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Restaurant Group, which owns both chains, announced on Friday that it would sell or close 33 outlets across the UK.
It confirmed that Frankie & Benny's in Londonderry, Coleraine and Ballymena would close.
The Chiquito store in Belfast's Victoria Square is also set to shut.
Restaurant Group said they had suffered a "challenging trading period".
It said its Frankie & Benny's chain had "suffered due to insufficient focus on value, unsuccessful menu development and poor operational execution".
Those outlets had lost customers after "significant price increases and the removal of popular value offers".
The company said it was "taking action" to change this, adding it would stick with the Frankie & Benny's brand as it remained "relevant and popular". | Up to 100 jobs are at risk with the closure of Frankie & Benny's and Chiquito restaurants in Northern Ireland. | 37193868 |
The Ospreys skipper's current deal, agreed in March 2015, was due to expire at the end of this season.
The 30-year-old has played 94 times for Wales and in six Tests for the British and Irish Lions since making his debut for the regional side in 2005.
Confirmation of the new deal will follow, with Jones joining Dan Biggar and Rhys Webb in renewing a dual deal.
Fly-half Biggar was the first player to renew his dual contract on 4 December, with Webb following suit.
BBC Wales Sport has learned clubs from around the world showed an interest in securing Jones' signature.
Dual contracts are 60% funded by the WRU and 40% by the regions.
Jones is one of the key players in the Welsh game. He is approaching 200 appearances for Ospreys and has been the first-choice lock under coach Warren Gatland since the New Zealander took over in 2007.
He has also captained Wales and led the Lions in the third Test against Australia in 2013, when the tourists beat the Wallabies 41-16 to clinch a 2-1 Test series win. | Wales and Ospreys second row forward Alun Wyn Jones has agreed an extension to his national dual contract. | 35177095 |
Gary Powell, 27, from Chard, died on Saturday after his Ford Focus collided with a Ford Mondeo on a minor road at Whitelackington, near Ilminster.
His family says he was a "loving husband, father, son, brother, friend and recently father to his four-week-old baby girl".
"We will never forget you. You will be forever in our hearts," they added.
The other driver received hospital treatment for a fractured pelvis and a broken leg. | The family of a father who was killed in a head-on crash in Somerset has paid tribute to him. | 32231680 |
The Community Charge Debt (Scotland) Bill has now completed its parliamentary hurdles.
The new law will effectively write off £425m of unpaid bills relating to the controversial household tax which was introduced by the 1989 Tory government.
The Scottish Conservatives were against the move but the Scottish government said it was the right thing to do.
The proposal to end the debt collection was brought forward last year by former first minister Alex Salmond after several councils said they would use the details of people who registered to vote in September's independence referendum to recover outstanding payments.
Deputy First Minister and Finance Secretary John Swinney said ahead of the final debate and vote: "The poll tax was a deeply unfair, regressive levy which should never have been introduced in the first place.
"A Tory government, which Scotland had rejected, imposed the tax on Scotland, and - as was recently confirmed in documents released under the 30-year rule - they were determined that Scotland be a guinea pig for their disastrous tax experiment.
"Although the poll tax is now defunct, its bitter legacy is still with us. It cannot be right that people fear being on the electoral registers because of decades-old debt relating to a discredited and unjust tax. Nor is it right that some of the few people paying off poll tax debt are the poorest in society."
Arrears collected by councils across Scotland fell to £327,000 in 2013-14 and some local authorities have already ceased recovery of the debt.
Councils are to receive a share of £869,000 from the Scottish government in 2015-16, based on what they could still reasonably expect to collect.
Gavin Brown MSP, finance spokesman for the Conservatives, said his party oppose writing off the debt, "not least because it sends completely the wrong message".
He added: "It could also encourage people who think they don't have to pay council tax because it will just be written off a few years down the line.
"We also think it's wrong that councils could be forced to lose out financially, when it's the Scottish government which has imposed this."
You can watch live coverage of the final debate at BBC Scotland's Democracy Live website from 3.45pm. | A new law to end the collection of historic poll tax debt has been backed by MSPs at Holyrood. | 31533524 |
The NHS will cover the costs for women who had the implants fitted by the health service and who are anxious to have them removed, it added.
The NHS will also remove the implants if the private clinic no longer exists or refuses the patient.
Around 40,000 women in the UK have been fitted with them.
It is thought 95% of women had the operation privately, 5% on the NHS.
The French authorities have offered to pay for implants to be removed due to a high risk of them rupturing.
Czech and German health authorities both recommended on Friday that women in those countries with PIP implants should have them removed.
The UK review was ordered because of conflicting data about the risk of the implants rupturing and leaking non-medical grade silicone into the body.
Implants 'are not fit for use'
Q&A: Breast implants health scare
PIP breast implants: Your stories
'Fuel additive in breast implant'
The French authorities quoted a rate of 5%. The UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) initially said the rate was 1% - in line with other implants.
There were reports of rupture rates of 7% from one cosmetic surgery group, Transform. However, it says that rate was based on just seven out of 108 patients it fitted with PIP implants since 2005.
Transform chief executive Nigel Robertson accused the MHRA of a failure in its duty to "monitor and routinely audit" the use of the implants.
"The NHS and the cosmetic surgery industry used these products because they had been approved by the MHRA for medical use and carried a CE mark to that effect," he said.
The agency must bear responsibility for the current situation, he added.
But in response, the MHRA said the CE mark had to be authorised though an independent third-party organisation in all but the lowest risk products.
It added: "The MHRA's key role is to monitor and investigate reports of device-related adverse incidents and take appropriate action to prevent their recurrence."
The agency said it had continually monitored the safety of the PIP breast implants and immediately advised clinicians not to implant them once the French authorities informed them of the use of unauthorised silicone gel.
It also said it commissioned toxicity tests on the gel, the results of which concluded there was "no safety issue" related to the material.
The health secretary, Andrew Lansley, said: "The data available to the experts has not been good enough to enable them to give a clear recommendation of the risk posed by PIP implants."
The review committee could not determine if the rupture rate was higher for PIP implants.
However, it said it was "undeniably the case" that the implants were not medical grade and should "not have been implanted in women in the first place.
"We have always recommended that women who are concerned should speak to their surgeon or GP. The NHS will support removal of PIP implants if, after this consultation, the patient still has concerns and with her doctor she decides that it is right to do so."
He added: "We believe that private healthcare providers have a moral duty to offer the same service to their patients that we will offer to NHS patients - free information, consultations, scans and removal if necessary.
The implants of NHS patients will be replaced. Private patients refused by their clinics will be able to have their implants removed by NHS surgeons, but will not be offered replacement cosmetic implants.
The government said it will: "Pursue private clinics with all means at its disposal to avoid the taxpayer picking up the bill".
Prof Sir Bruce Keogh, the NHS medical director who led the review, said: "On the basis of the information we have, we do not think it is necessary to recommend the routine removal of these implants.
"But we understand that some women will be very concerned so we support the government's position that the NHS will support removal of PIP implants if the patient has concerns and with her doctor she decides that it is right to do so."
Prof Keogh told BBC Newsnight the NHS "is offering something that is a much better solution... of informed, personalised decision making".
A joint response by The Association of Breast Surgery, British Association of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, Federation of Surgical Speciality Associations and the Royal College of Surgeons said the announcement was welcome.
"The news that all women who have received a PIP breast implant will be provided with support, and that all NHS patients will be offered monitoring, advice and remedial treatment if desired is welcome news.
"Surgeons' organisations applaud those private cosmetic clinics who have committed to offer treatment to their patients free of charge and fully back the government call for the rest to follow suit.
"This situation raises again the need for better regulation and surveillance for all surgical implants and the surgical profession believes mandatory databases should be the next step - not least because this issue has exposed poor record keeping."
Sally Taber, the director of the Independent Healthcare Advisory Services, which represents the majority of private clinics, said 60% of the implants were fitted by four companies: Harley Medical Group, The Hospital Group, Transform and Linia Cosmetic Surgery.
She said the companies were considering their position, wanted to examine how the measures would be paid for and were seeking further discussions with the Department of Health.
Spire Healthcare says it will follow the governments recommendations. Its clinical director, Dr Jean-Jacques de Gorter, said: "We have a duty of care to our patients.
"We believe all private providers should step up and deliver on their duty of care to patients. Every woman in the UK who has PIP implants should be given the right to discuss having them removed if they wish."
Nuffield Health's group medical director Dr Andy Jones said: "Any patient who had a PIP implant in one of our hospitals can be assured that they will continue to receive the help and attention they need.
"We believe that there is a strong case for the private healthcare industry to pull together to resolve this matter in the interests of all patients." | Private clinics have a "moral duty" to remove banned PIP breast implants from women they operated on, the government says. | 16444162 |
The dive boat Sabre Two got into difficulty on Sunday afternoon.
Kyle Lifeboat was launched at 14:30 and its volunteer crew went to the aid of the three people with the boat.
The boat was later refloated on a high tide but within minutes it sank. The RNLI crew believed the grounding had damaged the underside of the vessel. | Three people were rescued by the RNLI after their boat ran aground on rocks close to the entrance to Loch Kishorn in the north west Highlands. | 34832768 |
More than 40 firefighters tackled the blaze that caused extensive damage at Leyland Warriors in Moss Side Way, Lancashire, at about 02:00 BST.
The repairs will take months, the club says, affecting more than 200 players.
Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said no-one was hurt, but it is believed the fire was "started deliberately".
Head coach Phil Roberts said everybody was "in a state of shock" after the fire.
Leyland Warriors play in the second division of the North West Men's League. | Volunteers at an amateur rugby league club say they are "heartbroken" the clubhouse has been badly damaged in a suspected arson attack. | 39875863 |
Ibrahim Halawa, the son of the most senior Muslim cleric in the Republic of Ireland, was arrested during a siege on the Al-Fath mosque in Cairo in 2013.
The 20-year-old could face the death penalty if he is convicted.
The mass trial of Mr Halawa and more than 400 others began in March 2015, after being postponed five times since his arrest.
Mr Halawa was on a holiday to his parents' homeland with three of his sisters when they were arrested by Egyptian security forces in Cairo.
Mr Halawa's sister were allowed to return to Ireland.
The Republic's outgoing Minister for Foreign Affairs, Charlie Flanagan, said he was deeply concerned over the latest delay.
"The constant adjournments in the case are, understandably, a source of concern and frustration for Mr Halawa and his family, and I share their deep disappointment," he said.
"I want to reassure Ibrahim's family of my own and the government's continued commitment to achieving our two objectives: to secure his return to Ireland as soon as possible and to ensure his welfare during his detention."
Gavin Booth, from Kevin R Winters solicitors in Belfast, represents Mr Halawa's family.
He said Mr Halawa remains on a form of hunger strike, taking water and some fruit.
"The European Parliament has taken a stronger stance on Ibrahim Halawa's case than the outgoing Irish government.
"Ibrahim's health is quickly deteriorating on hunger strike. This matter has been ongoing for two and a half years now.
"We need an urgent and unified approach from the Irish government," he said.
Mr Halawa's trial is now due to begin on June 26. | The trial of a Dublin teenager held in an Egyptian prison for more than two years has been adjourned until June. | 35743410 |
The plans involve extracting three million tonnes of coal, sandstone and fireclay from a site adjoining Druridge Bay, north of Morpeth, Northumberland.
More than 20,000 people have signed petitions claiming the mine would damage the environment, wildlife and tourism. Some residents support it.
Developer Banks Group promises extra jobs and investment.
Save Druridge Bay campaign organiser Lynne Tate said opponents were concerned about pollution, noise, traffic and the effect on wildlife.
Jobs could be lost in the "booming" local tourist industry, she said.
Banks said 50 jobs could be created at the site at Highthorn, south east of the village of Widdrington, with a further 50 transferred from its other sites in Northumberland.
It has reduced the size of its initial proposal and moved it further away from the village.
Some residents welcome the promise of new jobs, investment in community facilities and environmental improvements.
Jeanie Kielty from Banks Group said it proposed an "extensive package" of local benefits looking at wildlife, footpaths, cycleways, bridleways and tourism, leaving a "positive lasting legacy".
Northumberland County Council said all points raised at the meeting would be considered as part of the planning application.
A final decision is expected in June. | Hundreds of people have attended a public meeting about plans for opencast coal mining close to a nature reserve. | 35668295 |
French Ecology Minister Delphine Batho said there was no health risk after she visited the factory in the northern city of Rouen in Normandy.
Thousands of people, from as far away as Paris and London, have complained of nausea and headaches.
The gas is mercaptan, an additive to natural gas said to be harmless.
It leaked on Monday from a plant run by a French subsidiary of the US chemicals manufacturer Lubrizol near Rouen, 75 miles (120km) north-west of Paris.
Winds blew the cloud over northern France on Monday night and then into England on Tuesday.
Ms Batho cut short an official trip to Berlin to supervise emergency operations to stop the leak.
"I'm reassured," she told reporters after visiting the factory on Tuesday.
Ms Batho added that operations could last several days: "I prefer that we take our time rather than take risks."
Authorities will investigate what caused the leak and whether the company should be held responsible, the ecology minister said.
Tuesday evening's French Cup football match between Rouen and Marseille has been postponed because of the stink.
"We did not want to find ourselves with 10,000 fans 2km (1.5 miles) from the factory and with no means of confining them or evacuating them if necessary," local government official Florence Gouache told AFP news agency.
A Rouen resident told Reuters news agency the stench pervaded his home; "You can't ventilate. There is nothing to do, it's constantly in the room and it's unbearable."
Another resident told AFP news agency: "This is horrible. I thought I was in a gas cylinder." Another said the air smelled of "rotten eggs".
There is no word on the cause of the leak. The factory has been closed.
It is a "Seveso" site - a classification named after an industrial leak in Italy in 1976 and entailing a high degree of supervision,
A senior executive at the factory, Pierre-Jean Payrouse, said stopping the leak could take until the evening.
In Britain, the Health Protection Agency said: "The smell drifting over Southern England today poses no risk to public health.
"The odour, which is similar to rotten eggs, has been noticed by people mainly in Kent, East and West Sussex and some parts of Surrey."
Emergency officials in southern Kent advised residents "to keep doors and windows closed due to a gas cloud". | Staff at a chemicals factory in north-western France are working to stop a gas leak that has spread a foul smell to Paris and south-east England. | 21147361 |
Doug Paulley was told he could not get on a bus to Leeds in 2012 when a mother with a pushchair refused to move.
He says FirstGroup's "requesting, not requiring" policy is discriminatory, but the bus operator says it is the most feasible that can be employed.
Judgement is likely to be reserved and will be delivered in the coming months.
Mr Paulley won an initial case against the operator FirstGroup Plc, declaring its policy of "requesting, not requiring" able-bodied passengers to move to be unlawful disability discrimination.
FirstGroup appealed successfully to the Court of Appeal in 2014.
This is a case about a man getting on a bus, but it has resulted in a four-year legal battle that has now reached the highest court in the land.
Speaking exclusively to the BBC, Mr Paulley said: "I appreciate it is difficult with kids and luggage and everything else, to fold a pushchair, or to move it, but ultimately unless she did that she is effectively stopping me from being able to use that bus.
"It's about the reasonable adjustments that organisations have to make so that disabled people can have access to the things that other people in society take for granted."
Under the Equality Act 2010, companies providing services must make reasonable adjustments to accommodate the disabled.
Mr Paulley was awarded £5,500 in compensation and FirstGroup was given six months to change its policy of asking - but not making - able-bodied passengers vacate the wheelchair space.
But the judgement in Mr Paulley's favour was reversed by the Court of Appeal in 2014, which ruled that although wheelchair users have priority to occupy the wheelchair space, there is no legal requirement for bus drivers to move other passengers from it.
Mr Paulley appealed against that ruling and now what has been dubbed the "battle between the wheelchair and the buggy" has reached the highest court in the land.
His solicitor Chris Fry, of Unity Law, said: "A panel of seven Supreme Court judges is unusual, and a reflection of the significance of the case."
He said he hoped the court would "finally make the correct legal and moral decision" in support of social inclusion for disabled people.
Mr Paulley's case is being funded by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
Its chief executive Rebecca Hilsenrath told the BBC: "For us, this case is about sending a message across the country to bus companies to put in place policies, clear guidelines, training for bus drivers so that they are able to manage the situation so that they give priority to those in wheelchairs."
The case is the first disability discrimination case involving service providers to be heard by the Supreme Court.
FirstGroup maintains that its policy of "requesting, not requiring" able-bodied people to move from the wheelchair space is lawful.
Giles Fearnley, managing director of its bus division, said: "It is very rare for a passenger to refuse to move.
"Our drivers will ask a passenger in the strongest, politest way they can to move, and we train them to do so.
"When someone does refuse to move it is extraordinarily unfortunate, but we do believe that the approach we take is the most feasible under the circumstances."
The judgment is expected to have wide-ranging implications for bus, train and other transport companies and service providers. | A wheelchair user who says bus firms should make able-bodied people move from buses' disabled spaces has taken his case to the Supreme Court. | 36534907 |
In stark language the health minister said the system is at breaking point and that it is not sustainable.
The former health minister of the Basque country, Professor Raphael Bengoa, said that Northern Ireland is more than capable of delivering.
He said we should be leading the way in delivering first class health care.
Considering Professor Bengoa's world wide status there is little need for any more reports. What is required now is action.
Professor Bengoa also called for political maturity. He said that is paramount for the Minister's plan to work.
It may be a 10-year vision but short-term fixes in the past have failed.
The £40m announced in November 2015 to fix waiting lists clearly did not work.
The system could not deliver on time and most of the money was redirected into other areas.
That is because the system could not cope. There were too few staff, hospital beds and even operating theatres.
Such a huge problem cannot be fixed overnight. It will take time. But for some patients, time is not an option.
To get the public on board, and to show goodwill, the minister might have to tackle the current waiting list problem - not later, but now.
Such a move will also establish her as being in control.
An ancient Chinese saying goes: "Journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. "
For Michelle O'Neill that step was getting the executive's support - but now the rest has to follow. | Not one but indeed two reports have made a compelling case for changing how health and social care services are delivered in Northern Ireland. | 37764070 |
Clock towers, theatres and seaside cottages are among the venues for this year's Spring Fling weekend.
The open studio event is being held for the 15th time from 27 to 29 May at sites across Dumfries and Galloway.
Nearly 100 painters photographers, jewellers, ceramicists, print-makers, wood workers, sculptors, textile designers are exhibiting.
Joanna Macaulay, events and exhibitions manager for Upland Arts Development, which runs Spring Fling, said: "The magic of Spring Fling is the way it combines lovely visual arts and craft, remarkable people and wonderful places that visitors often don't have the chance to see.
"This year is our 15th anniversary event, so we are particularly looking forward to welcoming visitors to Dumfries and Galloway to enjoy everything it has to offer." | . | 40028487 |
The 2017 event, the year's final major, takes place from 10-13 August at the Quail Hollow Club in North Carolina.
Live coverage begins on iPlayer, online and the red button, with the conclusion of each day's play shown on BBC Two.
The BBC's golf portfolio includes live radio and TV highlights of The Open and Women's British Open, and live TV and radio coverage of the Masters.
"We are delighted to be able to offer golf fans free-to-air TV coverage of the US PGA Championship, said BBC Sport director Barbara Slater.
"It brings together the best players in the world over four exciting days of action."
BBC TV coverage will be led by Eilidh Barbour, alongside Peter Alliss and Ken Brown.
BBC Radio 5 live and sports extra will also broadcast live from the Championship, led by Iain Carter and Jay Townsend.
(All times BST)
Sunday 13 August
19:00-00:15 - BBC Red Button, BBC Sport website, BBC iPlayer
22:00-00:15 - BBC Two
22:00-01:00 - Radio 5 live
All times are subject to change. The BBC is not responsible for any that may be made. Also coverage on BBC Red Button can experience late schedule changes, so details may differ from this page. Further programmes and times will appear when confirmed.
You can view BBC Sport output as well as listen to our radio sports programming on the BBC iPlayer.
The BBC Sport website is available via desktop, mobile, tablet and app, giving fast and easy access to the live stream, reports and on-demand highlights of the day's action. The BBC Sport app is available free on Apple and Android devices.
National and regional variations have been included in this list where possible, but please check your local listings for more detailed information. | BBC Sport will broadcast live coverage of the US PGA Championship in August across TV, radio and online. | 40738368 |
Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles are preparing to embark on human trials after promising results in rabbits.
Their drug reached brain cells and reduced muscle and movement problems.
The Stroke Association said it was the "first significant research" suggesting that the compound could aid stroke patients.
Turmeric has been used for centuries as part of traditional Indian Ayurvedic medicine, and many laboratory studies suggest one of its components, curcumin, might have various beneficial properties.
However, curcumin cannot pass the "blood brain barrier" which protects the brain from potentially toxic molecules.
The US researchers, who reported their results to a stroke conference, modified curcumin to come up with a new version, CNB-001, which could pass the blood brain barrier.
The laboratory tests on rabbits suggested it might be effective up to three hours after a stroke in humans - about the same time window available for current "clot-busting" drugs.
Chain reaction
Dr Paul Lapchak, who led the study, said that the drug appeared to have an effect on "several critical mechanisms" which might keep brain cells alive after a stroke.
Although strokes kill brain cells by depriving them of oxygenated blood, this triggers a chain reaction which can widen the damaged area - and increase the level of disability suffered by the patient.
Dr Lapchak said that CNB-001 appeared to repair four "signalling pathways" which are known to help fuel the runaway destruction of brain cells.
However, even though human trials are being planned, any new treatment could still be some time away.
Dr Sharlin Ahmed, from The Stroke Association, said that turmeric was known to have health benefits.
She said: "There is a great need for new treatments which can protect brain cells after a stroke and improve recovery."
"This is the first significant research to show that turmeric could be beneficial to stroke patients by encouraging new cells to grow and preventing cell death after a stroke.
"The results look promising, however it is still very early days and human trials need to be undertaken." | A drug derived from the curry spice turmeric may be able to help the body repair some of the damage caused in the immediate aftermath of a stroke. | 12409700 |
Aaron Dickinson, from Douglas, said he would use the money to put a deposit down on a house and launch his own fishing business on the island.
"I honestly don't think I have ever screamed so loudly in all of my life," he said. "I was literally screaming all of the way back to the shop."
The 25-year-old currently works as a scallop fisherman and sells his produce to fish markets in Peel. | A fisherman from the Isle of Man has landed £250,000 from a £2 scratch card. | 38560858 |
The blast happened on Thursday afternoon in the al-Qa'tour district of the port city of Latakia.
Syrian state news agency Sana said a motorcycle bomb was responsible.
Syrian state TV channel Ikhbariya said it happened as people were leaving prayers. It was not immediately clear how many casualties there were from the bomb, or who carried it out.
Latakia lies in a coastal region that is home to President Bashar al-Assad's extended clan. Until recently, it had been largely spared the violence that has engulfed much of Syria during the civil war.
But dozens of people were killed in nearby cities last month in bombing and other attacks which were carried out by the so-called Islamic State group (IS). | A bomb has exploded near a mosque in a Syrian coastal city, killing and wounding several people. | 36437110 |
Researchers say it is the first time this has happened while the global economy has continued to grow.
The fall-off is due to reduced coal use in China, as well as faster uptake of renewables, the scientists involved in the assessment add.
But they expect the stall to be temporary and for emissions to grow again as emerging economies develop.
According to the study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change and presented here at COP21 in Paris, emissions of carbon dioxide from fossil fuels and industry are likely to have fallen 0.6% in 2015.
They increased by around the same amount in 2014.
Since 2000, global emissions have grown annually by 2-3%. The slowdown has occurred while the global economy has grown by 3% in both 2014 and 2015.
"We're expecting a stalling in emissions, possibly even a little decrease," said Prof Corinne Le Quere from the University of East Anglia, UK, who led the data analysis.
"The main cause is from decreased coal use in China. It's restructuring its economy, but there is also a contribution from the very fast growth in renewable energy worldwide, and this is the most interesting part: can we actually grow renewable energy enough to offset the coal use elsewhere?"
China continued to be the world leader in emissions, according to the report, responsible for 27% of the global total. With its economy slowing, coal use has declined just as concerns have grown over air pollution issues in urban areas. There has also been a rapid take-up in renewables.
However, Prof Le Quere said that despite this year's figures, the global peak of emissions use was not yet in sight.
"As the emerging economies are mostly based on coal, as they grow we are expecting a restart in the emissions," she told BBC News.
"And in the industrial economies like in the UK, where emissions are going down, the decrease is relatively modest, mostly 1-2%. We would be looking for a much faster decrease than that to offset the growth in the developing countries."
India was the fourth largest emitter overall in in 2014, with its emissions now matching those of China's in 1990.
India's growth in 2014 was offset by a similar decline in the European Union, which experienced an unusually warm winter combined with a sustained long-term decline in carbon output.
But the rapid growth in Indian emissions is causing some concern for researchers.
"The learning curve took China about 20 years to achieve this current level of efficiency," said Prof Dabo Guan, also from the University of East Anglia.
"If everything moves to India without significant energy structure improvements then emissions will significantly grow. We have already seen the Indian emissions take off in the last couple of years."
The study has been published in the journal Nature Climate Change.
The scientists involved believe that while the slowdown in emissions is welcome, albeit temporary, it could be a snapshot of the future if a deal can be done here in Paris.
Prof Le Quere told the BBC: "To deal with climate change we need emissions to go to zero - and we are now talking about zero growth and not zero emissions - so we are still a long, long way from that."
"It could begin to look like a peak in emissions after Paris if the agreement is very strong."
Follow Matt on Twitter @mattmcgrathbbc.
COP 21 - the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties - will see more than 190 nations gather in Paris to discuss a possible new global agreement on climate change, aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions to avoid the threat of dangerous warming due to human activities.
Explained: What is climate change?
In video: Why does the Paris conference matter?
Analysis: Latest from BBC environment correspondent Matt McGrath
In graphics: Climate change in six charts
More: BBC News climate change special report | Global emissions of carbon dioxide are likely to stall and even decline slightly this year, new data suggests. | 35029962 |
According to a report published in October 2015, if immediate action is not taken, the country could face famine in a matter of weeks. Aid agencies are pleading with both government and opposition forces to respect the current ceasefire and give unrestricted access to the areas most in need.
The country's brutal civil war has forced two million people from their homes. Tens of thousands have been killed. The United Nations has accused the government and rebel fighters of atrocities and "crimes against humanity".
Survivors give detailed accounts of mass killings. Villages destroyed. Families wiped out. Women and children raped.
The conflict was triggered by a political power struggle between the President, Salva Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, and his rival and former Vice-President, Riek Machar, a Nuer. But it quickly took on a bloody multi-ethnic dimension right across the country.
Entire villages have been cut off from the outside world. Aid agencies are, however, negotiating with the warring sides to allow them to enter. One of the worst-affected areas is Koch County in Unity State, in the north of the country. Here, 30 000 people face severe food insecurity and there are fears of a famine.
South Sudan's men of dishonour
Malakal: The city that vanished in South Sudan
For more than six months, the violence prevented international and local humanitarian teams from delivering much needed assistance. Now, Unicef and the World Food Programme have been given the green light to launch a relief and rescue operation. But with constant ceasefire breaches, fighting could erupt at any time, so aid workers can only stay a few days.
Knowing help has finally arrived, thousands of people who were hiding in the bush for months - surviving on water lilies - begin to emerge. Some people have walked for days. They're in desperate need of food, water, medicine and basic shelter.
At first glance, it appears to be chaotic. But there is some order here. It's mainly the women who queue for hours in the searing heat to collect their supplies.
"Based on the analysis that we have just received, southern Unity has been identified as one area where potentially we could have famine," Joyce Luma, country director for the WFP, tells me. "What we don't know really is the extent to which there has been mortality. We are worried that those we are not able to reach are in a much worse situation."
The town of Kaldak in the north-east of South Sudan has been completely flattened, destroyed, following a major government offensive. After months of heavy fighting, the town is now in opposition hands.
With thousands close to starvation, rebel fighters have agreed to give access to aid agencies. I'm with a team from Unicef who are going in for the first time in more than 12 months.
As we descend into the town by helicopter, it's a scene of devastation. Where once this was a thriving fishing community, now families are camped out under trees, homes have been destroyed. In stark contrast to the peaceful Nile flowing through, two large abandoned military vehicles dominate the village. The children now use them as an adventure playground.
It's evening time, and Regina is busily preparing dinner for her family. I look into the pot to see what it is she is cooking and am astounded and shocked to find she is just using grass and leaves to feed her six children. It's all she has.
"They eat it when they are hungry. When they eat it, they get sick, they vomit and they get diarrhoea. For about 30 minutes I feel strong and healthy, but after several hours I start shivering," she tells me. I see hundreds of people around her eating the same.
Regina spends most of her day in the fields searching for the next meal. And she isn't alone. Other women from the village are doing the same. "I'm just doing this in order to survive, but when I eat these leaves I become even hungrier. We are like cows here," she says. Another woman says they would have died long ago if it were not for the grass.
There is very little or no nutritional value in this grass. I was told by a health-worker that these people could actually develop major problems with their liver and kidneys if they consume it over a long period of time. Some of these families have been eating grass and leaves for about six months.
Four and a half years ago, the world's youngest nation had promised so much hope for millions. But war has destroyed everything. Now, it is on the brink of famine.
South Sudan: Shattered Dream with Yalda Hakim is on Our World on the BBC News channel at 21:30 GMT on Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November and on BBC World News at 23:30 GMT on Friday 30 October and 11:30 and 22:30 GMT on Saturday 31 October and later on BBC iPlayer. | Almost four million people are facing severe food shortages, with thousands at risk of starvation, in South Sudan, in what has been described as one of the worst humanitarian crises. | 34649914 |
In Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, Bundy's story will be told from the view of his girlfriend.
Elizabeth Kloepfer couldn't believe Bundy had murdered more than 30 women in the 1970s but finally turned him in.
Efron's gear change my surprise his fans - but they can catch him next in the film remake of TV hit Baywatch.
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile will see Efron play Bundy as a figure of evil but who is seemingly quite ordinary - even charismatic.
It's being made by the Oscar-nominated Joe Berlinger, who previously made a documentary about the West Memphis Three, young men who were convicted and sent to prison for the 1993 murders of three boys but who later had their convictions overturned.
Berlinger also made a documentary about the heavy metal band Metallica called Some Kind of Monster.
Efron will start work on the Bundy film in October having recently completed The Greatest Showman.
That movie is about the legendary 19th Century American circus founder PT Barnum, who is being played by Hugh Jackman.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk. | Zac Efron - the star of the High School Musical films and comedy Dirty Grandpa - is changing course by signing up to play the US serial killer Ted Bundy. | 39934716 |
Two people have separately told Australian media they severed a toe after catching it inside the chair leg.
Fantastic Furniture said it had sold about 100,000 metal Worx chairs since August 2014.
It said it was recalling their chair because its design may cause an "entrapment or laceration hazard".
This weekend, news.com.au reported that an 11-year-old boy had to have reconstructive surgery - but still lost the end of his toe - after catching it on a chair in October.
His mother posted a warning on Facebook saying the "super dangerous" chair had cut his toe off clean.
A Sydney man said in October that his middle toe was sliced off after he caught it on the chair's leg while chasing his young son. He is seeking compensation.
Fantastic Furniture said customers could either return the chairs - which were on sale for A$39 (£19; $27) - or take free insert plugs which could be inserted inside the chair legs to make them safe.
It has warned that the chairs should not be used without the leg inserts. | An Australian furniture company is recalling one of its popular dining chairs after claims its design has made people lose parts of their toes. | 35278570 |
A couple of bad nights is enough to make a person look "significantly" more ugly, their sleep experiments suggest.
Dark-circled "panda" eyes and puffy lids can even put others off socialising with you, they say.
People were rated by strangers as less healthy and approachable when they had tired faces.
The researchers asked 25 university students, some male and some female, to be the guinea pigs in their sleep experiment.
The volunteers - who were given payment for their help - were sent home with a kit that would measure their night-time movements to check that they had not cheated and slept when they should not have.
They were asked to get a good night's sleep for two consecutive nights.
A week later, they were asked to restrict themselves to only four hours sleep per night for two nights in a row.
The researchers took make-up free photos of the volunteers after both the good and the bad sleep sessions.
Next, they asked 122 strangers - women and men living in Sweden's capital city, Stockholm - to have a look at the photos and rate them on attractiveness, health, sleepiness and trustworthiness, as well as asking them: "How much would you like to socialise with this person in the picture?"
The strangers were good at judging if the person they were looking at was tired, and, if they were sleepy, their attractiveness score suffered.
The strangers also said they would be less willing to socialise with the tired students, who they also perceived to be less healthy, Royal Society Open Science journal reports.
The Karolinska Institute researchers says this makes sense in evolutionary terms.
"An unhealthy-looking face, whether due to sleep deprivation or otherwise, might activate disease-avoiding mechanisms in others."
In other words, people don't want to hang around with people who might be ill, whereas someone who looks energetic and fit will hold lots of appeal.
Lead researcher Dr Tina Sundelin added: "I don't want to worry people or make them lose sleep over these findings though.
"Most people can cope just fine if they miss out on a bit of sleep now and again."
Dr Gayle Brewer, a psychology expert at the University of Liverpool and member of the British Psychological Association, said: "Judgement of attractiveness is often unconscious, but we all do it, and we are able to pick up on even small cues like whether someone looks tired or unhealthy.
"We want our partners to be attractive and energetic.
"This study is a good reminder of how important sleep is to us."
Follow Michelle on Twitter | Beauty sleep is a real thing, according to researchers who have shown that people who miss out on sleep do appear less attractive to others. | 39933232 |
22 Mehefin 2017 Diweddarwyd 22:13 BST
Mae rhaglen Newyddion 9 wedi clywed cwynion am anghenion sylfaenol yn cael eu hanwybyddu, a hynny er gwaetha safonau newydd gafodd eu cyflwyno tair blynedd yn ôl.
Dywedodd Eileen Pennall o Landudno sy'n derbyn gofal, nad yw'r gofalwyr "wedi'i hyfforddi ddigon i ddelio gyda person sy'n ddall, a dwi'n dioddef ychydig o ganlyniad i hynny," meddai.
Dyma adroddiad Dafydd Gwynn. | Mae yna ddiffygion o hyd yn y gofal i unigolion sy'n ddall ac yn fyddar yng Nghymru yn ôl elusennau sy'n gweithio yn y maes. | 40376763 |
The 24-year-old defender, who previously had spells with Hull City, Aldershot and Portsmouth, is the 11th new signing made by Argyle this summer.
He has moved to Home Park after failing to agree a new deal with the Red Devils, after two years in Sussex.
Bradley played 49 games for Crawley last season, with his only goal coming at Argyle's fierce rivals Exeter City in a 2-2 draw on 14 November.
Plymouth have not disclosed the length of Bradley's contract with them.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Plymouth Argyle have signed former Crawley Town captain Sonny Bradley. | 36766791 |
That follows an admission by VW that it had found "irregularities" in carbon dioxide emissions levels that could affect 800,000 vehicles.
It came to light as a result of an internal investigation by the firm following the diesel emissions scandal.
The UK said it was "pressing VW to provide urgent clarity".
On Tuesday, the company admitted that an internal investigation had revealed that carbon dioxide emissions and fuel consumption were understated during standards tests on about 800,000 cars.
VW said the issue mainly affected diesel cars.
However, on Wednesday Germany's Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt told the country's parliament:
"Today we were told that among the affected vehicles are 98,000 petrol vehicles".
Meanwhile the UK's Department for Transport said it "takes the unacceptable actions of Volkswagen extremely seriously."
"We are pressing VW to provide urgent clarity on the situation... This [CO2] development underlines the importance of the government's ongoing investigation to establish the extent to which defeat devices have been used," a spokesperson said.
VW, Skoda, Audi and Seat vehicles could be affected and the company estimates the CO2 problem could cost it about €2bn (£1.4bn).
VW had already set aside €6.7bn (£4.7bn) to meet the cost of the initial emissions scandal.
News of the issue with carbon dioxide emissions sent VW shares down by 5.6% on Wednesday.
The firm's shares have lost about a third of their value since September, when the scandal first broke.
It came to light after the US Environmental Protection Agency found VW software had detected when vehicles were undergoing emissions tests, and altered the way they operated to give more favourable results.
On Monday, US authorities also alleged that VW had fitted nitrogen oxide defeat devices on 3.0 litre diesel engines used in Porsche, Audi and VW vehicles - a claim VW denied.
Porsche also denied the allegations, but its North American division announced it is discontinuing sales of Porsche Cayenne diesel sport utility vehicles until further notice.
The carmaker is recalling 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide that were fitted with the software that circumvented tests for emissions of nitrogen oxide.
That recall is for cars with variants of the EA 189 diesel engine built to the "Euro 5" emissions standard.
Meanwhile. Volkswagen is recalling 92,000 cars in the US over a mechanical problem that could affect vehicles' brakes.
The German carmaker said part of the camshaft could shear off, causing loss of vacuum in the power brakes, which could lengthen stopping distances.
Wednesday's recall includes Beetle, Golf, Jetta and Passat models from 2015 and 2016. The cars have 1.8 litre and 2 litre turbocharged petrol engines.
VW discovered the problem after getting reports of camshaft failures. A fix is expected by the end of March. | Around 98,000 Volkswagen petrol vehicles are caught up in VW's latest emissions scandal, Germany's transport minister has said. | 34723420 |
Scot Burns, 30, battled courageously in the fifth defence of his crown, but lost 116-112 117-111 116-112 to his 26-year-old American opponent in Glasgow.
"The better man won," said Burns, who lost for the third time in 40 fights.
"There are some big fights out there for me but my first choice would be a rematch."
Former Olympic gold medallist Crawford was the bookmakers' favourite to beat Burns, who broke his right jaw in his drawn bout against Raymundo Beltran in September.
Burns began his latest defence briskly, his jab finding its target several times in the opening round and, even though Crawford switched to southpaw, the Scot was largely untroubled after six minutes of fighting.
But Crawford - now unbeaten in 23 fights, including 16 knockouts - gradually took control of the fight and there was little to dispute in the judges' decision.
Burns told BBC Scotland: "We knew it was going to be difficult. I knew how good he was.
"I'd like to keep fighting at world level. I think I proved tonight that I definitely do belong there.
"I'm definitely going to stay at lightweight. I made the weight comfortably."
Burns's last five contests have been in Glasgow. Asked how he would view fighting elsewhere, he replied: "Fighting in Scotland, especially with the fans I've got, it's always a great night.
"Those fans are unbelievable.
"It would be hard to fight anywhere else but a boxing ring is a boxing ring."
On the undercard, Olympic gold medallist Anthony Joshua dismissed the unconvincing challenge of 38-year-old Argentine Hector Avila to record his fifth win in as many professional fights.
Londoner Joshua, sporting tartan, was warmly received by the Glasgow fans and rewarded them with a facile first-round knockout.
Anthony Ogogo also maintained his unbeaten record with victory against Greg O'Neil, the Olympic bronze medallist winning every round of their six-round middleweight encounter.
John Murray stopped former British and Commonwealth champion John Simpson in the second round of their lightweight fight while in the same division Paul Appleby lost to Scott Cardle, who took his record to 14 consecutive wins by stopping his opponent in the eighth round.
Glasgow super-featherweight Michael Roberts stretched his unbeaten record to 14 after he withstood some crunching shots from Frenchman Romain Peker to emerge a 59-55 winner.
On his professional debut, Glaswegian Ryan Smith outpointed Ibrar Riyaz from Reading in a four-rounder at lightweight. | Ricky Burns suffered his first defeat in seven years as he lost his WBO world lightweight title to Terence Crawford on a unanimous points decision. | 26404046 |
8 March 2016 Last updated at 06:57 GMT
Children from Poland, England, Italy, Netherlands and Ireland, came together for three days of amputee football training from qualified coaches.
Amputee football is a sport played with seven players on each team. Outfield players may have two hands but only one leg, whereas goalkeepers may have two feet but only one hand.
The aim of the academy, run by the European Amputee Football Federation, was to give young footballers with missing limbs a chance to learn new sporting skills.
Leah went to meet some of the footballers taking part.
If you want to find out how to get in to football then have a look at our guide. | More than 40 children from across Europe have been to Dublin, Ireland, for a special amputee football training academy - the first of its kind in the world. | 35748086 |
The Welsh region face unbeaten Ulster in Belfast on Friday following defeats by Edinburgh and Munster.
Owens is frustrated by the poor start, and acknowledged Ulster will be a tough challenge on their home ground.
"Ravenhill is probably the last place you want to be going when you've lost two on the bounce," he said.
"The pressure mounts, doesn't it?
"There's always going to be pressure but we're not hitting the panic button yet.
"It's the second game into the season and we could win the next 20 and we finish top!"
Scarlets' disappointing start follows a summer when they recruited Wales and Lions centre Jonathan Davies and Blues fly-half Rhys Patchell.
They were the top-placed Welsh region in the Pro12 last season, and are Wales' only representatives in the European Champions' Cup this term but have scored only one try in two league matches.
Coach Wayne Pivac says much of the early-season damage is self-inflicted.
"We're our own worst enemies," said the New Zealander.
"We're hurting ourselves at the moment more than the opposition are. They're taking advantage of our mistakes and we're nought from two as a result.
"Some of the statistics were in our favour - better than the stats when we were winning matches last season.
"But I'm disappointed that we're not converting opportunities two weeks in a row." | Captain Ken Owens says the Scarlets will not be hitting the panic button after losing their opening two games of the Pro12 season. | 37343423 |
The National Institute for Health Research, the research arm of the NHS, reported a 60% jump in people signing up in the past year.
Almost 22,000 people are taking part in 100 separate studies into the degenerative brain disease.
The Alzheimer's Society said such volunteering was essential for developing a cure.
Chris Roberts, from north Wales, has been taking part in a trial investigating the genetics of Alzheimer's disease.
He said: "After a diagnosis of dementia your whole family also receives the diagnosis. It's a team effort.
"What we then need is hope, and this is what research gives us. Taking part means I'm doing something constructive and worthwhile. I'm leaving something behind that might help others, if not myself.
"Any kind of research, small or large, brings with it hope that there may be a future."
Dr Iracema Leroi, a dementia specialist from the University of Manchester, said: "This is one of the ways in which people can make a very positive impact and fight the disease and fight the condition - and be involved in self-management."
She said the areas of research needed were into better care for people, finding a cure and preventing the disease.
Volunteers both with dementia and without the condition were required for the research, and could sign up easily via the new Join Dementia Research service, she said.
Studies include:
Dr Doug Brown, from the Alzheimer's Society, said he was delighted people were taking part. "Not only is it essential for us to make progress towards new treatments and better care, but it could also empower people to learn more about their condition and benefit from additional support."
The government aims to encourage 10% of all people with dementia to take part in clinical trials by 2020. The figure is currently 5.5%.
Life sciences minister George Freeman said: "Volunteers are essential to our battle against the disease and I'm delighted that so many people, with and without dementia, are coming forward to participate in ground-breaking new trials.
"There is still a long way to go, but with their help we hope to find a cure or disease-modifying therapy by 2025. The race is on." | There has been a surge in the number of people volunteering to help with medical research into dementia. | 33915909 |
France remembered that lesson on Tuesday as it celebrated Bastille Day - the anniversary of the storming of that notorious Paris prison 226 years ago, marking the start of a revolution against the elite.
And alongside celebration of France's historic past is a widespread sense of pride that its president, Francois Hollande, helped secure a Greek deal with its eurozone creditors.
Greece has a fondness for its own revolutionary history: its struggle for independence from the Ottoman Empire in the early 19th Century lasted more than a decade.
It was a sentiment that former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt played on when he address his Greek counterpart in the European Parliament last week.
"Do you want to be remembered as an electoral accident?" he asked Alexis Tsipras, "Or a revolutionary reformer?"
President Hollande probably can't remember the last time he was called a revolutionary.
But his role at the heart of those dark and stormy crisis talks was clear. Photographs from the discussions show Mr Hollande and Germany's Angela Merkel huddled with Mr Tsipras, their faces a barometer of the tense triangular deadlock they were grappling with.
With the German chancellor beholden to rising anger at home over Greek debt, and with a German plan for a "Grexit" - or Greek departure from the eurozone - already circulating among representatives, it was the French president who seemingly smoothed the waters and found a compromise.
And after living through the worst opinion poll ratings of any modern French leader, he'll probably be content with the labels currently being bestowed on him by members of his Socialist Party.
There have been hymns of praise for his "political skill" and "tenacity". Many credit him with single-handedly keeping Greece in the eurozone.
"There are times when very few people hold in their hands a piece of history. Today Francois Hollande is one of them," the former Housing Minister, Cecile Duflot, was quoted as saying on Sunday night.
But then, as French journal Le Point points out, perhaps Mr Hollande's own party had forgotten just how good a negotiator he is.
His role in the Socialist Party, until he won the presidency, had been one of diplomat and technocrat - a skilled bringer-together of the fractious Socialist factions.
These are skills he was derided for as leader, but which allow him to shine in tight corners like the one the European Union found itself in last weekend.
That there was political mileage for Mr Hollande in refusing to give up on Greece is clear, as his critics on both the far left and the right point out.
His party is ideologically sympathetic to Greece's left-wing Syriza, brought to power on a protest vote against budget cuts.
And, of course, France has itself sometimes played fast and loose with EU rules on fiscal discipline itself.
But just as important in this battle may have been the display of France's weight in Europe.
German power - both economic and political - is a reality, but Berlin's vision is frequently different to the view here in Paris, and keeping the balance at the heart of the EU has not always been easy for the French leadership.
The leader of France's far-left bloc, Jean-Luc Melenchon, spoke of his sadness at the result of Sunday's talks, with a reference to the "brutality and omnipotence of the German government".
For now the critical voices ranged against Mr Hollande are relatively few, but will that change if France is forced to help bankroll Greece in the coming weeks?
Athens needs immediate help to avoid a banking collapse, while negotiations begin on a third bailout agreement.
And EU finance ministers have been looking at where a bridging loan might come from.
The European Commission wants to use joint EU money, although the UK has ruled that out and other non-eurozone governments also have concerns.
Talk of bilateral loans from individual eurozone countries is resurfacing again, although French sources have denied that is an option.
However, President Hollande should enjoy the celebrations now, because the price of keeping Greece in the euro may still prove higher than anyone wants to imagine. | If there's one thing the French Revolution taught Europe, it is that a heavy-handed approach to an impoverished nation can be dangerous. | 33527292 |
Skye Mountain Rescue Team and the Stornoway Coastguard helicopter were called out on Sunday evening.
The helicopter crew picked up the man and airlifted him to safety.
Lochaber and Skye Police tweeted: "Google maps on a phone with no charge, no map and a hopeful attitude are no mix for hills on Skye (or anywhere!) be prepared not rescued."
Jonathan Mustard, from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, added: "Prepare and plan for your walks in the hills. Wear suitable clothing and footwear, ensure you carry suitable equipment like a map, GPS, a fully-charged mobile phone or a locator beacon and make sure you check the weather.
"If you do get into difficulties, call 999 and ask for help." | A climber who had to be rescued after getting lost in the Cuillins on Skye has been criticised by police. | 36129116 |
Scottish Engineering's latest quarterly review suggested an improvement in orders and output on the previous two three-month periods.
It also found "particularly strong" growth in staffing levels.
The industry body said it showed engineering firms were "gritting their teeth" in tough economic conditions.
According to the survey of 320 companies, positive output figures were reported by electronics firms, fabricators, machine shops and mechanical equipment businesses.
UK orders in general were similar to the first quarter of this year, while export orders also remained positive.
Employee numbers generally showed a "marked improvement " across small, medium and large companies over the previous quarter.
In general terms, levels of optimism among small and medium sized firms remained positive, but there was a more negative outlook from large companies.
Scottish Engineering said some sections of the engineering industry were looking to improve on the last quarter's predictions.
Fabricators indicated high hopes for UK orders in the next quarter, although some saw exports declining compared with the last quarter. | Scotland's engineering and manufacturing sector has recorded a third strong quarter in a row, an industry survey has found. | 40125081 |
The 32-year-old victim was attacked in a flat in Southdeen Road, Drumchapel, at about 00:30 on Tuesday 13 December.
Officers believe the man in the image may be able to help the investigation.
He was described as being of Mediterranean appearance, possibly Turkish, aged between 30 and 40 and was between 5ft 6in and 5ft 8in tall, of heavy build.
At the time of the incident, he was wearing a waist-length dark coat, a polo shirt with red and white horizontal stripes and distinctive yellow and light brown shoes.
Police have asked anyone who recognises the man to get in touch. | Police have released a CCTV image of a man they want to trace after a woman was seriously assaulted in Glasgow. | 38468832 |
Since independence from Britain in 1970, rivalry between the indigenous Fijian and the ethnic Indian communities has been at the root of much of the political upheaval in the country.
In 2014, Frank Bainimarama was sworn in as prime minister, eight years after seizing power in a military coup.
Population 876,000
Area 18,376 sq km (7,095 sq miles)
Major languages English, Fijian, Hindi
Major religions Christianity, Hinduism, Islam
Life expectancy 67 years (men), 72 years (women)
Currency Fijian dollar
President: Jioji Konousi Konrote
Jioji Konousi Konrote was elected as president in October 2015. He is the first non-indigenous president and the first to be elected by parliament. Previous presidents were selected by the Great Council of Chiefs (GCC).
He has had a long career in the military, government and diplomatic service.
Prime Minister: Josaia Voreqe "Frank" Bainimarama
Former military leader Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama was sworn in as prime minister in September 2014, eight years after overthrowing the government of Laisenia Qarase in a bloodless coup, accusing it of corruption and a bias towards ethnic Fijians.
An indigenous Fijian born in 1954, Mr Bainimarama has long championed equal rights for the country's minority ethnic Indian community. More commonly known as Frank, he is sometimes referred to with the title Ratu to denote his heritage as a chief.
Since the introduction of the government's Media Decree in 2012, the Fiji Media Industry Development Authority controls what is published by the media industry. Media organizations and journalists face harsh penalties for publishing material not in the public interest. This has led to a degree of self censorship.
Some key dates in Fiji's history:
1643 - Dutch explorer Abel Tasman is the first European to visit the islands.
1970 - Independence after a century of British rule.
1987 - The first of two coups overthrows the Indian majority government of Prime Minister Timoci Bavadra.
1999 - Mahendra Chaudhry is elected Fiji's first ethnic Indian prime minister but is overthown a year later.
2014 - Former military leader Frank Bainimarama is elected prime minister, eight years after seizing power in a coup. | Fiji is one of the most developed economies in the Pacific, relying heavily on its tourism and sugar industries. | 14919067 |
Planning permission for the 40m-high lights was unanimously approved at a Leicester City Council meeting on Wednesday evening.
Chief executive Wasim Khan said: "It is fantastic news.
"We saw an average 48% increase in attendances for NatWest T20 Blast matches in 2015. The floodlights will help retain and grow our audiences."
The club hope to have to the floodlights installed for the first T20 Blast game of the season in May.
Mr Khan added: "We can start games later in the evening which will give more people the opportunity to attend after work." | Leicestershire say approval for six floodlights at Grace Road will improve attendances and increase revenue. | 35250787 |
When the UK starts to negotiate new trade deals as it leaves the EU in 2019, food will be one of many areas that will need to be addressed.
The ongoing spat over chlorine chicken highlights how tastes and safety practices around the world can differ hugely.
What might seem normal practice in one country can seem problematic elsewhere.
In the US, it is legal to wash chicken carcasses in chlorinated water to kill germs - but this has been banned in the EU since 1997.
UK Environment Secretary Michael Gove has said the UK should not allow these imports in a post-Brexit trade deal with the US, but Trade Secretary Liam Fox says the practice is "perfectly safe".
Anthony Scaramucci, US president Donald Trump's new communications director, told BBC Newsnight that there would "100%" be a trade deal between his country and the UK - although he confessed he had no idea what was happening about chlorinated chicken.
Here are five occasions when spats over food have made past trade talks tricky.
For more than 80 years, the US refused to import Mexican avocados on the grounds that the fruit was infested with fruit flies and other bugs.
After the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) in 1994, the US came under pressure to relax its ban, rather than rely on its pricier home-grown avocados.
"Avocados are always used as a pawn in the trading process. Whenever the United States talks to Mexico about opening up other agricultural commodities to US growers... it always comes back to avocados," Jerome Steyhle, who chairs the California Avocado Growers Commission, told the BBC in 2003.
In 1997, the restrictions started to be lifted, and by 2016 the US was importing 1.7 billion avocados across the border each year, according to marketing group Avocados from Mexico.
But the avocado war could be reignited now that President Trump has threatened to renegotiate Nafta - which he described as "the single worst trade deal ever approved [by the United States]".
Earlier this year, there were reports of several Mexican avocado lorries being turned away at the border following an argument about US potato imports.
One of the best known food-related trade disputes was over hormone-fed beef.
The use of certain growth hormones in cattle rearing is legal in the US.
But in 1988, the EU banned the use of several major growth promotion hormones, which it said posed a potential risk to human health. This was an effective ban on American beef.
A decade later, the World Trade Organization (WTO) ruled the EU's refusal to import US beef was not based on scientific evidence and violated its members' obligations.
However, the trading bloc still wouldn't buy the meat, leading the US to retaliate by levying higher trade tariffs on some of its EU imports.
"American ranchers raise some of the best beef on the planet, but restrictive European Union policies continue to deny EU consumers access to US beef at affordable prices. For several years we have been asking the EU to fix an agreement that is clearly broken, despite its original promise to provide a favourable market for US beef," US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said last year.
Several years ago, India blocked the implementation of a 2013 global trade agreement it feared would stop it stockpiling food for the poor.
India refused to back the Trade Facilitation Agreement until it was assured proposed limits to farming subsidies would not affect its $12bn (£9.2bn) food-security programme.
It pays farmers over the odds for grain, some of which it sells to poorer households while the rest is set aside in case of shortages.
The WTO trade agreement simplified customs procedures and was designed to add $1tn to the global economy, and benefit developing countries in particular, so India's defiance was strongly criticised by the global community.
India agreed to lift the veto after WTO members agreed that an arrangement known as a "peace clause" - which protects food stockpiling - would remain valid until the WTO could find a permanent solution.
It was due to expire in 2017, but will now effectively continue indefinitely.
Negotiations on a big trade deal between Japan and the EU began in 2013.
Both sides wanted to slash tariffs on a huge range of goods, to boost trade.
This is a sensitive process because domestic producers tend to be wary of foreign competition.
The Japanese side was particularly keen to boost car sales in Europe, while the EU negotiators wanted to sell more dairy products.
Loosening the dairy rules wasn't such a big deal for hard cheeses such as cheddar and gouda, which are not made in Japan.
But Japanese dairy farmers do make softer cheeses, which proved a roadblock in the final stages of the talks, earlier this year.
After some late night haggling, the EU's Agriculture Commissioner, Phil Hogan, secured a compromise.
The EU would have a yearly quota of 31,000 tonnes for soft cheese exports, in exchange for almost complete market access for hard cheese.
A few days later in Brussels, EU leaders and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced the completion of the deal, dubbed "cars for cheese".
After years of negotiations, the EU completed its most ambitious free-trade deal to date: the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (Ceta) with Canada.
But under EU rules, some far-reaching trade agreements require the consent of all 28 EU countries before they can come into force.
To make things even more complicated, in Belgium seven federal, regional and community bodies had to give their approval as well.
Wallonia, the country's French-speaking region, said no.
Politicians in the staunchly socialist region had concerns about the dispute-settlement mechanism in the agreement, along with something else - milk.
Wallonian dairy farmers worried about the impact of free trade on their sales.
A group of them marched outside the European Commission in Brussels to voice their disapproval of Ceta.
Eventually, Belgian political leaders reached a consensus and broke the deadlock, agreeing an addendum to the Canadian deal, which addressed concerns over the rights of farmers and governments.
The European Parliament approved Ceta in February, although it has not come into force yet. | Trade talks, tense affairs at the best of times, often get particularly sticky when it comes to food. | 40732185 |
A 4-0 defeat in Ukraine ended remote qualification hopes for Euro 2017, with Scotland gathering just eight points from eight matches.
Gemmill step ups from overseeing the under-17 and under-19 teams for the two remaining campaign games and beyond.
Former Sunderland boss Sbragia quit after 13 months in the role but will stay on at the Scottish FA.
The 60-year-old, who also worked as a coach at Manchester United, succeeded Billy Stark but leaves with Scotland fifth in their six-team group, with no prospect of finishing any higher than fourth.
Former Nottingham Forest and Everton midfielder Gemmill, 45, will be in charge for trips to Iceland and Macedonia next month, with the latter leading Group 3 by a point from France.
"I am very proud to have been given the opportunity to coach the under-21s," he said.
"After working with the under-17s and under-19s, I feel ready for and excited by the challenge ahead.
"I believe we have a number of very talented young players coming through and I will do everything I can to support their development and prepare them for the senior squad." | Ricky Sbragia has resigned as coach of the Scotland Under-21s and will be replaced by Scot Gemmill. | 37294399 |
Jamie Acourt, wanted on suspicion of conspiracy to supply cannabis, is among one Scottish and nine English suspects, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.
It comes after the agency warned the UK may lose access to vital European intelligence after Brexit.
The Operation Captura list marks 10 years of tracking fugitives in Spain.
Since agency operations began, in conjunction with Crimestoppers, 76 out of 85 people have been apprehended.
In the latest list, fugitives are also wanted on suspicion of murder, child sexual exploitation, and drug trafficking.
Steve Reynolds, head of international operations for the NCA, said: "The fugitives we are hunting are wanted for serious crimes and must be returned to the UK to face justice.
"Many of them use Spain as a base to continue illegal activities which still have an impact on the UK, but it is not a safe haven."
He said that as Brexit negotiations take place, unless the UK renews its membership of Europol - the EU crime fighting agency - by the end of the year, such operations could be compromised.
"Europol is extremely important, the European Arrest Warrant is extremely important," he told the BBC.
"These are the things we are using everyday in our pursuit of organised crime. It would be a setback if we were to lose some of these facilities that we get from the European Union
"But, we would be interested in replicating those bilaterally if the Brexit negotiations resulted in us losing those links."
Lord Ashcroft, the founder and chair of Crimestoppers, said the suspects were evading justice.
"We know that with the help of Spanish authorities, along with the public in Spain and the UK, we can find these people," he said.
Crimestoppers and the NCA work with the British Embassy in Spain and police forces in both countries.
Simon Manley, British Ambassador to Spain, said: "Captura is one of the best examples of the fantastic collaboration between Spanish and British law enforcement.
"I would like to congratulate all those that have worked over the last 10 years to bring fugitives to justice." | A former suspect in the Stephen Lawrence murder inquiry is among 10 British fugitives named as the most wanted in Spain. | 37705739 |
The work has busted a myth that the snakes suffocate their victims.
Researchers took measurements - including blood pressure and heart activity - from anaesthetised rats gripped by the snakes.
This showed that the lethal grip restricted blood flow severely enough to cut off the blood flow supplying oxygen to its vital organs.
The findings are published in the Journal of Experimental Biology.
This "circulatory arrest", the scientists say, is a much more efficient, rapid and definite way of finishing off prey than expected.
As the lead researcher, Prof Scott Boback, from Dickinson College in Pennsylvania, explained, restricting blood flow to the brain would also make a rodent "pass out within seconds".
The researchers believe that recording during a constriction could reveal useful details about how crush injuries cause complex tissue damage in humans.
But Prof Boback and his team are interested primarily in the fundamental question of how and why these snakes evolved their unique killing method.
"The thing I find fascinating is that all snakes have is their mouth to engage with prey," said Prof Boback.
"A [constrictor] has to hold a potentially dangerous animal right next to it.
"And that animal's fighting for its life, so it will absolutely take chunks out the snake if it can."
He and his colleagues realised that, in order to measure this life-or-death battle, they would need to record the very point of death of the prey.
They presented anaesthetised, unconscious lab rats to boa constrictors, and recorded from the rats' arteries and heart as they were squeezed.
The scientists also took blood samples before and after, revealing how the blood chemistry of a constricted victim changed.
From this, they concluded that the constriction "shuts off" blood flow and oxygen supply to the organs.
And this lack of oxygen, or ischaemia, rapidly destroys the tissue of the oxygen-hungry brain, heart and liver.
"If the snake is wrapping around the chest, it could also be limiting breathing, too," said Dr Boback.
"But an absence of blood flow will cause death more rapidly than suffocation.
"So it could be considered a much more precise and efficient method of killing."
This study is the first to test for this circulatory arrest directly - measuring from the body of the snake's prey.
Prof Brad Moon, from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, has studied snake movements, including constriction, for two decades.
He said the study showed constrictors could "squeeze prey hard enough" to interfere with blood pressures, blood gases, blood chemistry, and even heart function.
"It isn't the first test of circulatory arrest from constriction," Prof Moon told BBC News, "but it is the first direct test that measured blood pressures and [heart activity].
"It shows that constriction is stronger, faster and more effective than expected."
In a previous study, the same Dickinson College team discovered that the snakes were able to sense their victim's heartbeat, and stopped squeezing only when it stopped.
Follow Victoria on Twitter | Scientists in the US have measured how boa constrictors end the lives of their prey. | 33625080 |
The 32-year-old former BDO world champion from Denbigh won 4-0, and was never in trouble.
He faces Alan Norris for a quarter-final place on Wednesday, 30 December.
"I settled in ahead of him and pinching the second set clinched it for me, it was a long way back for him then and I didn't have to do anything special," said Webster.
PDC darts results and draw
"I just played steady and I took my chances and basically that's what I do, and I'm pleased with that.
"I think back to 18 months ago and I was distraught.
"I was losing to players that I didn't think I'd lose to.
"I wasn't doing myself justice, my technique had gone. I've worked hard, my technique still isn't great, but I'm making it work for me at the minute." | Wales' Mark Webster dominated England's World No 11 Terry Jenkins to reach the last 16 of the PDC World Championship. | 35190484 |
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Harvard, and Carnegie-Mellon universities studied 110 apps available on Google Play and the Apple App Store.
They found 73% of the Android apps shared users' email addresses, and 47% of the iOS apps shared location data.
Privacy International said it was more evidence of how devices "betray us".
The study, Who Know What About Me? A Survey of Behind the Scenes Personal Data Sharing to Third Parties by Mobile Apps, tested 55 of the most popular Android apps and the same number of iOS apps.
The researchers recorded the HTTP and HTTPS traffic that occurred while using the different apps and looked for transmissions that included personally identifiable information, behavioural data such as search terms and location data.
They found the Android apps sent sensitive data to 3.1 third-party domains, on average, while the iOS apps connected to 2.6.
The Android apps were more likely to share personal information such as name (49% of the apps) and address (25%) than the iOS apps, where 18% shared names and 16% shared email addresses.
Three out of the 30 medical, health and fitness apps the researchers studied shared search terms and user inputs with third parties.
Android health app Drugs.com shared medical information - including words such as "herpes" - with five third-party domains, including doubleclick.net and googlesyndication.com.
The Android apps were most likely to leak data to Google and Facebook, with the most leaky being Text Free, which offers free calls and text over wi-fi and sent data to 11 third-party domains.
The most leaky iOS app was Localscope, a location browser, which sent data to 17 third-party domains.
The research also found that 93% of the Android apps tested connected to the domain safemovedm.com.
"The purpose of this domain connection is unclear at this time; however, its ubiquity is curious," wrote the researchers.
"When we used the phone without running any app, connections to this domain continued."
It said the connection was "likely due to a background process of the Android phone".
Google was asked by the BBC to explain more about safemovedm.com but did not provide information by the time of publication.
Privacy International said that the report "highlights the many ways that the devices we use can betray us".
"The analysis in the paper suggests that a large proportion of apps tested share sensitive information like location, names and email addresses with third parties with minimal consent," said Christopher Weatherhead, a technologist at PI.
It was concerned about how such information would sit with new UK draft legislation for data retention.
"With the recently announced draft Investigatory Powers Bill, many of these connections to third-party websites would be retained as internet connection records," Mr Weatherhead said.
"So, even if you have never visited these websites, they would be indistinguishable from your actual web-browsing activity.
"This would allow the security services to make assumptions about browsing habits which are not correct."
Consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about the amount of data shared by apps.
A survey of 2,000 Americans by the Pew Research Centre suggested 54% of users had decided not to install an app after learning how much personal information they would need to share to use it.
Some 30% said they had uninstalled an app after learning it had collected information they did not want to share, while 30% of smartphone owners turned off the location tracking feature of their phone.
The latest research follows a study last month by Timothy Libert, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, who said almost nine in 10 websites leaked user information to third parties that users were "usually unaware of". | Apps on Apple and Android smartphones leak lots of users' information to third parties, research has suggested. | 34732514 |
On 18 June 1994, a few regulars had just finished watching the Republic of Ireland's footballers beat Italy in the World Cup.
Just after 22:00 BST, two gunmen from the loyalist Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), one armed with an AK47 and the other with a Czech-made rifle, walked inside and began firing indiscriminately.
Six men were killed instantly.
They were 34-year-old Adrian Rogan, Malcolm Jenkinson, 53, Barney Green, 87, Daniel McCreanor, 59, Patrick O'Hare, 35, and Eamon Byrne, 39.
All were Catholic civilians. Mr Green was one of the oldest people to be killed in the Northern Ireland Troubles.
Witnesses said that the killers laughed as they ran to their getaway car.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, the brother of the bar owner described how the dead were "piled on top of each other".
"We are still in a state of complete numbness. My head is just saturated with the thought of it all. My feelings for these poor families," Keiron O'Toole said.
He also rubbished claims by the UVF that the bar had been hosting a republican meeting.
"That is absolute nonsense. This was a mixed pub, Protestant and Catholic came in, no-one cared what religion they were.
"There was just a complete attempt to kill Catholics and who ever else happened to be in the bar among them."
The UVF's explanation for the attack was also dismissed angrily by unionist politicians.
"Obviously these people are psychopaths - nothing short of it," an Ulster Unionist councillor said.
"I feel shocked and disgusted to think that these people call themselves loyalists."
Senior police officers had their own views on the reason for the murders - a random sectarian attack in response to other killings.
Two days previously, republican terror group the Irish National Liberation Army had killed three UVF members in Belfast.
The following day, the UVF responded by killing a Catholic taxi driver and later two Protestants, they believed to be Catholic.
They then turned their attention to the County Down bar.
No-one has ever been convicted over the Loughinisland attack and the families of those who died became concerned about the investigation.
In 2006, they lodged an official complaint with the police ombudsman, who has the power to investigate the actions of police in Northern Ireland throughout the Troubles.
The families said they were prompted by revelations that linked the gang with at least one person who was an agent of the security forces.
They were also concerned that the getaway car used by the killers was destroyed by police ten months after the shootings and not retained for evidential purposes.
The ombudsman's report has been delayed on several occasions.
It had been scheduled for publication in 2009, but was postponed after new material came forward.
Relatives of those who died were strongly critical of the original ombudsman report when it was finally published in 2011.
It found that the police did not properly investigate the killings but said there was no evidence of collusion between police and the UVF paramilitaries who carried out the attack.
The report's findings were later quashed by Belfast High Court and a fresh investigation was opened by the ombudsman.
In 2014, one of the survivors, Colm Smyth, called on those responsible to come forward.
A police reservist was arrested and questioned over perverting the course of justice and withholding information in 2010.
After considering the charges against him, the Public Prosecution Service said there was insufficient evidence and it would not be proceeding with a court case. | The Heights Bar in the village of Loughinisland is the kind of tiny rural pub that peppered the countryside across Northern Ireland. | 13867328 |
Liverpool Crown Court heard Kevin Bennett, 53, was attacked as he slept outside a supermarket on 17 August.
He suffered a fractured eye socket, a collapsed lung and a broken ribcage and died in hospital six days later.
Brothers Connor and Brandon Doran, aged 17 and 14, and Simon Evans, 14, were told they would be detained until the home secretary approved their release.
Passing sentence, Judge Clement Goldstone QC, the Recorder of Liverpool, said: "I think it is a desperately sad reflection on this society that each of you was party to serious violence purely for the sake of it."
Connor Doran, labelled the "leader of the pack" by the judge, was sentenced to a minimum of 12 years.
Evans was ordered to serve at least eight years and Brandon Doran received six years for acting as lookout during the attack.
The three boys, who all denied murder, were found guilty in February following a four-week trial.
The Doran brothers' mother, Linda Doran, 42, was jailed for 30 months after being convicted by the jury of perverting the course of justice by providing false alibis for her sons.
Her eldest son, Ryan, 23, was convicted of murder and jailed for life in October after he attacked a stranger with a bottle in a chip shop.
Another of her sons, Jordan, 21, was jailed for six months in February for contempt of court after using a mobile phone to capture images of the courtroom during the trial of his brothers and mother.
The judge described Linda Doran as a "pathetic and tragic character".
He said: "You have another son who is serving life for murder. There are not many parents who have that sort of personal agony to bear.
"But then again, not that many mothers would have shown themselves to be either so unwilling or unable to shoulder the responsibility of motherhood as you have."
The court had heard Mr Bennett had been in a pub from 11:00 BST on 16 August and had consumed up to 12 cans of lager.
He left at about midnight with a bag containing cans of beer and slept rough behind an Iceland store on County Road, Walton. He was attacked at about 05:30 BST the following morning.
The jury was told Connor Doran had goaded Evans by saying: "I bet you haven't got it in you to do him in."
Evans later told his friend: "I started kicking him, I booted him and now he's dead."
Brandon Doran stood lookout as the attack took place, the prosecution said.
Mr Bennett was described as "vulnerable" and a "heavy drinker" by the prosecution.
He died in hospital from blood poisoning after an infection set in, causing organ failure.
Det Insp Cheryl Rhodes, who led the investigation, said: "The defendants went out looking for trouble that night and CCTV shows them roaming the empty streets in the early hours of the morning.
"The suffering Kevin endured before his death and the pain and heartbreak inflicted on his family can never be taken back, but I hope that the conviction and sentencing of these young men brings them a sense of closure and justice."
Speaking outside court, Mr Bennett's cousin Angela Connerty, 49, said: "Justice has been done and that's all we wanted as a family.
"We keep asking, why did they pick on him? We will never, ever know why they did that to him." | Three teenagers who murdered a homeless man in Liverpool for a dare have been given custodial sentences. | 22155807 |
Andrew RT Davies accused Labour and Plaid Cymru of "arrogantly" refusing to accept "their world view isn't shared" by the majority which backed Brexit.
He called for a reassessment of how to spend a remaining £1bn of EU structural funding by 2020, claiming Labour had failed to make a success of past aid.
Mr Davies also called for a more "tailored" system of farming support.
Writing for the BrexitCentral.com website, the Welsh Conservative leader claimed Labour was in "a mess of its own making" with conflicting views on single market access, and whether the public should be asked to vote again on the terms of Brexit.
"The vast majority of the public just want us to get on with making a success of our new relationship with the EU," Mr Davies wrote.
"Unfortunately, whilst my party has moved on pragmatically into the post-referendum era, not everyone is ready."
On the subject of regional aid, Mr Davies said: "Support for Brexit was at its strongest in areas which have received the most in EU funds.
"That's not ironic, it's a judgement of Welsh Labour's failure to make a success of three successive rounds of structural funding."
On farming support, he said: "Whilst (the) CAP [Common Agricultural Policy] might have fit when it was created, would we want to repeat its mistakes in the future - or are we better off starting afresh with a new system of support designed and tailored to meet the needs of British farmers and rural businesses?"
Mr Davies also repeated his call to First Minister Carwyn Jones to include his party in "constructive discussions" with the Welsh Government on the nation's response to Brexit.
"If the First Minister truly wants to speak for Wales as a whole then he must offer a voice for the majority in this country who took a collective decision to leave the EU," he said.
On the BBC's Sunday Politics Wales programme, Mr Jones said it was "right that all four parliaments should ratify, agree to any deal the UK government comes to" on Brexit but denied that he had ever called for a Welsh "veto" on the terms. | Wales is missing an opportunity to shape the EU debate, the Welsh Conservative leader has claimed. | 37407085 |
Lawro's opponent for this week's Premier League fixtures is Strictly Come Dancing star Ed Balls.
The former shadow chancellor, who is chairman and lifelong fan of Norwich City, is also tipping the Canaries to beat Rotherham in the Championship.
"Will we win? Of course," he told BBC Sport.
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You can make your own predictions now, compare them with those of Lawro and other fans, and try to take your team to the top of the leaderboard by playing the new BBC Sport Predictor game.
A correct result (picking a win, draw or defeat) is worth 10 points. The exact score earns 40 points.
In the round of games before the international break, Lawro got four correct results, including one perfect score, from 10 Premier League matches. That gave him a total of 70 points.
He was beaten by comedian and actor Elis James, who got six correct results, with three perfect scores, for a total of 150 points. James finished joint-bottom of last season's guest leaderboard (below) with 10 points but he is top of the table so far in 2016-17.
All kick-offs 15:00 BST unless otherwise stated.
Lawro's prediction: 2-0
Ed's prediction: Chelsea's form has been variable this season and I fancy Leicester to turn things around. 2-2
Match report
Lawro's prediction: 2-0
Ed's prediction: Arsenal have been romping away in recent weeks and I think that run will continue. Bradley looks a shrewd choice by Swansea but away at the Emirates is such a tough start. 4-1
Match report
Lawro's prediction: 2-0
Ed's prediction: It's a furnace at the Vitality Stadium and Bournemouth thumped us there last year. 2-1
Match report
Lawro's prediction: 1-1
Ed's prediction: Man City started brilliantly. They had a hiccup last week but will be too strong for Everton. 3-1
Match report
Lawro's prediction: 2-1
Ed's prediction: I think Stoke will dig themselves out of the bottom three. 3-1
Match report
Lawro's prediction: 0-2
Ed's prediction: Tottenham are another team who have started very well. West Brom are good at home but Spurs will be too strong. 1-2
Match report
Lawro's prediction: 1-1
Ed's prediction: West Ham are floundering, while Palace are on the up and scoring goals. 2-0
Match preview
Lawro's prediction: 1-1
Ed's prediction: 1-1
Match report
Lawro's prediction: 2-0
Ed's prediction: I am expecting a goal from former Norwich forward Nathan Redmond for Southampton. 2-0.
Match report
Lawro's prediction: 2-0
Ed's prediction: I fancy Liverpool at home. 3-1
Match report
Lawro was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan.
Lawro's best score: 140 points (week three v Laura Trott)
Lawro's worst score: 30 points (week four v Dave Bautista) | BBC Sport's football expert Mark Lawrenson will be making a prediction for all 380 Premier League games this season against a variety of guests. | 37573231 |
The 49-year-old, who won six Grand Slams between 1985 and 1996, will take up the new role immediately, the German federation (DTB) announced.
Becker was also Davis Cup coach for Germany from 1997 to 1999.
"In this position he will be in charge of the entire men's game," Ulrich Klaus, the president of the DTB, told a news conference.
Listen: Boris Becker - teenage Wimbledon king
Becker had a successful spell coaching former world number one Novak Djokovic from 2013 to 2016, a period in which the Serb won six of his 12 Grand Slam titles.
However, Becker was declared bankrupt by a court in London in June after failing to pay a long-standing debt to UK-based private bankers since 2015. | Three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker has been appointed head of men's tennis in Germany. | 41025602 |
Mr Abe said he was accepting a court-mediated settlement reached after a long stand-off between the central government and local authorities.
The government wants to move the US Futenma airbase from its densely populated site to a more remote area.
But local officials and residents want the base removed entirely.
Japan has already began land reclamation work off the shore of Camp Schwab, the US base in Henoko, south of Nago city.
Mr Abe said he would now be ordering that work to stop, but that the government's plan was still to eventually relocate the base to Henoko.
The US has about 26,000 US troops and several bases in Okinawa as part of a long-standing security alliance forged with Japan after World War Two.
Resentment at the US presence has been growing among Okinawans, particularly since the 1995 gang-rape of a 12-year-old girl by US troops.
Residents have also complained about the environmental impact of land reclamation. | Japan's PM Shinzo Abe has agreed to suspend construction work required for the relocation of a controversial US military base in Okinawa. | 35723368 |
Felix Reilly, 30, from Otterton in Devon, was caught on CCTV following a woman, 19, in his car before grabbing her off the street in Exmouth.
The woman managed to free herself from the vehicle on her third attempt but was groped during the abduction.
Police praised the courage of the victim in speaking about the ordeal, which lasted for several minutes.
More on the football coach jailed for sex attack, and other news
Reilly, of Maunders Place, trained to be a football coach as part of a community programme run by Exeter City Football Club.
The court heard character references from the club's Head of Community Jamie Vittles as well as Exmouth Town manager Richard Pears.
Reilly had been driving his car around Exmouth town centre for 10 minutes which Judge Graham Cottle of Exeter Crown Court said made clear he'd "obviously been following her".
The judge said: "Eventually you tried to grab her. You grabbed her between the legs, pulling her into your car. I am not sure exactly how long she remained kidnapped but it was a few minutes before she was able to affect her release."
Reilly had spent the afternoon looking at sex and prostitution websites before he went out in his car in the early hours of the morning.
Prosecutor Peter Coombe said the evidence of Mr Reilly's internet use in the hours before the incident suggested he may have been planning an attack or abduction.
Reilly was also placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years. | A football coach who abducted and sexually assaulted a teenager has been jailed for 18 months. | 38222852 |
Five wards at Wrexham Maelor Hospital are closed to the public, with restrictions on another, after an outbreak on Friday.
Currently, 32 patients are affected by the winter vomiting bug.
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board is now investigating whether sickness at Chirk and Mold Community Hospitals is due to the same bug. | Investigations have been launched at two north Wales hospitals after an outbreak of norovirus in Wrexham. | 38129191 |
Coe was vice-president in 2007 before becoming president in August, with The Sunday Times claiming widespread doping occurred between 2001 and 2012.
Coe told a select committee on Wednesday that as vice-president he had not been oblivious to doping claims.
"Were all our systems good enough - I doubt it," he said.
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Coe said that much of his time as vice-president had been spent delivering the London 2012 Olympics.
"I was aware we had a problem, but the specific numbers, I did not," he said.
"Every six months the anti-doping unit would deliver its progress - that was the extent of information we were given. Was I aware the problem was escalating? Yes."
Accusations about doping in athletics in recent months have included an independent World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) report that alleged "state-sponsored doping" in Russia.
Two-time Olympic 1500m champion Coe had initially been called before the Commons culture, media and sport select committee to explain earlier criticism of The Sunday Times investigation, which he called "a declaration of war on my sport".
The newspaper investigation stated that a third of medals in endurance events at the Olympics and World Championships over 11 years were won by athletes who had recorded suspicious tests, but Coe said his comments were not an attack on the media.
"My observation at the time was that it was reckless use of data, to actually imperil the reputation of clean athletes and [Britain's marathon world record holder] Paula Radcliffe's treatment was a clear example of that," he added.
"I stick by the sentiments. I probably might have chosen different language. It probably expressed my frustration and yes, anger at the time.
"I'm sorry this has mutated into an attack on the media. I will die in a ditch for the right for media groups to question my motives, to call to task the sport I'm currently head of."
During more than two-and-a-half hours in front of MPs, Coe addressed a number of other questions about doping and the IAAF.
Asked what he has done since becoming International Association of Athletics Federations president and if he thinks he is the right man:
"I have the experience to do that and I have the support of the sport. Have there been failures? Yes. Will I fix them? Yes.
"Returning trust will be a longer journey, and probably see out my mandate."
Asked if he thinks the blood data of all athletes should be published to improve transparency:
"No. The way that some of those profiles have been used has damaged the reputation of clean athletes. The issue for us is clear - we need systems in place that can follow up on suspicions. We do - we've just taken medals away from some athletes from the 2005 World Championships."
Asked if there is an acceptance within the IAAF that doping is acceptable:
"If I go back to the immediate challenge we have, there is Russia's ban and allegations made about some people in the IAAF. If you say the IAAF has acceptance that doping is acceptable, I don't accept that."
Asked, following recent allegations regarding doping in Kenyan athletics, whether he has suspicions about other federations:
"Dick Pound, the chair of independent commission, has made it clear this is not simply about Russia, and not simply about athletics. People tend to forget this is not simply about athletics."
Is there more to come from the second part of the Wada report?
"I genuinely don't know the answer to that. There's a lot of speculation around it, but we have no prior knowledge of what is in the report. If it shows there is systematic failure, we will address it."
Asked about ending his ambassadorial role with Nike following conflict of interest claims over the 2021 World Championships going to Eugene, Oregon, where the company is based:
"This had become a monstrous distraction. Reality and perception had become horribly entangled and I didn't want anything to distract from changes I have implemented. In hindsight, if I thought the noise would have escalated would I have got rid of it beforehand, yes I would have."
Asked if he regrets taking the role as IAAF president?
"Not for one moment. The sport has been very good to me. I started life as an athlete. Athletics will always define me." | Lord Coe has defended his record at the IAAF but says there have been failures in detecting blood doping during his time at athletics' governing body. | 34984593 |
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The champions scored three goals in 16 minutes before half-time, Leigh Griffiths rifling home a volley before Scott Sinclair tapped in a rebound.
James Forrest's superb run and finish effectively settled matters, but Saints rallied with two late goals.
Danny Swanson converted a penalty before Steven MacLean bundled in, but Ryan Christie sealed it in injury time.
The substitute's smartly taken goal ensured Celtic claimed their second win from two games.
Their focus will now turn to reaching the Champions League group stage, with Brendan Rodgers' side preparing to fly out to Israel for Tuesday's second leg of their play-off against Hapoel Beer Sheva with a 5-2 lead in the tie.
In the opening 25 minutes, Celtic's most productive attacker was not Griffiths or Sinclair or any of their other go-to forwards, it was Kieran Tierney, their young full-back.
He put in two crosses that caused Saints bother, then he won a free-kick that Sinclair fizzed just past a post. His key play was in the build-up to the opening goal, causing the panic down that left side, from which Griffiths sent Celtic on their way.
On his 26th birthday, Griffiths was again terrific. Count his assists during the course of the season and it won't be a millions miles off his goals tally.
There was a negative here, though. He got booked for diving - and rightly so. Does that make him a cheat in Scott Brown's world?
Hearts fans will holler - and they already have - that what Brown said about Jamie Walker he should also be saying about Griffiths. The striker had no need to do it.
There's a far greater speed of thought in Celtic's attack. Their second goal came from a turnover in midfield.
Celtic came alive in those moments and Saints - terribly weakened by the loss of injured defenders - were a confused mess at the back.
Poor Alan Mannus made two fine saves in the midst of this rapid Celtic attack, first from Forrest and then Griffiths. He couldn't make a third. Sinclair put it away.
What a dangerous attack Celtic have now. So much pace and goal-threat when opposing teams lose concentration.
Nowhere is the Rodgers effect more evident than in the return to form of Forrest, who took Griffiths' beautifully cushioned delivery and ran and ran to score the third.
This was the Forrest of old, reborn as a winger with elan and confidence.
At the end of last season he looked to be finished at Celtic. Now he looks a big threat to Patrick Roberts on the right-hand side of Rodgers' midfield.
Credit Saints for the fightback and for shining a light on the big Achilles heel in this Celtic team.
Hapoel scored two swift goals midweek and there were two more here - the 82nd-minute Swanson penalty, after a clumsy challenge from Liam Henderson, and the 89th-minute goal for Maclean after more weakness at the back from Celtic. Unbelievably, they were now hanging on.
St Johnstone boss Tommy Wright went for the equaliser, going 3-4-3 at the end, but it backfired when Christie drilled in the fourth.
Saints' mettle is beyond question, as is Celtic's capacity to construct goal mountains.
St Johnstone boss Tommy Wright: "There is no doubt Celtic were excellent, particularly first half, but we contributed to that.
"The three goals were all poor goals from our point of view. We gave the ball away cheaply on the halfway line, we don't win the second ball in midfield, something we are brilliant at, and the third goal...we should deal with the problem on the halfway line and we don't.
"That's not taking away anything from Celtic, they were magnificent. We showed character in the second half and were better and if we had maybe a bit more time we might have pulled off an unbelievable result."
Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers: "I thought 99.9% of that game we were outstanding. The quality of our football, in particular the first half, was excellent. I don't think the scoreline reflected the game if I am honest.
"We got four goals and we maybe could have got another four, which is a huge compliment to the players because this is a St Johnstone team that has done really well under Tommy Wright."
Match ends, St. Johnstone 2, Celtic 4.
Second Half ends, St. Johnstone 2, Celtic 4.
Kolo Touré (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Christopher Kane (St. Johnstone).
Goal! St. Johnstone 2, Celtic 4. Ryan Christie (Celtic) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner.
Substitution, St. Johnstone. Graham Cummins replaces Brad McKay.
Goal! St. Johnstone 2, Celtic 3. Steven MacLean (St. Johnstone) right footed shot from very close range to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Danny Swanson.
Steven MacLean (St. Johnstone) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
(Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Steven MacLean (St. Johnstone).
Eoghan O'Connell (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Steven MacLean (St. Johnstone).
Attempt missed. Liam Henderson (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses the top right corner.
Goal! St. Johnstone 1, Celtic 3. Danny Swanson (St. Johnstone) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom left corner.
Penalty conceded by Kolo Touré (Celtic) after a foul in the penalty area.
Penalty St. Johnstone. Danny Swanson draws a foul in the penalty area.
Attempt blocked. Kieran Tierney (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Joe Shaughnessy.
Foul by Liam Henderson (Celtic).
Brian Easton (St. Johnstone) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt missed. Ryan Christie (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box is too high.
Substitution, Celtic. Ryan Christie replaces James Forrest.
Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Joe Shaughnessy.
Attempt blocked. Tomas Rogic (Celtic) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Liam Craig.
Attempt blocked. Moussa Dembele (Celtic) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked.
Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Richard Foster.
Substitution, St. Johnstone. Christopher Kane replaces David Wotherspoon.
Attempt blocked. Tomas Rogic (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Foul by Scott Sinclair (Celtic).
Liam Craig (St. Johnstone) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution, Celtic. Liam Henderson replaces Nir Bitton.
David Wotherspoon (St. Johnstone) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Scott Brown (Celtic).
Nir Bitton (Celtic) is shown the yellow card.
Murray Davidson (St. Johnstone) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Saidy Janko (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Murray Davidson (St. Johnstone).
Eoghan O'Connell (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Steven MacLean (St. Johnstone). | Celtic maintained their 100% start to the domestic season after surviving a late St Johnstone comeback in Perth. | 37067774 |
The Magpies took an early lead when Jon Stead fired in from the penalty spot after Izale McLeod was impeded.
John Akinde's penalty levelled the scores following Mike Edwards' foul on Michael Gash, before Mark Randall fired the hosts ahead from inside the area.
Andy Yiadom added the Bees' third shortly after with a shot that deflected in over keeper Scott Loach.
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Barnet manager Martin Allen told BBC Radio London:
"We changed out team around and put most of our subs from the weekend out in the game.
"We created a lot of chances in the first half without really playing that well. They had absolutely nothing. We just totally destroyed them." | Barnet scored three second-half goals to earn a comfortable win over Notts County in League Two. | 36021723 |
Telfer, 20, cost United £200,000 when he joined from Rangers at the beginning of last season.
However, he has made only eight appearances this season, the most recent of which was in December.
Last term, Telfer netted four times for the Tangerines and he could make his Livi debut away to Dumbarton on Saturday.
The West Lothian side are currently second bottom of the Championship while United are bottom of the Premiership.
For all the latest transfers check out our transfer deals page. | Dundee United midfielder Charlie Telfer has joined Livingston on loan for the rest of the season. | 35432972 |
Somerset County Council said it had been told WebberBus would cease to operate from Friday morning "due to financial difficulties".
The authority said it would try to ensure "dozens of important bus routes" served by the company would be covered.
WebberBus managing director Tim Gardner said a statement would be issued later on Friday.
Affected services include those serving six schools, four colleges and more than a dozen public routes.
Councillor David Fothergill, who is responsible for highways, said: "WebberBus is by some distance the second largest operator in the county and organising replacement services at very short notice is a significant task." | A family-run bus company in Somerset which has been running for more than 50 years is to stop trading. | 36279088 |
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The Wales lock played in the 2009 series defeat by South Africa and 2-1 win over the Wallabies four years ago.
He was asked if the 2017 party is stronger than 2013, when he led the Lions in the decisive third Test because Sam Warburton was injured.
"I think I'd have to say yes, it has to be," said Jones.
"You look at what we're up against - two times world champions in the Tests and a host of quality Super Rugby franchises on the way so it's going to have to be."
In the face of rugby's ultimate test, Jones believes the Lions party have a responsibility beyond the current tour.
Before the last tour questions were raised about the place of the Lions in the professional game after successive series defeats by Australia, New Zealand and South Africa between 2001 and 2009.
"I came into the tour of 2013 and people were talking about dropping the Lions altogether because we hadn't won it for so long," said Jones, who is making his third Lions tour.
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"It's funny, at the fact we win one and people want to preserve it for as long as possible.
"So I think there's more of a responsibility to the Lions jersey than the tour itself.
"I think it's something that needs to be preserved.
"It's what makes rugby special and I'm sure there's a few southern hemisphere teams that would want it to maintain as well."
The Lions were last in New Zealand in 2005, when the team coached by Sir Clive Woodward suffered a 3-0 thrashing by a team inspired by fly-half Dan Carter.
Jones says the build-up to the 2017 trip began before he and his team-mates left Australia in 2013.
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"I think the hype for this started after we played that final Test in Australia so I think it's been a long four years for Lions supporters and 12 years for Kiwi supporters," he added. | Alun Wyn Jones says the British and Irish Lions will need to be better than the side that beat Australia in 2013 if they are to succeed in New Zealand. | 40117600 |
Accrington are one of the form teams in League Two, having extended their streak without defeat to 10 games.
McCartan scored an 89th minute free-kick to earn a 1-1 draw with Grimsby, and the 22-year-old is confident John Coleman's side can keep it going over the remaining eight fixtures.
"We don't fear anybody now," he said. "That's the mentality we have."
McCartan has been a major part of Stanley's improvement, having scored eight goals in his last 13 league matches to help them move up to 15th place.
They are yet to lose at home in 2017, but despite being safe from relegation and 10 points outside the play-offs, McCartan thinks they have plenty of motivation for the rest of the season.
He told BBC Radio Lancashire: "To not lose in 10 games is a great achievement, especially considering the position we were in six weeks ago. It shows how strong the lads are mentally, but we've got to keep it going.
"We can go unbeaten until the end of the season, 100 per cent. We've played most of the big boys. We've got Plymouth coming up, but we know we can beat them.
"That's our mentality. As the gaffer said after the Morecambe game, we're a team of winners now." | Forward Shay McCartan believes Accrington Stanley can extend their unbeaten run to the end of the season. | 39406572 |
The ICO said it received scores of complaints about Advice Direct Ltd, including "false and misleading statements" made to householders.
The Lancashire firm claimed to help people seek compensation for hearing loss caused by workplace noise.
No-one from the Blackburn-based company was available for comment.
ICO received complaints from people who received multiple calls from Advice Direct - which traded as National Workers Office - on the same day and that "some of the callers were abusive or threatening".
ICO Enforcement Manager Andy Curry said: "People told us false and misleading statements were made about records held by the company which indicated that household members had worked in a noisy environment.
"Some of the callers also appeared to have given the false impression that the company was offering a government-backed scheme."
One person who complained said: "According to the caller they had a record that someone in my household had worked in a noisy industry and would be eligible for compensation.
"This is absolute nonsense, I am an 87-year-old single retired solicitor and I have lived alone... at the same address for the last 43 years."
Fifty-seven people complained the company ignored their requests to stop calling them even after it was pointed they had registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) to prevent unsolicited calls.
ICO said the firm never responded to a single complaint from the 160 referred to it by TPS. | A company which pestered people with "abusive" nuisance calls has been fined £20,000 by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). | 35946162 |
This was a £12,000 increase from the same month a year ago, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said, despite lenders reporting a relatively stagnant housing market.
House prices rose sharply in Scotland over the year, the ONS said.
Meanwhile, the cost of renting a home rose by 1.8% in a year, the ONS said.
The ONS said that average house prices in the UK have increased by 5.6% in the year to April, accelerating from 4.5% in the year to March.
This contrasts with recent figures from the Nationwide Building Society and Halifax Bank, which have shown the market stalling in recent months.
"These figures go against the recent trend of a Brexit-related slowdown that we predicted last year but remain consistent with our guidance of 2% to 5% growth in 2017 as a whole," said Richard Snook, senior economist at accountants PwC.
The ONS survey includes cash buyers but economists point out that it still uses only a small sample of transaction data - making the short-term conclusions prone to fluctuations.
Over the course of the year to April, the fastest house price rises among the nations of the UK was 6.8% growth in Scotland.
Among the English regions, prices went up fastest in the East of England, rising by 8.1%. The slowest was a 0.6% rise in the North East.
The annual growth in the cost of renting has slowed from 2.5% a year ago to 1.8% now. Research published on Monday showed that affordability of rent and house buying was the biggest issue for tenants of private landlords.
In separate figures, the ONS said that prices in general, as measured by inflation, rose by 2.9% in the year to May - driven by the cost of foreign package holidays for British tourists, and the price of computer games and equipment. | The typical home in the UK cost £220,100 in April, a rise of £3,500 on the previous month, official figures show. | 40259495 |
The discovery was made in the property in the Woodlands estate, Clonroche. The man is believed to be in his 20s and the woman is thought to be in her 30s.
Irish state broadcaster, RTÉ, said police were not treating the deaths as suspicious at this time.
Post-mortem examinations are due to be carried out at Waterford University Hospital on Tuesday. | The bodies of a man and a woman have been found in a house in County Wexford in the Republic of Ireland. | 32585020 |
In a statement,the US Department of Agriculture saidschools buying beef from a central government scheme could now choose from a range of options.
The term has become used to describe a type of beef trimming commonly found in school and restaurant beef in the US.
Reports it was widely used in schools prompted a popular outcry, although the beef is certified as safe to eat.
Social media campaigns and an online petition sprung up to oppose the use of the product. The beef's producerled a campaignto explain it was nutritional and safe.
Last year, British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver publicly criticised the product on his now-defunct US TV show, and McDonald's recently said it would phase out the use of "pink slime" in its burgers.
The US agriculture department said on Thursday it would now offer alternatives to the beef - officially called lean finely textured beef - for schools buying meat through its programmes.
The department (USDA) said the change was "due to customer demand".
"USDA continues to affirm the safety of Lean Finely Textured Beef product for all consumers and urges customers to consult science based information on the safety and quality of this product," it added.
School administrators reacted positively to the change.
"Our district has long advocated for purity and disclosure in food products. And we will definitely be moving to the pure ground beef when that becomes available," John Schuster, spokesman for Florida's Miami-Dade school system, told the Associated Press.
"Pink slime" - a term reportedly coined by a microbiologist working for the US government - is a form of lean beef formed by reclaiming the small parts of meat from leftover cuts with a high fat content.
The beef is spun in a centrifuge to separate the meat from the fat, before the final product is treated with a puff of ammonium hydroxide gas to kill any bacteria.
Produced in bulk by a firm in South Dakota, the pejorative nature of the term "pink slime" has coloured the debate, some experts say.
It is "unappetising", Sarah Klein, of the Center for Science in the Public Interest,told the Los Angeles Times, "but perhaps not more so than other things that are routinely part of a hamburger".
"What pink slime reveals to us," she told the newspaper, "is the unsavoury marriage of engineering and food, but it's present in a lot of the products we eat." | Schools across the US are to be allowed to stop serving so-called "pink slime" beef to their pupils at mealtimes. | 17393376 |
The two-time Irish Gold Cup winner Carlingford Lough, trained by John Kiely, will run in either the Irish National or the Punchestown Gold Cup.
Last year's runner-up The Last Samuri now has top weight of 11st 10lb.
The 33-1 chance Carlingford Lough was among nine withdrawals, leaving a total of 70 entries, with a maximum line-up of 40 announced on Thursday.
Foxrock, trained by Ted Walsh, was rated a 20-1 shot for the race by bookmakers. Vieux Lion Rouge is the general 10-1 favourite.
As it stands the 40th horse in the field is the David Pipe-trained La Vaticane, one ahead of stablemate Doctor Harper.
The nine withdrawals are: Carlingford Lough, Alelchi Inois, Foxrock, Maggio, Ziga Boy, The Romford Pele, Straidnahanna, Sizing Coal and Vics Canvas.
Ziga Boy is likely to miss the whole of next season and be aimed at a potential return in autumn 2018.
Meanwhile, Derek Fox - who was injured in a fall on 9 March - has been passed fit to ride One For Arthur in the National for trainer Lucinda Russell.
The three-day Grand National meeting begins on Thursday, with Cue Card expected to be among the main attractions.
Colin Tizzard's popular chaser, who fell at the third-last fence for the second successive year in the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March, will bid to win the Betway Bowl (14:50 BST) again after succeeding 12 months ago.
The Paul Nicholls-trained Silviniaco Conti, winner in 2014 and 2015, could be among his rivals.
Champion hurdler Buveur D'Air heads entries for the Aintree Hurdle (15:25), alongside stablemate and Cheltenham runner-up My Tent Or Yours, with previous winners Jezki and The New One other possibles.
On The Fringe and Pacha Du Polder head contenders for the Foxhunters' Chase over the Grand National fences.
Enda Bolger's On The Fringe has won the last two renewals, but could only finish fourth behind the Nicholls-trained Pacha Du Polder at Cheltenham. | Top weight Carlingford Lough and Foxrock have both been ruled out of Saturday's Grand National at Aintree. | 39479626 |
The items belonged to Major Edward Francis Farrell, an officer with the Leinster Regiment.
The collection was recently rediscovered, having been stored away since the 1930s.
Described as "rare and exceptionally complete", it was bought at auction by a private Irish collector for 7,250 euros.
"Individual items often turn up, but it is very rare to get an entire collection," said auctioneer George Fonsie Mealy.
The lot includes Maj Farrell's uniforms, hats, leather boots and stirrups, his folding bed, roll-out mattress, folding chair and table, his fitted travel case, his cooker, cups and saucers, cutlery and other items.
Major Farrell was born in 1863 and was initially a member of the Royal Meath Regiment.
Based in Drogheda and Navan, Royal Meath merged with the Leinster Regiment at the outbreak of World War One.
Maj Farrell was appointed as Lt Col of the Fifth Battalion.
He suffered ill health on three occasions during active service, including pneumonia, and other respiratory problems and was allowed to come home.
He returned to County Meath and worked at Navan Barracks until his retirement.
Maj Farrell died on 14 January 1951.
"The fact that Maj Farrell came home due to ill health might explain why the collection is in such good condition," said Mr Fonsie Mealy.
"There is very little known about Maj Farrell, apart from the fact he fought in France for almost three years.
"The collection was packed away in the 1920s and 1930s in the bag which itself is part of the collection.
"It is really quite rare to find a complete collection in such good condition," he added.
A spokesperson for the Imperial War Museum in London said: "Having all these items together is very rare and they provide an interesting snapshot of what an officer would have had with him in France during World War One."
The auction took place in Castlecomer, County Kilkenny. | The complete collection of the personal belongings of an Irishman serving in the British army during World War One has been sold at auction. | 33601001 |
The Conservatives defended their record in government and claimed to be true party of Wales at their campaign launch on Gower.
Labour has promised to end "cuts and conflict" at an event in Ammanford.
Plaid Cymru launched their campaign near Llanelli on Friday while the Liberal Democrats' event will take place in Cardiff on Tuesday.
The five-and-a-half-week campaign is now officially under way after Parliament was dissolved under the terms of the Fixed Term Parliaments Act.
It is set to be one of the most closely fought election battles for years, with opinion polls showing no clear lead for any party, raising the prospect of another hung parliament.
Issues likely to dominate the campaign include the economy and spending cuts, Britain's EU membership and immigration.
Government ministers remain in charge of their departments until a new administration is formed but MPs will cease to be members of Parliament and writs will be issued for elections in all 650 constituencies. | Politicians hit the campaign trail in Wales as the starting gun is fired in a hotly-contested race for Number 10. | 32113867 |
The council failed to properly identify the needs of the boy, who also has social and communication difficulties.
Ombudsman Nick Bennett's report said the boy endured a "lengthy period" without receiving appropriate education because of the council.
Wrexham council said it accepted the ombudsman's recommendations.
Mr Bennett's report, published on Friday, said: "I'm extremely concerned that this pupil did not receive the support that he needed and the deep upset this has caused the child's family.
"The fragmented approach to this child's education is simply not good enough and I believe in this case he has been let down by the system in place."
The boy's mother told the BBC: "It was clear right from the offset, from starting in mainstream education, that he was struggling.
"I think it's often quite easy to blame either the parents or the child and to assume that they are the ones with the problem and this is something that needs to be addressed by the family itself.
"A lot of it is angled in that way and without any appropriate level of support."
Wrexham council had "placed the onus" on schools in its area to pursue "alternatives" to the statutory assessment usually undertaken for people who might need support for special education needs (SEN), the report said.
In this case, it issued a form of school-based provision called an Extended Action Plus Agreement (ESAP), which was not recognised in the council's procedures or policies and "should not have been used as an alternative".
The council has agreed to apologise to his mother and to pay for failings identified in its complaints handling.
The ombudsman recommended the authority carry out an independent review of the case, review its policy and audit any other ESAP agreements.
Wrexham councillor Michael Williams, lead member for education and children's services, said: "We are pleased to see that the ombudsman's report notes we have already taken steps to apologise to the lady involved, and also recognises the restructuring of our complaints process so as to avoid those issues which were raised in future.
"We will also review our existing ESAP arrangements in order to find whether further educational support, or re-categorising pupils on ESAP to SEN, is necessary." | A visually-impaired schoolboy was "let down" by the education department at Wrexham council, the public services ombudsman for Wales has said. | 35496058 |
Joshua Bradley, 19, of Bulwell, died after the fight in Thurland Street on 8 February.
A 22-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder. Six people were arrested in connection with Mr Bradley's death on Tuesday.
Richard Johnson, 24, of Belton Street, Hyson Green, has already been charged with Mr Bradley's murder.
Two men, aged 21 and 19, were arrested on suspicion of murder on Tuesday.
A 29-year-old man and two women, aged 27 and 28, were arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.
Another man, 19, who was arrested on suspicion of murder was released without charge.
Last month, three men were also charged with violent disorder in connection with the brawl. | Seven people have been arrested in connection with the death of a young boxer in a street brawl in Nottingham. | 32046959 |
Marchant de Lange defended eight from the final over at Somerset as Glamorgan went top of the South Group.
And Alex Hepburn produced the best figures by a Worcestershire bowler in T20 cricket, but could not prevent an 11-run defeat by Nottinghamshire.
Birmingham Bears are on the cusp of qualifying after winning at Durham, while Essex beat Gloucestershire.
Finch starred on a golden afternoon at The Oval with his third T20 century - his first in county cricket - and became just the second batsman to make a hundred for Surrey in the shortest format after Jason Roy.
The Australia international batsman exploded in the 18th over, taking 30 from the bowling of David Wiese with four sixes, and reached his century off 58 deliveries in the next over.
In total, he struck seven fours and seven sixes and lifted Surrey to 193-2.
"Between Jason and I we've got the team into some good positions but then probably let the middle order down by not being there at the end," Finch told BBC Radio London. "So it was nice for one of us to go through.
"The middle of the innings was a bit frustrating and we just had to bide our time for one big over and thankfully it came."
Chris Nash responded with 53 for Sussex but the visitors were always behind the chase and will now have to win their final match to have a chance of reaching the quarter-finals.
Surrey also need to win their final two games to qualify from a tightly-packed South Group, which is now headed by Glamorgan.
Nick Selman's 66 from 42 balls in just his fourth T20 appearance helped Glamorgan reached 183-6 at Taunton, before Johann Myburgh appeared to be steering Somerset home with 87 from 51 balls.
But Myburgh fell to De Lange, who then held his nerve to close out the game for Glamorgan.
Victory over Middlesex in Cardiff on Friday would see Glamorgan finish top of the South Group, while Somerset's campaign was left hanging by a thread with one game to play.
Essex could yet join Glamorgan in the last eight after Varun Chopra made 44 in 20 balls to help Essex win a low-scoring game at Bristol.
Victory continued Essex's impressive revival after a slow start to the tournament, but they still need to win their final two games to guarantee a top-four place. Gloucestershire also need wins from the final two matches to go through.
Hepburn, 21, playing only his third T20 match, took a record 5-24 to rip through the Nottinghamshire middle and lower order as the visitors were bowled out for 145 at New Road.
But only Daryl Mitchell of the top five got into double figures for Worcestershire as they slumped to 108-7 and they could not get home when 15 runs were needed from the final over.
Notts have secured a quarter-final spot and are now very likely to gain a home tie at Trent Bridge, even if they lose their final game at home to Leicestershire on Friday, because their net run-rate is far superior to that of Northamptonshire.
The Bears could grab the other home quarter-final as they moved second in the North Group with an easy eight-wicket win at bottom-club Durham.
Fifties from Ed Pollock and Dom Sibley saw them chase 146 with more than five overs to spare. Their final game is against Lancashire on Friday. | Aaron Finch struck 114 from 64 balls to help keep Surrey alive in the T20 Blast with a 17-run win over Sussex. | 40916801 |
1 July 2016 Last updated at 18:57 BST
Captain Noel Chavasse was born in Oxford and is one of only three men to win the medal twice since it became the highest award for gallantry in 1856.
It was his actions in the Battle of the Somme, where he saved the lives of 20 badly wounded men in three days, that led to him being awarded his first Victoria Cross.
Shortly after he died aged 32 in August 1917 at the Battle of Passchendaele, he was posthumously awarded a second for bravery.
BBC South Today spoke to military historian Jon Cooksey about his life. | The only soldier to be awarded the Victoria Cross (VC) twice during World War One was a solider, an Olympic athlete and a doctor. | 36687709 |
Dolan, 47, is undergoing a course of chemotherapy following an operation to remove a tumour from his bladder.
The Irishman has brought hundreds of players through the academy over more than a decade with the club.
Graduates Steve Sidwell, Shane Long and Jem Karacan are among those to have used #21forDolan on Twitter.
The number 21 follows a suggestion by fans website The Tilehurst End to stand for a minute's applause in the 21st minute of their opening home Championship fixture against Leeds United on Sunday.
It also recognises Dolan's long-time post as manager of the under-21 side.
In a statement issued by the club, Dolan expressed his thanks for "the superb support and medical care" he has been given since his operation.
Dolan's playing career, which included appearances for West Ham, Birmingham and Exeter City was cut short in 1993 when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer.
He was also appointed Reading caretaker manager for one match following the dismissal of Brian McDermott in 2013. | Reading supporters and players past and present have shown their support for academy manager Eamonn Dolan on social media. | 33930414 |
Patterson dismissed both Somerset openers and captain Tom Abell.
Earlier, Somerset spinner Dom Bess (5-80) was helped by Jack Leach (3-53) as four Yorkshire batsmen fell in 30 minutes after lunch.
Visiting skipper Gary Ballance (98 not out) top-scored but ran out of partners as they were all out for 283.
The loss of experienced duo James Hildreth and Marcus Trescothick was a key blow for the hosts, who need another 161 runs for a first County Championship win of the season.
Somerset will resume on Monday with Adam Hose and Steven Davies, who steadied the ship with a 50-run partnership.
Peter Handscomb (70) was one of the batsmen dismissed by 19-year-old Bess, who has four five-wicket hauls from five County Championship matches this season.
England batsman Ballance seemed destined for a fourth century of the campaign but was left stranded two runs short as Karl Carver was run out and Ryan Sidebottom was trapped lbw for a duck before tea.
At that stage the match looked evenly poised, but seamer Patterson's inspired spell means the Tykes go into the final day as slight favourites. | Three Steven Patterson wickets put Yorkshire in a strong position as Somerset reached 101-4 chasing 262 to win their Division One game at Taunton. | 40235945 |
Ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne has warned of high demand for spaces on its boats on and around the weekend of HebCelt in Stornoway.
The music event is taking place on 19 to 22 July.
CalMac said people taking vehicles across should already have booked and urged foot passengers to do the same.
The company said Sunday 23 July was expected to be one of the busiest days with revellers trying to leave Lewis.
Stornoway Port manager Iain Don MacIver said: "We strongly encourage those planning to journey to and from Stornoway for the weekend of HebCelt, including foot passengers, to book their ferry slots, as soon as possible.
"Sunday is a particularly busy day with festival goers making their way home and it will be essential to have a valid booking for vehicles and passengers that day."
The Waterboys, Imelda May, Lucy Spraggan, Skerryvore, Peatbog Faeries and Dougie MacLean are among this year's HebCelt acts. | People who are planning on using ferries to get to Lewis for the Hebridean Celtic Festival have been urged to book their travel now. | 40137039 |
The matter could arise if devolution is restored.
Mr Swann said he will vote against any change to the definition of marriage in Northern Ireland or any change to current abortion laws.
However he will not sign a petition of concern to veto such moves because he says the mechanism has been abused.
Asked on BBC's Inside Politics programme if this would apply to other UUP opponents of same sex marriage, Mr Swann said his Assembly group has not discussed the matter.
But he pointed out that other UUP MLAs are on record as indicating they will not sign a petition of concern.
In 2015 a majority of Northern Ireland Assembly members voted in favour of same-sex marriage for the first time, but the motion was blocked after the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) deployed a petition of concern that required the proposal to achieve a cross-community majority.
However, at the last Assembly election in March, 28 DUP MLAs were elected, meaning the party would require the backing of two other MLAs to trigger a petition of concern on any issue.
The measure was designed as a way to safeguard minority rights in Northern Ireland's power-sharing assembly.
If a petition of concern is presented to the assembly speaker, any motion or amendment will need cross-community support.
In such cases, a vote on proposed legislation will only pass if supported by a weighted majority (60%) of members voting, including at least 40% of each of the nationalist and unionist designations present and voting.
Effectively this means that, provided enough MLAs from a particular community agree, that community can exercise a veto over the assembly's decisions.
The Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) leader Jim Allister has indicated that same-sex marriage might be the one issue on which he would consider backing such a petition.
Mr Swann said it is vital that Northern Ireland's voice should be heard in the House of Commons and that as many of the 18 constituencies as possible should be represented.
He described Sinn Féin's abstentionism as "galling" and "abhorrent to democracy".
However he refused to advise UUP supporters in Foyle, where the party is not standing, on whether they should vote tactically for the SDLP or back the DUP.
Mr Swann accused Sinn Féin of double standards in condemning the Manchester bombing whilst not condemning a previous IRA attack on a shopping centre in the city.
The UUP leader backed the PSNI Chief Constable's handling of the increased terrorist alert across the UK, saying that he trusted that George Hamilton would call for army support if his intelligence about he threat in Northern Ireland told him it was necessary.
Mr Swann campaigned in favour of Brexit during last year's referendum.
He said he does not believe Brexit has weakened the union, pointing to what he regards as a "revitalisation of unionism throughout the UK".
Questioned about what policy differences separate the UUP from the DUP, Mr Swann highlighted his party's opposition to the proposed Historical Investigations Unit which it regards as a secondary police force.
He also cited the party's commitment to a new manufacturing strategy and the freedom it extends to its representatives to make up their own mind on matters of conscience.
Asked whether photographs of the former UUP leader Mike Nesbitt published in the newspapers earlier this month had impacted on his party's campaign, Mr Swann referred any specific questions about the incident to Mr Nesbitt's lawyer.
However, he added that he believes the photographs are in the "far distant past" and the general public has moved on.
He expressed his full confidence in the Strangford MLA. | UUP leader Robin Swann has said he is "not minded" to sign a petition of concern preventing the introduction of same-sex marriage. | 40064844 |
Future Motion's complaint led to Changzhou First International Trade's products being seized at the CES tech trade show in January.
But the Chinese firm is now seeking $100,000 (£69,900) in damages plus reimbursement of its legal fees after the Californian firm dropped its claim.
Changzhou said there had been no reasonable basis for its rival's case.
Both Future Motion and Changzhou make electric-powered hoverboards that are unusual for having a single central wheel rather than one at each end.
In January, Future Motion's chief executive Kyle Doerkson told the BBC that Changzhou's Trotter product was a "knock-off" of its own more expensive Surfing Electric Scooters.
"We have design and utility patents that cover our invention," he added.
US marshals enforced a restraining order after receiving a complaint from the US firm, which led to the closure of Changzhou's stall at the CES tech show on 7 January.
Footage of the incident was posted online by the news agency Bloomberg and it was widely reported elsewhere.
Changzhou subsequently rejected the allegations, saying a side-by-side comparison of the two firms' products demonstrated that the platform, footpad and tyres designs were "plainly dissimilar to the ordinary observer".
Furthermore, Changzhou said that the actual scope of Future Motion's patents were much narrower than had been indicated and that US firm could in no way could claim the rights to "all one-wheeled, self-balancing vehicles".
Future Motion maintains its claims, dismissing the first of the points as "legal puffery" and insisting that it still believes its intellectual property was infringed.
However, on 4 February it told the court that it wanted to voluntarily dismiss the case.
"We had achieved our goal of preventing [Changzhou's] exhibition at CES," Mr Doerkson told the BBC.
"Looking forward at the cost-benefit of continued litigation to seek an injunction, we decided that that cost benefit did not pencil out for us and that our intellectual property budget would be better spent in other ways."
But Changzhou has since petitioned the judge to re-open the case saying it wants to be reimbursed for "business expenses incurred, lost sales suffered, and reputational damage".
Moreover, the Chinese firm is also demanding Future Motion be forced to issue a press release notifying the public that it had dismissed its original claims.
Future Motion's lawyer told the BBC it plans to formally oppose these demands once Changzhou's legal team has filed some additional paperwork. | The tables have turned on a US-based hoverboard maker that sued a Chinese competitor for patent infringement. | 35599483 |
Excavations at Tintagel Castle have also revealed they imported bowls from Turkey and glass goblets from Spain.
Findings from a dig last year have been released this week, as archaeologists return to the site to find out how people lived more than 1,000 years ago.
The first research excavations at the castle in decades unearthed finds from the late 5th and 6th Centuries.
This included the discovery of a rubbish dump where they found a cod cranial bone, animal bone fragments and oyster shells which suggest they were eaten by the early kings, experts said.
English Heritage's properties curator, Win Scutt, said the finds painted a "highly evocative picture".
"It is easy to assume that the fall of the Roman Empire threw Britain into obscurity, but here on this dramatic Cornish cliff top they built substantial stone buildings, used fine table wares from Turkey, drank from decorated Spanish glassware and feasted on pork, fish and oysters," Mr Scutt said.
"They were clearly making use of products like wine and oil contained in amphorae traded from the eastern Mediterranean."
The Tintagel Castle Archaeological Research Project is a five-year scheme with two seasons of excavations at the castle.
As part of the latest excavations they found a number of "extremely interesting" iron artefacts including potential hunting paraphernalia from the late and post-Roman periods. | Early Cornish kings feasted on oysters, roast pork and fine wine, archaeologists have found. | 40588509 |
Mohammed Ali, 31, was convicted at the Old Bailey of attempting to possess a chemical weapon after around five and a half hours of deliberations by a jury.
Ali, from Liverpool, struck a deal with a supplier to buy 500mg of powder - enough to kill 1,400 people.
He was unaware that his source was in fact an FBI agent.
The trial heard the father-of-two was sent harmless powder hidden inside a toy car.
After opening the package, which had been treated with a marker substance, he was arrested at his home the following morning.
Under ultraviolet light, Ali's face lit up, showing he had handled the parcel.
Ali told jurors he was just "curious" and wanted to test the boundaries of the Dark Web, and was unaware that ricin was illegal.
He told the court: "I was interested in the Dark Net and ricin. I just wanted to know what the fuss was about.
"I found lots of different items ranging from drugs, guns, other illegal items, and because I had been watching Breaking Bad I just had ricin in my mind."
His defence team suggested Ali wanted ricin for a "peaceful purpose" and a psychologist told jurors he exhibited signs of Asperger's syndrome.
But prosecutor Sally Howes QC said he was a "chancer" who lied to police about having ricin when he was arrested in the hope that he would "get away with it".
Judge, Mr Justice Saunders said: "There is no evidence that he was planning any sort of terrorist attack.
"There is also no evidence that he had in mind any specific victims for ricin. I do not accept he was going to dispose of it.
"I'm satisfied it would have remained in his possession in some way and that is the basis on which I propose to sentence."
Ali had previously been involved in various illegal money-making scams which included stealing £250,000 from PayPal through a loophole, the court was told.
Sue Hemming, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Ricin is a naturally occurring poison which is fatal even in very small doses. Ali knew the dangers of ricin and had been researching poisons for months before he attempted to obtain it.
"Today shows yet again that even in the case of crimes committed in the darkest corners of the internet, criminals can be caught and convicted." | A man has been found guilty of trying to buy deadly ricin poison from the Dark Web after being inspired by the hit US television series Breaking Bad. | 33708611 |
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The Australian, 35, only competed in five events last year after a "tough" 2015 left him "exhausted".
He survived a shark attack at a tournament in South Africa and missed out on a fourth world title following the death of his brother Peter.
Surfing is among five sports confirmed for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
"It was nice to have 2016 off somewhat and decompress but I'm excited to put the singlet on again," said Fanning. "Let the show begin. It's going to be an incredible year.
"2015 was a tough year. A lot happened to me on camera and in my personal life. I just felt exhausted by the end of it."
The 11-stop WSL Championship begins on the Gold Coast of Australia from 14-25 March. | Three-time world champion Mick Fanning says he will return to the World Surf League full-time in 2017 for the first time since being attacked by a shark. | 39188159 |
The 68-year-old had a heart attack in June and was forced to pull out of the band's autumn tour.
The band will only perform acoustic shows after the current tour, and Parfitt said he won't take part.
"No. I don't think I really want to," he told Classic Rock's Dave Ling. "In my heart I'm a rocker... If I'm going to make music it's got to rock."
Parfitt added: "There would probably have been room for me if I decided I wanted to, but I'm not a great fan of the whole acoustic malarkey. It doesn't float my boat.
"What I am disappointed in is missing the last of the band's electric shows."
Band manager Simon Porter said Parfitt "died" for several minutes after an attack that left him with "mild cognitive impairments".
Parfitt said he is now "fully recovered".
"As the weeks pass I'm better and better. I don't know whether I will be able to improve on that because I feel as well as I did when I fell over."
He has been replaced by Richie Malone in the band. Parfitt said he was doing a great job and wished him "all the best".
He added that the band have his blessing for any future plans.
The guitarist has had a number of health issues in recent years, including a throat cancer scare in 2005 and a heart attack in 2011.
Status Quo cancelled a series of gigs in 2014 after Parfitt was told to rest by doctors, following surgery to correct a problem with the quadruple heart bypass he underwent in 1997.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram, or if you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk. | Rick Parfitt has said he won't return to Status Quo in any performing capacity. | 37797845 |
It is the first time they have been knocked out in the group stages since 1958 and the first time they have been eliminated after just two matches.
Roy Hodgson's side were beaten by Group D rivals Italy and Uruguay.
"Part of me thinks you shouldn't look back, but if you look at the players England had in 2006 - the so-called golden generation - they are so much better than today's team.
"The likes of Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney. That is a proper team."
England needed Italy to win both of their remaining games to stand a chance of reaching the last 16, but Costa Rica's victory ended their involvement.
Former England defender Rio Ferdinand believes a lack of experience cost Hodgson's side, but thinks the tournament will be important for the development of their young players.
"Maybe England were a bit naive," he said. "In the game against Uruguay, for instance, when they got back to 1-1, they had a chance to get a point and everything would have been down to the final game.
"But the players can take experience from the tournament. It is valuable, not just playing minutes but being around the hotel, how you prepare yourself, what it means to go to a World Cup and feeling that pressure."
Hodgson had picked a squad with an emphasis on youth and was hopeful they would progress out of a tough group.
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Costa Rica were supposed to be the weakest team in a pool containing three former World Cup winners, but the Central American side were the first to progress to the last 16.
Despite England's campaign starting with a 2-1 defeat by Italy, a promising performance gave them confidence for Thursday's game against Uruguay.
But Luis Suarez's brace gave Uruguay a 2-1 victory, which left Hodgson's men relying on other results.
In the aftermath of the defeat, Hodgson insisted he would not resign, while Football Association chairman Greg Dyke added Hodgson's job is not under threat.
"We are supportive of Roy," said Dyke. "I already see people asking the question, 'Will he stay?' The answer is 'yes'."
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England goalkeeper Joe Hart said the players were "proud to play" for Hodgson.
"He is a great manager, a very passionate man and someone I have an awful lot of respect for and I hope to continue playing for him," Hart said.
Former England winger Chris Waddle cited a lack of quality coaching in the country as a reason for the national side's failure.
Waddle, part of the England side beaten on penalties by West Germany in the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup, told BBC Radio 5 live: "The Premier League is different to any league the world and that is our big problem.
"It's frustrating, because we have everything we need - money, facilities - but it comes down to coaching, and we have to get something right about producing players.
"The Premier League is a great advert for our football but it does our national team no good whatsoever."
England finish their campaign against Costa Rica on Tuesday.
For the best of BBC Sport's in-depth content and analysis, go to our features and video page. | England are out of the Fifa World Cup thanks to Costa Rica's shock 1-0 defeat of Italy in Recife. | 27935803 |
McKinley, now 27, was on Leinster's books when he suffered the serious injury after sustaining an accidental boot to his eye.
The Dubliner was forced to retire but made a playing return in Italy thanks to special protective goggles.
McKinley has played 21 Treviso games in this season's Pro12 and Challenge Cup.
His form has led Italy coach, former Ireland international Conor O'Shea, to name the fly-half in a 44-man squad for the Tests against Scotland, Fiji and Australia.
Ireland Under-20 international McKinley now qualifies for the Azzurri under the residency rule.
In a tweet on Wednesday, McKinley said that he been "overwhelmed by the reaction" to his inclusion in Italy's squad.
After his playing career had apparently ended, McKinley began a coaching stint in the Italian town of Udine before returning to action in his adopted-country's domestic league for Leonorso Udine and Viadana.
That led to him being awarded a contract with Pro12 club Zebre in 2015/16 before he moved to Treviso last summer.
McKinley, who sustained the initial eye injury during a match for University College Dublin in 2010, kicked 11 points in Treviso's 21-6 win over Edinburgh last month.
Following initial surgery in 2010, McKinley's left eye regained 70% vision and he went on to make a try-scoring Leinster debut in 2011 before complications led to him losing sight in the eye.
For a time, Irish Rugby's rules prevented him from representing Zebre in his native country but a change of regulations last season opened the door to him playing Pro12 games in Ireland.
Italy will face Scotland in Singapore on 10 June before facing Fiji on 17 June before taking on Australia in Brisbane a week later.
The Azzurri lost all their five games in this year's Six Nations, which was rounded off by a 29-0 defeat by the Scots.
For the latest rugby union news follow @bbcrugbyunion on Twitter. | Irish-born Ian McKinley has been called into Italy's squad for their summer Tests six years after losing his sight in his left eye. | 39798941 |
It includes a Bollywood film producer accused of a £4.5m fraud, and a Nigerian alleged to have been in a gang that stole more than £12m from the NHS.
The list was drawn up by City of London Police and the National Crime Agency as part of a new crackdown on fraud.
Figures to be published this week are expected to show fraud is the most prevalent crime in England and Wales.
Bollywood film producer Sandeep Arora, 42, from Beckton, east London, is accused of claiming £4.5m in VAT and film tax rebates for movies that either did not exist or with which he had no involvement.
He is known as Karan Arora in Bollywood circles, police said, and is currently believed to be in India.
Alex McKenzie, 33, from London, is accused of targeting victims using the gay social networking app Scruff, gaining their trust by claiming to work for MI6.
He is alleged to have taken out credit cards, bank accounts and loans in the names of two former lovers and the parent of one of his partners, defrauding them of a total of £300,000 between November 2014 and October 2015. Police believe he is now in the US.
Bayo Lawrence Anoworin, 41, from Lagos, Nigeria, is accused of being part of an organised crime group that defrauded NHS trusts in the UK and Guernsey of a total of £12m and laundered the money between 2011 and 2012.
He has connections to Abbey Wood and Thamesmead, in south-east London and Chatham in Kent, police said.
The other people on the list are:
The compilation of the list is the result of a new task-force, launched by the government in February in response to the growing problem of fraud and cyber-crime.
The taskforce brings together law enforcement agencies, the financial sector and the government.
Donald Toon, director of the NCA's economic crime command, said: "The annual losses to the UK from fraud are estimated to be more than £190bn.
"Behind this headline figure lie the actions of criminals like the wanted fraudsters highlighted in this appeal, who have caused distress and loss to people and businesses up and down the country."
The Crime Survey of England and Wales, which is published on Thursday, is expected to show that fraud is the most prevalent crime in the UK.
Preliminary figures released in October 2015 found that there had been 5.1 million incidents of fraud in England and Wales in the previous year, affecting an estimated one in 12 adults and making it the most common form of crime.
Last month a report estimated the annual cost of fraud in the UK to be £193bn. | A list of 10 alleged fraudsters who are accused of owing £20m between them has been published by police in the UK. | 36825605 |
The ambush took place on Thursday night at the start of celebrations marking the end of Ramadan.
Armed groups were active in the region, Ain Defla, in the 1990s.
Correspondents say although Algeria is now much more stable, gunmen with links to al-Qaeda and Islamic State operate in parts of the country, mostly in remote mountain areas.
Thursday night's attack took place in a forest in Ain Defla, 240km (150 miles) from Algiers, a police commander told Associated Press - speaking on condition of anonymity as an official statement has not yet been released.
The attack was also reported by a security source and the local media, although they gave few other details. | At least 11 soldiers have been killed in an attack by Islamist militant gunmen west of Algeria's capital. | 33583615 |
NFU president Peter Kendall said more than two million tonnes of wheat had been lost because of last year's poor summer.
The prolonged cold weather would also hit this autumn's harvest, he said.
But he said the shortage was unlikely to affect the price of bread because of the global nature of the market.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Kendall said the average yield fell from 7.8 tonnes a hectare to 6.7 tonnes last summer.
Looking ahead to the 2013 harvest, he said farmers had managed to get only three-quarters of the planned wheat planted this year, so the UK was already 25% down on potential production.
"I've been walking crops yesterday on the farm in Bedfordshire and they look pretty thin. We would normally say you should hide a hare in a crop of wheat in March. You'd struggle to cover a mouse in some of mine.
"If we got three-quarters of the area planted, and the same yield as last year, we could be looking at a crop of only 11m tonnes of wheat when we actually need 14.5m tonnes of wheat for our own domestic use here in the UK," he said.
Andrew Watts, a wheat farmer and the NFU combinable crops board chairman, said farmers had been hoping for a kind autumn after a poor harvest in 2012, but this had not happened.
"It seems many farmers have written 2013 off and are trying to do what they can with the crops in the ground. Everyone is focussing on 2014 and making sure the land is in a good condition to get good crops then.
"This is what producing food is all about - the weather."
He added: "We have got to put it in context, this is only the first time since the late 1970s that we have been net importers, Over the past five or six years we have been in surplus."
The crop damage is dealing a further blow to Britain's farming industry, which is already reeling from a spate of recent livestock deaths due to the cold weather.
But Mr Kendall said only about 10% of the cost of a loaf was attributable to wheat. The rest was due to processing, transport, and packaging, he said.
"We could see wheat double and the impact on a loaf of bread would not be enormous.
"But we need to make sure, in the UK, we are producing raw materials for what has been - despite the weather - a fantastically successful sector," he said. | Britain will become a net importer of wheat for the first time in a decade this year because of bad weather, the National Farmers' Union has said. | 22050874 |
Windows, an oil tank and the back door were damaged at the house on Main Street in Carrowdore, near Newtownards.
It happened at about 03:20 GMT on Wednesday.
Police said there were no reports of any injuries.
The occupants of the house are a couple in their 60s.
The house was cordoned off while officers investigated the circumstances and motive.
Police have appealed for information. | Police are investigating what caused a loud bang after a house was damaged in County Down. | 34918635 |
Scrum-half Larissa Muldoon moves from the replacements to the starting XV.
"There's a very strong spirit in this squad that's been developing nicely over the last few months," said Ireland head coach Tom Tierney.
"While the performances haven't been as accurate or as clinical as we would like, we've ground out four wins."
"That has set up a very big game this Friday evening," he added.
Ireland's relative continuity in selection is highlighted by the fact that props Lindsay Peat and Ailis Egan join Leah Lyons in the front row for the fifth successive game.
In the back row, flankers Ciara Griffin and Claire Molloy pack down with number eight and captain Paula Fitzpatrick for the sixth game in a row.
Second row Marie-Louise Reilly is set to win her 50th cap.
England will arrive in Dublin on the back of a huge win against Scotland and in the hope of pipping Ireland to the championship.
"From our point of view, we have a huge opportunity on St. Patrick's Day and for us it's about looking to rectify some of the areas of our game that we haven't been happy with over the past few weeks," said Tierney.
"If we can make those small changes, then Friday evening's game should be a great one."
Ireland women: K Flood (Leinster); H Tyrrell (Leinster), J Murphy (Leinster), S Naoupu (Aylesford Bulls), A Miller (Connacht); N Stapleton (Leinster), L Muldoon (Railway Union); L Peat (Leinster), L Lyons (Munster), A Egan (Leinster), S Spence (Leinster), M-L Reilly (Leinster), C Griffin (Munster), C Molloy (Connacht), P Fitzpatrick (capt) (Leinster).
Replacements: C O'Connor (Connacht), I Van Staden (Ulster), R O'Reilly (Connacht), C Cooney (Leinster), N Fryday (Connacht), M Healy (Connacht), N Caughey (Ulster), M Coyne (Connacht). | The Ireland women's team for Friday's Grand Slam decider against England at Donnybrook shows one change from that which defeated Wales 12-7 last weekend. | 39279872 |
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Djokovic beat the Frenchman 6-4 6-3 7-6 (7-5) in two hours and four minutes.
The 29-year-old Serb has now won 30 successive Grand Slam matches and currently holds all four titles.
Djokovic will next face the winner of the match between 28th seed American Sam Querrey and Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil.
Querrey was leading their second-round match 6-4 5-2 before play was suspended for the day on the outside courts because of rain.
"I do have a lot of expectation of myself, but I'm very grateful that I can play at such a high level consistently," Djokovic told BBC Sport.
"Grand Slams are what matter the most in our sport. The future is something we can't predict, but certainly I will continue playing with lots of passion and see how it goes."
Mannarino, 28, was broken just once in the first set, and it came following a successful Djokovic challenge that allowed him back into the game after his forehand was called long.
Djokovic then won five games in a row to take the first set and establish a three-game advantage in the second.
World number 77 Mannarino had five break points at 1-1 in the third, only for Djokovic to recover on each occasion and take the set on a tie-break.
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Earlier on Wednesday, 10th seed Tomas Berdych progressed to round two with victory in four sets over Ivan Dodig.
The Czech won 7-6 (7-5) 5-7 6-1 7-6 (7-2) in three hours 24 minutes against the 31-year-old Croat.
Dodig, ranked 76th, fired 18 aces, but Berdych, a Wimbledon runner-up in 2010, broke serve seven times.
Berdych, 30, will now face Benjamin Becker in the second round after the German's straight-set victory over Facundo Bagnis on Tuesday.
Bernard Tomic and Fernando Verdasco also returned on Wednesday to complete their first-round tie, with the Australian winning in five sets.
Tomic, the 19th seed, lost the first set but recovered to win 4-6 6-3 6-3 3-6 6-4 and will face the winner of the match between Gastao Elias and Radu Albot.
Eighth seed Dominic Thiem is another to reach the second round, he saw off Germany's Florian Mayer 7-5 6-4 6-4 in one hour and 36 minutes.
The 22-year-old Austrian will face Czech Jiri Vesely next.
The rain rarely relented on the third day of action at Wimbledon, meaning several matches will have to be completed on Thursday.
Among those still to finish is David Ferrer's match against France's Nicolas Mahut, with the 13th seeded Spaniard 3-1 down before the covers came on.
Meanwhile, American John Isner, the 18th seed, will resume his first-round tie against Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus trailing 3-1 in the second set after winning the first 7-6 (7-2). | World number one Novak Djokovic remains on course to defend his Wimbledon title after beating Adrian Mannarino in straight sets to reach round three. | 36663891 |
Global trade is now expected to grow by 3.3% this year, the WTO says, down from its earlier forecast of 4.5%.
Next year, however, growth should rebound to about 5%, said WTO director general Pascal Lamy.
Countries might turn to protectionism as other attempts to boost growth have been "found wanting", he said.
"There is a need for more rules-based trade in order to reduce unemployment and to stimulate growth," he said.
The WTO also warned that the weakness in Europe's economies would continue to weigh on trade.
It said that "improved economic prospects for the United States in 2013 should only partly offset the continued weakness in the European Union, whose economy is expected to remain flat or even contract slightly this year according to consensus estimates".
"China's growth should continue to outpace other leading economies, cushioning the slowdown, but exports will still be constrained by weak demand in Europe," it added.
The WTO said that trade had grown by just 2% in 2012, the second-worst figure since records began in 1981. The worst performance had come in 2009 when trade shrank.
Average growth over the past two decades has been 5.3%, it said.
In dollar terms, the value of the goods traded last year remained stagnant at $18.3 trillion (£11.9 trillion). The value was unchanged because prices for coffee, cotton, coal and iron ore fell.
"The events of 2012 should serve as a reminder that the structural flaws in economies that were revealed by the economic crisis have not been fully addressed, despite important progress in some areas," Mr Lamy said.
"Repairing these fissures needs to be the priority for 2013." | The World Trade Organization (WTO) has cut its trade growth forecast for 2013 because of risks from the eurozone crisis and from greater protectionism. | 22093304 |
Their question was this: where would they stand the best chance of completing the journey they had begun many months ago from their hometowns in Afghanistan?
Having tried and failed to get through the enhanced security around the port of Calais and the Channel Tunnel, they had decided to travel almost 500km (310 miles) west to Normandy in the belief that the security at Cherbourg would be more easily breached.
And that would mean finally reaching Britain hidden inside a lorry, on a ferry making its way across the Channel.
But it was not to be.
"Someone told me it would be easy, but here it is more difficult," says Amir forlornly.
"There is security and there are CCTV cameras everywhere, so it is very difficult to have any chance to get into a car or truck and then into a ship and go to England."
While Amir says he has never been approached by smugglers offering places on small boats to reach the English coast and would not do it anyway because he thinks it is too dangerous, it seems some migrants and refugees are being tempted by this risky option.
At the port of Carteret on the Cherbourg peninsula, fishermen told me of an incident earlier this year in which a group of migrants had tried to board a motorboat with the apparent intention of reaching the Channel Island of Jersey.
But they were caught by the police.
How is the UK-France border policed?
Europe's migrant story enters new phase
Migration in charts
And over the past two weeks there have been three incidents involving Albanians and Iranians running into difficulty on board flimsy boats off the south coast of England.
Inside a large official migrant camp near Dunkirk, one leading member of the Iraqi Kurdish community told me he knew people there who were now desperate enough to take small boats across the Channel.
But it is far from clear how many would really do this given the risks involved and the amounts of money allegedly being charged by the smugglers.
The local French authorities admit there have been a few cases of their coastguard rescuing migrants in small boats, but are convinced the numbers remain small.
Franck Dhersin, mayor of Teteghem near Dunkirk, stresses the difficulties of navigating the Channel with its strong currents, winds and sandbanks.
He argues any smugglers trying to buy motorboats in France would be quickly spotted.
The test of whether this is accurate or wishful thinking will be over the coming months of summer. | Hidden behind a large sports centre in a nondescript suburb of Cherbourg, lies a makeshift migrant camp which is home to a group of Afghans who had believed the port here was the answer. | 36482977 |
The Rent Smart scheme will require landlords to be trained in their responsibilities and obligations.
Latest Welsh Government figures show fewer than 25% had been granted licences by last week.
Only 25,353 out of a possible 100,000 Welsh landlords are registered.
The Welsh Government wants Rent Smart to help tackle bad landlords who give the private rented sector a bad name.
Housing charity Shelter Cymru said nearly a third of its workload came from private tenancies.
Although it can take only a few minutes to register, the process of completing the licensing takes about eight weeks and many have not even started it.
Back in July, 13,000 landlords had registered with Rent Smart but progress has been slow.
The Rental Landlords Association (RLA) fears fewer people will let out houses, meaning there will be fewer houses to rent and that this will push up the cost.
RENT SMART FACTFILE:
Angela Durrant - who rents out a flat in Cardiff Bay - said she only found out about the Rent Smart changes by chance but is unhappy with the amount of work it involves.
"I've actually chosen to go through a letting agent in order to [register] because I was more concerned I'd miss something out or fall foul of the law," she said.
"I was really annoyed because we've respectfully rented out the property for 10 years and I understand it might be trying to root out rogue landlords but it's not really taking into consideration people who are trying to do a good job with perhaps one or two properties."
The Welsh Government said it would raise overall standards and improve the reputation of private rented housing which had been "damaged by the actions of rogue and even criminal landlords and lettings agents".
A spokesman added: "We hope the scheme will ultimately lead to more investment in Wales by improving its reputation".
Meanwhile, 96% of those who had completed the relevant training said "it will make them a better landlord." | There are fears that thousands of residential landlords in Wales will be breaking the law without realising it, with just six weeks to go until all will have to be registered. | 37607632 |
14 October 2014 Last updated at 16:02 BST
Finding buried treasure might sound like a dream but it's one that came true for Derek McLennan.
He dug up more than a hundred objects, including gold jewellery and a silver Christian cross.
Derek tells us how we can get involved in metal-detecting. | The amateur metal detector, who unearthed a massive hoard of Viking treasure in Scotland, has been telling Newsround how he did it. | 29619714 |
The all-rounder appeared to jar his left knee while bowling on day two of England's innings-and-88-run win in the first Test at Headingley.
Stokes, 24, will have a scan on Sunday, with the results - and the party for the Test at Chester-le-Street - not expected until Monday.
The match, the second of three Tests, begins on Friday.
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It he his fit, it will be the first time that Durham all-rounder Stokes has played a Test on his home ground.
However, England cricket director Andrew Strauss said Stokes' participation is "touch and go".
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 live's Sportsweek on Sunday, Strauss said: "He was struggling yesterday. The plan is to see how he is today.
"We know what he is like - you have to drag him off the pitch kicking and screaming, but we're mindful of a busy summer ahead as well."
Stokes left the field on the second evening of England's win and did not bowl on Saturday as they wrapped up a three-day victory.
If he is ruled out of the second Test, Warwickshire all-rounder Chris Woakes would be a like-for-like replacement in the squad.
England may also opt to re-jig their batting order and give a debut to Nottinghamshire pace bowler Jake Ball. | England will wait on the fitness of Ben Stokes before naming their squad for the second Test against Sri Lanka. | 36353287 |
This is despite the fact the company launched a device during the recent Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
He was responding to a question during the firm's analyst summit in Shenzhen, at which he was asked if smartphones are dying because of wearable tech.
Mr Xu said: "I've never figured out why we need to wear smartwatches when everything we need is on our phones."
Mr Xu, who is one of three rotating CEOs at Huawei, each serving six months at a time, is also reported by Forbes to have said: "I'm not a man who wears watches, and I've never been optimistic about this market."
His comments have not come as a surprise to some in the industry.
"Smartwatches are a solution looking for a problem, rather than being a game-changer," Ben Wood, an analyst at tech consultancy CCS Insight told the BBC.
Mr Wood also praised Mr Xu's honesty, saying: "It's one view of just one of the three chief executives at Huawei."
The smartwatch sector has been dominated by tech firms such as Apple and Samsung.
However, fashion and luxury watch manufacturers also announced their interest in the devices at the recent Baselworld trade show.
Brands such as Guess, Montblanc and Movodo, all revealed plans for new Android Wear smartwatches during the event.
They join TAG Heuer and Fossil, which operates a portfolio of watch brands including Michael Kors, Skagen and Armani Exchange.
Mr Wood said there has been a lot of progress since the early offerings created by "middle aged engineers" in what he described as a "sea of sameness."
He added: "2017 is a pivotal year for smartwatches with lots of new launches at the end of this year. That doesn't guarantee success, but with a lot of them, we'll see if people want them." | Eric Xu, chief executive of Chinese tech firm Huawei has said he doesn't see the point in smartwatches. | 39577278 |
After the country joined the European Community in 1973, it was transformed from a largely agricultural society into a modern, high-technology economy.
However, the economy collapsed following the 2008 global financial crisis. With the help of a bailout Ireland has been recovering once more.
Its strong literary and musical traditions, as well as its long history of emigration, have given Ireland an international cultural presence disproportionate to its size.
Six Protestant-dominated counties of Northern Ireland - afraid of a majority Catholic united Ireland - in 1921 opted to stay in the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland subsequently saw decades of violent conflict between those campaigning for a united Ireland, and those wishing to stay in the United Kingdom.
Population 4.6 million
Area 70,182 sq km (27,097 sq miles)
Major languages English, Irish
Major religion Christianity
Life expectancy 78 years (men), 83 years (women)
Currency euro
President: Michael D Higgins
Michael D Higgins (pictured left), a veteran left-wing politician, poet and human rights activist was elected president in 2011.
He is a former Galway university lecturer and published poet who has dedicated his four-decade political career to championing Irish culture and left-wing causes worldwide. He is an Irish speaker.
The president wields little power beyond the ability to refer potentially unconstitutional legislation to the Supreme Court, but has an important symbolic role in representing Ireland at the national and international level.
Prime Minister (Taoiseach): Enda Kenny
Enda Kenny (pictured right) came to power after winning early elections held in 2011, in the middle of Ireland's worst economic crisis in recent memory.
His centre-right Fine Gael party formed a coalition with the second-placed social-democratic Labour Party, replacing a government led by the centre-right Fianna Fail party.
Fianna Fail, which has dominated Irish politics for much of the post-Second World War period, had suffered a catastrophic defeat after many voters blamed it for the way it handled the crisis.
Mr Kenny and the allied Labour Party suffered losses in the February 2016 elections, depriving the coalition of its majority.
Following more than two months of political deadlock, Mr Kenny finally succeeded in forming a minority government, after Fine Gael and Fianna Fail hammered out an unprecedented political ceasefire. The latter, which will sit on the opposition benches, has agreed to support the government for a period of two years.
The Irish parliament, the Dail, voted Mr Kenny in again as Taoiseach at the beginning of May, making him the first Fine Gael Taoiseach ever to be re-elected.
The Irish are well connected, with 82% of the population online by 2015 and about 56% subscribed to Facebook.
Print and broadcast media operate freely within the confines of the law. Broadcasting - commercial and public - is regulated by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. The Competition Authority safeguards against unfair competition in the press sector.
Some key dates in Ireland's history:
1801 - Kingdom of Ireland annexed to Great Britain under the Act of Union.
1840s - Great potato famine: Ireland's staple crop fails, starving a million people to death and forcing many more to flee abroad.
1916 - Nationalists stage Easter Rising, seizing the General Post Office in Dublin and proclaiming an independent Irish republic. The rising is crushed by the British who execute its leaders. Irish public is outraged.
1919 - Led by Eamonn De Valera, the nationalist movement Sinn Fein sets up a Dublin assembly, which again proclaims Irish independence. A guerrilla campaign by the Irish Republican Army, or IRA, against British forces begins with heavy casualties on both sides.
1921 - Anglo-Irish Treaty establishes the Free State, an independent dominion of the British crown with full internal self-government rights, partitioned from Northern Ireland. Dissatisfaction with the treaty prompts the year-long Irish Civil War.
1949 - Independence. Republic of Ireland and leaves British Commonwealth.
1973 - Ireland joins the European Economic Community.
Early 1980s - Ireland faces severe economic problems, with rising debt and unemployment.
Mid-1990s - mid-2000s - Rapid economic growth earns Ireland reputation of "the Celtic Tiger".
2008 - Global financial crisis hits Ireland hard. In 2010 it agrees a bailout with the EU and IMF. | Ireland emerged from the conflict that marked its birth as an independent state to become one of Europe's economic success stories in the final decade of the twentieth century. | 17473476 |
They include an icy body with an orbit that takes it so far from the Sun that it is probably influenced by the gravity of other stars.
The discoveries were found during an effort to locate a possible ninth planet, whose presence has been inferred indirectly.
The study is set to be published by The Astronomical Journal.
Co-authors Scott Sheppard and Chad Trujillo have submitted the details of their discoveries to the Minor Planet Center, which catalogues such objects, along with asteroids and comets.
Their search was carried out using several observatories around the world, including the the four-metre Blanco telescope in Chile and the eight-metre Subaru telescope in Hawaii.
One of the new objects, known for now as 2014 FE72, is the first distant Oort Cloud object found with an orbit entirely beyond Neptune.
Its orbit takes it some 3,000 times further than the Earth is from the Sun.
The Oort Cloud is the large shell of objects that occupies the outermost region of the Solar System.
Dr Sheppard, from the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington and Dr Trujillo, from Northern Arizona University, have been analysing how the new planet-like bodies fit into larger theories about a ninth planet lurking in the Solar System's furthest reaches.
The evidence for this planet has largely been deduced by peculiarities of distant Solar System objects.
One of the new celestial bodies, 2013 FT28, shares characteristics of its orbit in common with the bodies whose positions and movements lent support to the planet nine idea - but it also shows some differences.
Based on analysis of other small bodies in the outer Solar System, astronomers have proposed that - if it exists - the ninth planet is several times more massive than Earth and is at least 200 times further than the distance between the Sun and Earth.
The new work should help constrain the location of this proposed ninth planet.
"The smaller objects can lead us to the much bigger planet we think exists out there," said Dr Sheppard.
"The more we discover, the better we will be able to understand what is going on in the outer Solar System."
Pluto, discovered in 1930, was previously known as the ninth planet. But its planetary status was removed in 2006, following the discovery of an object of comparable size in the Kuiper Belt, a ring of icy bodies just beyond Neptune. | Astronomers in the US have uncovered previously unknown objects in the outer reaches of the Solar System. | 37223076 |
EMC shareholders will receive $33.15 per share, $24.05 of which will be in cash.
If approved by regulators, the deal would be the biggest in history between two technology companies.
Falling demand for PCs means Dell is looking to expand into more lucrative businesses, and it has identified data storage as a key growth area.
"Our new company will be exceptionally well-positioned for growth in the most strategic areas of next-generation IT ," said Dell boss Michael Dell.
EMC boss Joe Tucci said: "The waves of change we now see in our industry are unprecedented and, to navigate this change, we must create a new company for a new era".
Mr Dell will be chairman and chief executive of the combined group that, Dell said, would be the world's "largest privately-controlled, integrated technology company".
The exact cost of the deal will depend on the value of shares in VMware, the software company controlled by EMC. VMware will remain an independent, listed company.
The price per share agreed represents a 20% premium on Friday's EMC closing share price of $27.86. EMC shares were up about 4% in pre-market trading on Monday.
The deal is expected to close some time between May and October 2016.
Analysts suggested the deal was a brave move by Dell.
"Dell wants to become the old IBM Corp, a one-stop shop for corporate clients," said Erik Gordon from the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business.
"That model fell apart a couple of decades ago. Reviving it would be a stunning coup for Dell." | US computer giant Dell has agreed a deal to buy data storage company EMC for $67bn (£44bn). | 34505553 |
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The duo, who won gold the last time they competed in this race in 2008, were roared on to victory by a partisan crowd, beating France into second.
Laura Trott also pleased the Lee Valley VeloPark fans, winning the omnium to claim her second gold of the week.
GB topped the medal table with five golds, one silver and three bronze.
The appearance of Wiggins and Cavendish ensured the championships ended with an electrifying finale.
Thin Lizzy's 'The Boys are Back in Town' boomed out around the velodrome as the fans celebrated what is likely to be 35-year-old Wiggins' last world track title.
The duo remarkably dragged themselves into contention 168 laps into the 200-lap relay race, knowing they were leading on points but needing to match the lap gained by France, Switzerland and Colombia earlier in the race.
Wiggins launched an attack that Cavendish continued and they formed an alliance with Spain, using each other's slipstream, to slowly catch the back of the peloton and gain the crucial lap.
With 11 laps to go, Cavendish came off his bike, later admitting to feeling dizzy, but so unassailable was their lead that he could raise his arms aloft before Wiggins crossed the finish line to celebrate his third madison world title.
"When we went we had to give everything," said Cavendish. "I hit my head hard, so I was a bit dizzy, but I just wanted to get back on and finish with Brad."
Former Tour de France champion Wiggins, who is aiming to win a sixth Olympic title in Rio, described the victory as "incredible".
"You couldn't have written a better script," he said. "It's so nice to be world champion again."
The pair finished eighth in the madison at the Beijing Olympics, when they were favourites to secure gold, but that disappointment is now merely a footnote in the careers of two cycling greats.
Cavendish is still trying to make amends for previous Olympic failures and is hoping he has done enough this week to merit an opportunity to win a first gold at the Games.
His chances of competing for Britain this summer are in the balance after he finished sixth in the omnium, outside the top-three target he was told he needed to be considered for selection, but his gritty display in the madison will have helped his cause.
READ MORE: Cavendish must leave Tour early to race in Rio, says Sutton
Trott, the reigning Olympic and European champion in the six-event discipline, improved on the second places at the last three world championships to regain the rainbow jersey she wore in Melbourne four years ago.
She led the standings by 12 points after five events, finishing third in both Sunday morning's 500m time trial and the flying lap, and was supreme in the points race.
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With 17 laps remaining in the 100-lap race, the Briton was 23 points ahead of her nearest rival after two sprint victories, and her dominance gave the crowd an opportunity to stand in ovation as she rode the final lap.
She ended the competition with 201 points, an 18-point advantage over silver medallist Laurie Berthon of France, who outsprinted overnight leader Sarah Hammer in the race for second and third.
"It's only taken four years to get the gold back," laughed Trott, who has won three omnium silver medals since winning the world title in 2012.
"I tried to get enough points early and I'm just so happy. This is what I did before London. This time I really wanted to win so I'm just glad I could pull it off."
It has been a wonderful week for the double Olympic champion, who has now won seven world titles and whose gold in the scratch - a non-Olympic event - was Britain's first victory of the championships.
Jason Kenny could not replicate his fiancee's feats of claiming a second world crown of the week.
The 27-year-old did not have the staying power to succeed in the keirin, finishing sixth in the final as the exertion of winning sprint gold on Saturday night took its toll.
But the triple Olympic champion will be buoyed after rising to the occasion in the sport's blue riband event, winning a third world title, to prove he is once again peaking in time to succeed at yet another Olympics.
Kenny said he had been "hung out to dry" in the keirin but was positive on his overall performance.
"I didn't feel I had the legs to take it on from the front, so I was gambling and gambling, trying to get a wheel," the Bolton rider told BBC Sport.
"I ran out of legs really quickly, which I expected. I was pleased how I got to the final, I got there efficiently, but couldn't quite get down to the black line.
"The main thing for me and the sprint lads is that we're fast enough to be competitive with five months to go to the one we want to win."
A thrilling sprint finish was won by Germany's Joachim Eilers, who beat his nearest rival, New Zealand's Edward Dawkins, by two thousandths of a second. | Sir Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish teamed up to win the madison as Britain claimed a fifth gold medal at the Track World Championships in London. | 35740567 |
The 31-year-old was provisionally suspended by the Rugby Football Union on 28 January for failing a drugs test after Sale's game with Newcastle.
He then appeared before a disciplinary panel and it was ruled he would not be allowed to play again until 27 May.
The club have confirmed they will not be appealing against the decision.
A statement on the Sale website says the club and player told the RFU panel that the stimulant entered Wihongi's body "without his knowledge and without any pre-meditated plan to gain an advantage".
It continued: "It was demonstrated to the panel that the stimulant became present via a contaminated product that was available through the club's supplements programme.
"When the product in question was supplied to the club it was issued with a batch test certificate that showed no traces of any banned substance. The ingredients of the product had previously been checked and all had been cleared.
The club are frustrated and disappointed with the verdict given to a player who without his knowledge took a product that was wrongly contaminated.
"Sale Sharks would like to place on record our full support for the UK Anti-Doping Testing Programme. There is no place in sport for drug cheats and the penalties enforced for those that attempt to gain an advantage by using banned substances are correct and appropriate.
"However the club are frustrated and disappointed with the verdict given to a player who without his knowledge took a product that was wrongly contaminated."
Former Oyonnax front-rower Wihongi, who was born in New Zealand but is qualified to play for France on residential grounds, joined the Premiership side last summer from Bourgoin on a two-year deal.
He made his debut on the opening day of the season against Newcastle and went on to make 10 appearances before failing the drugs test after the reverse fixture against Falcons on 7 January.
Under the terms of his ban, which runs from the date of his provisional suspension, Wihongi is not able to participate in playing, training, coaching, officiating, selection, team management, administration or promotion of the game.
Commenting on Wihongi's suspension, Rugby Players' Association chief executive Damian Hopley says there is an inconsistency of punishments handed out to players: "The RPA fully endorses the fight against doping in all forms of sport and actively promotes strong anti-doping messages to all of our members.
"But we are extremely concerned at the inconsistency concerning the recent punishments handed out to players who have unknowingly taken these contaminated substances containing the stimulant methylhexaneamine.
"The fact that Karena was given the supplement at half-time in a game with the tacit understanding that the substances were certified as clean, seems to have had no impact whatsoever in the sentence that was subsequently passed.
"While we fully accept that all athletes are ultimately responsible for whatever supplements they ingest, the RPA will be taking up this matter with the relevant national and international authorities as we believe this inconsistency and the lack of empathy shown in this case is wholly unacceptable in professional sport." | Sale Sharks prop Karena Wihongi has been suspended from playing for four months after testing positive for banned stimulant methylhexaneamine. | 12918380 |
Sixteen pharmacies started dispensing marijuana on Wednesday,
Almost 5,000 people have signed up to a national registry to be able to buy marijuana legally. They will be able to buy up to 10g (0.35oz) a week and no more than 40g a month.
The move comes four years after a law was passed which fully legalised the cannabis trade.
Supporters of the law argue that it will help stop the illegal trade in marijuana and put drug dealers out of business.
Customers will be able to choose from two varieties of marijuana dubbed Alpha 1 and Beta 1.
Both contain 2% Tetrahidrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component of marijuana.
The price for five grams has been set at 187 Uruguayan pesos ($6.50; £5.00).
The marijuana sold at the pharmacies comes from state-supervised fields.
The law also allows users to grow their own at home or join co-operative clubs that farm it.
Officials said about 70% of people who had registered to buy marijuana from pharmacies where men, most of them aged between 30 and 44.
In order to avoid "marijuana tourism", only Uruguayan citizens and permanent residents are allowed to register. | Uruguay has become the first country in the world to legally sell marijuana for recreational use. | 40653912 |
The firm, known for its Old English sheepdog mascot, is putting the money into its R&D site in Felling, Gateshead.
As well as household paint, the firm produces specialist coatings for the mining and energy industries.
AkzoNobel said Felling was the "logical spot" for this investment.
The new facility will be able to simulate extreme environments, similar to the North Pole or a fire on an oil rig, to test new products.
"We are creating a kind of a campus of different research and development activities and strengths that we can then use for products that can be sold in the rest of the world," Ton Buchner, AkzoNobel's chief executive, told the BBC.
The company already employs 270 people at its site in Felling. The investment in a UK hub, rather than expanding research facilities elsewhere, would safeguard those jobs.
Research will focus on protection to make hydroelectric dams last longer, coatings to reduce emissions from coal-fired power plants and innovations in fire protection.
A €110m Dulux paint factory in nearby Ashington, Northumbria, is also about to begin production, the firm said.
AkzoNobel's chief executive, Ton Buchner, told the BBC that the vote for Brexit was not an obstacle to further investment in the UK.
The fall in the value of the pound since the EU referendum had "actually made it easier for some of the exporting of the products that are there", he said.
AkzoNobel is based in Amsterdam, and reports its financial results in euros. The fall in the pound, therefore, reduces the amount AkzoNobel earns from the UK.
But if the pound remains weak, then money invested into the UK will go further than in its other major research sites in Singapore and the Netherlands.
However, Mr Buchner said prices could rise for some products in the UK as a result of the devaluation of the pound.
"There is a possibility prices are going up in some of the areas where we sell into the market," he said.
The company's most recent accounts show decorative paints revenue was down 4% in 2016, "mainly due to unfavourable currency effects, in particular the pound sterling and currencies in Latin America". | AkzoNobel, the company that makes Dulux and Hammerite paint, is investing €12.6m (£10.7m) in a new research facility in north-eastern England. | 39025837 |
But the event's secretary Sarah Comish said that may have been the case due to the vast majority timing their visit to avoid the dreadful weather on Sunday.
She said: "We experienced two extremes but Saturday was the busiest we have ever seen our show field."
Only about 100 visitors braved the driving rain on Sunday.
A ewe owned by the Kermode family from Orrisdale was crowned Supreme Champion.
The sheep was chosen ahead of hundreds of animals from all over the Isle of Man.
The two-day celebration of Manx agriculture was held at Great Meadow and saw the unveiling of a 10ft (3m) high sculpture of a bull crowned "supreme champion" during last year's centenary event.
Artist Darren Jackson's design, chosen by the public, is made from assorted "farming treasure".
As well as classes for traditional livestock, the weekend included local food and craft stalls, vintage machinery, children's entertainment and dog shows. | A record 13,000 people attended the 101st Southern Agricultural Show's opening day on Saturday, organisers have said. | 33675003 |
Robert Trigg, 52, of Worthing, denies the murder of Susan Nicholson and the manslaughter of Caroline Devlin.
Lewes Crown Court heard Mr Trigg said he accidentally rolled on top of Ms Nicholson while she slept.
Prosecuting, Duncan Atkinson QC said there were "significant similarities" between the deaths.
Both women were subjected to violence by Mr Trigg, Mr Atkinson told the court.
"Inquiries have revealed that the defendant has a history of behaviour towards other women with whom he has been in a relationship that shows him to have behaved in a possessive, controlling and jealous way," the prosecutor said.
Jurors were told after one alleged outburst of aggression by Mr Trigg, Ms Devlin "prophetically" said "I won't be here for my 40th".
The court heard Ms Devlin, a 35-year-old mother-of-four, was found dead in bed on Mothers' Day by one of her children at their home in Cranworth Road, Worthing, on 26 March 2006.
Jurors were told the child went to ask what she wanted for breakfast but saw her naked body and believed she was asleep.
Mr Atkinson said Mr Trigg had left the house but returned looking "dazed and being weird" before asking one of Ms Devlin's children to look at their mother as she lay upside down in bed with her head deep in the duvet.
The alarm was then raised.
At the time, a post-mortem examination recorded her death as being caused by an aneurysm, although there was no physical finding to support the conclusion, the jury heard.
Mr Atkinson said police officers who attended believed her death was not suspicious, but added: "Clearly, those officers were not in possession of the full picture."
Five years later, 52-year-old Susan Nicholson was found dead on a sofa the couple had slept on in Rowlands Road, Worthing, jurors heard.
Mr Trigg, of Park Crescent, told emergency services he accidentally rolled on to her in his sleep, a theory considered plausible following post-mortem tests, the court was told.
Jurors were told a neighbour, Hannah Cooper, described the relationship as "volatile and violent", with rows fuelled by alcohol and police called at least six times.
Mr Atkinson said Mr Trigg had been cautioned in March 2011 for battery, in relation to a row with Ms Nicholson, who was punched in the face.
On the morning of 17 April 2011, the court was told, Mr Trigg bought cigarettes and then called his brother, before he phoned Ms Cooper and said: "It's Sue, I think she'd dead."
Jurors were told Ms Cooper dialled 999.
Mr Atkinson said: "At the time, as had occurred with Ms Devlin, the police treated the defendant as a bereaved partner rather than a suspect."
Jurors were told pathologist Dr Nathaniel Cary reassessed both cases and concluded Ms Nicholson was suffocated after having her head forced into the bed, while Ms Devlin's death was caused by a blow to the head.
Dr Cary, in a review of the original pathology, said: "It is very unlikely that someone asleep on a sofa with another could cause death in the manner proposed by simply rolling on to them."
Mr Atkinson highlighted similarities and said in both cases Mr Trigg was in a relationship with the women, that he and the women were intoxicated, that both died while he claimed they were asleep, and he did not dial 999.
Later, a neighbour told the court Ms Devlin's personality changed noticeably after she started a relationship with Mr Trigg.
Bridget Benger, a close friend of Ms Devlin, continued: "She became very withdrawn. She lost her spark and she seemed to drink a little bit more as well."
She said Ms Devlin's eldest son had knocked on her door and said "we can't wake mummy" and she went round to find Mr Trigg at the bottom of the stair, appearing "vacant" and Ms Devlin face down on the bed.
But under cross-examination, she also said Mr Trigg seemed to care for Ms Devlin and was openly affectionate towards her.
The trial continues. | A "jealous and controlling" lover killed two girlfriends, but their deaths were recorded as accidental or natural, a court has heard. | 40344408 |
The 28-year-old, who has cystic fibrosis, has won four caps for his country and recently had a spell with French Top 14 side Clermont.
He has spent most of his career with Western Force in his homeland, but had a six-week stint at Gloucester in 2011.
"I'm ready to hit the ground running in what is a crucial few weeks in Europe and the Premiership," Charles said.
Bath director of rugby Todd Blackadder added: "After losing three hookers in the last month, we're really fortunate to be able to bring in someone of Nathan's calibre." | Bath have signed Australia international hooker Nathan Charles on a deal until the end of the season. | 39279877 |
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