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39,861,729 | Jailing Michael Macdonald, Sheriff Gordon Fleetwood described the 26-year-old as a "thoroughly nasty serial abuser of women".
He will also be under a social work supervision for another nine months on his release.
Macdonald, who carried out the assaults in Thurso and Inverness, is still in a relationship with one of the women.
Sheriff Fleetwood ordered that Macdonald be banned from contacting her during the supervision period.
Last month, Macdonald, who was described as a prisoner in Inverness, appeared from custody and admitted charges of breach of the peace, stalking, resisting arrest and breaking bail conditions.
Macdonald had been in a relationship with the first woman in Thurso for almost four years.
He met the second woman in 2015.
Macdonald's assaults on her between 1 May 2016 and 17 January this year included during a visit to an Inverness hotel for her graduation as a nurse. | A man has been jailed at Inverness Sheriff Court for 30 months for assaults on two women. |
30,411,915 | Police received calls at about 01:00 reporting a vehicle was repeatedly ramming the metal shutters of the Spar on Main Street, East Wemyss.
The thieves then tried to pull an ATM machine from the store using the red Toyota truck.
The vehicle then made off in the direction of Kirkcaldy without the ATM and was found dumped in Boreland.
Det Sgt Paul Dick, of Police Scotland, said: "The premises appear to have been broken into in order to steal the cash machine which was within the shop.
"After violating the security of the store the vehicle was then used in an attempt to pull the ATM from the store.
"There were believed to be four males involved who were all wearing dark-coloured balaclavas."
"This is an unusual type of crime in this area and I would ask anyone who was in the area of Main Street, East Wemyss, at the time or who saw a red-coloured Toyota pick-up acting suspiciously in or around the area to contact Police Scotland." | A gang of men who ram-raided the shutters of a Fife store with a pick-up truck are being sought by police. |
15,711,135 | The government in Delhi complained after the 80-year-old was frisked on board the aircraft, and had his jacket and shoes briefly taken away.
India has complained in the past about its treatment of dignitaries by US air staff - including a previous incident involving Mr Kalam in 2009.
Protocol exempts former presidents and other dignitaries from such searches.
The incident happened after Mr Kalam had taken his seat on board the Air India flight at JFK airport on 29 September.
Security staff forced the crew to open the plane door, and then took away Mr Kalam's jacket and boots because they had not done the necessary checks before boarding, the Press Trust of India (PTI) quoted sources as saying.
"The United States government extended its apology that appropriate procedures for expedited screening of dignitaries had not been followed," a statement from the US embassy in Delhi said.
"We deeply regret the inconvenience that resulted for him," it added.
Mr Kalam, president from 2002 to 2007, received an apology from America's Continental Airlines in 2009 after he was frisked before he boarded a flight to the US.
India demanded an apology last December after its ambassador to the US, Meera Shankar, was pulled from an airport security line and frisked by a security agent in Mississippi - even after her diplomatic status had been revealed.
Some reports said Ms Shankar, who was on her way from a conference, was singled out because she was wearing a sari. | The United States has apologised after former Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam was frisked at a New York airport. |
40,705,873 | Milwaukee's parks appeared in Pokemon Go as Pokestops, real world locations players visit to gather in-game items.
But officials said the volume of players had "unintended consequences" and ordered games-makers to apply for permits to include parks in their apps.
The order will be suspended while the legal challenge is considered.
Several landmarks in Milwaukee's parks were included as points of interest in Pokemon Go when it launched in 2016.
But the Milwaukee County parks service said the number of players had increased littering in the park, overwhelmed toilet facilities and resulted in "trampled grass".
In January, it introduced an ordinance requiring developers of augmented reality games to obtain a permit before including the parks as points of interest in a game.
Games companies must detail how they will deal with security, waste collection and toilet provision, as part of the application process.
Critics say the requirement might stifle the development of mixed-reality games, which companies such as Apple and Microsoft are investing in.
In April, a legal challenge was brought about by games company Candy Lab.
The company does not make Pokemon Go but is developing a poker app that encourages players to visit real-world locations.
It said video games were protected by the First Amendment right to freedom of speech and claimed the park ordinance violated that right.
A preliminary injunction was granted on Thursday, so the permit requirement can no longer be enforced until the case has been heard.
The case highlights how decisions made in a game studio's office can have real-world consequences hundreds of miles away.
It is no surprise that parks would like game developers to chip in for the cost of maintenance and services, if an app is encouraging large groups of people to gather there.
But since games such as Pokemon Go do not ask people to gather in the park at a given time, should they be classed as "events"?
And should game developers be held responsible for the actions of their players?
So far, the court has leaned towards "No," and has suggested parks could penalise people who trample the flower beds, or cordon them off, rather than ban games.
The next augmented reality craze is likely to be just around the corner: Apple has already released its augmented reality toolkit for game developers.
Videos showcasing impressive concepts, such as a real-world Pacman-style game, are attracting big audiences online.
These new apps could be in consumers' hands before the end of the year, so developers will be hoping a more definite ruling comes quickly. | Rules designed to stop Pokemon hunters "overrunning" parks in Milwaukee County have been suspended following a legal challenge. |
32,247,808 | Pauline Monteith travelled to Nice for a two-night holiday with her children, mother and aunt, who are both elderly.
She got a text from Easyjet on Wednesday night saying their flight home had been cancelled.
The family have spent the last day and a half trying to get to Belfast via Paris and London.
She said it was "especially distressing" for her autistic son.
Hundreds of flights across Europe were cancelled on Wednesday and Thursday as the result of a two-day strike by air traffic controllers in France.
Mrs Monteith, from Crumlin, County Antrim, contacted the BBC on Friday morning to say the family had only made it as far as London and were waiting in Gatwick airport for a flight back to Belfast.
After she got the text on Thursday, she said she tried to contact Easyjet twice without success, each time spending more than 20 minutes on a UK mobile phone. Internet access at her hotel was also poor.
"When I eventually got on to the Easyjet website there were no flights available to Belfast from Nice for the next five days that I checked," she told the BBC.
"I think it is terrible that they can just send a simple text with no advice number to contact and no accountability."
The Monteiths were due back in work and school on Monday, and had only packed enough luggage for two days.
"Luckily an English holidaymaker in my hotel came to my aid and told me to act quickly as everything was being booked," Pauline said.
The Monteiths decided to try to make their own way home and opted to take a train to London, thinking they would have a better chance of getting a flight to Belfast from there.
The five Eurostar tickets alone cost over £1,000.
Mrs Monteith said it was "pandemonium" trying to get through the Paris underground with two pensioners and her 16-year-old son.
They arrived in London at about 22:00 BST on Thursday and then had to find a hotel for the night, which cost more money.
Mrs Monteith said the extra bills had put "a dampener on the whole holiday" and said she did not know if she was entitled to a refund because of the difficulty she has contacting the airline.
She said she spent four hours online looking for an alternative way to get home and wondered how people who did not have internet access would cope.
However, the airline did allow the family to use their Nice tickets in exchange for a flight from Gatwick to Belfast, free of charge.
Mrs Monteith also said it was a useful experience for her daughter Chloe, who has just begun to learn French.
She added that because they paid £210 each for a one-way 2.5 hour train journey, her family had dubbed them "golden tickets" and intend to frame them when they get home.
In a statement, an Easyjet spokeswoman said: "We apologise that Mrs Monteith and her family were affected by this strike. EasyJet did everything possible to limit the inconvenience of this strike for passengers.
"We advised Mrs Monteith of the cancellation via SMS text and gave details within that text about how she could rearrange their flights or obtain a refund.
"For customers such as Mrs Monteith whose flights were cancelled, EasyJet offered a free of charge transfer to another flight or a refund if they preferred not to take a flight transfer.
"EasyJet also provided hotel accommodation where passengers required it and we are in direct contact with Mrs Monteith to discuss this."
The airline took more than 25,000 calls during the two-day strike and had 500 staff working in its contact centres to assist passengers in rebooking cancelled flights. | A family with an autistic child has spent almost £2,000 to get home from France after their flight was cancelled during the air traffic control strike. |
36,845,896 | The body of Emma Baum, 22, was found at a house on Llwyndu Road, Penygroes, on Monday.
Her family, in tribute, called her "the best mother" to her son Steffan, two.
A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and a woman on suspicion of perverting the course of justice and assisting an offender.
Officers believe Ms Baum died during the early hours of Monday and appealed for witnesses to a disturbance between 02:00 BST and 05:00.
A neighbour described waking up to "screams" and someone shouting "stop".
There are 50 officers investigating, while an appeal was made for witnesses who saw a black Ford Fiesta travel from Trefor to Penygroes at about 02:00 and return at 04:00.
A tribute from Ms Baum's mum Amanda read: "She was my best friend and a beloved daughter, mother, partner and sister who had a heart of gold and would do anything for anybody.
"She was always the life and soul in any situation."
The police investigation has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission after officers were deployed following a call and initially "found nothing suspicious". | A Gwynedd woman whose suspicious death is being investigated by police has been described as having a "heart of gold". |
32,099,000 | A number of people were also arrested during the South Wales Police operation in the Canton area of the city on Friday night.
Officers raided the Canton Sports Bar and another property and seized class A drugs at both addresses.
They also found money and weapons believed to be associated with supplying drugs.
The force added: "In addition, a number of arrests have been made for possession and concerned in the supply of Class A drugs." | Weapons, drugs and cash have been seized following police raids on a bar and a home in Cardiff. |
36,426,142 | It first acknowledged the problem with Outlook and Hotmail on Tuesday evening.
"Some users may be receiving excessive spam mail," a service page update stated.
The company later said it had managed to put in place two sets of fixes to protect users' inboxes and its own infrastructure.
Many affected users had complained about the issue on social media.
"Getting a spam/junk email about every minute into my main inbox," tweeted Ben Nelson.
"Drowning in junk mail," added Jennifer Roseblade.
But one Reddit user was able to see a funny side.
"Look at all of these great deals I've been missing out on for years," Peck Ed wrote.
"Now if you chaps will excuse me, I'm off to become a... millionaire getting a great deal on my car insurance with my new Russian bride at the Casino with my free bets."
Microsoft has not disclosed what had caused the issue. | Microsoft has tackled a problem with its email filters that had prevented them from properly screening out spam. |
36,803,219 | The crossing, which involved the building of new bridges, roads and cycleways, was opened last month.
The infrastructure provides a third crossing over the river in Aberdeen.
The figures cover 9 June to 9 July and include 240,772 vehicle journeys, 2,798 cycling trips, and 4,272 pedestrian treks.
Monday was found to have been the busiest day for cyclists' use of the crossing and Thursday and Sunday for pedestrians. | Aberdeen City Council has released figures for the number of journeys made on a new £22.3m crossing over the River Don. |
39,549,965 | Ben Davies' header gave Uwe Rosler's men all three points at Highbury, which kept Fleetwood's automatic promotion hopes alive.
Millwall dominated the opening 25 minutes and played Fleetwood off the park, but ended up paying the price for missed opportunities.
Neil Harris' men carved out seven chances in that blistering spell, with Lee Gregory wasting the two biggest opportunities.
Ben Thompson's effort from outside the box cannoned back off the post into the forward's path, but he fired straight at Fleetwood goalkeeper Alex Cairns when one-on-one.
Jed Wallace steamed down the left flank before teeing Gregory up in space in the box, but the striker's first-time effort crashed into a post.
And the Lions paid for their lack of bite as Fleetwood survived the storm and opened the scoring in first-half injury time.
Amari'i Bell was needlessly fouled on the left flank by Mahlon Romeo and, when George Glendon whipped the subsequent set-piece into the box, Davies nodded in his first goal for the club.
It was an end-to-end second half, with Gregory having an effort blocked on the line by Davies and Cairns making an unbelievable save to stop Jake Cooper's header.
Millwall threw everything at Fleetwood in the dying stages, but some excellent defending from the hosts and a last-gasp Cairns save from Calum Butcher's header denied the Lions.
Match report supplied by the Press Association.
Substitution, Fleetwood Town. Markus Schwabl replaces Cameron Brannagan.
Foul by Steve Morison (Millwall).
Conor McLaughlin (Fleetwood Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt missed. Shaun Williams (Millwall) right footed shot from the right side of the six yard box is high and wide to the left.
Corner, Millwall. Conceded by Alex Cairns.
Attempt saved. Lee Gregory (Millwall) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Attempt saved. Bobby Grant (Fleetwood Town) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Substitution, Millwall. Callum Butcher replaces Ben Thompson.
Byron Webster (Millwall) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Bobby Grant (Fleetwood Town).
Lee Gregory (Millwall) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Cameron Brannagan (Fleetwood Town).
Substitution, Millwall. Shane Ferguson replaces Joe Martin.
George Glendon (Fleetwood Town) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by George Glendon (Fleetwood Town).
Aiden O'Brien (Millwall) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt saved. Byron Webster (Millwall) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Corner, Millwall. Conceded by Nathan Pond.
Corner, Millwall. Conceded by Nathan Pond.
Attempt blocked. Ben Thompson (Millwall) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Corner, Millwall. Conceded by Cameron Brannagan.
Attempt missed. Nathan Pond (Fleetwood Town) right footed shot from the centre of the box is too high.
Corner, Fleetwood Town. Conceded by Joe Martin.
Victor Nirennold (Fleetwood Town) is shown the yellow card.
David Ball (Fleetwood Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Shaun Williams (Millwall).
Foul by Kyle Dempsey (Fleetwood Town).
Ben Thompson (Millwall) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt saved. Jake Cooper (Millwall) header from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Corner, Millwall. Conceded by George Glendon.
Foul by Cameron Brannagan (Fleetwood Town).
Mahlon Romeo (Millwall) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Attempt saved. Bobby Grant (Fleetwood Town) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Attempt missed. Conor McLaughlin (Fleetwood Town) right footed shot from outside the box is too high.
Substitution, Fleetwood Town. Kyle Dempsey replaces Wes Burns.
Foul by Jake Cooper (Millwall).
Ashley Eastham (Fleetwood Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Mahlon Romeo (Millwall) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by David Ball (Fleetwood Town).
Corner, Millwall. Conceded by Nathan Pond. | Fleetwood cut the gap on second-placed Bolton to just one point with a hard-fought win over promotion rivals Millwall. |
35,809,891 | She founded a sisterhood that runs 19 homes, and won the Nobel Peace Prize.
She died in 1997 - aged 87 - and was beatified in 2003, the first step to sainthood.
The Pope cleared the way for sainthood last year when he recognised a second miracle attributed to Mother Teresa.
Mother Teresa - the 'Living Saint'
How to become a saint
Pope Francis recognises Mother Teresa's second 'miracle'
Born in 1910 to Albanian parents, Agnese Gonxha Bojaxhiu grew up in what is now the Macedonian capital, Skopje, but was then part of the Ottoman Empire.
Aged 19, she joined the Irish order of Loreto and in 1929 was sent to India, where she taught at a school in Darjeeling under the name of Therese.
In 1946 she moved to Kolkata to help the destitute and, after a decade, set up a hospice and a home for abandoned children.
She founded the Missionaries of Charity in 1950. The sisterhood now has 4,500 nuns worldwide.
She achieved worldwide acclaim for her work in Kolkata's slums, but her critics accused her of pushing a hardline Catholicism, mixing with dictators and accepting funds from them for her charity.
Five years after her death, Pope John Paul II accepted a first miracle attributed to Mother Teresa as authentic, clearing the way for her beatification in 2003.
He judged that the curing of Bengali tribal woman Monica Besra from an abdominal tumour was the result of her supernatural intervention.
A Vatican commission found that her recovery had been a miracle after the Missionaries of Charity said that the woman had been cured by a photo of the nun being placed on her stomach. The finding was criticised as bogus by rationalist groups in Bengal.
In December 2015, Pope Francis recognised a second miracle, which involved the healing of a Brazilian man with several brain tumours in 2008. The man's identity was not disclosed but the man was said to have been cured unexpectedly after his priest prayed for Mother Teresa's intervention with God.
It often takes decades for people to reach sainthood after their death, but beatification was rushed through by Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis was known to be keen to complete the process during the Church's Holy Year of Mercy which runs to November 2016.
In an unrelated move, the Pope last week introduced new financial rules governing the process of becoming a saint, in response to allegations that some candidates supported by wealthy donors were likely to have their cases resolved faster than others.
Under the regulations, an administrator must be named for each prospective saint and should "scrupulously respect" the intention of each donation as well as manage the funds donated.
The cost to the Vatican can be high during the "Roman phase" of the process, when the Congregation for the Causes of Saints investigates the candidate, and there have been claims that officials failed to oversee how some donations were spent. | Mother Teresa, the Roman Catholic nun who worked with the poor in the Indian city of Kolkata (Calcutta) is to be declared a saint on 4 September, Pope Francis has announced. |
35,432,672 | Simpson, 27, has had to undergo surgery after suffering the injury in Wasps' 51-10 European Champions Cup win over Leinster on Saturday.
But Wasps have responded quickly by bringing in 25-year-old Hampson.
"Joe's injury leaves us a little light at scrum-half," said boss Dai Young.
"It is great that we have been able to bring in Craig so quickly. He has impressed in the Championship for both Bristol and Yorkshire Carnegie.
"It is obviously disappointing for everyone that Joe has had to undergo surgery on his ankle, especially at a time when he was playing so well. I'm sure he was knocking on the door for international recognition."
Simpson's injury, just a week before the start of the Six Nations, ends any hopes he might have had of getting an England recall this season under new coach Eddie Jones.
This is the luckless Simpson's second major injury in less than a year, having been stretchered off in the 26-21 home defeat by Leicester last May with a medial collateral ligament blow, which finally ended his hopes of making the World Cup squad.
Bristol had already prepared for Hampson's departure by bringing in former Wales international Martin Roberts from Pro12 side Ospreys on a deal until the end of next season.
With former Wales scrum-half Dwayne Peel and Andy Uren sidelined through injury, Roberts will be competing with Will Cliff and Will Homer for the scrum-half jersey.
Hampson has so far made 39 appearances for Bristol, largely as as understudy to Peel, since signing from Yorkshire Carnegie ahead of the 2014-15 season. | Wasps have signed scrum-half Craig Hampson as cover from Championship leaders Bristol on loan after losing first-choice scrum-half Joe Simpson for 12 weeks with an ankle injury. |
34,575,552 | The DUP has indicated its ministers may return to their posts full time if the report says the Provisional IRA has not sanctioned terrorist or criminal acts.
The report was commissioned after the murder of Kevin McGuigan in August.
The police's belief that current IRA members may have been involved in the killing led to a political crisis.
The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) pulled its only minister out of Stormont's power-sharing government - the Northern Ireland Executive.
The largest unionist party in the executive - the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) followed suit with their tactic of rolling ministerial resignations.
With talks at Stormont deadlocked, Northern Ireland Secretary of State Theresa Villiers asked the police and MI5 to provide a detailed assessment of paramilitary activity.
Three assessors - a Liberal Democrat peer, a Belfast barrister and a former senior Stormont official - have been looking at the report on the paramilitaries.
The report is due to be published at 12:30 BST on Tuesday and will be accompanied by a statement in the House of Commons.
If the DUP is satisfied by what the report says, it is thought their ministers could return to their jobs.
Other major problems however, such as the disagreement between the parties over welfare reform, remain to be resolved.
On Monday, Acting First Minister Arlene Foster told the Northern Ireland Assembly that paramilitary structures appeared to still exist in many communities.
"Despite the fact that we have had a long period of time under which those structures should have disappeared they have not, it appears, disappeared and therefore we have to deal with that issue," the DUP minister said.
"We will wait to see what the panel brings forward tomorrow, but if the panel says that those structures are still in place we will need to look at how we can make sure that they come to end and that, certainly, will be the focus for me and for my party."
The government commissioned this assessment of paramilitary activity when the Stormont talks appeared to be close to collapse.
The DUP felt under pressure to show its anger about reports linking the IRA to a murder, after the Ulster Unionists, the only other unionists in Stormont's power-sharing coalition, quit.
By ordering the police and MI5 to compile this report, and appointing three senior figures to provide their own assessment, the secretary of state bought the time and space for the DUP to return to round table talks.
If they like what the report says, DUP politicians are expected to end their ministers' "rolling resignations" and return to their jobs full time.
The DUP's opponents are already accusing them of using the paramilitary assessment as a "fig leaf" to return to power.
They may counter that, in the long term, their "no business as usual" policy proved more responsible than outright resignations, which would have collapsed the Stormont Executive. | An official assessment of paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland, compiled by the police and the security service, is due to be published later. |
38,072,546 | Rokoduguni and Saracens full-back Alex Goode will go back to their clubs, with Jonny May and Mike Brown set to return to the England starting XV.
Elliot Daly will start on the wing.
Lock George Kruis remains in Eddie Jones' 24-man training squad, and is set for his first England appearance of the autumn following ankle surgery.
There is no suggestion Rokoduguni or Goode are injured.
Fiji-born Rokoduguni, playing his first Test match in two years, crossed twice in a comfortable 58-15 win at Twickenham on Saturday.
However, May is set to replace him on the right wing against Argentina (14:30 kick-off), while Goode will give way for regular starter Brown.
Scrum-half Danny Care and back-row forward Nathan Hughes both remain in the squad despite missing training on Tuesday.
Tom Wood is back involved, and will compete with Hughes and Teimana Harrison to start at open-side.
The starting XV and replacements will be confirmed on Thursday.
England have trained this week using drone technology for the first time under Jones, as they attempt to secure a 12th straight win in 2016.
The Australian said: "The drone's fantastic for us. It's another piece of technology that just helps us accelerate the programme and allows us to have another piece of vision that sees how well we work off the ball."
Pumas lock Guido Petti has pinpointed scrums and mauls as the key to controlling Saturday's match.
The 22-year-old said: "The one who dominates these things will dominate the match.
"We want to play against the best and England are one of the best. But this will be a big battle, and one I think both sides will relish."
Should Argentina beat England, they would move into the top eight in the world rankings.
That is likely to give them an easier passage at the 2019 World Cup, the draw for which will be made in May.
England squad
Forwards: Dan Cole (Leicester), Charlie Ewels (Bath), Jamie George (Saracens), Teimana Harrison, Dylan Hartley (both Northampton), Nathan Hughes (Wasps), George Kruis (Saracens), Courtney Lawes (Northampton), Joe Marler, Chris Robshaw, Kyle Sinckler (all Harlequins), Billy Vunipola, Mako Vunipola (both Saracens), Tom Wood (Northampton).
Backs: Mike Brown, Danny Care (both Harlequins), Elliot Daly (Wasps), Owen Farrell (Saracens), George Ford, Jonathan Joseph (both Bath), Jonny May (Gloucester), Henry Slade (Exeter), Ben Te'o (Worcester), Ben Youngs (Leicester). | Bath wing Semesa Rokoduguni has been left out of the England squad to play Argentina on Saturday, despite his man-of-the match display against Fiji. |
23,928,871 | A report presented to parliament by Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault says the assault on 21 August involved the "massive use of chemical agents".
It concludes that at least 281 deaths can be attributed to the attack.
France and the US are pushing for punitive military action, which the UK parliament rejected last week.
By Jeremy BowenBBC Middle East editor, Damascus
I think people I've spoken to within the Syrian regime quite like being eyeball-to-eyeball with the US. I think they believe President Obama is bent on attacking Syria, in fact that's what they say quite openly.
So while they describe the US decision to refer it to a vote in Congress as wisdom, they say it should also go back to the UN and that any action would be illegal if it didn't get UN authorisation.
Since the Russians have said very openly in the Security Council that they wouldn't vote to authorise anything like this, and President Obama has said he's very comfortable going ahead without a Security Council resolution, that means in a sense, in the eyes of the Syrian regime, the battle lines are now drawn, and they are trying to get themselves ready for whatever happens.
Damascus ponders looming US attack
In pictures: Tension in Syria
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has again denied carrying out a chemical attack, telling the French newspaper Le Figaro it would have been "illogical".
He also warned that foreign military action could ignite the "powder keg" of the wider region.
The chemical attack took place in the Ghouta, an agricultural belt around the capital, Damascus.
The US put the death toll at 1,429, including 426 children and has blamed the Syrian government, based on its intelligence.
On Monday Mr Ayrault made public France's nine-page report into the incident, drawn up by military and foreign intelligence services.
It says Syria's arsenal of chemical weapons is "massive and diverse", comprising "several hundred tons" of the nerve agent sarin and "dozens of tons" of the most toxic known agent, VX.
The Syrian army had already used chemical weapons, including sarin, against the population several times, says the report, but on 21 August it launched an attack which involved "massive use of chemical agents".
The use of chemical weapons can only be authorised by President Assad or "certain influential members of his clan", says the report, while opposition forces lack the capacity to carry out such a large-scale chemical attack.
After his meeting with MPs, Mr Ayrault told reporters: "France is determined to penalise the use of chemical weapons by Assad's regime and to dissuade with a forceful and firm response."
Q&A: Sarin nerve agent
He said France would not act alone and that President Francois Hollande was "continuing his work of persuasion to bring together a coalition".
President Hollande is constitutionally able to order an attack without parliamentary approval.
French MPs are due to debate the issue in an extraordinary session of parliament on Wednesday. However, Mr Ayrault has ruled out a vote.
UK MPs voted last week against taking part in military action.
The US Congress will vote after it reconvenes next week, and White House officials have said that when it comes to a vote, they believe there will be enough support for the president.
Senator John McCain, a long-time advocate of arming the Syrian rebels, said he believed it would take time to convince the American public of the need to intervene.
By Mark MardellNorth America editor
But he warned it would be "catastrophic" if Congress were to go against President Obama and vote against intervention.
Mr Obama has often said that using them would cross a "red line" that would prompt US intervention.
"It would undermine the credibility of the United States of America and the president of the United States. None of us want that," he said.
Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Monday he was personally convinced that a chemical attack took place and that the Assad government was responsible.
But he added that he did not envisage any further role for Nato, saying he would expect any military response to be "a very short, measured, targeted operation" and that the alliance's resources would not be needed.
Meanwhile fighting has continued across Syria, in a conflict which has already left an estimated 100,000 people dead since 2011.
In other developments:
Forces which could be used against Syria:
•Five US destroyers - USS Gravely, USS Ramage, USS Barry, USS Mahan and USS Stout - are in the eastern Mediterranean, equipped with cruise missiles. The missiles can also be fired from submarines, but the US Navy does not reveal their locations
•Airbases at Incirlik and Izmir in Turkey, and in Jordan, could be used to carry out strikes
•Two aircraft carriers - USS Nimitz and USS Harry S Truman are in the wider region
•French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is currently in Toulon in the western Mediterranean
•French Rafale and Mirage aircraft can also operate from Al-Dhahra airbase in the UAE | France says the chemical attack near Damascus last month "could not have been ordered and carried out by anyone but the Syrian government". |
32,335,059 | Then 45 years ago, Led Zeppelin arrived, and transformed it into what some critics say is the most significant location in the history and development of rock music.
After two years of almost constant touring, by January 1970 the band were badly in need of a rest, and so singer Robert Plant suggested a cottage where he had holidayed as a child.
Bron Yr Aur had neither running water nor mains electricity, but three months later they had written 'Led Zeppelin III', an album so radically different that it would influence the rest of their career.
It was also during this time that guitarist Jimmy Page is reputed to have begun writing one of the band's most iconic songs, Stairway to Heaven.
According to music journalist Jonathan Wingate, Led Zeppelin III's "folky" feel could only have been created at somewhere like Bron Yr Aur.
"After Led Zeppelin I and II, the fans were expecting another beefy album driven by heavy guitar riffs. But without any electricity to power big amplifiers, what they actually came up with was something which sounded much more acoustic and pastoral," he said.
"When you listen to it you just have to close your eyes and you can hear the echoes of this remote country house. It's an album which you can imagine being performed around a crate of beer in front of a roaring log fire."
The album led others such as Peter Gabriel and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young to try and emulate its less formal, rural style, and has given rise to a whole genre of unplugged, folk-inspired albums.
Though Mr Wingate believes Bron Yr Aur's influence stretched far beyond the acoustic sound necessitated by the lack of power there.
He said: "I've interviewed Jimmy Page and Robert Plant about this, and they both say that the time they spent in Bron Yr Aur was the first opportunity they had to properly get to know each other.
"From 1968 they'd been touring constantly, writing and recording on buses and in hotel rooms. When they finally got to take stock in such tranquil and picturesque surroundings, they got to explore exactly what it was they wanted to get out of their music.
"As well as Led Zeppelin III, the material they wrote in Wales went into the untitled album, 'Houses of The Holy' and 'Physical Graffiti', and the style heavily influenced them from then on."
Today Bron Yr Aur is owned by Scott and Ruth Roe.
And while Mr Roe does not mind the constant stream of fans who make pilgrimages to his doorstep, he is always at pains to urge his visitors to see beyond the band itself.
"Don't get me wrong, the music they wrote here is amazing, but if you arrive too obsessed with Led Zeppelin then you miss the important thing, which is the beauty which inspired them in the first place.
"In fact it's not just Led Zeppelin, the environment here has inspired a whole raft of artists."
To celebrate the anniversary of Led Zeppelin III, Mr Roe and the Friends of Bron Yr Aur are staging an exhibition of some of the other, lesser-known creations to have been inspired there.
Running from 25th to 29th April at Machynlleth's Owain Glyndwr Centre, the exhibits include paintings and photographs of the landscape, and even a sculpture of Bron Yr Aur carved from an Oak tree brought down in last year's storms. | A shepherd's dwelling, hay loft, and latterly holiday home; the cottage of Bron Yr Aur spent two and a half centuries standing - almost unnoticed - overlooking the Dyfi Valley, three miles north of Machynlleth. |
35,419,963 | Former bridge engineer Barry Colford gave evidence to a Holyrood inquiry into December's closure.
MSPs heard budget cuts in 2011 and the axing of tolls had an impact on the capital budget for the bridge.
Nicola Sturgeon had previously insisted that cuts were not a factor..
Mr Colford said he wanted the truss end links to be replaced in 2010/11.
The infrastructure and capital investment committee heard from several witnesses from the Forth Estuary Transport Authority (Feta), the body which formerly managed the bridge.
Former Feta convener Lesley Hinds said the body's capital grant was reduced by 58% after the spending review in 2011.
Replacing the truss end links, one of which cracked in December 2015 causing the closure of the bridge, was part of a capital investment plan put together by Feta in 2010/11.
Mr Colford said the capital plan was "not a wish list", but a list of things which he considered "needed" to be done.
He said it was difficult to say if the bridge would have had to be closed during the replacement works, but said people would have been warned to expect disruption.
In any case, Mr Colford said Feta had to "reprioritise" and be "realistic" about changes to funding.
He described the risk to the truss end links as "operational", although he said this was "very subjective", and said the failure would "probably" have still occurred had they been strengthened instead of replaced outright.
He said Feta had a close working relationship with Transport Scotland, but took its own decisions.
However, Mr Colford said he was "not in control of the funding of my destiny" after bridge tolls were abolished in 2008, which left Feta relying on funding from the Scottish government and Transport Scotland.
Former Feta board member Phil Wheeler, who was a Lib Dem councillor in Edinburgh at the time, said he felt the removal of bridge tolls was a "rush job" which had not been "thought through".
Following the closure of the bridge, Ms Sturgeon said it was "absolutely" not true that cuts to maintenance budgets had caused the failure.
She said "the maintenance that has been required to be done on the bridge has been done", and said the crack which occurred was "unforeseen and unforeseeable".
Transport minister Derek Mackay became embroiled in a row with Labour over past work on the bridge, which included the release of emails between Ms Hinds and Mr Colford.
He also insisted that the fault was not linked to a drop in finance due to the ending of bridge tolls, and claimed replacing the truss end links would have caused a "lengthy and unnecessary closure".
Labour's Alex Rowley said the government "cannot continue to live in denial" after hearing the committee's evidence, saying "it is their cuts which led to the Forth Road Bridge shutting down".
He said: "For weeks the SNP government in Edinburgh told us that cuts to the maintenance budget of the Forth Road Bridge had nothing to do with the bridge's eventual closure.
"The reality is the SNP made short-sighted cuts to essential maintenance budgets which meant that an essential piece of infrastructure was shut down at a crucial time for the Scottish economy." | Engineers in charge of Forth Road Bridge maintenance wanted to replace a component which broke, causing a three-week closure, but "did not have the funding", MSPs have been told. |
34,902,788 | In a one-room house in rural Malawi, the little face of six-year-old Rachel is framed in a soft white halo.
On a bamboo mat lies a maths book alongside a bundle of fine twigs that she shuffles to help her arithmetic.
The rest of the village is in total darkness but thanks to the lamp - bought with the help of UK government aid - Rachel’s school grades are improving now she can study at home.
In a nearby village, solar panels on a school roof - donated by the Scottish government - have improved results, as well as providing an extra income source from charging phones and car batteries.
“Please thank people in Scotland,” the head teacher asks me. “Thanks to the solar panel we even had one pupil go to national school.”
But these are rare examples of electricity in rural Malawi. This is one of the world’s poorest countries. Just 10% of people are on the grid. And around 90% of power is produced by hydro-electric stations, which are beset by erratic rains caused - Malawian meteorologists say - by climate change.
Malawi’s own greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels are minuscule. But the nation has one of the highest deforestation rates in the world as people desperate for fuelwood hack into the once-rich forests.
Deforestation reduces the ability of forests to soak up CO2. It also loosens soil, which then releases carbon dioxide.
What’s more, in heavy rains, the loosened soil cascades down the hills. This means aquifers don’t get replenished, rivers burst their banks, and silt and branches clog up the hydropower plants.
Escom, the body that owns the hydro dams, says reservoir capacity has been reduced by two thirds as a result of siltation from forest felling. There are constant black-outs for the few people and businesses who have grid electricity at all.
So what’s Malawi’s answer to its climate and energy crisis?
Well, it is bidding to build two coal-fired power stations. Its politicians realise these will swell the global emissions which are already cranking up temperatures, but they say Malawi needs the power for development. Its emissions up to 2040 are projected to increase by 38%.
Coal, they say, is the least bad option because it offers the opportunity for the country to address deforestation.
Malawi, like most other nations has submitted its pledge on energy and climate (known as an INDC) to the United Nations. It has offered to reforest its hills, expand the use of clean cookstoves and get more solar energy – conditional on help from rich nations as part of the Paris deal.
But no-one should underestimate the scale of Malawi’s challenge. The water catchment above the capital Lilongwe is under such severe assault from wood-cutters that the Army is on stand-by.
The authorities accept that they can’t punish the poor charcoal sellers but their efforts to catch the masterminds of the trade are said to have been bedevilled by corruption.
Part of Malawi’s solution is to have two million efficient cookstoves in operation by 2020. The population is booming and this won’t fulfil national demand.
But each stove, made at low cost of clay by local women, is said to use less than half as much wood as a traditional three-stone open fire.
Another gizmo on trial – a thermoelectric generator developed with Irish aid - can be bolted on to a cookstove to create electricity for charging phones and LED lights. The current is created by the differential in temperature between two metal parts.
This invention will only make a small dent in Malawi's energy needs, though. Lord Stern’s team of international experts on climate economics have concluded that climate change can’t be tackled in countries like Malawi where the population is still 80% rural and where people degrade the land to meet their needs.
The only solution, the team says, is for developing countries to plan densely-packed cities with excellent public transport, powered by renewables – Malawi has an excellent solar resource.
Experts in Malawi say the government, undermined by corruption scandals, is in no state to fulfill that mission.
And the same shortcomings are disbarring the country from attracting large-scale investments in renewables. Paddy Padmanathan, a businessman installing solar thermal power on an epic scale in North Africa, told us Malawi’s development was not sufficiently advanced for that sort of project.
“It's the institutional capacity in many of these countries. There are not enough people who can manage these things in the government structures, who know how to put in place the right policies and procedures and procurement programmes," he said.
Meanwhile despite the campaign against coal by environmentalists in the West, the pressure to burn coal in Malawi is growing.
We visited the Kukoma cooking oil factory which burns huge quantities of wood for its boilers. The owner Mohamed Ameen Nathanie is considering whether to install coal-fired boilers for a more consistent burn.
He asks me: “Do you want me to burn the wood from the countryside – or the coal… you choose!”
Roger Harrabin’s series Changlng Climate concludes on Monday at 8pm and is available on iPlayer. You can watch his film from Malawi on Newsnight tonight. Interviews for the series are available at the OU's www.creativeclimate.org.
Follow Roger on Twitter | You’d be pushed to find a more uplifting display of the transformative power of renewable energy. |
35,821,113 | Clare Skelton photographed a mallard as she was driving along Sedgwick Lane in Horsham, West Sussex.
She said some local potholes were deep enough to go over wellington boot tops and said: "It's almost deep enough for the dog to swim in."
West Sussex County Council said it would be filled in by the end of March.
Ms Skelton said of the ducks: "I think they're flying in, looking for somewhere to nest, and they thought that looked as good a pond as any".
She said the promised repairs came as a huge relief and added: "So many of us are having damage to our cars. Even the locals get caught - the people who know where the potholes are under the water.
"You see this water flooding down the road and you don't know which bit is a really deep, dangerous pothole and some of them are 12 inches (30cm) deep."
In a statement, the council said it was "not ducking this issue".
It said: "This pothole will be filled in before the end of the month. On average we fill in 70 potholes every single working day of the year." | A pothole has become so large and deep that ducks have taken to paddling in it. |
27,518,118 | The Hull Truck theatre, which got £1.5m, was among the main recipients.
Northern Ballet, the Cambridge Junction and the National Youth Theatre have all received at least £680,000 since 2011.
However, Arts Council England has not named the most recent beneficiaries because of "commercial sensitivity".
Many arts organisations have struggled in recent years from a combination of government and local council cuts, a tough climate for private sponsorship and squeezed household budgets.
Arts Council England's system of emergency "financial intervention" is intended for organisations that receive annual funding but which have run into trouble.
To receive financial intervention, the criteria say venues will be "assessed as high risk" and "at immediate and serious financial risk".
The Arts Council steps in where it believes an organisation is "irreplaceable", where other forms of support have failed and where it is confident the cash injection will turn the situation around.
From Arts Council England financial intervention grants issued April 2011-March 2013, except Hull Truck (April 2011-March 2014)
The £14m has been paid to 55 theatre, art, music, dance and literature organisations over the past three financial years.
The Arts Council has named the cultural venues and producers that received such funds in 2011/12 and 2012/13.
But 12 of the 13 beneficiaries in 2013/14 have not been identified because it could "prejudice the commercial interests of the organisations concerned".
The only recipient to have been named from the most recent financial year was Hull's Truck theatre. It received a £300,000 grant in February 2014, a city council document recently revealed.
That was one of seven such emergency Arts Council grants given to the Hull theatre since March 2011, totalling £1.505m.
The venue got into financial trouble after moving to a new £15m building in 2009 and after long-serving artistic director John Godber departed the following year. Hull is due to be UK City of Culture in 2017.
Hull Truck's executive director Janthi Mills-Ward said: "Being the second-lowest funded producing theatre in the Arts Council's National Portfolio, alongside a difficult economic climate, it has been necessary to secure additional support."
The extra funding has ensured "ongoing financial resilience to produce the very best work," she said.
Recent concerns about funding outside the capital are reflected by the fact that several of the biggest bail-outs have gone to organisations outside London.
Other large grants include £750,000 to Northern Ballet in 2012 to cover increased running costs at its new £12m home in Leeds, which it shares with Phoenix Dance Theatre and which opened in 2010.
Northern Ballet chief executive Mark Skipper said the grant gave the company "the breathing space we needed to make the transition to running a major new building" and that the company had also increased its ticket sales and other forms of fundraising.
The Cambridge Junction, which stages gigs, comedy, plays and club nights, received £700,000 in 2011. Its director Daniel Brine explained that it had faced "a period of financial instability" that year.
"This was a result of some long-standing financial weaknesses coupled with a shift in trading at the time of the global financial crisis," he said. A new business model has made the venue "stronger and more financially resilient" he added.
The London-based National Youth Theatre of Great Britain got two grants totalling £680,000 in 2012 to deal with "major issues" with its finances, according to chief executive Paul Roseby.
It achieved "a rapid return to financial and organisational health" after a restructure of its management and an increase in private funding, he said.
Two grants totalling £510,000 went to Northampton's Royal & Derngate theatre in 2012 and 2013. The venue's chief executive Martin Sutherland said the recession had hit ticket sales and "had a very direct impact on our overall financial stability".
"We have moved on significantly from that point in time, having evaluated how to make ourselves more resilient to economic change and position the organisation better in case of any future economic downturn," he explained.
Meanwhile, the Bluecoat gallery in Liverpool required £500,000 in 2011 to resolve "a number of unforeseen structural problems" after a £14m redevelopment, according to chief executive Mary Cloake, who added that the venue's future was now "looking better than ever".
Arts Council England's deputy chief executive Althea Efunshile said the body supported "bold, innovative arts and culture".
She continued: "With innovation comes risk and many arts organisations are operating on very small margins in a challenging economic environment. A grant of this nature indicates our belief in the future of the organisation and their ability to deliver on their artistic aims."
Arts Council England currently distributes annual government funding totalling £341m to 696 venues and producers. On 1 July, it is due to announce who will receive regular funding from 2015-18. | More than 50 theatres, galleries and other arts organisations at "serious financial risk" have received emergency grants totalling £14m from Arts Council England over the past three years. |
40,989,302 | Their 4-3 win at Stair Park keeps them two points ahead of Raith Rovers, who came from behind to beat Forfar 3-1.
East Fife beat Arbroath 3-2 to leapfrog them into third place.
Ryan Tierney scored the decisive goal as Airdrie beat Albion Rovers 2-1, and Adam Martin's late strike saw Alloa to a 1-0 victory over Queen's Park.
At Stranraer, the home side opened the scoring through Ryan Wallace but Declan McDaid levelled with a smart shot from the edge of the box.
It was 2-1 to the visitors when neat build-up play from Ross Docherty played in Craig Moore and he blasted the ball home.
Michael Moffat added a third to seemingly put them in control.
However, Ryan Thomson's bullet header made it 3-2 and his second of the game brought Stranraer level.
There was to be more drama at the death as Ayr stole victory through Paddy Boyle's breakaway strike.
Raith Rovers fell behind to Mark Millar's goal for Forfar, and then after Lewis Vaughan equalised the visitors' Jamie Bain was sent off six minutes before half-time.
Liam Buchanan and Greig Spence scored the second-half goals to give Rovers all three points.
A Thomas O'Brien own goal and further strikes from Nathan Flanagan and Chris Duggan had East Fife 3-1 ahead at half-time against Arbroath, who were briefly level through Steven Doris.
Danny Denholm reduced the arrears in the second half but it was not enough to keep hold of third place. | League One leaders Ayr United maintained their 100% start to the season but were made to work for it by Stranraer in a seven-goal thriller. |
39,111,861 | More than 10,000 troops assembled at the capital, Urumqi, on Monday, with some later dispatched to other cities for similar rallies.
Xinjiang has a history of violence which authorities blame on Islamist militants and separatists.
Rights groups say that locals face repression from the government.
Why is there tension between China and the Uighurs?
State media billed the rallies as "anti-terror and stability oath-taking assemblies", and published photos and video footage showing armed police and soldiers gathered outside Urumqi's convention centre.
They were accompanied by convoys of tanks, military vehicles and helicopters.
"Bury the corpses of terrorists and terror gangs in the vast sea of the people's war," Xinjiang's Communist Party secretary Chen Quanguo told the assembly, in comments reported by state media.
About 1,500 armed police were then sent to other cities like Hotan, Kashgar and Aksu, where similar rallies were held on Monday.
Xinjiang, home to the Muslim Uighur minority, has seen several high-profile mass attacks and clashes with police in recent years.
Authorities say the attacks were conducted by Uighur militants aided by foreign terror groups, and have launched crackdowns and greatly ramped up the security presence in many cities.
The Chinese government greatly restricts press coverage in the region, making it difficult for journalists to verify their claims.
Who are the Uighurs?
Human rights and exiled Uighur groups accuse the government of repressing the Muslim community, and say the violence is a consequence of tight controls on the Uighurs' religion and culture.
Many Muslims in Xinjiang say they face widespread discrimination.
In November, the Chinese government confiscated the passports of residents of Xinjiang, saying it was necessary to combat terrorism. Human Rights Watch called it a violation of freedom of movement.
Last week authorities ordered all vehicles in the Bayingol area to be installed with satellite tracking devices. | Chinese authorities have held mass "anti-terror" rallies involving armed troops across the restive region of Xinjiang, in an apparent show of force. |
32,004,996 | Staffordshire-born Trent died in hospital in Menorca on Saturday after a long illness, her spokesman said.
She topped the charts as a singer in 1965 with Where Are You Now (My Love).
With ex-husband Tony Hatch, Trent also wrote material for Shirley Bassey, and Stoke City's 1972 League Cup final song We'll Be With You.
Born Yvonne Burgess in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Trent began her career on stage as a child, going on to sing in British Legion and working men's clubs, and for troops around Europe.
She secured her first recording contract in the early 1960s in London, where she met Hatch at an audition.
The collaboration saw them write more than 400 songs, with Jack Jones, Nancy Wilson, Des O'Connor, Val Doonican, Vikki Carr, and Dean Martin among the other stars to take on their material.
Petula Clark's 1966 song I Couldn't Live Without Your Love was inspired by the couple's then affair. They later went public with their relationship, marrying the following year.
Their celebration of Stoke City's cup-winning run was released under the club's nickname of The Potters and reached number 34 in the UK charts. It is still played at all Stoke City home games.
Trent and Hatch went on to write the theme song to Neighbours while based in Australia in the early 1980s but separated in 1995, before divorcing in 2002.
In later life, Trent made a return to the stage, touring the UK in the musical High Society, and in 2004 played a series of concerts.
She married Colin Gregory in November 2005, and the couple lived in Spain.
Last year Trent advised two writers producing a musical based on her yet-to-be published autobiography. The show is due to open at Stoke-on-Trent Repertory Theatre in May 2015. | British singer-songwriter Jackie Trent, known for penning the theme to TV soap Neighbours and hits by Petula Clark and Frank Sinatra, has died at 74. |
19,724,156 | Three goals in the first 16 minutes set the tone before Oriol Romeu, Fernando Torres and Victor Moses found the net.
Gary Cahill had opened the scoring with a close-range header, before Ryan Bertrand and Juan Mata added to Wolves' misery before half-time.
Terry captained the side despite his ongoing FA disciplinary hearing.
More to follow.
Live text commentary | Chelsea produced a ruthless display to thrash Wolves and progress to the fourth round of League Cup on a night when John Terry returned to action. |
27,794,722 | Zoologists placed the horned frog, a predator known to swallow whole mice, in front of a glass slide and tempted it with a tasty cricket.
Stronger pulling forces were measured when contact with the glass was briefer and less mucus was left behind.
The study, from the journal Scientific Reports, suggests the action of the tongue is similar to sticky tape.
"It's the first time we've ever measured how well frog tongues stick," said Dr Thomas Kleinteich, who performed the experiments at the University of Kiel in Germany.
Dr Kleinteich works in a group that studies biological adhesives, including gecko and beetle feet, with a view to finding new designs for sticky applications like boot soles, tapes and parcel closures.
"The thing that's interesting about frog tongues is that they're really fast," he told BBC News. "It only takes milliseconds."
The South American horned frog in particular, a popular pet, is known for its ability to snatch morsels up to half its own size - from locusts and fish to other amphibians and small rodents.
In the wild, they lurk half-buried in wait for their prey, and then "they swallow pretty much everything that fits into their mouths," Dr Kleinteich said.
To study this combination of strength and speed, he bought four horned frogs from local pet shops. During their regular feeding routine, he presented each frog with an adult cricket behind a glass slide, attached to a transducer that recorded the forces exerted by the frog's tongue.
On average, these forces were larger than the weight of the frog itself, and in the case of one young amphibian more than three times larger.
After each trial, the equipment was removed and the frog got its treat. Dr Kleinteich ultimately needed twenty measurements from each frog, so the predators had to be kept happy.
Looking at the slides afterwards, the "tongue print" left behind on the glass slide offered more insights, including massive variation in the proportion of the contact area that was covered by mucus.
"The common belief is... that the mucus acts as some sort of superglue," Dr Kleinteich explained. "But what we found was actually that we got higher adhesive forces in trials where we found less mucus. That was quite interesting."
The mucus appeared to build up over time, so that cases where the tongue touched the glass for longer left more mess behind. "But during the initial contact, the mucus coverage was rather low," said Dr Kleinteich. "So to actually establish the contact, there might be very little mucus involved."
"It plays a role. It's definitely a wet adhesive system, it's not just structure and friction, because there is some fluid involved. But the key is the structure plus the mucus.
"It's not like having a liquid glue, it's rather like a sticky tape."
That comparison applies particularly to the way the tongue peels away from the glass. The researchers saw stringy "fibrils" of mucus stretching between the two surfaces, just like the ones you can see if you look closely at sticky tape peeling off a surface.
The team is now using microscopes to examine the fine details of the tongue's surface and see more of its sticky secrets.
Dr Kleinteich said he enjoyed doing the feeding experiments. "It's fun," he said. "I used to do a lot of morphological, descriptive work with amphibians - I used to study dead, museum specimens. For me it was quite exciting to work with the living frogs and see how they behave." | New research shows that the pulling force of a frog's tongue can be up to three times the animal's own weight. |
36,269,605 | Until Wednesday's vote Italy had been the last major Western democracy not to legally recognise gay partnerships.
The issue has been highly controversial in Italy, amid staunch opposition from Catholic conservatives.
MPs in the lower house voted 369-193 for the government, ensuring that the civil unions bill will become law.
Ahead of the vote, Mr Renzi wrote on Facebook that "today is a day of celebration for so many".
Final approval of civil unions is expected later on Wednesday, but that vote by MPs is seen as a formality, as the confidence vote was the crucial hurdle.
After many delays the civil unions bill was watered down in order to secure the necessary support.
Last year, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Italy had violated human rights by failing to offer enough legal protection for same-sex couples.
In February this year the Italian Senate - the upper house - approved the civil unions bill, after the text had been watered down.
The bill's main sponsor, Democratic Party (PD) Senator Monica Cirinna, called the compromise version a "hollow victory" and only "a first step".
"This is a very important measure, but I am also thinking of the children of so many friends," she said, referring to the concession over gay adoptions.
The head of the Italian Arcigay campaign group, Gabriele Piazzoni, said "the glass is half full".
"The text contains the recognition and protection many gays and lesbians have been waiting for all their lives," he said, but added that the omissions from the law "leave a bitter taste".
Among the opponents, Nunzio Galantino, secretary general of the Italian Bishops' Conference (CEI), called the civil unions bill "a defeat for everyone".
Mr Renzi faced opposition from Interior Minister Angelino Alfano, who objected to allowing gay adoption because of fears that it could encourage surrogacy. He likened the hiring of a surrogate mother to a sex crime.
In a Facebook post, published before the confidence vote, Mr Renzi spoke fondly of a party colleague, Alessia Ballini, who died of cancer aged 41.
While serving in Mr Renzi's Florence administration, before he became prime minister, she campaigned for gay rights and against homophobia.
"In these crucial hours I keep close to my heart the thought and memory of Alessia," Mr Renzi said. "And that's enough for me. Because laws are made for people, not for ideologies. For those who love, not for those who make declarations.
"Let's write another important page for the Italy that we want." | Italy's parliament has backed same-sex civil unions in a vote of confidence for centre-left Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. |
40,494,468 | Mamo, 23, scored 12 tries in just nine Super League appearances this year after joining from Newcastle Knights.
The Australian had been expected to be out for a maximum of six weeks.
"The initial scans were a bit clouded because of the swelling. It's a 16-20 week injury," coach Rick Stone told BBC Radio Leeds. | Huddersfield Giants full-back Jake Mamo has been ruled out for the rest of the season after having surgery on a foot injury. |
34,124,090 | They say the high numbers are due to an increase in clashes between street gangs and the security forces and rival gangs fighting each other.
El Salvador is believed to have more then 70,000 gang members.
The government has been tackling them head on.
National Police chief Mauricio Ramirez said 47 police officers and 16 were soldiers had been killed - many of them attacked while off duty.
President Salvador Sanchez Ceren has brought in 7,000 army troops to help the police carry out patrols but he has been criticised for failing to reduce the violence.
In July, gang members paralysed public transport when they ordered drivers to go on strike. They torched buses and killed at least seven drivers who did not comply.
Gang leaders have been calling for a reinstatement of a truce between the two main gangs, the Mara Savatrucha and the Barrio 18 which was brokered in 2012 and which led initially to a 40% drop in the murder rate.
But as the truce crumbled, the number of murders rose again.
President Sanchez Ceren has refused to get involved in negotiating a fresh truce, saying this would lay the government open to excessive gang demands.
His policy has been to deploy more police to areas with a heavy gang presence and to combat all crimes.
According to a 2012 UN report, Central America was one of the most violent regions in the world with Honduras the most violent country (with 91.4 homicides per 100,000 people) along with high rates in El Salvador, Guatemala and Belize. | Violence involving street gangs in El Salvador left 907 people dead last month, a level of bloodshed unseen since the civil war of the 1980s, police say. |
34,506,858 | Vickery House, 69, of Brighton Road, Handcross, pleaded not guilty to eight charges of indecent assault at the Old Bailey on the first day of his trial.
The case before Judge Christine Henson is expected to be opened on Tuesday.
Mr House is charged with indecent assaults against six males aged 15 to 34 between 1970 and 1986.
The first two charges allege he indecently assaulted a boy of 15 between April 1970 and April 1971.
The other six relate to five males, aged 17 to 34 between December 1976 and January 1986.
They were allegedly committed in East Sussex and Devon while he was a priest. | A retired Church of England priest from West Sussex has denied a string of sex offences against boys and young men dating back more than 40 years. |
34,362,869 | 25 September 2015 Last updated at 16:41 BST
The red Porsche ended up under a Polish deli delivery van at about 08:10 BST on Fairfield Street in the city centre.
The two drivers, described as "walking wounded", were taken to Manchester Royal Infirmary, a spokesman for the North West Ambulance Service said.
The circumstances of the accident remain under investigation. | A sports car became wedged underneath a van in a bizarre rush-hour crash in Manchester. |
34,566,539 | A Pentagon statement said the strike killed a Saudi national called Sanafi al-Nasr.
The statement said he had funnelled money and recruits to Al-Qaeda and had helped its "operations in the West".
Some reports of deaths of leaders in the Khorasan Group have turned out to be false.
In July the US said it had killed the leader of the group, a Kuwaiti called Muhsin al-Fadhli. He had previously been reported killed in 2014.
The Pentagon said Sanafi al-Nasr had "moved funds from donors in the Gulf region into Iraq and then to al-Qaeda leaders".
"He organized and maintained routes for new recruits to travel from Pakistan to Syria through Turkey," it went on.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based activist group, reported that he had been killed on Friday in Aleppo province.
The Khorasan Group - a name apparently coined by the US - is believed to be made up of veteran militants from Afghanistan and Pakistan, which jihadists refer to as Khorasan, as well as North Africa and Chechnya.
They are thought to have embedded themselves within al-Qaeda's local affiliate, the al-Nusra Front, and obtained land and buildings in its strongholds.
US officials say the group has been sent not to fight the government of President Bashar al-Assad but to develop "external attacks, construct and test improvised explosive devices and recruit Westerners to conduct operations". | The US says it has a killed a senior member of a group of al-Qaeda veterans called the Khorasan Group in an air strike in north-western Syria. |
30,825,078 | Wanyama had to be taken off seconds before half-time in the third-round replay, which the Saints won 1-0.
Koeman, who said playing replays in an already busy schedule is "crazy", had initially planned to only play Wanyama for 45 minutes.
"It is a real negative," he said.
"We already have some other injuries. If it is a hamstring injury then he will be out for four to five weeks."
Wanyama has been a key player for Southampton this season, making 24 appearances in all competitions.
Injury means he could miss the visit of Liverpool on 22 February, as well as games against Newcastle, Swansea, Queens Park Rangers and West Ham.
When asked if he will sign cover for Wanyama, Koeman added: "I won't necessarily go into the transfer market, I have young lads who we can use."
Southampton, who are fighting for a top-four finish in the Premier League, already have a number of injury concerns, with midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin having to miss Wednesday's game against Ipswich because of a leg injury.
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"Schneiderlin has a similar thing to when he came back from the France national team - an abductor problem in his right leg," added Koeman.
"He will be out for three to four weeks, like Toby Alderweireld. But we have a lot of young players.
"We have good young lads and a good under-21 side. But sometimes it's too much and we have to protect them. We will see what we need to do.
"We don't train in the last few weeks because we play so much and it's a problem about the schedule for players during the winter break. In what is normally a winter break, we have to play.
"We have another replay. Why replays? It's another game and it's crazy." | Southampton boss Ronald Koeman fears Victor Wanyama could be out for up to five weeks after the midfielder suffered a hamstring injury in Wednesday's FA Cup win at Ipswich. |
35,914,461 | Opposition lawmakers want to remove Ms Rousseff over claims she manipulated accounts to hide growing deficit.
Officials from her coalition allies, the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), will vote to leave the alliance on Tuesday, members said.
Tourism Minister Henrique Eduardo Alves became the first PMDB member to stand down from government on Monday.
What has gone wrong in Brazil?
Rousseff faces a perfect storm
Ms Rousseff, a former political prisoner during Brazil's military government, began her second term in office 14 months ago.
But her popularity has plummeted amid corruption allegations around senior members of the governing Workers' Party.
The speaker of the lower house of Congress, Eduardo Cunha, agreed in December to open impeachment proceedings against her.
Last week, Ms Rousseff, who denies wrongdoing, said the procedure amounted to a coup. She spent Monday meeting officials from the PMDB ahead of that party's national leadership meeting on Tuesday.
But a number of MPs from the PMDB said ahead of the meeting that most members had already decided to abandon the coalition.
"On Tuesday we will be disembarking from this government," Senator Valdir Raupp told Reuters.
The PMDB is headed by Michel Temer, Ms Rousseff's deputy, who would become president should she be removed.
The loss of support by his party's 69 MPs could have consequences for the impeachment proceedings. Ms Rousseff needs the support of a third of the 513 members of the lower house of Congress to stave off impeachment.
The Workers' Party has been in power since Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was sworn in for his first term in 2003.
It has been hit by a long-running investigation into bribes from contractors working for state oil company Petrobras.
A recent attempt by Ms Rousseff to appoint Lula as her chief of staff was seen by critics as an attempt to shield him from money-laundering charges - which he denies - connected with the case.
His appointment was blocked by a judge earlier this month.
Lula said on Monday he expected his successor to survive growing pressure, and said he would speak to Mr Temer to work out how to save her job.
Protests involving tens of thousands of people have taken place across Brazil to call for Ms Rousseff's impeachment.
According to poll by the Datafolha poll in late February, only 11% of respondents across the country said the president's performance was "good or excellent". | Brazil's tourism minister has resigned, in a move that adds pressure to embattled President Dilma Rousseff. |
30,533,034 | While Russians were preparing for the dawn of a new millennium, their president was preparing a surprise announcement.
"I have contemplated this long and hard," Boris Yeltsin announced on TV.
"Today, on the last day of the outgoing century, I am stepping down."
The man Boris Yeltsin chose to succeed him was his Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin.
On leaving the Kremlin, Yeltsin told Putin: "Take care of Russia".
So, has he?
"Yeltsin should have told Putin: 'Clean up my mess'," believes the veteran Russian broadcaster Vladimir Pozner.
"Russia was in a shambles by the time Yeltsin left. And, to a certain extent, Putin did clear things up.
"The local governors are no longer fiefdoms that do whatever they want.
"The movement was to more stability, to making people feel more sure they would have a job tomorrow."
After the chaotic 1990s, Vladimir Putin - a former KGB officer - brought more than just welcome stability. He delivered a degree of prosperity, too.
"The four years we worked together was a period of reforms," recalls former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov.
"Between 2000 and 2004 we managed to pull Russia out of the crisis to sustainable growth: a rate of GDP growth of 6-7% a year. People's incomes were growing 15% a year.
"The wealth of families, especially in big cities, is now much better. But that's not because of Mr Putin. It's the oil price that saved people."
During his first term as president, Vladimir Putin sought close ties with the West.
In a BBC interview in 2000, he even refused to rule out Russia joining Nato.
But in the years that followed, the Kremlin leader grew increasingly disillusioned with Russia's Western "partners", particularly with the US.
He resented what he viewed as Western attempts to weaken Russia, to encroach on its "sphere of influence".
He accused the US state department of financing the anti-government street protests, which engulfed Moscow in 2011-2012.
Those protests had a profound effect on Vladimir Putin. He felt betrayed.
"Putin had made a deal with the middle classes: their loyalty in return for their personal freedom," explains Russian writer Viktor Erofeyev.
"Suddenly these people started to turn against him, like children against their parents. He was humiliated.
"The West humiliated him, too, because it started to applaud these children. He was furious.
"And when - from his perspective - the West started to 'take' Ukraine, he said no. What followed was a thunderstorm. Not of rain, but of blood."
An economic storm, too. Western sanctions have helped push Russia to the verge of recession; these sanctions are the direct result of Vladimir Putin's decision to annex the Crimea, and of Russia's military intervention in eastern Ukraine.
This month one Moscow newspaper suggested that recent events had damaged Vladimir Putin's domestic image of the "all-powerful wizard".
If President Putin is losing his "magic", is it because all that power has gone to his head?
"After 15 years, it would be strange if it hadn't," believes Vladimir Pozner.
"When you're a monarch, when you're born into this, then it doesn't go to your head.
"But when you come from nowhere - and Putin comes from nowhere to a large degree - and you become a very successful president, and you're on the cover of Time magazine, and you're Number One on Forbes, and surrounded by sycophants who say you're a genius, how can it not to go your head?"
Under the Russian constitution, Vladimir Putin could run for president again in 2018 and stay in power until 2024. That cannot be ruled out.
Despite Russia's problems, he remains popular, with the kind of approval rating (85%) most Western politicians can only dream of.
But such sky-high success will be difficult to maintain in a recession.
"If there is a real economic catastrophe, it's going to be blamed on Putin," predicts Vladimir Pozner.
"And he will fall from hero to zero."
And the fall could be quite sudden: "As far as we know from Russian history, changes will come - not through revolts or revolutions - but through a kind of conspiracy in or around the Kremlin," says Viktor Erofeyev.
"A conspiracy connected with the death of the leader, or weak health or a terrible crash in the economy."
Erofeyev believes it is too late for Vladimir Putin to change his policies or his personality.
"I don't think he could change. After the annexation of the Crimea and this bloody war in Ukraine, it is impossible for him to change.
"No-one would believe him: neither the middle classes in Moscow, nor the West.
"And, probably, not even himself." | It was New Year's Eve 1999. |
39,122,261 | West Yorkshire officer Keith Boots, 55, is accused of stealing drugs from police stores to supply others.
Giving evidence at Leeds Crown Court, he said he had no knowledge of a £700,000 drugs haul found at his home.
Officers found cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, ecstasy and cannabis during a raid in December 2014.
The search was prompted after a colleague noticed cocaine missing from an evidence store at Trafalgar House police station in Bradford.
When asked by his lawyer, David Mason QC, whether he had "ever stolen any drugs from the police property store at Trafalgar House", Mr Boots replied: "Never."
Mr Boots further denied any knowledge of, or connection to, the stash which was found at his house in Norman Lane, Bradford.
The senior police officer told the jury missing property was a "constant battle", but when he raised it with members of senior management he was reprimanded for contacting them directly.
The court heard he had installed CCTV cameras in the property store at the station.
He told the jury work "kept him sane" while he was waiting for a liver transplant and in constant pain from the symptoms of polycystic liver disease.
Mr Boots, who had been at the force since the 1990s, denies theft, possession of controlled drugs with intent to supply, possessing ammunition, conspiracy to supply controlled drugs, conspiracy to steal and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
Ashley Boots, 29, of Weatherhouse Terrace, Halifax, denies possession of controlled drugs with intent to supply, possessing ammunition, conspiracy to supply controlled drugs, conspiracy to steal and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
Ian Mitchell, 27, of no fixed address, denies conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
The trial continues. | A police inspector responsible for disposing of seized drugs had nothing to do with drugs found in his home, jurors have heard. |
29,176,277 | Reigning La Liga champions Atletico took an early lead at the Bernabeu as Tiago headed in from a corner.
Cristiano Ronaldo, on his return from injury, scored a penalty he had won to bring the teams level soon after.
But Atletico, who had to resist plenty of home pressure, won the game courtesy of Arda Turan's neat finish.
Prior to the game, Atletico boss Diego Simeone had downplayed his side's chances of defending their league crown following a summer exodus that saw five key players from last season's La Liga-conquering team depart the club.
While his current crop of players may lack some of the attacking flair of their predecessors they appear to have quickly picked up the tactical nous and spirit that have become the hallmark of their manager's teams.
Like the 2013-14 side, this Atletico team are also physically imposing, which they demonstrated throughout and notably in the 10th minute when Tiago made his way to the near post to plant a header into the net from Koke's corner.
The goal was also further evidence for the critics, whose knives were still sharp from the way they capitulated at Real Sociedad two weeks ago, that this is a Real team who are only quality so long as the ball is heading in the direction of the opposition goal and not their own.
However, this time Real rallied after going behind and with the returning Ronaldo included in their attack they had the firepower to respond.
As he has done on so many occasions, the Portuguese forward created his own scoring opportunity, by tumbling in the box under minimum contact from Guilherme Siquiera, before converting it by sending goalkeeper Miguel Angel Moya the wrong way.
Ronaldo was also the supplier of two subsequent chances for Karim Benzema, the first of which the Frenchman ruined with a heavy touch when through on goal, the second a header which drew a superb save from Moya.
Unfortunately, Ronaldo is clearly not fully fit - as demonstrated by the way he faded as a threat - while his attacking companions were woefully off colour.
Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez - combined cost £156m - were peripheral figures throughout, while Toni Kroos was poorly-deployed as a holding midfielder.
But to focus on Real's inadequacies takes away from Atletico's performance, which was a master-class in containment and counter-attack.
As the game wore on and Real's frustration grew, so did the visitors' belief and after Turan had flashed one shot past the post in the 73rd minute he went one better three minutes later by sweeping home a neat finish past Iker Casillas.
Real huffed and puffed for the remaining 14 minutes, but the Atletico held firm. | Atletico Madrid gained a measure of revenge for their defeat by Real Madrid in last season's Champions League final with a derby win away to their rivals. |
38,157,370 | The new station, provisionally named Cardiff Parkway, would be built south of St Mellons Business Park.
The business park would focus on science and technology and would have a 1,600-space car park and a bus station.
Initially trains would run to Cardiff and Newport, but could serve London and Cardiff Airport in the future.
Entrepreneur Nigel Roberts, of NRP and Paramount Office Interiors, is one of the partners behind the proposal, along with his son Andrew.
They set up Cardiff Parkway Developments Ltd as a joint venture with the asset management and specialist banking firm Investec.
They have applied to the Department of Transport and Network Rail's New Stations Fund 2, which considers bids from around the UK to open new stations.
The station would fit as part of the Metro plan for south Wales.
A decision on their application for 75% of the projected £25m cost is expected next spring.
Mr Roberts said: "It's been eight years in the planning. It's been in the [Cardiff] local development plan since January when it was announced. You can't just build a train station without a lot of planning.
"You have got to have commitments from Network Rail, and from the train operating companies that their services are going to stop there."
He added: "We have signed options with seven different families of farmers [who own the land] so we have secured options on the land for the next 12 years."
Mr Roberts believes their ambitious plan to open a station on the site by 2020 is achievable, saying: "We put the bid in on Friday. We're now continuing with the Welsh Government to put the detail in on the station design."
He said once the decision was made, probably in March, they should be ready to progress with the scheme.
Travel times into Cardiff would be just seven minutes from the new station, which could become a park and ride option for people travelling from the north and east, or those going to Cardiff Airport.
There are four train lines running through the St Mellons site, two mainline tracks to the north, and two relief lines to the south.
Mr Roberts said the plan would be to skew the two relief lines further south to allow a platform to be built in the middle of the four lines, and two other platforms on the north and south extremes.
At present there are four non-London services an hour coming through the site towards Cardiff, two from Ebbw Vale, one from Cheltenham, and one from Portsmouth, which could all stop at the new station.
However Mr Roberts said while they were constructing the new station they would be holding "ongoing talks" about the station being used on the mainline, opening up the possibility of a park and ride service to Heathrow and London.
He also said his plan for car parking was nearer 4,000 than 1,600 as those sorts of numbers were what was needed to make a significant impact on road travel.
For the park itself, which would sit across a 176-acre (71 hectare) site, he commented: "We're looking at a science and technology park. If you look at the current tenants we've got [on the St Mellons Business Park] a lot are in that area.
"It's very much clean technology, high tech.
"We're not looking to compete with Central Square or the Capital Quarter.
"We've got a dual carriageway straight into the site. There's a train line already in situ - that's why it's deliverable immediately." | A new railway station on the eastern side of Cardiff could be built as part of plans to open a business park employing 15,000 people. |
37,251,388 | More than two-thirds of the Senate voted on Wednesday to remove Ms Rousseff from office for illegally manipulating the budget two years ago.
Hours after the vote her vice-president, Michel Temer, was sworn in.
Ms Rousseff said the impeachment proceedings amounted to a coup d'etat.
The proceedings against her in the Senate were flawed, said her lawyer, Jose Eduardo Cardozo.
He requested "the immediate suspension of the effects of the Senate decision" and a new vote at the Senate.
But analysts say Ms Rousseff's appeal has very little chance of succeeding.
Mr Temer is in China, where he will take part in a summit of the G20 group of major economies.
He was sworn in two hours after the Senate's vote to dismiss Ms Rousseff, which ended 13 years in power of her left-wing Workers' Party.
Mr Temer will serve out Ms Rousseff's term until 1 January 2019.
The centre-right PMDB party politician had been serving as acting president during the impeachment proceedings.
During his first cabinet meeting since the vote, Mr Temer said his inauguration marked a "new era of hope".
The dismissal of Ms Rousseff has caused a rift between Brazil and three left-wing South American governments that criticised the move later on Wednesday.
Brazil and Venezuela recalled each other's ambassadors. Brazilian envoys to Bolivia and Ecuador have also been ordered home.
Ms Rousseff lost the impeachment battle but won a separate Senate vote that had sought to ban her from public office for eight years.
Pledging to appeal against her dismissal, she told her supporters: "I will not say goodbye to you. I am certain I can say: 'See you soon.'"
Ms Rousseff was suspended in May after the Senate voted to go ahead with the impeachment process.
She was accused of moving funds between government budgets, which is illegal under Brazilian law.
Her critics said she was trying to plug deficit holes in popular social programmes to boost her chances of being re-elected in 2014.
Ms Rousseff fought the allegations, arguing that her right-wing rivals had been trying to remove her from office ever since her re-election. | Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has filed an appeal at the Supreme Court against the Senate's decision to dismiss her after an impeachment trial. |
38,396,966 | It is the New Zealand-born back rower's third suspension of the season.
The 28-year-old was shown a red card for "charging dangerously" into the Romanian side's winger Madalin Lemnaru in Quins' 75-3 victory on Saturday.
Luamanu, who pleaded not guilty, can appeal against the independent disciplinary committee's decision.
The committee decided the offence was at the low end of World Rugby's sanctions and applied a two-week ban, but then added a further week because of Luamanu's poor disciplinary record.
The former Treviso player received a three-week ban in September for charging and a five-week ban last month for a dangerous tackle.
He is set to miss Premiership matches against Gloucester, Worcester and Sale and will be free to play again on Monday, 9 January.
"Mat was stooping down to make a tackle, the guy gets tackled and they bang heads," Quins head coach Mark Mapletoft told BBC Radio London.
"I don't think anybody runs into anybody purposely with their own head and certainly not in that type of situation. There has got to be some common sense." | Harlequins forward Mat Luamanu has been given a three-week ban after being sent off in their European Challenge Cup win over Timisoara Saracens. |
36,230,554 | German newspaper Bild claims Guardiola was angry with Bayern's medical team after Tuesday's Champions League semi-final exit to Atletico Madrid.
The Spaniard is alleged to have accused his physiotherapists of taking too long to get his players fit after injury.
"Whoever has spoken has done it to hit me," said Guardiola.
The former Barcelona boss is leaving Bayern in the summer to take over at Manchester City.
Bayern will win a third successive Bundesliga title under the 45-year-old if they win at Ingolstadt on Saturday.
When asked at his news conference on Friday, Guardiola did not deny a row had happened.
"Usually what happens inside the dressing room remains inside the dressing room," he said.
"But I'm not here next season anyway so it's not my problem, but Bayern's.
"It's happened plenty of times over these past three years.
"It's normal for me to talk to my players and staff and give them my opinion, but there are people here who are talking because they want to hurt me.
"Maybe this person will still be here next season and clearly they haven't realised that they are not damaging me, but the club and the team."
Guardiola won the Champions League twice with Barcelona - in 2009 and 2011.
"I've done my best here," he said of his time at Bayern. "But if you say that I had to win the Champions League, then I have failed.
"Go ahead and write that I have failed." | Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola says a dressing-room mole is "damaging" the 25-time German champions, after details of an alleged row were made public. |
35,603,901 | Reggie Richardson, also known as Reggie Young, was attacked in his home in Falkland Road, Sunderland in June 2015 and died in hospital.
Ryan Young, 30, of the same address, also denied owning a dog which, while dangerously out of control, caused injuries that led to Reggie's death.
The Lakeland terrier has since been destroyed.
Caroline Goodwin, defending, said the family had been left "devastated" by the incident.
Appearing at Newcastle Crown Court holding a picture of his son, Young sobbed as he sat with his head down in the dock. | The father of a three-week-old baby boy killed by the family dog has denied child cruelty. |
37,293,426 | The Committees on Arms Export Controls said it was highly likely that weapons had been used to violate international humanitarian and human rights laws.
The draft report has been seen by the BBC's Newsnight programme.
The UK government said it had received assurances from Saudi Arabia but the committee said this was not sufficient.
The government has faced sustained pressure to suspend the sale of weapons to the country amid claims that international humanitarian law has been breached in fighting between the Yemeni government, backed by Saudi Arabia, and Shia Yemeni rebels.
On Monday, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson defended the selling of arms to Saudi Arabia for potential use in Yemen, insisting the export of weapons to the country would continue.
The Committees on Arms Export Controls is made up of four parliamentary committees - business, innovation and skills; defence; foreign affairs; and international development.
Its draft report, seen by Newsnight's Gabriel Gatehouse, said: "The weight of evidence of violations of international humanitarian law by the Saudi-led coalition is now so great, that it is very difficult to continue to support Saudi Arabia."
The committee said it seemed "inevitable" that such violations had involved arms supplied by the UK which would mean it was in violation of its own legal obligations.
The UK government said it operated one of the strictest arms licensing regimes in the world, and maintained it had received assurances from Saudi Arabia that it operated within the boundaries of international law.
The draft report concluded that those assurances were not sufficient and the UK should suspend exports until an international and independent inquiry could establish the facts.
Save the Children said it was calling on Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson to back a resolution to establish an international investigation when the UN Human Rights Council meets in Geneva later this month.
"This is a concrete opportunity finally to get to the bottom of alleged violations by all parties to the conflict, including the Saudi-led coalition, which investigations carried out by Saudi Arabia itself cannot deliver," spokeswoman Kirsty McNeill said.
"Children must always be protected in war, and now the UK government has a unique opportunity to remind the world that war can and must have limits."
Last month, aid agency Oxfam accused the British government of "denial and disarray" over an agreement to sell arms to Saudi Arabia, which could be used in Yemen. | The UK should stop selling arms to Saudi Arabia while Saudi actions in neighbouring Yemen are investigated, a draft report by MPs has said. |
37,384,616 | Inverness's Central ward, which includes Merkinch, Dalneigh and parts of Crown, will lose one of its representatives if the changes come into effect next May.
The boundary changes would mean six fewer councillors across the Highlands.
Central councillors said their busy and deprived ward would suffer.
Changes to council ward boundaries are to be made in most of Scotland's local authority areas.
The Scottish government has accepted proposals for changes in 25 council areas which will take effect next year.
There will be some changes in all mainland council areas apart from Argyll and Bute, Dundee and the Borders. | Highland councillors have criticised a shake-up of ward boundaries with some claiming the changes will damage local communities. |
34,918,309 | George Hooker told the BBC he was driving near Hamley Bridge in South Australia when smoke and flames engulfed his car.
He kept filming on his phone with one hand even as the fire front raced towards him.
Two people have died and 13 hospitalised in the fires burning north of Adelaide.
"There were flames licking at the car, cinders and twigs blowing up against it," Mr Hooker said.
"If I stopped I would have been dead so I just kept going not really thinking much at all."
He eventually reached a burnt-out area further south on the Horrocks Highway and stopped his car.
As he watched, a house burnt to the ground over the course of 10 minutes, he said.
Having been told by police that he could drive on, he continued on his way to Adelaide.
South Australia's Country Fire Service said on Thursday the fire was not yet under control and properties remained at risk.
Sixteen homes have been destroyed along with cars, farm buildings and machinery.
Allan Tiller, 69, has been identified as one of the fire's victims. The other, a 56-year-old woman from Hamley Bridge, has not yet been named.
South Australian Premier Jay Wetherill said at a press conference that the government would provide relief grants of up to $700 Australian dollars ($505; £335) for families affected by the fires.
Mr Wetherill said the damage toll was expected to rise. | An Australian man has filmed his terrifying trip through the heart of a bushfire. |
38,392,050 | Seven people died after a tram derailed as it went round a corner in Croydon in November.
More than 50 people were also taken to hospital when the two-carriage vehicle left the tracks just after 06:00 GMT.
The driver was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and released on bail until May.
It was a year of change at City Hall as Sadiq Khan replaced Boris Johnson as London's mayor, beating his Conservative rival Zac Goldsmith.
In June's EU referendum the majority of the capital voted to stay in the EU, with 28 out of 33 boroughs backing the remain campaign.
At the end of the year Zac Goldsmith suffered his second election defeat of 2016, as he was ousted by Lib Dem candidate Sarah Olney in the Richmond Park by-election.
A 19-year-old man was charged with murdering US tourist Darlene Horton and wounding five other people in a knife attack in Russell Square in August.
In March, six men were jailed over the £14m Hatton Garden safety deposit jewellery heist.
The partner of actress Sian Blake was given a whole-life tariff for killing the former EastEnders star and her two children in their Erith home.
Stephen Port was jailed for murdering four young men who he met on internet dating sites by poisoning them with lethal doses of the date rape drug GHB.
After being delayed for almost a year, the first 24-hour trains began running on the Night Tube in August.
There was less happy news for Southern rail commuters as a continuing series of strikes over the role of conductors on trains severely affected services.
In October the government approved the expansion of Heathrow Airport, although MPs will not vote on the decision until the winter of 2017-18 following a public consultation.
West Ham played their final ever game at the Boleyn Ground in May, beating Manchester United 3-2, before they moved to the London Stadium in Stratford.
Saracens became 2016 double champions of England and Europe, winning the Aviva Premiership and European Champions cup.
Sinkholes featured in London in 2016, with one appearing in Charlton in May which swallowed a Vauxhall Zafira.
Another large hole caused by a broken sewer at Forest Hill station shut railway tracks, severely affecting train services through south-east London.
Burst water mains also caused havoc in parts of the capital, including in Islington where about 100 people had to be evacuated when a broken pipe flooded homes and businesses in December.
David Bowie's death in January at the age of 69 led to a massive outpouring of tributes across the capital, particularly in Brixton where the Starman was born.
Acton Alan Rickman, famous for his roles in films including Harry Potter, Die Hard and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, also died in January aged 69.
Stars of stage and screen attended the funeral of Ronnie Corbett who died in March at the age of 85. | BBC News looks back at some of the stories and events which hit the headlines in London during 2016. |
39,133,343 | The troops and their allies, backed by Russian air strikes, have reportedly seized part of a neighbourhood in the west of the city.
The jihadists recaptured the Unesco-listed archaeological site in December from government forces.
Parts of the ancient city have been destroyed by the militants.
There were clashes and heavy shelling across the historic city as the offensive unfolded, the UK-based monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
A media unit run by the allied Lebanese Hezbollah movement said earlier that the pro-government forces had reached the citadel, which sits on a hill overlooking the famous Roman-era ruins.
The Syrian government troops also seized a strategic area known as the "Palmyra triangle", the official Sana news agency reported.
IS held the ruins and the nearby city, known locally as Tadmur, for 10 months after seizing it for the first time in May 2015. It blew up temples, burial towers and the Arch of Triumph, believing shrines and statues to be idolatrous.
They also destroyed the Temple of Bel - the great sanctuary of the Palmyrene gods - which had been one of the most important religious buildings of the 1st Century AD in the East.
The militants were then forced out by a Russian-backed government offensive in March 2016, but regained control while pro-government forces where focused on battling for the city of Aleppo late last year.
In January, satellite images revealed that the group destroyed the tetrapylon - a group of four pillared structures which were mainly modern replicas - and part of the Roman Theatre.
Meanwhile, the US said positions held by the their allies of the Syrian Arab Coalition were bombed by Russian and Syrian aircraft near the IS-held town of al-Bab, in northern Syria.
"I believe they thought were held by ISIS, yet they were actually - on the ground - were some of our Syrian Arab coalition forces," Lt Gen Stephen Townsend told reporters, using an acronym for IS. | Syrian government forces have entered the ancient city of Palmyra, pushing back militants from so-called Islamic State (IS), activists say. |
39,317,665 | The uncapped 26-year-old reported the injury after Saturday's 3-2 Premier League defeat by Leicester City.
Antonio was able to complete the 90 minutes at London Stadium, but West Ham manager Slaven Bilic indicated afterwards that he was a doubt.
England face Germany in a friendly on Wednesday before hosting Lithuania in a World Cup qualifier on Sunday.
Antonio's absence further weakens the attacking options of England boss Gareth Southgate.
Forwards Harry Kane, Daniel Sturridge, Danny Welbeck and Wayne Rooney are all out through injury, while Theo Walcott was left out of the squad.
In addition to Antonio, West Ham lost centre-back Winston Reid to a leg injury, while midfielder Pedro Obiang was taken off on a stretcher after rolling his ankle.
On the injuries to Antonio and Reid, Bilic said: "Hopefully, they will be fit after the international break." | West Ham winger Michail Antonio has withdrawn from the England squad because of a hamstring injury. |
36,034,161 | The Fair Education Alliance (FEA) says while progress has been made in improving standards, this has been uneven, with some pupils missing out.
The FEA says more must be done, such as overhauling careers guidance and efforts to promote pupils' wellbeing.
Ministers say their policy is about achieving fairness and social justice.
In 2014, the FEA - a group of education organisations - published targets to be achieved by 2022, to help close the gap in opportunities and achievement between rich and poor children in England.
The goals were:
The latest report looks at the progress made against these targets.
It says while there have been some advances in the past year - for example, GCSE results improving in the north-east England and the university graduation gap closing slightly - generally, progress has been static.
FEA chairman Sir Richard Lambert said the latest figures showed some schools and regions were providing high quality education for pupils, irrespective of background, and this must celebrated.
"More parents who can afford to make the choice are now choosing to send their children to state schools, many more of which are featuring in the lists of the nation's top performers," he said.
"But the big picture is still much too patchy. Progress is uneven, and in some cases non-existent. And the report shows that inequality is not just the result of income differentials.
"There is also a geographic divide between good and bad outcomes.
"On the current trajectory, the targets that we have set for reducing inequality in the school and higher education system by 2022 will not be achieved.
"That would leave another generation of young people condemned to second-class schooling through no fault of their own. So we have to redouble our efforts."
The alliance calls for a number of measures to help raise standards and close the achievement gap:
The report says: "At national level, some progress has been made in closing the gaps for some of the poorest children and young people in England.
"Despite small overall improvements in outcomes for these young people, progress is uneven and education still remains particularly unfair in some parts of the country.
"In mapping the education journey of children at schools serving low income communities or those from poor families, a school pattern emerges.
"Within the same area, poorer children are better served by some schools than others, and in these better schools they are achieving above expectation.
"Often underpinning this success are a whole school approach to achievement, enrichment activities, the development of character and high expectations."
Malcolm Trobe, interim general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: "The FEA's suggestion of a mortgage deposit scheme as an incentive to attract teachers to an area is an innovative approach which we welcome.
"Schools across the country are experiencing significant difficulties in recruiting teachers, and this is particularly acute in the most challenging areas.
"More must be done to attract people into teaching in general and in particular into these areas."
A spokesman for the Department for Education said: "All of our reforms are underpinned by a total commitment to fairness and social justice.
"Thanks to our reforms there are now 1.4 million more pupils being taught in good or outstanding schools compared to 2010, and the attainment gap is narrower than ever.
"We have also introduced new, rigorous GCSEs so more pupils have access to the world-class education they deserve." | Access to good schooling in England is still "patchy" and more must be done to make sure all children receive a decent education, a report says. |
34,922,348 | Stan Hollis was awarded the medal for his actions during the storming of the Normandy beaches on 6 June 1944.
A campaign by the Stanley E. Hollis VC Memorial Fund to have a statute in his honour erected in his home town raised £150,000.
Chairman Brian Bage, said the 7ft (2m) "magnificent" bronze statue was a fitting tribute to a "true hero".
Hollis was a 31-year-old sergeant major with the Green Howards when he took part in the assault on Gold Beach.
As his company moved inland, he captured several gun positions and rescued two colleagues, taking more than two dozen prisoners in the process.
As a result, he was the only one of almost 62,000 British troops to be awarded the Victoria Cross on the day of the World War Two landings.
Created by sculptor Brian Alabaster, the statue depicts the hero in the heat of battle.
Mr Bage, said: "It's taken a lot of hard work by a great many people, but it's been more than worthwhile.
"I hope people will come from far and wide to see it, and to remember the actions of a very brave man."
The memorial was officially unveiled near the town's cenotaph on Linthorpe Road by North Yorkshire's Vice Lord Lieutenant Peter Scrope. | A memorial honouring the only soldier to win the Victoria Cross on D-Day has been unveiled in Middlesbrough. |
37,349,506 | They are among a total of 77 new approved state-funded schools, run by academy trusts, community groups, parents and teachers, say ministers.
It is the biggest wave of free schools this parliament and continues progress towards the goal of 500 more by 2020.
The NUT said the news could not hide the fact "education policy is a mess".
But Saracens chairman Nigel Wray said the approval of the club's new free school presented "a marvellous opportunity".
Saracens High School, a new secondary for north London, is the result of a partnership between European Cup holders Saracens and another local school, Ashmole Academy, says the Department for Education.
The aim is to combine academic achievement with sporting success and teamwork, said Mr Wray.
Expansion of the free school programme was a Conservative manifesto pledge in the 2015 general election.
Since 2010, 429 of the schools have been set up, 42 of which opened this month, including the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts sixth form, which has Sir Paul McCartney as its patron.
The additional free schools approved include:
"Our country needs more good school places for children. This next wave of free schools means more options for parents so they can choose a place that really works for their child's talents and needs," said Education Secretary Justine Greening.
"‎Alongside the reforms announced last week this will build on the progress that has seen 1.4 million more children in good or outstanding schools than in 2010. This will help deliver the true meritocracy the prime minister has pledged to create."
Sir Steve Lancashire, chief executive of REAch2, said the new schools would "offer exceptional opportunities for learning to even more children".
And Sarah Pearson, interim director of the New Schools Network, which helps set up new free schools, said it was "wonderful to be congratulating another 77 groups on their successful free school applications".
However, NUT general secretary Kevin Courtney said: "Free schools were originally promoted as a parent-led initiative that would provide choice, but now we are seeing the dominance of the programme by just a few big academy brands.
"It is clear to everyone that Justine Greening is stuck between the failed policies of her predecessor and the prime minister's irrational and regressive desire to expand selection."
And National Association of Head Teachers General Secretary Russell Hobby called for more strategic planning to open new schools where they are most needed.
"A quarter of open free schools are not in areas of basic need and over half are serving more advantaged communities. This is not an ideal allocation of scarce resources," said Mr Hobby.
"The government's new proposals for grammar schools may also allow these new schools to select by ability in the near future, actually narrowing parent choice in the long run.
"This focus on selection is a huge distraction from the basics of education, including providing enough school places."
But a Department for Education spokesman said the new set of free schools would not be affected by plans for new selective schools in England as "the law has not yet changed". | The latest wave of free schools approved to open in England include one run by Saracens Rugby Club and a school for children with autism. |
36,881,177 | Its sales in India have fallen nearly 40%, and its share of the passenger vehicle market has also dropped.
A regulatory crackdown on diesel vehicles has also led the company to rethink its plans.
More than 5,000 new cars are sold in India every day - and it is forecast to be the world's third biggest vehicle market by 2020.
In 2015, Ford committed to investing $1bn (£760m) in India to boost its domestic market share and make the country a global export hub.
India is among the fastest growing car markets in the world. No wonder then that some of the world's biggest carmakers are investing heavily.
But it's also not an easy market to crack. General Motors India has still been posting losses two decades after gaining a presence in the country.
India has turned out to be such a difficult market that a former high-ranking GM India employee told me he wouldn't be surprised if the company closed at least one of its two factories in India.
So what's gone wrong?
Partly it's down to what consumers here want. Indians mainly want value for money - a vehicle that gives good mileage, has easy after-sales service and a good resale value.
Other brands like Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai, which dominate the market, have so far managed to deliver on that.
Analysts here say GM got the India market wrong from the beginning and didn't do anything to arrest sagging sales.
"In addition to the shift in customer preferences, the industry is facing unprecedented regulatory uncertainty. Like our competitors, we are paying close attention to how this impacts our business. In light of this, we are conducting a full review of our future product programme in India," Swati Bhattacharya, a spokeswoman at GM India told the BBC.
"As a result, we are also putting on hold future investment in our all-new vehicle family in India until we firm up our product portfolio plan."
The BBC's Shilpa Kannan in Delhi says things have not gone to plan for the company since it unveiled its vehicles for India at the country's biggest auto show a few years ago.
But while GM's share has fallen below 1% in the domestic market, the automaker, which has two factories in India, has seen a rise in exports.
Exports rose to 7,217 units in April-May this year, against 590 units in the same period last year. | General Motors has put on hold a planned $1bn investment in India as it reassesses its strategy in the country. |
37,426,657 | Police said he died of natural causes. A report said he had retired in recent years due to Alzheimer's.
Hanson won an Oscar in 1998 for best adapted screenplay for LA Confidential. His directing credits included The Hand That Rocks the Cradle and Wonder Boys.
He also directed Detroit hip-hop movie 8 Mile starring Eminem, who led the tributes.
"Curtis Hanson believed in me and our crazy idea to make a rap battle movie set in Detroit," the rapper said in a statement. "He basically made me into an actor for 8 Mile. I'm lucky I got to know him."
LA Confidential actor Russell Crowe wrote on Twitter: "Thank you for believing in me & standing your ground. In reality you made my job a career. Love & respect my friend."
Hanson, born in Reno, Nevada, started as a writer for the magazine Cinema before moving into screenwriting and directing in the early 1970s.
"I got into the business kind of through a side door," he said in 2005. "I felt my best avenue was through screenwriting, because to write, all you need is a typewriter and an idea."
But it was only in 1992, with The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, that he found mainstream success.
He went on to direct The River Wild with Meryl Streep and Kevin Bacon in 1994, and he co-wrote the screenplay for 1997's LA Confidential, adapted from James Ellroy's novel about crime in 1950s Los Angeles.
"LA Confidential was the first movie that I produced as well," he revealed in 2005.
"My attitude was very calculated. I knew I was using up the leverage I had earned on those other two movies and making a picture I really wanted to make."
In 2000, he filmed Wonder Boys with Michael Douglas and Tobey Maguire, who described Hanson as "a generous and talented man", adding: "I'm grateful to have known and worked with him."
On Twitter, Bacon said: "So sad to hear about Curtis Hanson. great director. Great man. Riding that river with him was one of the greatest gigs of my life."
Most recently, Hanson directed the HBO film Too Big To Fail, about the financial crisis.
Actor James Woods added his tribute. He wrote: "This saddens me deeply. Great director and the nicest man. RIP, dear friend."
Rob Lowe, who acted in 1990's Bad Influence, said it was "an honour to make Bad Influence with Curtis Hanson. So smart, so kind and a great storyteller. I will miss him".
Hanson's final project was 2012 surf movie Chasing Mavericks, with Gerard Butler and Elisabeth Shue. However, Curtis dropped out during filming due to an undisclosed illness and was replaced by Michael Apted.
Actress Abigail Spencer, who also starred in Chasing Mavericks, posted: "So honoured I got to work with the dear Curtis Hanson - the most lovely and wonderful. Heartbroken. My condolences to his family."
When asked to describe his career in 2005, Hanson told the BBC: "Thematically I just go to what interests me. I'm always asking myself, is this a world I want to go into?
"To use the analogy of a traveller, I'm someone who likes to go to different countries rather than return to the same country all the time."
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram, or if you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | Oscar-winning writer and film director Curtis Hanson has died at his home in Hollywood at the age of 71. |
34,272,248 | Osama Abdul Mohsen fell while running across the Serbia-Hungary border last week. The camerawoman, Petra Laszlo, was fired and later apologised.
Mr Mohsen, who coached a football team in Syria, will now work at a sports school near Madrid.
"The future will be very good for my son in Spain," Mr Mohsen told El Mundo newspaper (in Spanish).
The family was due to arrive by train in Madrid late on Wednesday.
He said he and his seven-year-old son Zaid had endured a difficult journey to Europe, after meeting with another son, Mohammad, who had already reached Europe by boat.
"The journalist's kick was scary and hard," he told El Mundo.
"My feeling was surprise. And then pain when I saw the fear and panic in the face of my son. Zaid cried for two hours. I was terrified."
He said he was then threatened with jail by Hungarian authorities.
Miguel Angel Galan, the director of the Cenafe football school in Getafe, near Madrid, said officials had decided to "help a fellow coach".
"They will get the most important things: housing, food, clothes and the job as a coach that we are going to give him," he said.
Spain has agreed to take in 17,000 refugees this year. | A migrant father who was tripped by a Hungarian camerawoman while holding his son is to start a new life in Spain. |
39,693,181 | For Mrs Monnington Boddy that's a good thing. Before her trip to Asia last month she bought a new iPhone 7 with the biggest memory available.
It wasn't so she could take loads of holiday snaps, but so that she could record the kind of things people on the other side of the world were buying, wearing, watching and doing.
Mrs Monnington Boddy works at WGSN, a London-based company that offers information on current and future trends in fashion, interior design and lifestyle. "Know what's next" is its tagline.
As director of colour Mrs Monnington Boddy's specific remit is to know precisely what colours will be in demand in the future.
In her week-long work trip she attended Seoul Fashion Week, Hong Kong's Art Basel art fair, as well as several other exhibitions.
All the time she was carefully gathering information: taking photos, recording videos and taking lots and lots of notes.
It is these kind of regular trips and her industry experience that help the 45-year-old to work out the next big colours.
"I think about where colour has been, what's popular and take that into consideration when I think about where it will go in the future," she says.
Twice a year she takes part in the company's trend summit days where team members from across the world, including Brazil, the US and China, get together to share information.
"At the end of it you feel like your head's going to explode," she says. But it is these gatherings that form the basis of the firm's six-monthly predictions on the key upcoming trends.
Currently she is working on the firm's colour forecasts for spring/summer 2019. These will be announced in June, giving firms enough time to fire up their production lines.
One trend she's followed closely is that of pink. Once seen as a hue just for small girls, it has now become popular for both men and women.
"It takes a long time to become a colour that hits the masses and makes retailers a lot of money," she says.
While working out what colour is going to be popular in future may seem like a niche pursuit, it's actually big business.
Every industry around the world uses colour. Manufacturers of cars, vacuum cleaners, phones, toothbrushes, coffee machines and other household goods all have to choose a colour range for their products.
Getting it right can help boost sales. Apple iPhones, KitchenAid mixers, Beats headphones, Kate Spade and The Cambridge Satchel Company have all used colour to make themselves stand out from competitors.
Some companies have even trademarked the branding colour they use, protecting themselves from would be copycat rivals in the same industry.
Manufacturing firm 3M's canary yellow post-it notes and Tiffany's egg blue box colour, for example, have all been trademarked.
"To sell something you have to first get someone's attention. Colour helps to clarify a product's identity," says Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute, which provides colour consulting services for brands and products, as well as trend forecasts.
Popular colours often reflect what's happening culturally and socially, she says.
The growth of the sharing economy, in which people rent beds, cars and other assets directly from one another, means lighter colours such as pale blues could come into fashion.
"Sharing means lightness, you don't want to be bogged down so you're not looking at a heavy palette."
Colours such as brown, which a couple of decades ago was linked to the earth and dirt but is now associated with coffee and chocolate, reflects the growth of those industries, she says.
Pantone is best known for its colour standards which provide a unique identifying number for each shade.
These numbers mean firms can clearly communicate the precise shade of the particular colour they want to their suppliers.
Pantone also provides formulations for manufacturers to make sure the correct shade can be reproduced consistently in different materials.
"Making sure the colours are easily achievable is critically important," says Ms Pressman.
What the colour is called also matters. "Peasoup" was almost chosen as the firm's 2017 colour of the year instead of "greenery", but Ms Pressman said it wouldn't have created the right feeling.
"Every colour conveys its own message and meaning," she says.
But can colour really make you feel something?
Recent research found that ice hockey teams wearing darker-coloured tops were more likely to be penalised for aggressive fouls. One possible conclusion is that referees had an unconscious bias against darker colours, linking them to the idea of a "black sheep" and bad behaviour.
Another study found wearing the colour red could increase the probability of winning sporting contests.
But it's hard to find any large-scale scientific studies proving a direct link between colour and behaviour. This is because perceptions of colour are subjective, differing according to your own personal experiences and culture.
In China, red is a happy or lucky colour, but in the UK it's typically linked to anger or power.
Yet anecdotally at least certain colours are associated with particular feelings. Looking at a bright colour such as yellow can make us feel more cheerful, even if it's fleetingly, while blue is often seen as a calming, reassuring colour.
Mark Woodman, a product consultant and a former president of US-based colour forecasting trade body Color Marketing Group (CMG), says the money firms invest in getting the right colour for their products prove it is important.
He has consulted on colour for paint manufacturers, a medical office equipment company, a porcelain manufacturer and even a company that makes the springy shred material used in gift bags and boxes.
"Colours have to connect with the zeitgeist of the times and that is what we work so hard at discerning," he says.
He points out how the "vast movement of grey" began to emerge after the 2008 financial crisis.
Similarly during the 2012 US presidential election, undecided and neutral states began to be identified as purple by the media - a blend of the Democratic blue and Republican red colours. The result was that the colour became more popular.
"Colours have to make sense to the living environment," he says. | Korean retailers don't mind you taking lots of photos in their shops, says Jane Monnington Boddy. |
25,565,942 | He reached his 100 in a one-day match against West Indies in Queenstown from 36 balls, breaking the record of 37 set by Pakistan's Shahid Afridi in 1996.
Anderson, 23, finished with 131 from 47 balls with his ton including 14 sixes and six fours.
The Kiwis made 283 for four in just 21 overs on their way to a 159-run victory in a rain-shortened match.
Anderson was supported by Jesse Ryder, whose 104 was itself the sixth fastest ton in ODIs in only his second match since being left in an induced coma after being attacked outside a nightclub last March.
The pair, who put on 191 for the fourth wicket, came together at 84 for three in the seventh over.
Anderson said he was unaware of the record.
"I didn't have a clue actually. It's not that I'd look it up and try and take it down. But it's nice to have it," he said.
Among some ugly West Indies bowling figures was Ravi Rampaul, who went for 64 runs off three overs. The tourists, who won the toss and put New Zealand into bat, made 124 for five in reply.
The result left the five-game series tied at 1-1 with two matches remaining. | New Zealand batsman Corey Anderson has struck the fastest ever international century. |
39,616,824 | Fe ddigwyddodd y ddamwain yn ystod ras Pencampwriaeth Cymru yn fferm Crugmore, Penparc ddydd Sul.
Cafodd un o'r tri ei gludo i Ysbyty Treforys mewn ambiwlans awyr.
Fe aeth y ddau arall mewn ambiwlans i Ysbyty Glangwili, Caerfyrddin. Does dim rhagor o wybodaeth ynglŷn â chyflwr y tri. | Mae tri o gystadleuwyr mewn ras beic modur ym Mhenparc ger Aberteifi wedi'i anafu. |
36,091,199 | The BMW was pulled over in North Quay, Great Yarmouth, on Wednesday morning.
Norfolk and Suffolk Road Policing tweeted a photograph of the car and said "4m of guttering does not fit in a 2 door saloon. #RoadSafety".
On Friday, a car was stopped in Great Yarmouth with a wardrobe strapped to the roof with bubble wrap.
Police are yet to comment further on the latest incident but are deciding whether to prosecute the driver using a "clearly very dangerous" method to transport furniture.
Sgt Chris Harris tweeted an image and said the thin plastic was "not sufficient to secure a wardrobe to a car roof". | A driver has been stopped by police for having several feet of guttering sticking out of the car window, overhanging the pavement. |
38,585,598 | A scrutiny committee has called on the council cabinet to give up on the controversial project, first mooted in 2015.
Under the proposals, owners would allow their dogs to have cheek swabs taken and their details put on a database.
The council has also been looking at creating designated areas for dogs.
The scheme has already proved successful in parts of the United States and has been introduced in a London borough.
Barking and Dagenham council saw a reduction in dog waste in its pilot area and is now expanding the scheme.
In Flintshire, an existing requirement, known as a Dog Control Order, requires owners to remove their dog's waste from public areas.
However, the authority has been looking at the creation of a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) which provides an "opportunity for enforcement against other designated offences", such as the complete exclusion of dogs from a defined area like children's play areas.
But a meeting of the authority's environment overview and scrutiny committee on Wednesday agreed to recommend the idea was shelved.
However, members of the council's cabinet could still approve it when they next meet. | A bid to use dog DNA to find and fine people who do not clean up after their pets in Flintshire has been recommended to be thrown out. |
34,639,035 | Postgraduate loans of up to £10,000 for under 30-year-olds in England were announced by Chancellor George Osborne in last year's Autumn statement.
But the report from a group of universities says older students from disadvantaged groups also need support.
A government response to a consultation on the scheme is due later this year.
Mr Osborne said the loan scheme would "revolutionise" access to postgraduate university courses as the cost too often "deters bright students from poorer backgrounds".
The new loans will be available from next year and are expected to benefit 40,000 students.
The government anticipates 10,000 more students will enter postgraduate study.
The report, by a group of six institutions led by University of Sheffield, urges the government to consider whether the age restriction should be waived for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Students with disabilities, who have caring responsibilities, who are from poorer families without a background in higher education or who may have been in the care system as children, often take longer to progress through the education system and so will be older by the time they are ready for postgraduate study, the authors argue.
They are under-represented in universities and are more likely to need financial support, says the report.
It also says a loan scheme could fail to attract more students from under-represented groups into postgraduate study as they will be put off by the prospect of more debt.
Instead it suggests a separate scholarship scheme for people from under-represented groups taking master's degrees.
Last year these six universities piloted such a scheme, which offered grants of £10,000 for 350 master's students from under-represented groups.
Half of the £5.3m budget came from the Higher Education Funding Council for England, with the rest provided by the six universities themselves.
The project found that a fifth of the scholarship holders were aged over 30.
"Our research found that those who came from lower socio-economic groups were more likely to be debt averse" - especially those who lack their own resources of access to family assistance to help pay the costs of study, the authors conclude.
A Department for Business, Innovation and Skills spokeswoman said the government wanted "everyone with the potential to benefit from higher education to be able to do so".
"The government recognises that access to finance can be a barrier for some people who want to continue their studies, which is why for the first time we have announced proposals to introduce postgraduate loans," the spokeswoman said.
"We have invited the sector to contribute views to a consultation and will publish our response in due course." | Disadvantaged students aged over 30 could miss out under a proposed loan scheme for master's degrees, warns a report. |
40,342,926 | The ex-Newcastle forward joined Notts as a free agent in February and scored four goals in 17 appearances.
The 35-year-old told the club website: "I've been taken aback by the support of the fans, who have welcomed me into their club with open arms."
Manager Kevin Nolan added: "Not only did Shola make a huge impact on the pitch and in the dressing room, but he is also a big hit with our supporters."
Notts have not revealed the length of Ameobi's contract. | Striker Shola Ameobi has signed a new contract with Notts County. |
40,985,736 | Two local men aged 56 and 59 have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a search by armed police.
The 18-year-old victim was taken to hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries after the assault in Old Christchurch Road, said police.
He was left with "a serious cut to the neck" by a man who fled the scene toward Wootton Gardens early on Friday.
Dorset Police issued CCTV images of a suspect, who was described as white and was wearing grey jogging bottoms, blue trainers with white soles, and a black jacket with a white top underneath.
Det Con Matt Cooke said: "This was a serious and unprovoked assault." | A man had his neck slashed with a blade from behind in an "unprovoked" attack in Bournemouth town centre. |
37,070,694 | The incident happened at about 17:20 on Friday at a newsagents on the corner of South Trinity Road and Cargil Terrace.
Two men entered A&A Stores and demanded money, before attacking the shopkeeper and then running from the scene empty-handed.
Police described it as "a cowardly attack". The shopkeeper's injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.
Officers are hunting for the two suspects, who were last seen running along Cargil Terrace.
The first is described as being 20 to 25 years old, of medium build, with a pale complexion and unshaven.
The second man is described as 35 to 40 years old, of slim build, with a pale complexion and gaunt features. He was also unshaven.
Both suspects were wearing dark clothing and dark woollen beanie hats. One was wearing a dark body warmer.
Det Sgt Todd Rutherford said: "This was a cowardly attack, and the shopkeeper bravely fought off the attackers despite a shocking level of violence and the serious injuries he sustained.
"At the time of the incident, it is likely there would have been pedestrians and drivers in the Cargill Terrace area and we know the suspects were loitering nearby the shop before the incident took place.
"If anyone has seen these men before, during or after the attack, please contact us." | A shopkeeper was seriously injured as he fought off two attackers during an attempted robbery in Edinburgh. |
37,164,407 | His side top Group M with 11 points and have already qualified for Gabon 2017.
The Belgian coach is looking to extend the Indomitable Lions' good run against bottom-of-the-group Gambia on 3 September and against the Nations Cup hosts three days later.
"I want to win, I like victory," Broos said.
"We are already in a comfortable position because the big work has been done.
"This gives me an opportunity to use players who have not played much before and experiment with new players."
Regular starters such as Nicolas Nkoulou, Eyong Enoh, Zoua Jacques, Aurelien Chedjou and Stephane Mbia will be absent for the September games and Broos explained that he called each player to explain that they would not be needed.
Among the players in line for their first cap is Robert Ndip Tambe of Slovak Super Liga side Spartak Trnava, who has played 15 league games and scored three goals so far this season.
"We are always on the look-out to find new and good players and build a new team, for now and next year," Broos said.
"We saw Ndip Tambe at his club. He scored four goals in five games and it was very interesting. I want to see him here.
"We also called up four local players because of their qualities. Maybe after the game I can conclude my standards are very high and we will have a good team."
The locally-based players in the 23-man squad include Moise Pouaty and Olivier Mbaizo of Union de Douala, Aaron Mbimbe of Coton Sport Garoua and Franck Boya of Apejes de Mfou.
Broos emphasised the need for victory against Gambia in Limbe, particularly to appease fans, after results like the 2-2 draw at home to South Africa in March.
The 63-year-old also wants to improve Cameroon's standing in the Fifa rankings and upcoming finals draws.
"I was surprise and disappointed to see Cameroon in the third pot [for the World Cup qualifiers]," he said.
"Cameroon is not a country to be in the third pot, but rather in the first."
Another player included in the squad, goalkeeper Andre Onana, made his debut for Dutch giants Ajax, as they lost 2-1 to Willem II on Saturday.
Cameroon squad:
Goalkeepers: Fabrice Ondoa (FC Seville), Andre Onana (Ajax Amsterdam), Moise Pouaty (Union de Douala)
Defenders: Ambroise Bitolo Oyongo (Montreal Impact), Mohamed Dhettei, (Gymnastic Taragone), Ngadeau Ngadjui (Slavia Prague), Mbimbe Aaron (Coton Sport Garoua), Mbaizo Olivier (Union de Douala), Teikeu Adolphe (Sochaux), Ngwem Jonathan (Progresso de Luanda), Nyom Alan (Watford)
Midfielders: Kom Franck (karlsruhe), Siani Sebastien (KV Oostende), Tchiani Tony (Colombus Crew), Djoum Arnaud (hearts), Boya Franck (Apejes de Mfou), Salli Edgar (FC Nuremberg)
Forwards: Moukandjo Benjamin (FC Lorient), Njie Clinton (Tottenham Hotspur), Choupo Moting (FC Schalke 04), Ndip Tambe (Spartak Trnava), Abang Anatole (BK Avarta), Toko Karl (Angers) | Cameroon coach Hugo Broos says he will combine experimentation with a need to win in his side's final Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Gambia. |
32,499,619 | Thomas Laird, 38, carried out the "horrifying offences" at addresses in Glasgow, Dunbartonshire and Lanarkshire over an 18-year period.
Temporary judge Michael O'Grady QC said Laird would be eligible for parole after serving five years.
However, the judge said he would only be released when he was no longer considered a risk to public safety.
He added: "It is clear that you are a clever, manipulative and exploitative individual who has spent many years abusing vulnerable women."
Laird was convicted at the High Court in Glasgow last year.
He attacked one of his victims in a house in Airdrie and raped another woman in nearby Coatbridge.
Sentence had been deferred for the court to obtain reports about Laird's character. | A man who raped three women and threatened to rape a fourth has been given a lifelong restriction order. |
40,302,131 | Ond i nodi Sul y Tadau, mae Cymru Fyw yn dathlu tadau Cymru gyda detholiad o ddyfyniadau gan dadau a'u plant o'n cyfres o erthyglau teuluol dan y teitl Yr Ifanc a Ŵyr.
Y tad:
"Dwi wedi trio magu fy mhlant i fod yn pwy bynnag maen nhw eisiau bod a ddim yn adlewyrchiad o'r hyn ydw i neu Anya. Dwi'n gredwr cryf yn hynny.
"Fe fyddai wastad yn dweud mai tair 'C' rydych chi ei angen i fagu plant - eu Cael nhw, eu Caru nhw a - hyn sy'n bwysig - eu Cefnogi nhw. Mae bywyd yn rhoi cyfle ichi ddarganfod pwy rydych chi eisiau bod ac mae'n bwysig cymryd y cyfle."
Y mab:
"Dydi o erioed wedi bod yn siomedig ynddon ni fel plant. Dyna un peth amdano fo, mae o'n un o'n ffans mwya' ni ac yn berson cefnogol ofnadwy.
"Dwi'n mwynhau cael paned ac eistedd i lawr a sgwrsio efo fo, mae'n 'neud i fi chwerthin - dwi'n licio hongian allan efo fo, mae'n foi ffyni!"
Y tad:
"Un o'r pethau wna'i byth ddod drosto yn iawn oedd ei siom ynof fi wedi imi orfod cyfaddef nad oeddwn wedi bod yn hollol strêt efo hi am fodolaeth Siôn Corn, a hithau wedi bod yn rhedeg ymgyrch yn erbyn yr anghredinwyr yn Ysgol y Gelli, Caernarfon.
"Er ei bod hi wedi symud i ffwrdd, dwi'n teimlo ein bod ni'n dal yr un mor agos os nad yn agosach at ein gilydd.
"Dwi'n falch iawn ohoni ac o bopeth mae hi wedi'i gyflawni, ac yn falch iawn ein bod ni'n ffrindiau da yn ogystal â thad a merch."
Y ferch:
"Dydi perthynas Dad a fi heb newid lot dros y blynyddoedd. 'Da ni unai'n ffraeo fel brawd a chwaer neu'n cael lot o hwyl.
"Mae'n rhaid i mi gyfaddef, do'n i ddim yn teenager oedd yn neis iawn efo'i rhieni. Dechreuodd Dad fy ngalw'n Mari Enfield ar ôl y cymeriad afiach o sulky hwnnw gan Harry Enfield - Kevin.
"Dwi'n cofio gwylltio Dad gymaint unwaith 'nath o ddechra' rhedeg ar fy ôl i fyny'r grisia; yn lwcus i fi, dydi o ddim yn ffit iawn!
"Mae o wastad wedi pwysleisio pa mor bwysig ydy bod yn chi'ch hun, a mae honno wedi bod yn wers werthfawr iawn."
Y tad:
"Buom yn eithriadol ffodus mewn tri phlentyn, a Dylan yw'r un canol.
"Un o'i wendidau mawr yw ei deyrngarwch unllygeidiog i Fanceinion Unedig, a hynny o'i blentyndod.
"Un tro aethom â'r tri, a Dylan tua'r pump oed, i weld mannau hanesyddol Môn. O fewn i eglwys Penmynydd, yn pwyso ar wal ger yr allor, yr oedd baner ac arni'r llythrennau MU yn fawr. Ni ddeallodd Dylan mai baner y Mother's Union oedd hon. Dim ond un MU oedd ar ei feddwl, a mynegodd ei lawenydd ar unwaith fod saint Penmynydd yn gefnogwyr Man U."
Y mab:
"Pan fyddem yn mynd ar deithiau hir yn y car, draw i Blas yn Rhos i weld Taid a Nain, neu i Gastellnewydd Emlyn i weld Datcu a Mamgu, yr hyn oedd yn byrhau'r daith i dri phlentyn ifanc oedd straeon Dat.
"Roedden nhw'n llawn dychymyg, ac yn para digon i'n cadw'n llawn cyffro o Gaernarfon i Synod Inn neu o Fethesda i Gorwen.
"Mae'n siŵr fod cariad at eiriau wedi dechrau datblygu yn ystod y teithiau hynny,"
Y tad:
"Mae lot o rieni yn ceisio chwarae eu bywydau chwaraeon drwy eu plant ond oedd dim eisiau imi wneud 'na achos o'n i 'di cael digon o lwyddiant fy hunan.
"Ond mae'r ffaith fod y ddau grwt wedi gwneud yn dda yn rhoi pleser mawr imi er nad oedd yn unrhyw fath o darged. Rwy' jyst yn hapus eu bod nhw'n mwynhau, yn gwneud yn dda ac yn cadw i ddysgu.
"Os rwbeth roedd gen i fwy o falchder pan enillodd Lloyd ei gap cynta' na phan ges i fy nghap cynta'. Mae llwyddiant eich plant yn bwysicach na'ch llwyddiant chi'ch hunan..."
Y mab:
"'Nath Dad ddim gwthio ni mewn i rygbi o gwbl.
"Ro'n i tua 17 oed pan nes i sylweddoli beth oedd Dad wedi ei wneud gyda'i yrfa achos pan o'n i'n tyfu lan o'n i jyst yn edrych lan ato fe fel unrhyw blentyn arall.
"Dyna pryd nes i ddechre fod eisiau mynd ymlaen gyda rygbi a dyna pryd nes i ddechre gofyn cwestiynau i Dad am ei yrfa a dysgu mwy.
"Wy'n cofio Dad yn smyglo ni mewn i'r stadiwm weithiau a falle bod ni'n ca'l e mewn i bach o drwbl ar y pryd! Ond fi'n credu bod e wedi bod yn rhywbeth pwysig iawn i fi a Tom [y brawd]."
Y tad:
"'Toes 'na fawr o chwarae pêl-droed yn perthyn imi ond roedd gen i ddiddordeb mewn gweld y plant wrthi... roeddan ni'n mynd o gwmpas efo nhw ar ddydd Sadwrn yn y fan i wahanol lefydd ar ddechrau'r gynghrair iau sydd wedi tyfu yn Sir Fôn erbyn hyn.
"Roeddan ni'n odiaeth o falch yn yr Euros.
"Dwi'n meddwl mai be' oedd wedi rhoi'r balchder mwyaf oedd ein bod ni wedi cael clywed cymaint o Gymraeg yno."
Y mab:
"Roedd o'n gweithio'n galed - rhaid i rywun motivatio ei hun pan mae'n gweithio iddo fo'i hun ac mae'n siŵr mai ei gymhelliant mwyaf oedd rhoi bwyd ar y bwrdd, mor sylfaenol â hynny.
"Dwi wedi cael ambell i sgwrs efo Dad ynglŷn â'r tebygrwydd rhwng sgiliau hyfforddi a llefaru.
"Yn lle dweud 'dyma sut dwi isho i chdi ddweud y frawddeg yma' roedd WH a Dad yn trio ei dynnu allan ohona i. Roedd o'n fwy am gyfleu'r teimlad - 'dyma be' rwyt ti'n ei deimlo, dyma be' ydan ni'n drio'i dd'eud, sut fysa chdi'n ei dd'eud o?'
"Mae hynny'n union 'run fath a be' dwi'n ei wneud mewn pêl-droed." | Dydi hi ddim yn job hawdd, does neb yn rhoi llawlyfr na disgrifiad swydd ichi cyn ei gwneud ac yn aml iawn mae'r mamau yn cael mwy o glod. |
39,751,082 | Isaiah Wright-Young, 37, was one of two men who opened fire on a Seat Ibiza that Kenichi Phillips was sitting in on St Marks Crescent, Birmingham, last year, police said.
Wright-Young was convicted of murder and is to serve a minimum of 33 years.
In November, Disharn Downie, 18, was jailed and will serve a minimum of 21 years.
Dean Silvera, 37, was jailed for seven-and-a-half years after being convicted of assisting an offender.
Mr Phillips, a passenger in the car, was struck in the jaw and neck in March last year, the West Midlands force said.
It said two others in the car escaped uninjured. Mr Phillips got out through the driver's door, but collapsed in a nearby alleyway and died.
Wright-Young, of no fixed abode, was convicted of murder, attempted murder and two counts of possessing firearm with intent to endanger life at Birmingham Crown Court.
Det Insp Jim Munro, who led the investigation, said it was "only through luck alone that others weren't seriously hurt".
He said: "Two men armed with guns firing shots in the early evening when there were people, including children, out and about who could easily have been caught up in this."
Downie, who was 17 at the time of the death, was found guilty of murder, attempted murder, two charges of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life and a separate offence of robbery after a trial.
Silvera, of Dial Close, Druids Heath, Birmingham, was convicted of assisting an offender but cleared of murder, attempted murder, attempting grievous bodily harm and two counts of possession of a gun. | A man has been jailed for life after the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old man who was sitting in a parked car. |
32,955,451 | Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service said the lamb became "distressed" when it fell through a 4in (10cm) gap between boulders on Rough Tor near Bodmin.
Firefighters managed to help rescue the lamb by digging a hole in the soil below to gain access to the animal.
A spokesman said the farmer "managed to manipulate the lamb backwards out from between the boulders".
The lamb was found to be in good health and was released back onto the moor to join its mother.
The fire service was called out to the incident shortly after 12.30 BST on Sunday. | A lamb became trapped in a tiny gap between boulders at a moorland beauty spot. |
40,173,741 | Cambridge United supporter Simon Dobbin has been unable to walk or talk since the attack in Southend in March 2015.
Basildon Crown Court heard the group of Southend United fans wanted to attack any Cambridge supporters in "revenge" for an earlier fight.
The men deny charges of conspiracy to commit violent disorder.
More on this and other news from Suffolk
Andrew Jackson, prosecuting, said Mr Dobbin was with a group of Cambridge fans who had stayed for a post-match drink in the Blue Boar pub after a 0-0 draw with Southend.
The court was told the defendants scouted out potential targets and attacked them as they walked past The Railway on their way to Prittlewell station.
"It was a carefully prepared ambush," Mr Jackson told the court.
He described it as a "ferocious attack" which lasted up to 90 seconds, and said bottles and glasses were thrown.
"Simon Dobbin was hit and stamped upon repeatedly and he sustained massive brain injuries as a result of it," he added.
"None of these defendants had any interest that day in enjoying watching a football match.
"Their only interest lay in causing terrible and frightening violence."
Thirteen Essex men deny conspiracy to commit violent disorder.
All except Mr Young are also charged with violent disorder.
All 12 men deny the second charge, except Pullen who has pleaded guilty.
Mr Young also faces a charge of assisting an offender by hiding the group while police were conducting a search.
The case continues. | A gang of 12 men attacked a football fan in a "carefully prepared ambush" which left him with permanent brain damage, a court has heard. |
41,045,559 | Mr Bobridge, 28, was arrested in Perth on Wednesday on five charges of selling and supplying MDMA, including two of a trafficable quantity, police said.
He was granted bail on Thursday and will face court again next month.
Mr Bobridge retired from cycling last year because of rheumatoid arthritis after a career filled with accolades.
He was arrested after police raided his home and gym in separate suburbs of Perth.
It followed a long-running investigation into the alleged dealing of illicit drugs in licensed venues around the city.
Police said they had charged 61 people and seized about A$1m (£600,000; $800,000) in drugs as part of their operation since June.
The drugs included MDMA, crystal methamphetamine, cocaine and cannabis.
Mr Bobridge competed in three Olympic Games, winning silver medals in the team pursuit in both 2012 and 2016.
He also won four Commonwealth Games gold medals, three track world titles, and broke the world record for the 4km individual pursuit in 2011. | A two-time Olympic medal-winning cyclist, Jack Bobridge, has been accused of dealing drugs in his native Australia. |
37,666,662 | Cavendish is aiming to become the first Briton to win more than one world road race crown.
Welshman Thomas helped the 31-year-old win his 2011 title and he hopes he can repeat the feat in Doha on Sunday.
"As a team we're strong. It's good having Mark in the team - if he wasn't here I doubt I would be," said Thomas.
"It's certainly been a long season - which started in January down under [in the Australian National Road Cycling Championship].
"I've felt better on the bike and with Cav [Cavendish] in the team it was always a target to come here as best as I could."
The 257.3km men's race takes place on Sunday, with Cavendish aiming for a second rainbow jersey.
No British man has won more than one world road race title - Cavendish's victory in 2011 and Tom Simpson's in 1965 are the only successes to date.
Slovakia's Peter Sagan will attempt to defend the men's title, while Cavendish faces competition from fellow sprinters Andre Greipel, Marcel Kittel and John Degenkolb, who will all compete for Germany.
Adam Blythe, Steve Cummings, Dan McLay, Luke Rowe, Ian Stannard, Ben Swift, and Scott Thwaites complete the GB men's team.
In the women's race on Saturday, Britain's Lizzie Deignan says the race is "anybody's" as she bids to defend the title she won last year.
It was announced on Wednesday that Britain would host the World Championship for the first time in 37 years after Yorkshire was awarded the 2019 event.
Thomas rode for Team Sky when the county hosted the opening stage of the Tour de France in 2014, and he would enjoy the chance to return there in three years.
"That would be awesome - I would have to change my programme," he added.
"The atmosphere will be incredible. The Tour [de France] was just immense there - it was like being in a nightclub for five hours your ears were ringing afterwards." | Geraint Thomas says his inspiration for being part of Great Britain's World Championship road race team is Mark Cavendish's bid for a second title. |
36,731,593 | A statement from the US Treasury named Mr Kim as directly responsible for violations in his country.
Ten other top North Korean officials have also been blacklisted. There has been no response yet from the North Korean government.
The measures freeze any property the individuals have in the US and prevent US citizens doing business with them.
North Korea is already under an extensive sanctions regime for its nuclear activities but analysts see the latest move as an escalation of US efforts to isolate the nation.
"Under Kim Jong-un, North Korea continues to inflict intolerable cruelty and hardship on millions of its own people, including extrajudicial killings, forced labour, and torture," the Treasury statement said.
The sanctions were announced to coincide with a State Department report documenting abuses in North Korea.
It estimates that between 80,000 and 120,000 prisoners are being held in North Korean prison camps where torture, sexual assault and executions are routine.
State Department spokesman John Kirby admitted the sanctions were unlikely to deter Mr Kim.
"But that doesn't mean this still isn't the right thing to do and it doesn't mean that it still isn't the right thing for us to continue to pursue," he added.
The US has imposed sanctions against other heads of state before, including Syria's Bashar al-Assad and former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. | The US has sanctioned North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for the first time, accusing him of human rights abuses. |
27,437,770 | The front and back of the phone is constructed using 3D printing techniques and can be customised.
Other companies have designed Braille phones in the past, but OwnFone says its device is the first of its kind to go on sale.
For those who can't read Braille, the company can print raised text on the keypad.
The phone, currently only available in the UK, retails for £60 and according to its inventor Tom Sunderland, 3D printing the front and back of the device helped to keep the costs down.
"3D printing... provides a fast and cost-effective way to create personalised Braille buttons," he says.
The device is designed to provide an instant connection between blind users and their friends and family.
In 2012, OwnFone launched what was one of the world's first partially 3D printed phones.
A year later, the company developed a special child-friendly version called 1stFone, a credit-card sized device with programmable buttons for crucial contacts.
OwnFone's new Braille phone is based on these previous two devices, keeping its small form factor and colourful design.
"The phone can be personalised with two or four Braille buttons which are pre-programmed to call friends, family, carers or the emergency services," Mr Sunderland told the BBC.
"This is the first phone to have a 3D printed keypad and for people that can't read Braille, we can print texture and raised text on the phone. Our 3D phone printing process is patent pending."
Those who wish to buy the phone can create a custom design on the company's website.
However, at £60 it's the most expensive of the three available options, with their previous models selling for £40 and £50.
While this may be the first Braille phone available to consumers, the idea is not an original one.
India-based start-up Kriyate built a prototype Braille-enabled smartphone in 2013, featuring a repressible Braille display and feedback controls (known as haptic touch) that beep or vibrate after receiving certain commands.
Some visually impaired users of mobile phones may not see the need for this device however, with features such as Apple's VoiceOver becoming more sophisticated.
VoiceOver is a "screenreader" that allows users to navigate their phone using gesture-based controls.
There are also a number of apps on both the Apple Store and Google Play that allow for an easier reading experience for the visually impaired. | London-based firm OwnFone has released what it says is the world's first Braille phone. |
39,200,181 | Edna Atherton was 88 when she fell from the platform suffering broken ribs and a cut head at Birkenhead's Hamilton Square station in July 2015.
She had tried to board by holding on to the doors when a warning alarm sounded, the jury was told on Tuesday.
Martin Zee denies being responsible for her injuries at Liverpool Crown Court.
The 33-year-old, of Coronation Road, Runcorn, Cheshire pleaded not guilty to a charge of endangering the safety of railway passengers by wilful omission or neglect.
The jury was shown CCTV footage of the moment the train arrived at the station.
It showed Mr Zee leaving the back of the train and walking to the wall of the platform to check all the passengers had got off and on the carriages.
After Mr Zee pushed the button to close the doors, two women can be seen trying to board the front of the train - as the doors were reopened and closed, one of them fell between the train and the platform.
Prosecuting, Rebecca Smith said Mr Zee had not followed all the steps of Merseyrail's door closure safety procedure.
Defence barrister Neil Fitzgibbon told the jury Mr Zee had not seen Ms Atherton because of "blind spots" on the platform and CCTV monitors.
He told the court it had simply been "a terrible accident".
Mr Zee's defence told the court on Wednesday that he did not see Mrs Atherton as he had to turn away from a monitor to close the doors behind another passenger who had arrived just before her.
When Mrs Atherton fell, the guard ran to help and made sure the electric current was off on the track, the court heard.
The case continues. | An elderly woman fell on to a railway track after a guard failed to check all passengers had boarded safely before closing the doors, a court has heard. |
36,528,947 | Evans, 53, agreed personal terms but a statement on the Latics' website said he would not sign a contract as he has "other offers in the pipeline".
The Scot left Leeds in May after seven months in charge, and has previously had stints in charge at Rotherham, Crawley and Boston United.
Oldham finished 17th in League One last term, eight points clear of relegation.
Whoever takes charge at SportsDirect.com Park will become Oldham's seventh full-time manager in the past six years, a period which has often seen the club fighting relegation.
Oldham had a winding-up petition brought by HM Revenue & Customs dismissed on Monday, but they did have problems with paying their players last season.
The Latics will spend a 20th year in the third tier next term and have not finished in the top half of the table since 2009. | Former Leeds United boss Steve Evans has rejected an offer to become the new manager of Oldham Athletic. |
35,926,110 | After losing 1-0 at home to relegation-threatened Colchester on Tuesday night, City are now eight points off the top six with just seven games left.
Mowbray is not happy with a goal total of only four in their last eight games.
"We want to get out of this division, but it doesn't look like it's going to be this year," 52-year-old Mowbray told BBC Coventry and Warwickshire.
"It's because of our inability to score goals at the moment, but we've got a lot of pride and we'll keep going."
Coventry made a strong start to the season and were top of the table at the end of November, but results have dropped away and a record of only three wins so far in 2016 has left City with an uphill battle to regain a top-six spot.
"It's frustrating and disappointing because it feels like it's petering out," added Mowbray. "The next two games against Gillingham and Wigan will have a spark about them and, if we don't have an edge we'll get found out. We haven't enough goals. One's never enough. If you don't score, obviously you're not going to win."
The Sky Blues should have 19-goal top scorer Adam Armstrong available for Saturday's tip to Gillingham after a two-game absence because of England Under-19 duty - but he is without a goal for the Sky Blues in six matches. | Coventry boss Tony Mowbray says their goal shortage may have ended hopes of reaching the League One play-offs. |
25,964,991 | The Inspectorate of Constabulary, which compiled data from across all 43 police forces, revealed large variations in recorded rapes that are then dismissed.
Lincolnshire has the highest proportion of alleged rape cases that go on to be dropped, with 33% dismissed.
By contrast, the "no crime" rate in Cumbria stands at 3%.
The Inspectorate of Constabulary, which is an independent overseer of police, said the figures - for the 12 months to the end of March 2013 - indicated how different police forces were responding to rape.
The number of recorded rapes of both adults and children has risen steadily since 2008.
By Danny ShawHome affairs correspondent, BBC News
At a time when crime figures are under intense scrutiny over claims they've been fiddled or manipulated to meet performance targets, these statistics will spark fresh concerns about the way rape allegations are logged and classified.
Although the data must be treated with caution - because of the small number of offences in some constabularies - police and crime commissioners, victims groups and ministers will be searching for explanations for some of the huge disparities.
How can it be that Lincolnshire police chalked off one-third of rapes reported to them - a proportion that's been steadily rising - while police concluded that "no crime" had been committed in only three in every 100 in Cumbria?
What's behind the large variation in detection rates between forces - from six to 32%? And is confidence among victims in the way they'll be treated the reason why the number of recorded rape allegations appears to be so inconsistent?
In the 12 months to March 2013, there were about 10,000 recorded rapes of adults in England and Wales, and 6,000 recorded rapes of children, up from about 6,000 and 5,000 respectively in 2008/09.
The average is 22 rapes recorded per 100,000 adults.
The highest number of recorded adult rapes - 34.8 per 100,000 adult population - was in Northamptonshire. By contrast, the lowest figure was 9.8 per 100,000 adults in Durham.
The highest recorded child rape rate was 106 per 100,000 in Humberside. Hertfordshire had the lowest at 28, against an average for England and Wales of 59.5 per 100,000.
Despite being the force that recorded the lowest number of adult rapes, the data revealed Durham Police had highest "sanction detection rate". The number of rapes recorded by the force that ended in a caution or charge was at 32%, compared with an average of 18%.
Meanwhile, the data also showed that Lincolnshire Police had the highest rate - 33% - of offences initially recorded as a rape but later declassified. Elsewhere, only 3% of rapes reported to police in Cumbria were "no-crimed" - the lowest of any force.
Lincolnshire also declassified 19% of reported child rapes, compared to the national average of 5%.
The inspectorate said there may be a "culture of disbelief" in some forces where recorded rapes were very low.
But it warned that the numbers did not tell the full story. A higher figure for recorded rapes did not necessarily mean that more rapes were being committed and a lower figure fewer.
It said: "Increases in the number of rapes being recorded may mean that victims feel more confident in reporting what happened to them; or decreases may mean that victims are losing confidence in the authorities to treat them sensitively."
Inspector of Constabulary Dru Sharpling said there may be a range of explanations for regional variations in recorded rapes but that questions over victims being disbelieved had to be raised.
Policing practice developer Helen Hopwood said the figures highlighted "inconsistencies between forces about the outcome of rape investigations".
"This must be tackled," she said.
Victim support groups said victims of rape needed to know they would be taken seriously and treated sensitively by police.
Liz Kelly, chairwoman of the End Violence Against Women coalition, said the variation in figures revealed a "culture of scepticism remains in some police forces".
"This is not a surprise to us. Our member organisations know how deep disbelief and victim-blaming goes in institutions and communities.
"But the police play a critical role in enabling rape survivors to access justice, so these disparities and attitudes must be urgently tackled."
Katie Russell, of Rape Crisis England and Wales, also said the figures were not "shocking or new" but reinforced the findings of a report produced by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) in 2012.
The HMIC report highlighted disparities in the ways sexual offences were investigated by different police forces.
Ms Russell said the figures seemed to "suggest there has been little change or improvement in practice" since then.
She added: "We really want to see a thorough investigation in to these statistics, we want to see police and crime commissioners and chief inspectors across the forces take them very seriously and see what can be done to improve the consistency and quality of police practice when it comes to recording and investigating these incredibly serious sexual crimes."
Some campaigners also argue it is more important to measure the number of rape convictions than recorded rapes. | New figures show up to one third of rape investigations in some police forces in England and Wales are later dropped. |
21,831,685 | The event starred comedian Stewart Lee and Turner Prize-winning artist Martin Creed.
It was hosted by BBC Arts Editor, Will Gompertz, who explained on the Today programme how influential Duchamp's art has been on today's contemporary artists:
"Duchamp's idea that anything can be art still dominates artistic practice today, 45 years after he died".
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Monday 18 March 2013. | On Wednesday 13 March, the Barbican Centre in London presented a cabaret night, inspired by the art of Marcel Duchamp. |
36,102,270 | The art school is in talks to purchase the former Stow College building in nearby West Campbell Street.
The heart of the expanded campus will be the refurbished Mackintosh building, which was damaged by fire in 2014.
A £20m fundraising drive to restore the Mackintosh has raised £17m. That target will now be increased to £32m to cover the restoration and campus expansion.
GSA director Prof Tom Inns said: "Over the last 10 years the GSA has undertaken phased developments of the campus in Garnethill, refurbishing some buildings, replacing others that were no longer fit for purpose and constructing the Reid Building.
"The Mackintosh building fire required the school to pause and reconsider, but we are now moving forward to create a newly extended campus with the restored Mackintosh building at its heart."
Prof Inns said the aimed for acquisition of the former Stow College site was "a fundamental element of our new estate development strategy".
"It will mean that the GSA can bring together all pathways in the School of Fine Art in one specially-adapted building for first time in over 50 years," he said.
"It will also mean we can create the space to support collaboration across our disciplines as well as with other academic, third-sector and industry partners."
Prof Inns added: "This next phase of our campus development will help us achieve our academic aspiration to become a global leader in studio-based learning and research, provide the space to accommodate a 25% increase in our student numbers by 2018, and importantly provide the GSA with space for future growth."
GSA hopes to complete the purchase of the former Stow College site in the next few weeks.
If this goes ahead, refurbishment works will begin in the summer, with the School of Fine Art moving into the building from autumn 2017.
A main contractor will be appointed in June to begin work on refurbishment of the Mackintosh building with the aim of having access in the 2018/19 academic year.
The iconic Grade A-listed art nouveau Mackintosh building was badly damaged by fire on 23 May 2014.
An investigation by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service concluded the blaze was caused by flammable gases from a canister of expanding foam.
The report said the gases ignited as they came into contact with the hot surface of a projector. | Glasgow School of Art (GSA) has announced plans for a major expansion of its city centre Garnethill campus. |
39,217,924 | Media playback is not supported on this device
Not because he fears Joe Schmidt's side or the public fury Wales might face if they lose a third consecutive game - but because he has to sing a song afterwards.
Tipuric becomes the 42nd Wales player to make 50 appearances on Friday - a feat that requires not only that you play a game of rugby but also belt-out a favourite tune in front of your team-mates afterwards.
"I'm going to try and run off and not sing, that's my plan," said the 27-year-old Osprey.
"I've got a dreadful voice and there's only one song I really know and that's My Girl from the Temptations.
"And I only know that from when I was with Trebanos Youth - that was the song I had to sing when we were on tour so unfortunately I'm going to have to sing that."
It's a testimony to Wales' back-row talents and the modern trend for second-half replacements that this Wales team has two open-side flankers of a similar age each with more than a half century of appearances to their name.
When he takes the field under the closed roof in Cardiff on Friday it will be Tipuric's 24th start - the other 26 appearances coming as understudy to long-time skipper Sam Warburton.
His career is likely to be as defined by the fateful overlap with the 2013 British and Irish Lions captain as it is for the superb running and ball-handling skills Tipuric brings to the party and earned him one Test appearance on that tour.
Tipuric has finally made the open-side spot his own in this tournament with now former captain impressing in the number six shirt.
And there is not a hint of bitterness as he describes the experience of spending so much time on the bench.
"Never give up is the one thing you take from it," he says.
"It's always tough bring on the bench, it's a hard thing to do to come off the bench and try and add something to the game is tough.
"The back-row competition is great and fair-do to Sam and Ross [Moriarty] everyone is going well about their business."
Media playback is not supported on this device
Tipuric expects Ireland to be a serious challenge to Welsh hopes of redeeming a difficult campaign.
"They are a great team," he says.
"There's not many teams that have beaten the All Blacks and they have done that.
"They are big, they're hairy and they're strong and especially their back row and it's going to be a tough test.
"So we know what to expect and we'll be battered and bruised after playing against Ireland."
There could be easier matches to earn your 50th cap, but Tipuric is relishing the Irish challenge after the disappointing losses to England and Scotland.
"Nobody likes losing in life and in general and if you're playing for your country it is tough," he said.
"As passionate as we are and the fans are, you just want to get back out there straight away and get stuck-in really.
"And maybe we can have that bit of composure and that bit of detail that will go a long way to help us win the game."
So apart from beating Ireland and avoiding singing a song, what are Tipuric's ambitions?
Well, becoming the most-capped player from his home village in the Swansea Valley is one.
Tipuric will be the second player from Trebanos to pass the 50 cap mark, following Lions scrum-half Robert Jones who made 54 Wales appearances.
The village also produced 1988 Triple Crown captain Bleddyn Bowen and former England fast bowler Greg Thomas but it's Jones that Tipuric has in his sights.
"How many has he got? I've got to try and overtake him now and try and get one on him," he chuckled
"He's a good guy so it would be nice."
And it would be something to sing about in Trebanos rugby club after the game. | Wales flanker Justin Tipuric admits he is apprehensive before Friday's Six Nations match with Ireland in Cardiff. |
21,260,072 | Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who is actively campaigning for re-election in next month's general election, set off a chorus of outrage this week.
He suggested, while attending a Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony in Milan, that the Duce had not been as entirely bad as the history books made out. In fact he had done some "good things".
Mr Berlusconi said that the racial laws, which led to 8,000 Italian Jews being herded off to death camps, were Mussolini's "worst mistake".
Mr Berlusconi was even rebuked by Italy's head of state, President Giorgio Napolitano, who said that democratic Italy knew that Fascism was an "aberration".
The canny media magnate was immediately accused of courting extreme right-wing support for his proposed new People of Freedom party coalition in the run-up to the election on 24-25 February.
He later backtracked, but his tactless remarks - and his even more tactless conduct in dozing off during part of the ceremony - recalled another occasion a decade ago when he appeared to praise Mussolini by claiming that the Fascist dictator had "never killed anybody".
In Germany de-Nazification was actively and officially pursued for years after the end of World War II. Chancellor Angel Merkel said this week that Germany's responsibility for the Holocaust was "everlasting". But in Italy, Fascism was never rooted out with the same enthusiasm.
True, the new Italian republic which succeeded two decades of Fascist rule made it a crime to attempt to revive Mussolini's Fascist party.
But for decades after the war, the right-wing MSI (Italian Social Movement) led by Giorgio Almirante was represented in parliament and managed to keep alive many Fascist ideals while avoiding prosecution under this law. "If being a gentleman means that I am a Fascist," he once told the BBC, "then I am a Fascist."
The distinguished Italian historian of Fascism Emilio Gentile has written that Mussolini raised his political ideology to the status of a religious cult.
Mussolini's grand-daughter Alessandra is still active in politics. She founded a right-wing movement of her own and latterly has been supporting Mr Berlusconi's Freedom Party coalition.
Shouting, she stalked out of a TV political debate this week because a leftist journalist had, in her opinion, insulted the memory of her grandfather.
Italy's political ambivalence over its Fascist heritage has been mirrored in the arts.
The 1920s and 1930s were a period of considerable artistic and architectural endeavour and achievement, encouraged by the Mussolini regime, but political taboos have tended to hinder serious attempts to re-examine the art of the Fascist periods - until now.
This winter, an exhibition at the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence of paintings and sculpture from the 1930s entitled The Arts in Italy Beyond Fascism has attracted large numbers of visitors.
Apart from works of important Italian painters of the period who also circulated in Paris and Berlin, the exhibition included a large composite of four monumental nudes by Hitler's favourite artist, Adolf Ziegler. This was one of the most reproduced works of modern art in Nazi Germany.
The curators of the Palazzo Strozzi exhibition - under the direction of a Canadian art historian who heads the museum - invited visitors to "explore the decade without prejudice", breaking political and intellectual taboos which have endured since Mussolini's ignominious end in Milan in 1945. | The ghost of Benito Mussolini, Italy's 20th Century Fascist dictator and Duce, dead and gone now for almost 70 years, is still stalking the country's politics. |
38,791,752 | For those who don't remember, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, President George W Bush publicly praised his emergency management head, Michael Brown, for doing a "heckuva job" with recovery efforts.
That comment was hung around the president's neck like an anvil, as flood waters swamped parts of New Orleans and the city descended into chaos. It started a public approval downward spiral that led to sweeping Democratic victories in the 2006 mid-term elections.
History will judge the long-term impact of Mr Trump's Friday afternoon immigration order, but his early praise for its implementation will not easily be forgotten.
"It's working out very nicely," Mr Trump said in a brief response to a question on Saturday afternoon. "You see it in the airports, you see it all over. It's working out very nicely, and we are going to have a very, very strict ban, and we are going to have extreme vetting, which we should have had in this country for many years."
On the ground at major US airports, things weren't going quite so nicely, however. Immigration officials were having a difficult time implementing Mr Trump's order after receiving conflicting instructions on who to bar from entry into the US - and what to do with them once they were held. And as the day progressed, and word spread of the detentions, crowds of protesters at international terminals grew from dozens to hundreds to thousands.
While on the campaign trail, it was easy for Mr Trump to roundly decry the US immigration system as broken and make a general call for bans and moratoriums. As president, however, his team has had to fill in the details - and it seems they faced some difficulty translating his pre-election rhetoric into policy.
Mr Trump's Friday afternoon executive order reportedly was crafted without consulting legal aides and enacted over the objection of homeland security officials, who balked at including permanent US residents in the ban.
This made for an awkward scene Saturday night at a New York courthouse, where government attorneys had to defend measures that were creating chaos at airports across the nation.
"I think the government hasn't had a full chance to think about this," said federal judge Ann Donnelly, as she ruled that individuals with valid paperwork on US soil couldn't be deported.
Her temporary ruling - and those like it in other courts - are only the opening salvo in what will likely be a protracted legal battle. Trump administration lawyers will surely be better prepared in future hearings. The orders could be re-instated following full trials on the merits, and no judge has yet to rule on the fate of individuals who hold valid US visas and are still on foreign soil.
In the meantime, however, this has proven to be an embarrassing episode in what looks like a not-ready-for-primetime White House.
A handful of Republicans in Congress have come out with varying levels of objection to the programme, and although the Republican leadership is playing along for the moment, that could change quickly if the political heat increases. The president may have broad powers in setting immigration policy, but Congress can pass legislation that overrules him at any time.
Meanwhile, Democrats are scrambling to take advantage of the political opportunity.
"History will judge where America's leaders stood today," Democratic Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois said. It was a warning some of his party's 2020 presidential contenders seemed to take to heart.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered airport trains to resume service to JFK Airport, after transit officials had suspended service to prevent protesters from continuing to flood in. Senator Elizabeth Warren spoke to crowds at Boston's Logan Airport, as did Senator Cory Booker at Dulles near Washington, DC.
All three are considered near the top of the Democratic presidential field.
2020 is a long way off, of course. Of more pressing concern is where the Trump administration goes from here.
On Sunday morning, press secretary Sean Spicer, chief of staff Reince Preibus and top aide Kellyanne Conway took to the airwaves to defend the White House policy and explain its implementation.
Mr Trump himself fired back on Twitter - although only after first taking a swipe at the "failing" New York Times for the second day in a row.
"Our country needs strong borders and extreme vetting, NOW," he tweeted. "Look what is happening all over Europe and, indeed, the world - a horrible mess!"
While championing US security is usually a winning issue, protracted detention of children and the elderly at airport checkpoints is "bad optics", as they say. Watching a five-year-old re-united with his mother and 70-year-olds facing indefinite detention puts a human face on Mr Trump's immigration programme - and the results aren't flattering for the White House.
During the presidential primary, a majority of Republican voters backed Mr Trump's calls for a sweeping ban on Muslims entering the US, so the president's core support may hold firm after this weekend's events. The views in the American heartland, far removed from major international airports, sometimes differ greatly from the liberal bastions on the coast.
At best, however, this is an unnecessary distraction for the White House, calling its organisational ability into question. At worst - if the majority of the nation turns on the president - Mr Trump may find his power and influence starting to ebb before his administration even gets fully under way. | It's only one week into Donald Trump's presidency, and he already has his first "heckuva job" moment. |
33,681,403 | There may really only be one story in town if your town is Nairobi and you happen to be a sports fan.
Chris Froome has won the Tour de France - a competitive, gruelling and punishing race by bicycle that takes the rider up mountains in all manner of weather over many days - and he has won this race for the second time in his ridiculously young life.
If you are a sports fan in Nairobi you will know that this cycling champion was born in the Kenyan capital 30 years ago and represented Kenya in many cycle races before competing for his father's homeland - the United Kingdom.
You will know too that his mentor and training partner well into his twenties was the Kenyan professional cyclist David Kinjah.
In the same city this last weekend another man, who has been in the fabric of our newsreels almost continuously for the last seven years, landed in his father's homeland for the first time as president of the United States of America.
Gone was the anonymity of his previous trips as a young man who sat outside his father's village huts with a cigarette in hand, instead a swoon fest was gripping Nairobi as politicians and ambassadors fell over to be in his presence; and the men in charge of security had a hernia or two.
Barack Obama told a gathering on Saturday night: "Obviously there are emotions to a visit like this, memories come rushing back."
He recounted how he had once written to his father and told his Kenyan parent of his hope to visit.
"And he wrote me back saying, 'Dear son, even if it's only for a few days, the important thing is that you know your people," the US leader told his audience.
Farai Sevenzo:
"From Harare to Hargeisa you would be a very unlucky person not to bump into a US dollar millionaire"
For the cyclist and the president, "their people", are clearly delighted at what the fates have sprung from their soil, despite America and Britain's eagerness to claim these two men for themselves.
And yes, we know that Africa is "on the move", as Mr Obama put it.
From Harare to Hargeisa you would be a very unlucky person not to bump into a US dollar millionaire.
The entrepreneurs are throwing up ideas, the technological future is being harnessed by bright young African minds and the superpowers from Beijing to Washington are well aware of the dormant economic clout of a continent with a rising middle class and rich resources.
Obama’s trip to Kenya: 12 things
Both Froome and Mr Obama are unlikely fruit from the Kenyan tree - which clearly has a steely determination as one of its attributes.
The cyclist was born in Kenya, studied in South Africa and has been on his bike longer than most footballers have been kicking a ball.
We learn too that he has been subjected to a torrent of abuse during this tour - allegedly urine has been thrown at him as he raced because of allegations of doping.
As the next US election gathers steam and the son of a Kenyan prepares to leave the stage to set up his presidential library, pens are being sharpened to sum up the Obama presidency. No write up will be complete without the words "against all odds" .
So when it comes down to it, Africa's secret weapon is in her people and their offspring who, when champions and influential leaders sprout from the same place, remind us all that we are more than the sum of the headlines. | In our series of letters from African journalists, film-maker and columnist Farai Sevenzo considers some of Kenya's greatest "exports". |
35,542,808 | The instrument is marked "1944" inside and was crafted at High Garret in Braintree, which held German and Italian prisoners during World War Two.
Russell Stowe, of Woodbridge Violins in Suffolk, said it was so well made it had to be the work of a professional.
"I've seen many violins in the past 25 years, but stringing this up was quite amazing," he said.
It is understood the craftsman was unable to take the violin back to Germany after the war, so he handed it to a British officer as a thank you for allowing him to make the instrument.
Read more on this and other stories from Suffolk
Inside is inscribed "Hergestellt in Englischer fangenschaft" (Made in English captivity).
The violin is now owned by David Powell, of Woodbridge, whose parents lived in Braintree and were given the instrument by an officer in 1945.
He is due to hear it played for the first time later on Thursday.
"It was always in and around the house, but I don't think it had any strings back then," he said.
"We have no idea where he got the wood from but he even boiled up his own glue.
400,000
German prisoners were brought to Britain in World War Two
1,500 camps were created in stately homes, old barracks or huts
20% of all farm work was being done by German PoWs in 1946
250,000 Germans had been repatriated by 1947 but 24,000 decided to stay
1948 last German PoWs left Britain
"It's a labour of love."
Mr Stowe, who first saw the violin on Tuesday, said it only required minor repair work to make it playable.
"It's very, very well made and I've known amateur makers in proper workshops who do not make violins as good as this.
"The thing is very unusual because it was not made from the usual pine or maple - and that will influence how it sounds."
He said it was possible the violin body was made from a type of mahogany, with a packing material similar to a tea chest also used.
"This has got the touch of somebody who knows what they were doing and may have been a violin maker before the war started," he said.
"There were many violin-making families in Germany in the 1880s and 1890s." | A violin made by a German soldier at an Essex prisoner of war camp has been restored and is to be played again. |
37,323,157 | The boiler house at the Didcot A plant partly collapsed in February, killing four men.
The body is believed to be that of John Shaw, 61, from Rotherham. His family have been informed, Thames Valley Police said.
The removal of debris from the site has been halted as the recovery takes place.
Specialists from the police, Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service's urban search and rescue and the South Central Ambulance Service hazardous area response team are taking over the operation.
A police spokesman said: "The safe recovery of the body will take place and the disaster victim identification process will commence.
"The person has not yet been formally identified and this will be a matter for the coroner, although it is believed to be John Shaw.
"He is the last of the four men to be located following the collapse of the boiler house at the power station in February this year.
"Our thoughts remain with the families and friends of all four men and we would ask that their privacy is respected during this incredibly difficult time."
It follows the discovery of the bodies of Ken Cresswell, 57, on Wednesday, and Christopher Huxtable, 34, from Swansea, last week.
The three men have been missing ever since the partial collapse of the structure in February when it was due for demolition.
A fourth man, Michael Collings, 53, from Brotton, Teesside, died from multiple injuries. His death was confirmed shortly after a major incident was declared at the site.
The remaining section was brought down using explosives in July. | The last missing body has been discovered in the rubble of Didcot Power Station, police have said. |
27,237,495 | The remains of Becky Godden, from Swindon, were found at the farm in Gloucestershire in 2011 by police probing the death of another woman.
Wiltshire Police searched the field again in April and found the bone, which matched Ms Godden's DNA.
Officers searching the field also discovered "other items" but did not elaborate on what was found.
Det Ch Insp Sean Memory added: "At this stage we cannot comment further on the nature of these items."
Ms Godden was aged 20 when she disappeared from her home in Shaw, Swindon, in 2003.
Her remains were unearthed at Baxter's Farm, Eastleach, following the arrest of taxi driver Christopher Halliwell over the disappearance of 22-year-old Sian O'Callaghan.
Officers were led to the body by Halliwell, but he was not prosecuted over her death after a judge ruled detectives had ignored arrest guidelines.
Halliwell was later jailed for life for Ms O'Callaghan's murder. | A human bone found in a field is that of a murdered woman whose body was discovered there, police have said. |
37,717,211 | Heads who focus on short-term success, even at the expense of the long-term, tend to be rewarded by the system.
The study looked at 160 schools in England and is published in Harvard Business Review.
Leaders who build big, successful schools are less likely to be recognised.
The new research, produced by the Centre for High Performance, shared exclusively with BBC Newsnight and Schools Week, is based on internal administrative data from schools which covers everything from pay to timetables.
Four researchers had access to 160 secondary school academies in England - building a dataset that covered the tenure of 411 head teachers.
The research, by Alex Hill, Liz Mellon, Ben Laker and Jules Goddard, is being published in the Harvard Business Review. Their work found that heads tended to fall into one of five "types":
The graph below shows the average annual change they made when the head was still in post. The vertical axis shows performance change in exam results, measured as a share of the children in the school getting five good GCSEs. Dots that are higher up mean the school has a faster average improvement rate. The horizontal axis is financial balance. Being further to the right means that the school tended to improve its financial position.
The clear finding here is that surgeons appear to make the most dramatic improvement in the short term, averaging around a 10% improvement per annum in exam results with only a slight loss of financial strength. "Philosophers" make marginal improvement on results, but not finance. "Architects", on these measures, make steady progress on both finance and results.
That remarkable performance on GCSEs explains why surgeons are the most sought-after heads. The paper reveals that they are paid, on average, £154,000 a year. Philosophers get £103,000 and architects just £86,000. Soldiers and accountants both get about £100,000 a year. Surgeons are also most likely to get awards. Almost two-thirds have a national honour, like a knighthood.
More on this story on BBC Newsnight at 22:30 on BBC Two
There are, however, profound problems for the system with the strategy pursued by the surgeons. Their strategy is about rapid turnaround, so they invest aggressively in children about to take exams, and exclude tough children up-front. Surgeons dropped into a school would be expected to get rid of an average of 28 per cent of final year students to dramatically boost that year's exam results. The Philosophers would expel 6 per cent of final year students and architects just 1 per cent.
That generates rapid improvement in results. But it is not sustainable. Many of these heads leave within two years - and the surgeons' schools' results decline rapidly in the year after the head moves on.
Their strategy is time-limited - you can only improve results modestly through removing pupils. And if a school has moved resources from younger children to focus on those taking exams imminently, eventually it will have to deal with children whose education was damaged by the strategy at the start of secondary school, when resources were diverted from them into older children.
The surgeon's schools eventually recover, and stabilising back into slow improvement in the third year after the surgeon left. But in the meantime, the architects' slow steady approach has left behind schools that are still continually improving.
An important reason why the architects' schools are improving financially as well as on exam results is that these schools have been improving without expelling. In fact, they have been growing, as parents want to use them.
That has another effect, too - the previous graphs showed the change in the proportion of children who are getting five good GCSEs and the change in the budget. The following two graphs show the raw number of children getting five good GCSEs in each category of heads' schools. This graph suggests that, when architects are in place, their schools get many more children to five good GCSEs than the surgeons.
Looking on, three years after the heads move on, the architects' schools are both still growing - and delivering a good education to a higher proportion of those children. In short, they leave schools that are both growing and improving.
All of this research is novel - elements of it may get refined and improved. We need to look more closely at some of the detail - like why different sorts of schools might recruit different sorts of heads. But it is not the case that, for example, architects just take easier schools. And there is certainly enough here to suggest that some strategies being pursued by heads may be counter-productive, yet those strategies are ones which get the rewards. The work also raises questions about the structure of English education.
First, it implies that the incentive structure for English schools is much too short-termist. We honour heads who get short-term results and pay them more. Architects, who maximise impact for the maximum number of children over the maximum amount of time, are not recognised. If anything, they are penalised. The short time-horizon is the consequence of regulation about school turnaround, the attitude of Ofsted and the way academy chains have to demonstrate rapid progress in order to be allowed to expand. All of these things are easily fixable.
Second, we do not look enough at school size. We have, until now, measured schools by the proportion of children meeting certain fixed benchmarks. This has always created an incentive to exclude children. One unforeseen consequence of these new progress measures now being introduced is that those incentives will disappear. They may, then, reduce the number of children being removed from schools. But explicitly paying more attention to school size might also help identify heads who are quietly excellent.
Third, it implies that the training of heads is insufficient. It is extremely striking that the "philosophers", for example, are mostly English teachers, the surgeons are mostly PE teachers and the architects are mostly history and economics teachers. Schools Week has a lot more detail on that fascinating avenue. That observation brings out how far teachers work in silos surrounded by people who had similar academic and professional training - and how little we do to broaden their experiences as part of the process of turning them into heads.
Finally, it is surely excellent news that a lot of schools can be made to work better with the student bodies and staffrooms within them. While the problems it raises are fascinating, the research is optimistic. And it is exciting - for once, we are able to talk about how good schools work. Not just about types of schools.
Chris Cook is policy editor for BBC Newsnight. More on this story on Newsnight at 22:30 on BBC Two Thursday - or catch up afterwards on iPlayer | The school system systematically fails to recognise the head teachers who make the biggest impact in improving pupils' chances, research suggests. |
36,210,727 | Low sales figures were blamed for its demise but both the publisher and the editor said readers had really engaged with the paper and it had built a strong following on Facebook. Within two hours of the announcement, hundreds of people had left comments on editor Alison Phillips's goodbye post.
Here readers and commentators describe why they think the paper failed to keep up on the news stands.
When the paper launched in February it promised an "optimistic approach" to news that would be politically neutral and was aimed at "time-poor" readers who no longer buy a paper.
Many women reacted on Facebook saying the content had really appealed to them.
Sharon said: "I enjoyed reading it. Unbiased, unpolitical. Thank you for showing us a better read", while Kara wrote: "Really disappointed. Others newspapers just don't work for me and I really enjoyed the new day! Such a shame!"
John added: "Conjured something innovative and daring. You were conjuring something quite different from the start. Valiant effort from some sterling writers."
Others were more critical, saying that the content was not what they were looking for.
Beth wrote on Facebook: "The whole concept of it (news in a fast and simpler format) is exactly the same as the i, which is well established and still only 40p a copy - most people will go for that."
Steve Hewlett, presenter of the BBC Radio Four Media show, said the paper "didn't create any traction" and "found no market". "It had all the hallmarks of something that was designed by research, without a beating heart, if you like."
At a time when many newspapers are struggling against a tide of free newspapers and online content, many thought the New Day started out facing an uphill battle.
John McGrath wrote: "I understand the principle of what you set out to achieve, but I can't say I'm surprised! In this digital age, I was more shocked that there would be an actual new newspaper. I just think, why buy a newspaper when you get the news on your phone for free?"
Phil added on the BBC website: "Only read the local freebees that endless(ly) fall on my doormat - three or four pages of local issues. Not read a national daily or weekend paper for 25 years - am I missing anything that is not on the TV, radio or www?.. they are all just a waste of resources in the digital age."
Meanwhile, Andy wrote on Facebook: "Hard copy circulation figures are haemorrhaging all over the country. You have to ask who and why was it decided to launch this product in the first place. Surely an e-edition with dramatically lower overheads would have made better business sense. The investment wasted on print could have been better spent on acute marketing."
But Kerry adds: "I'm sick of reading all the comments about everyone reading news online. Some of us don't have access to internet or can't afford it. I like to hold and read a newspaper in my hand... I will be sad to see it go."
The cost of the newspaper was a factor for some. After a free launch issue the price rose to 25p and then to 50p two weeks later.
Alan Johnson wrote on Facebook: "Had a cost advantage when it was 25p, but when it became 50p, a similar price to other papers, was off putting, as seemed to be thin for 50p compared to rivals."
Another BBC News reader said: "New Day would obviously fit into the quick grab, quick scan, then chuck away on your way to work city environment. OK for London but not much anywhere else."
Many readers were shocked the newspaper was not given a longer time to get going.
Mark Harris wrote: "50 issues? Have you given it enough time?" while reader Rainie Daze added: "Surely you'd need to give it say six months to get known before you can judge how many copies can be sold?
"Most people I know still haven't heard of it and I live in a rural area where quite often I haven't been able to buy it when I wanted as some shops didn't stock it or only had a few copies that had ran out before I got there."
Johnny Fox commented: "It's extraordinary that the budget for a launch period wasn't six months and it's been cancelled in two. Even if they learned quickly that 'positive thinking' doesn't sell papers, there should have been time to try alternative editorial strategies if they really were launching a brand new national daily."
But Amol Rajan, editor-at-large at the Independent, said it was the right time to close. "If it's not working, it's better to pull out quickly rather than lingering on."
Editor Alison Phillips has commended the New Day team "for having the guts to take a chance and to try something new when they knew there were few guarantees of success".
Its closure also follows on from the Independent and Independent on Sunday ending their print editions.
Peter on Twitter commented: "New Day newspaper was aimed at people who didn't buy papers. It's closing. I think I can spot the flaw in their business plan!"
Media commentator Roy Greenslade agreed it was a bad business idea from Trinity Mirror.
"Did no-one at the company stop to wonder at the unlikelihood of convincing a target audience composed of people who dislike newspapers to buy a newspaper?" he wrote in the Guardian.
"If the publisher was to have any hope of winning them over then the obvious requirement was massive publicity over a prolonged period."
In it's trading update Trinity Mirror said: "Although the New Day has received many supportive reviews and built a strong following on Facebook, the circulation for the title is below our expectations.
"Whilst disappointing, the launch and subsequent closure have provided new insights into enhancing our newspapers and a number of these opportunities will be considered over time." | After launching with the slogan "Life is short, let's live it well", the New Day is set to close after just nine weeks. |
39,208,586 | Media playback is not supported on this device
Last season, Danny Cowley was a PE teacher and the part-time manager of Braintree Town.
This weekend, with his Lincoln City side sitting comfortably at the top of the National League, the 38-year-old continues a remarkable burgeoning managerial career by leading his team out in the last eight of the FA Cup against Arsene Wenger's 12-time winners Arsenal.
Alongside his brother and assistant manager Nicky, Cowley has overseen FA Cup victories over Championship clubs Ipswich Town and Brighton, as well as top-flight Burnley.
"Hard work. Relentless hard work," was the response from Cowley when asked about the recipe for his success.
But there's a bit more to it than that. BBC Sport has pulled out Cowley's stellar statistics and compared them with the biggest names in the game.
Under Cowley, Lincoln's league record in the National League has been remarkable this season, winning 22 of 34 games, losing six, and scoring 67 goals while conceding just 32.
His win percentage of 64.71%, while of course achieved in a different league played at a very different standard, stands up impressively against the elite of the Premier League, with only Antonio Conte having a better success rate this term.
And if you take into consideration Cowley's past two seasons - having taken part-timers Braintree to third in the National League and the play-offs, he trumps any Premier League boss to have managed in the top flight across the past two seasons.
Given their record over the past 19 months, it will come as no surprise that the Cowley brothers have accrued a standout points-per-game average - in fact their average of 1.9 points per game for the past two seasons is bettered by no Premier League manager.
And only Conte has a better points average this season, with 2.4 to the Cowleys' 2.10.
One for Lincoln City fans to savour.
With victories over Ipswich and Brighton in the FA Cup, the Imps have beaten more Championship clubs in 2017 than actual Championship teams Rotherham and Bristol City.
And they've beaten the same number of Championship clubs in 2017 as have Championship teams Ipswich, Wolves and Birmingham City.
If Lincoln had picked up points in their FA Cup draw with Ipswich and subsequent wins over Town and Brighton, they would have three more points than Rotherham have picked up in their 12 games in 2017.
By reaching the quarter-finals, Cowley and his side became the first non-leaguers to go into the last eight since QPR in 1914 - a year before Woolwich Arsenal filed the paperwork to change their name to plain Arsenal.
In that time, the Gunners have won 13 top-flight league titles, 12 FA Cups, two League Cups and a European Cup Winners' Cup.
In short - Lincoln's achievement is a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Over the same period, Lincoln have won the old Division Three North three times, League Two once and the National League once - as well as 38 Lincolnshire Senior Cup titles.
Lincoln have been throwing around cup upsets like confetti this season - and none were as impressive as beating top-flight Burnley in the fifth round.
The Clarets were a mammoth 81 places higher than the National League leaders at the time of the match.
Ipswich, Lincoln's third-round victims, were 59 places higher and Brighton, the highly fancied Championship promotion chasers, were 71 places higher when they were vanquished in the fourth round.
Lincoln, the 93rd-ranked team in English football, have knocked out teams with an average position of 23rd on the ladder since the third round - 70 spots above their current standing.
Of the remaining quarter-finalists, only Manchester City (average position of opponents 18th) and Millwall (13th) have had tougher runs from the third round in terms of how high their opponents are ranked.
In their FA Cup wins over Ipswich, Brighton and Burnley, Lincoln have scored five goals from only eight shots on target.
That's a 62.5% conversion of shots on target.
Compare that with this weekend's opponents Arsenal, who have put nine goals past their last three FA Cup opponents, but from 19 attempts on target.
That's a 47.4% conversion percentage.
Put simply, Lincoln have been converting almost two of every three shots on goal, whereas Arsenal have been putting away just under half of their on-target efforts.
Could that give Cowley's men hope on Saturday?
Wenger's trophy haul in the past five years consists of two FA Cups (2014 and 2015).
Danny Cowley has collected four pieces of silverware in that time - although they are the slightly less illustrious Ryman Premier play-offs (2013), the Ryman League Cup (2013) and the Essex Senior Cup (2014 & 2015), all with Concord Rangers.
Analysis, BBC Lincolnshire's Rob Makepeace
Danny Cowley and his brother Nicky are a breath of fresh air when it comes to football management. Approachable, open and honest are qualities you don't always see in managers - but these two have it in abundance.
Their attention to detail is obsessive. Whether it's Arsenal or Altrincham, the pair watch as many games as is physically possible in the time allowed and then share their knowledge with the squad in a video analysis session the day before the game.
It's exactly the same when it comes to signing a player - they'll look at every detail not just of his skills on the pitch but his personality off it.
They believe a team is a team. No one player is better than any other and whether it's a win or a loss, they all hold their hands up together and take the blame or the praise. | Top of the league, an FA Cup quarter-final and a trip to Premier League giants Arsenal - not bad for your first season in full-time management. |
36,344,008 | Rose, 28, has made 15 appearances since moving to Sixfields from Oxford on a deal until the end of the season in February.
However, Josh Lelan, Paul Corry, Chris Hackett and Evan Horwood have all been released.
Midfielder Shaun McWilliams, 17, has been offered a two-year pro deal. | Northampton Town midfielder Danny Rose has been offered a new contract, but four players have been released by the League Two champions. |
37,940,695 | Window Shopping, at Seventeen on the city's Belmont Street, features pictures from the 1950s through to the 1980s.
Among the images are some drawn from a collection which was donated to Aberdeen City and Shire Archives by the city's planning department.
The exhibition runs from Friday until 16 December.
Many of the featured images are from the Union Street, George Street and St Nicholas Street areas.
'Bit of nostalgia'
Included are George Street's Rubber Shop, from the 1970s, and Woolworths.
A spokesperson for Aberdeen City Archives said: "Whenever the archives team post images of old shop fronts on Facebook or our website they always get a great response.
"It was these positive reactions that gave us the idea of staging this exhibition.
"We then decided to hold the exhibition in the run up to Christmas when many are doing their Christmas shopping. Not only will this offer a break to weary shoppers, it also provides a bit of nostalgia - and who doesn't love a bit of nostalgia at Christmas."
You can hear more about the Window Shopping exhibition on BBC Radio Scotland's Out for the Weekend on Friday from 14:00. | An exhibition featuring about 200 images of old shop fronts in Aberdeen is opening its doors. |
39,244,818 | Media playback is not supported on this device
They held match point in the third set of their mixed doubles semi-final, but Chris Adcock suffered a broken string and they eventually lost it 22-20.
The Adcocks had taken the opening set 21-19, but lost the second 21-12.
"It's so tough to have been so close," Gabby Adcock told BBC Sport.
"We were quite a way down in the third set and fought back up to get the match point and then for that to happen to Chris is really, really unlucky."
Find out how to get into badminton with our special guide.
The Commonwealth champions - who also reached last year's semi-finals - were bidding to become the first British finalists in the event since Anthony Clark and Donna Kellogg in 2007.
Their defeat comes just weeks after British Badminton failed to overturn UK Sport's Olympic funding cut.
Badminton England's chief executive Adrian Christy said on Thursday that the loss of around £1.25m per year in financial support would mean players and staff would now have to leave the programme.
"As you can imagine the atmosphere has been a bit flat at our training centre with the situation and it's a sad time for badminton," said Gabby Adcock.
Badminton England hopes to raise around £600,000 per year in order to help provide some funding support to the Adcocks and Olympic bronze medal-winning pair Chris Langridge and Marcus Ellis.
"It's been a tough patch, but we've shown how resilient we can be on and off the court," Chris Adcock told BBC Sport.
"We really believe we've still got the ability to win majors as well as world and Olympic medals so we'll fight through and no doubt we'll be able to prove a lot of people wrong."
Media playback is not supported on this device | Chris and Gabby Adcock missed out on becoming Britain's first All England Badminton Championship finalists for a decade with an agonising defeat by China's Lu Kai and Huang Yaqiong. |
37,630,861 | The actor, who was 71 at the time, was injured in June 2014 by a metal door at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire as he reprised his role as Han Solo.
Foodles Production (UK) Ltd, owned by Disney, pleaded guilty earlier this year to two charges brought by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Sentencing is due to take place at Aylesbury Crown Court.
For more on this story and other news from Beds, Bucks and Herts | A production company behind the latest Star Wars movie will be sentenced after Harrison Ford broke his leg on set. |
36,639,946 | Nott, 20, started all five of England's games in Manchester, including their victory over Ireland in the final.
He camee through the Sale academy and featured twice for the first team in 2015, but did not play last season.
"I'll put this behind me and my next job is to kick on and try and get into the first team," he said.
"There's a big pre-season ahead."
Nott can also play in the second row but added: "I like to just be on the pitch, but I prefer six to lock. I'd love to get game time in any position and I'll take opportunity which I get next season."
He scored the first try of the tournament for England against Italy in what was a home-city tournament for the only Sale player in the squad.
"I've loved every minute of it," he continued. "Not just the games, just everything around it.
"Having the opportunity to have coffees in Hale and seeing all the Sale shirts in the crowd really makes a difference." | Flanker George Nott has targeted a breakthrough season at Sale Sharks after helping England win the World Rugby Under-20 Championship. |
30,932,512 | The incident happened at the Cuckoo Bridge near College Mains and Lincluden Road at about 21:30 on Wednesday.
A blue Mazda 2 was struck by a "wooden object" which shattered its windscreen.
The driver was able to park his car safely. Police are appealing for witnesses. | A driver has escaped unhurt after an object thrown from a bridge over the A75 at Dumfries smashed his car windscreen. |
36,410,791 | They said there is "painfully slow lack of change", five years after abuse at the former private hospital near Bristol was exposed by BBC Panorama.
Some 3,500 vulnerable people with learning disabilities are still resident at inpatient units.
NHS England admits it is still taking too long to review their care.
Undercover filming showed people with learning disabilities and autism being taunted, bullied and abused at the now closed Winterbourne View Hospital.
In an open letter to David Cameron, the families of some of the victims, say that promises to close all other similar units and provide more appropriate support have not been met.
They wrote to express their anger at the "lack of change" since the revelations were made.
It added despite "clear commitments" from the government and the NHS some 3,500 people, including more than 160 children... "are still stuck with places like Winterbourne View"
The letter has been signed by Steve Sollars, Ann Earley, Wendy Fiander and Claire and Emma Garrod, whose family members were all residents at Winterbourne View.
It is supported by Dr Margaret Flynn, the author of the Winterbourne View serious case review, Jan Tregelles, chief executive of Mencap and Vivien Cooper, chief executive of The Challenging Behaviour Foundation.
Ann Earley, whose son Simon Tovey was abused at the hospital, said the first she knew about what happened to Simon, and other residents of Winterbourne View was when she was shown footage of the abuse by Panorama producers.
"I was utterly speechless to see the cruelty, the physical abuse, the mental torture and the systematic nature of it all," she said.
NHS England acknowledged the the progress to date "hasn't been quick enough" and it "sympathised with the frustrations expressed" but a spokeswoman said a "real difference" would be seen over the coming months. | Families of victims of the Winterbourne View scandal have written to the prime minister demanding he shuts outdated care home institutions. |
38,286,697 | The FTSE 100 started the day higher, but by the close, the index was down 63.79 points at 6,890.42.
The fall came despite oil majors BP and Royal Dutch Shell both rising by about 1.5% after crude prices surged.
Oil prices jumped more than 4% after non-Opec oil producing nations agreed to cut output in a deal designed to reduce oversupply and boost prices.
Opec announced last month that it would be cutting its own production.
Outside the energy sector, shares in Marks and Spencer rose 1.4% after Bank of America-Merrill Lynch upgraded its rating on the retailer to "buy".
Shares in Sky slipped 2.8% after having surged on Friday, when it emerged that 21st Century Fox had made a takeover approach for the company.
Fox offered £10.75 a share for the 61% of the business it does not already own, valuing Sky at about £18.5bn.
But Sky's shares fell 28p to 972p on Monday. Reports at the weekend suggested that some major shareholders were unhappy with the level of the offer.
On the currency markets, the pound rose 0.78% against the dollar to $1.2673 and gained 0.32% against the euro at €1.1947. | The London market slid despite shares in oil companies being boosted by a jump in oil prices. |
36,011,956 | Reports said the Islamic State mantra "e4e", standing for "an eye for an eye", was carved into the man's head.
An inquiry will examine how the high-risk attacker, 18, came to be housed with his 40-year-old cellmate.
New South Wales Corrections Minister David Elliot said placing the pair in the same cell was "a stuff-up".
The attack took place at the Mid North Coast Correctional Centre in Kempsey, 4.5 hours north of Sydney.
The injured man was a minimum-security prisoner and the teenager, named by multiple sources as Bourhan Hraichie, was a maximum-security prisoner.
A Corrections Department spokesperson said the 18-year-old had been jailed for stealing, not terrorism-related offences.
Initial reports said the injured man had served in the Australian army in East Timor, but Mr Elliott said he did not believe this was accurate.
"It is important to note that the man's background does not change the seriousness of this incident," Mr Elliott said in a statement to the BBC.
The general manager of the Mid North Coast Correctional Centre has been suspended while an investigation takes place.
Head of the Prison Officer's branch of the Public Services Union Steve McMahon told the media prison officers were distressed by the allegedly unprovoked attack, which took place on Thursday.
"It's quite a horrendous piece of work, not unlike torture," Mr McMahon reportedly said.
He said the pair should never have been placed in the same cell and described the incident as a "complete failure by the people in positions of responsibility".
The 40-year-old man was admitted to Port Macquarie Base Hospital in a critical condition, but was now stable, a hospital spokesperson told the BBC.
Police have charged Hraichie with causing grievous bodily harm with intent and intentionally choking a person.
He has been ordered to face court on May 23. | An Australian prisoner who supports the so-called Islamic State has allegedly used a knife to carve a slogan on to his cellmate's head. |
40,344,256 | Figures show 8.6% of pupils became unemployed after leaving school - up from 7.9% last year and the first time the figures have risen since 2011-12.
But the numbers from the poorest parts of Scotland leaving school with at least one Higher has increased.
The education secretary said there was "still more to do" to raise attainment.
Speaking as the figures were published, John Swinney said reforms announced last week were aimed at tackling the problem.
The Scottish government figures also show that the gap between school leavers in the richest and poorest parts of Scotland going on to positive destinations has grown.
The gap has dropped from 13.3 percentage points in 2011-12 to 10 percentage points in 2014-15, but rose to 11.2 points last year.
The Scottish Conservatives said the figures were another indicator on education which had gone down on First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's watch.
The Scottish government classes higher education, further education, training, employment, voluntary work or an activity agreement as "positive destinations".
The non-positive destinations are divided into "unemployed seeking work", "unemployed not seeking work" and "other".
The party's education spokeswoman, Liz Smith, said: "The number of young people going on to positive destinations is one of the first minister's go-to statistics when she is under pressure.
"Now she can't even say that is increasing. What's more, the likelihood of a school-leaver ending up at university, college, training or work is still far too dependent on their background.
"No real improvement has been made on that front either, and the SNP is running out of excuses about why that is."
Scottish Labour has also criticised the government over the figures, saying they were a "black mark" against the SNP's record on education.
Iain Gray, Scottish Labour's education spokesman, said: "Nicola Sturgeon promised to make education her top priority. Instead the gap between the richest and the poorest has grown as opportunities for school leavers are closed off.
"Young people, especially those from the poorest backgrounds, are being failed by an SNP government which has made a mess of education policy in Scotland.
"John Swinney took over an education brief with a stacked inbox - and he has done nothing to show he is capable of addressing the scale of the problems."
Other statistics from the report show that in the most deprived areas, 42.7% of those leaving school in 2015-16 had a minimum qualification of one Higher, up by 1.5 points from 41.2% the previous year.
However, in the most affluent parts of the country 81.2% of school leavers in 2015-16 had one Higher or more, a rise of 0.9 points from 2014-15.
Almost two-fifths (37.3%) of youngsters who finished school in 2015-16 went on to higher education, at either college or university, while 22.4% went on to further education college and more than a quarter (28.7%) found work.
Overall, the number of school leavers with at least one Higher increased to 61.7% - up from 60.2% in 2014-15 and compared with 55.7% in 2012-13.
Mr Swinney said: "It is encouraging to see the number of young people attaining qualifications at Higher level or above increasing - and I am particularly pleased to see a notable improvement in the proportion of young people who are looked-after and care-experienced gaining a qualification.
"While this is a step in the right direction, there is still more to do to close the gap between our most and least vulnerable children, and raise attainment for all.
"That is what the reforms I announced last week are designed to do.
"By giving more power to schools, including more direct control over budgets, we will empower schools to target resources where they are needed the most to improve the life chances of all of our children and young people." | The proportion of school leavers going on to "positive destinations" has fallen for the first time in five years, according to government figures. |
37,506,817 | Blues must play at the Academy Stadium, where Manchester City beat Chelsea to win the Women's Super League title in front of more than 4,000 people.
"It will be the most un-neutral final you'll see in football," said Parker.
"Everything is against us, like walking into the lion's den," he told BBC WM.
"The FA opened it up to every club and ground in the country to bid on it and Man City put together the best bid.
"But they should have maybe discounted the WSL 1 grounds, especially the likes of a Man City, who have got half a chance of getting there.
"They've gone to Rotherham before. That fits the bill."
Manchester City will start as favourites after winning their first WSL title without losing a match.
They did it with a game to spare too, their final match not being until 30 October against Parker's Blues, who they beat 2-0 at Damson Park in May in this season's first league meeting between the two teams.
"Everyone will always write us off," said Parker. "But we've always done well with the underdog tag. In women's football, we're big Birmingham City. We're big dogs.
"We've been Champions League semi-finalists (in 2014) and we're one of the top 13 clubs in Europe. On the continent we've got a better reputation than we have in our own domestic league for what we've achieved.
"We're little Birmingham City against one of the big four, with lots of resources. There's still a massive gulf between the likes of us, City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea.
"But we've always had ambitions. I always thought this was possible. Now we have got to grab it with both hands."
Birmingham's side has changed greatly from the one that beat Chelsea to win the FA Women's Cup in 2012, their first major trophy.
But German striker Isabelle Linden, one of a clutch of mid-season foreign signings, says they are itching for more silverware.
"Everyone knows how good Man City are," she told BBC WM. "But it is a one-off game. If we have the best day and City do not, then we can win.
"I waited so long for a final, then I had the national final with Germany in 2013. And we have a great team spirit here. I really hope we can celebrate together after the game.
"It feels a bit like family here now. The girls are very nice to me. It is different to Germany. In the next three years, English football will be much better.
"It is a lot more tactical in Germany but players here are faster and I like that. That is the main difference to German football."
Interviews with BBC WM's Rob Gurney. | Birmingham City Ladies manager David Parker says that having to play Manchester City Women at their own home in Sunday's Continental Cup final will be "like walking into the lion's den". |
32,137,344 | Large parts of health board and council budgets are being merged in a bid to cut bed-blocking and aid the transition to nursing home care or home care.
People with long-term conditions, disabilities and the elderly are expected to see the greatest benefit.
The Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act has been described as the most substantial reform to the NHS in a generation.
It forces councils and the NHS to work together to provide more streamlined services.
The two organisations have to decide which one of them is going to take the lead in decision-making, or delegate those decisions to a separate body.
There is some evidence that co-ordinating care can have a significant effect on the quality of life of frail older people and people with long-term conditions.
It is also associated with lower costs.
The Scottish government hopes it will ease the pressure on hospitals by speeding up the journey of patients.
In order to drive improvements, a new target is being set for delayed discharges.
From 1 April, no-one should wait more than 14 days to be discharged from hospital into more appropriate care. The current target is four weeks.
In March it was announced that health and social care partnerships would be piloted in 29 areas in England, although so far only Greater Manchester has gone as far pooling its entire health and care budget.
In Scotland, it is estimated that at least 60% of health board budgets and 72% of local authority social care budgets will be handed over to the new "integration authorities".
In Wales an "integrated care framework" was published by the government last year, promising closer working between local government, health, housing and the voluntary sector.
Northern Ireland has had an integrated health and social care system since the early 1970s with its five health and social care trusts.
The Highlands of Scotland have had merged health and social care budgets since 2012.
The NHS became the lead agency for adult care, while the council took over responsibility for children's services.
However, it has not proved a magic bullet. NHS Highland experienced difficulties with blocked beds this winter, which was blamed on a lack of care home places and support packages for elderly patients to return home.
Last year, just under 150, 000 people received some form of social care at home.
In addition there are 35,000 long-stay residents in care homes in Scotland and thousands of other people who use social care services because they have a disability. | The way care is organised is radically changing across the whole of Scotland. |
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