin (Brentford) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Goal! Brentford 3, Reading 1. Yann Kermorgant (Reading) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the high centre of the goal.
Penalty Reading. Stephen Quinn draws a foul in the penalty area. | Brentford eased to victory over Reading at Griffin Park to end the Royals' six-match unbeaten league run. | 37414501 |
The stage was won by Vincenzo Nibali after 124 miles (201km) of punishing roads and hill climbs.
British rider Mark Cavendish was out of the race after a fall on Saturday.
The crowds were so dense in some places that riders struggled to pass at some points while in some areas late-comers were turned away.
Sir Rodney Walker, chairman of the tour organisers TdFHUB2014 Ltd said: "Around 2.5 million spectators lined the route over two days and revelled in being part of history.
"The passion of the crowds in Yorkshire has really made this a weekend to remember.
"There has been a huge amount of planning and hard work from all the partners involved to ensure the first two stages were a success.
"We have once again showcased how the UK can deliver amazing events and a world-wide audience has seen the best of Yorkshire, and the best of the UK."
BBC reporter Dave Edwards, at the event's Police Silver Command in Wakefield, said officers had asked stewards to redirect people from Oxenhope, Hebden Bridge, Mytholmroyd and High Bradfield because of the huge numbers of spectators already at those sites.
The police command centre later said there were 60,000 people at the Holme Moss site.
The 197 riders faced some of the UK's toughest climbs in Sunday's stage.
One of the focal points for spectators was Holme Moss on the Yorkshire/Derbyshire border - the highest point on the stage at 1,709ft (521m).
The route passed through Harrogate, Keighley, and Huddersfield before reaching Sheffield, taking in areas made famous by the Bronte sisters and TV series Last Of The Summer Wine.
More than a million people lined the route of stage one of the Tour between Leeds and Harrogate.
Along Sunday's route the riders tackled nine categorised climbs, which were given French prefixes, including Cote de Holme Moss and Cote de Jenkin Road, in Sheffield.
The route also pitted the competitors against Cragg Vale - the longest continuous ascent in England.
The first stage of the 2,277-mile (3,664km) race began in Leeds with riders processing to Harewood House, where the race was officially started by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry.
The peloton passed through towns and villages including Otley, Skipton, Ilkley, Hawes, Leyburn and Ripon before a sprint finish saw Germany's Marcel Kittel claim victory.
British rider Cavendish, who had hoped to win the stage in his mother's home town of Harrogate, crashed close to the finish.Fellow Briton and 2013 Tour winner Chris Froome finished sixth on Saturday.
On Monday the third stage will take the riders from Cambridge to London, before 18 more stages culminate in the French capital on 27 July.
It is the fourth time the Tour has crossed La Manche (The English Channel).
In 1974 and 1994 it included stages in Britain and in 2007 London hosted the start, known as the Grand Depart. | The second stage of the Tour de France has finished in Sheffield with 2.5m people having lined the route around Yorkshire over two days. | 28179818 |
The victim was waiting for a bus on Thursday on St Clements Street, Oxford, when a car pulled up next to him.
He was approached by the front-seat passenger before running on to Rectory Road where he was followed and attacked, police said.
There were up to six offenders thought to be aged between 18 and 20.
The boy is currently in hospital and officers are appealing for witnesses to what they have described as "an isolated incident".
The front-seat passenger of the dark people carrier - possibly a Volkswagen Touran - is described as Asian, about 6ft 3ins, of a slim build and with short black hair.
He was wearing a grey tracksuit with elasticised ankles and a grey tracksuit top which had darker grey arms. | A 16-year-old boy suffered a fractured skull when he was attacked by a group of men, including one wielding a hammer. | 37740007 |
It paints a picture of a sport in improving financial shape across the continent during 2015.
So, how does Scotland's top flight fare?
Revenues fell in the Scottish Premiership on a number of fronts, most markedly from Uefa itself (down by 58% to 10m euros) and from transfer fees (down 23% to 19m euros).
Also down were broadcast revenue (18% to 17m euros) and sponsorship and commercial revenue (1% to 52m euros).
The broadcast figure meant the Premiership ranked 16th in Europe in terms of the average sum paid to clubs (1.4m euros) - below leagues in Romania and Poland but above Switzerland and Sweden.
The sponsorship/commercial revenue amounts to 4.3m euros on average (14th in Europe) but this figure, like many of the average totals, is skewed as Celtic's finances dwarf those of the other clubs in almost every category.
Revenue from gate money also fell by 11% to 50m euros despite a rise in overall attendances.
The Premiership attracted a total of 2.2m spectators in season 2015-16, up more than 220,000 on the previous season, partly owing to Hearts' return to the top flight.
Only five leagues added more supporters over the same period.
The report shows that no other European league is as reliant on gate money as the Scottish Premiership, with this revenue stream accounting for 37% of total income across the 12 clubs.
Scottish football has continued to cut its cloth as income falls. Operating costs fell by 9% to 56m euros (4.6m euros on average per club), placing the Premiership 14th in Europe.
That accounted for 42% of total revenue, similar to many mid-sized leagues across the continent, but significantly more than the cash-rich English Premier League (23%).
Wages dipped by 8% to an aggregate of 87m euros, which is 66% of total revenue - just below Uefa's recommended maximum of 70%.
The report does point out that the disparity between wage bills among the top four clubs in the league and the rest makes a winner from outside that group very unlikely, but in reality - and what is not made clear - Celtic alone account for a sizeable chunk of the aggregate wage bill.
Seven of the Premiership's top 12 during the period in question made a loss after tax.
That figure increases to nine when only operating profits are considered, with four of those clubs' loss margin in excess of 20%.
The picture looks somewhat rosier in terms of overall debt, with the league not featuring in the top 20 in Europe in terms of liabilities.
In fact in Uefa's table of 'assets to liabilities ratio' no league is better off than the Scottish Premiership.
However, the six-year growth figure (from 2009-2015) looks less healthy, down 65m euros - a rate of -32.8% - worse than any other top 20 league apart from Greece.
Other than the requirement for work permits for non-EU nationals, there is no restriction on foreign players in the Scottish game.
Many other leagues impose minimum or maximum quotas, with Austria distributing a third of the league's TV revenue to clubs that have at least 12 Austrian players or 12 players who were registered in Austria before the age of 18.
Expatriates make up just over 50% of players in the Scottish Premiership and only six other European leagues - including the top two divisions in England - have a higher percentage. | Uefa's latest 'benchmarking' report aims to assess the footballing landscape across Europe. | 38604417 |
But not through my ears. I'm wearing a SubPac, which is strapped on to my back and allows me to feel the beat of the music as it thumps through my body.
Chris is trying to replicate what it would feel like if, like him, I were deaf. And this is his aim - to give the opportunity for deaf dancers in his classes to feel the music so they can learn his choreography with ease.
"Dance classes are always so fast-paced, and without being able to hear the music you end up just being out of time," says Chris.
The SubPac, which is widely used in the music world to help music producers feel the music without damaging their ears, works by transferring low, bass frequencies directly to your body, providing the physical dimension to sound.
As soon as his aunty introduced him to music videos, dancing became a passion for Chris. But when he became deaf at a young age, after having meningitis, he thought his dreams of dancing and choreography were over.
Through his love of dance, Chris persevered, joining dance classes at the back and allowing his natural ability to shine through.
But he knew that not every deaf dancer would be as confident as him without being able to hear the music.
James Williams, who does business development for SubPac, tells the BBC: "Giving Chris, and those with hearing impairments the ability to experience something that we all take for granted is a rare opportunity.
"Since the focus is on physicality, the SubPac is great for helping dancers with hearing problems to dance in time to the beat."
And technology is giving people with all kinds of disabilities the chance to stay active and keep fit.
Take Simon Wheatcroft, who lost his sight at 17.
Simon was born with the genetic degenerative eye condition retinitis pigmentosa (RP), which causes gradual deterioration of the retina. But that hasn't stopped Simon becoming an ultra-marathon runner.
"I started running for something to do. I used a guide dog to run outside or went running with other people," he says.
He has run the New York marathon and many much longer races, normally with a human guide. But what happens when you want to run solo?
In a bid to do a 155-mile ultra-marathon in the Namibian desert this May he turned to IBM Bluemix - the tech giant's app development arm - to help him create an app.
Called eAscot after his guide dog, the app uses sensors, similar to car parking sensors, and satellite navigation to help him stay on course.
A desert race can be broken down into a series of straight lines, each with its own bearing on a compass. If he veers off to the right, the app emits a high-pitched beep that increases in frequency the further away he goes. If he runs too far left, low pitch beeps warn him.
Silence means he's heading in the right direction.
"I was tired and in pain after the marathons, but I was also happy knowing I had achieved something that once seemed impossible, made possible thanks to technology," says Simon.
"What sticks with me is the feeling of accomplishment," he adds. "Being able to do something that had never been done before. To create an application in a matter of weeks that changed what was possible for visually impaired runners felt even better than completing any race."
Paralympians, too, are using technology to help them compete at the highest level.
Advances in 3D printing, lightweight materials and computer design are having an impact in a number of areas, from tailor-made racing wheelchairs to aerodynamic prosthetic limbs.
"The technology being used, such as 3D tech, is evolving every year and we will see a wide range of new advancements at the upcoming Paralympics that will aid those competing to achieve even greater records across all disciplines," says Nick Braund, head of tech and innovation at PHA Media.
Designworks carried out full body scans of track and field athletes in the US Paralympics team to create the sporty racing wheelchairs.
But what about assistive technology for everyday sports?
When Anthony Netto, a South African-born professional golfer and US veteran, was paralysed after being shot through the hip whilst on duty in Iraq, he thought he'd never be able to play golf again.
As a paraplegic he knew it wouldn't be possible without being able to stand. So he invented the Paragolfer, a machine that can elevate you from a sitting position to a standing position.
Initially invented in 2001, it was finally launched in April this year at Mearns Castle Golf Academy in Glasgow.
Anthony says it's transformed the prospects for people who thought they'd never be able to play the sport again.
"From tears of joy, to smiles from ear to ear, hugs and kisses for grateful heartfelt thank yous - I feel like I've made a real difference to people's lives," he says.
Nick Braund concludes: "New tech innovations like these have allowed those previously not able to take part in sport or exercise the opportunity to compete and succeed."
And that can only be a good thing.
Follow Technology of Business editor @matthew_wall on Twitter
Click here for more Technology of Business features | As choreographer Chris Fonseca teaches me a dance routine, the beat of the music is pumping through me. | 37174157 |
The Care Inspectorate said Law Nursery School in Lawside Road had "not maintained" the standard identified at a previous inspection.
The inspectorate noted that efforts had been made to improve some areas of concern.
The nursery is registered to care for a maximum of 70 children.
The report followed an unannounced visit in December 2015 which graded three areas as "weak".
These were care and support, management and leadership, and staffing.
Quality of environment was rated as "adequate".
In their report, the inspectors said: "The service had not maintained the standard identified at the last inspection.
"Several management changes have taken place, and the current head teacher only commenced in post in late October 2015.
"There was an upheld complaint about the service in June 2015 in relation to staff's approach to supporting children."
The inspection found that the children were "not fully engaged" indoors, but were seen to be "very engaged" in their outdoor play.
The report stated: "The indoor environment for the pre-school children could be developed further to offer a more challenging learning environment and be better supported by staff to extend their learning.
"We observed several examples of staff engaging with children in a manner which we did not feel respected the children or positively engaged with them."
"More work is required in relation to creating a more positive ethos across the team and service, to impact positively on outcomes for children.
A Care Inspectorate spokesperson said: "We have clearly laid out in our inspection report the areas which require improvement at Law Nursery School.
"We will continue to work closely with this nursery to support that improvement, and ensure it is sustained."
A spokesman for Dundee City Council said: "The nursery school and the children and families service will be taking forward the recommendations contained in the report." | A Dundee nursery school rated "weak" by inspectors for the quality of its care, staffing and management has been told it must make improvements. | 35942651 |
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