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28,880,371 | Details of "repeat victims", who have repeatedly been taken in by scams, are found and then shared by scammers.
Some of those on the list, which covers England, Scotland and Wales, get 60 pieces of mail a day.
People whose names and addresses have been discovered will be contacted by their local authority.
The database of 160,000 people to be contacted has been put together by trading standards teams from a number of sources, including seized lists, names uncovered in the course of investigations and names picked up from actual pieces of mail seized.
Louise Baxter, head of the National Trading Standards scams team said: "Data lists are under-regulated and people don't realise the implications when they tick a consent box on a form".
She said she was "shocked" to find out how scammers use the information they gather.
"There are companies that test people's susceptibility and then generate lead lists.
"You can buy details as specific as people who are 80, disabled, live alone, respond to communication and play the Lottery," she said.
Essex Trading Standards is alerting 2,700 people whose names and addresses are on the list.
The organisation was also given about 200 completed forms with cheques, cash, postal orders, stamps and credit card details - including security codes.
A spokeswoman said: "The money was attached to prize draw applications and orders for confectionery special offers.
"The forms were found in a PO Box used by known scammers."
Anyone who is concerned about a possible scam or is worried about a friend or relative can call the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 03454 04 05 06. | More than 160,000 people whose names appear on a "suckers list" are to be contacted about how to avoid becoming the victim of a scam. |
30,033,857 | Tullow Oil was the worst performer on the index, shedding 6%, while Royal Dutch Shell "A" and "B" shares were both down more than 2%.
Meanwhile, Brent crude futures fell to $79.32 a barrel as further data on China's slowing economy pointed to weaker global demand for oil.
Overall, the FTSE 100 index closed up 24.41 points or 0.4% at 6635.45.
Electronics retailer Dixons Carphone rose 2.3%, on expectations of a busy Christmas period.
On the currency markets, the pound was down 0.34% against the dollar at $1.5727 and fell 0.65% against the euro to €1.2604. | (Close): Oil companies were among the biggest fallers on the FTSE 100 as oil prices languished at four-year lows. |
39,239,571 | Shakers striker James Vaughan had the best opportunity of the first half but when through on goal, Lions skipper Tony Craig made a magnificent last-ditch recovery tackle.
Bury's resolute defence frustrated the Lions as they failed to find a way past in-form goalkeeper Joe Murphy, with the Shakers stopper making a stunning save to deny Jed Wallace in the 51st minute.
Steve Morison thought he had put the hosts ahead in the 68th minute when he finished off a swift counter attack, but his goal was chalked off for offside.
Millwall cranked up the pressure in the latter stages with Byron Webster and Lee Gregory having good chances in front of goal, but Murphy's heroics between the sticks earned Bury a share of the spoils.
The win lifts the Shakers up to 17th in the table, four points above the relegation zone, and maintains manager Lee Clark's unbeaten run away from home.
Report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Millwall 0, Bury 0.
Second Half ends, Millwall 0, Bury 0.
Joe Murphy (Bury) is shown the yellow card.
Foul by Callum Butcher (Millwall).
Kean Bryan (Bury) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Substitution, Millwall. David Worrall replaces Shaun Cummings.
Callum Butcher (Millwall) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Hallam Hope (Bury).
Attempt missed. Jake Cooper (Millwall) left footed shot from more than 35 yards misses to the left.
Foul by Aiden O'Brien (Millwall).
Paul Caddis (Bury) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Callum Butcher (Millwall).
Hallam Hope (Bury) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt saved. Lee Gregory (Millwall) right footed shot from the right side of the six yard box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Attempt saved. Hallam Hope (Bury) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Callum Butcher (Millwall) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by James Vaughan (Bury).
Substitution, Millwall. Callum Butcher replaces Ben Thompson.
Attempt saved. Byron Webster (Millwall) header from very close range is saved in the centre of the goal.
Corner, Millwall. Conceded by Cameron Burgess.
Foul by Steve Morison (Millwall).
Paul Caddis (Bury) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Steve Morison (Millwall).
Antony Kay (Bury) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Millwall. Aiden O'Brien replaces Shane Ferguson.
Jed Wallace (Millwall) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Corner, Bury. Conceded by Tony Craig.
Attempt missed. James Vaughan (Bury) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high.
Foul by Ben Thompson (Millwall).
Jacob Mellis (Bury) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt missed. Steve Morison (Millwall) right footed shot from a difficult angle and long range on the right is close, but misses to the left.
Attempt saved. Paul Caddis (Bury) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Substitution, Bury. Hallam Hope replaces Ryan Lowe.
Jed Wallace (Millwall) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Paul Caddis (Bury).
Corner, Millwall. Conceded by Antony Kay.
Corner, Millwall. Conceded by Antony Kay.
Attempt missed. Jake Cooper (Millwall) header from the left side of the six yard box is close, but misses to the left following a corner.
Corner, Millwall. Conceded by Joe Murphy.
Attempt saved. Jed Wallace (Millwall) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. | Millwall dropped out of the League One play-off places as they were held to a goalless draw by Bury at The Den. |
30,794,701 | The number of cruise ships visiting Orkney will top the 80 mark for the first time in 2015, with 83 port calls by liners so far expected - four more than in 2014.
They have the capacity to carry more than 80,000 passengers and 25,000 crew.
More bookings are still expected for 2015.
With 64,000 passengers visiting in 2014, the council estimated that Orkney's cruise ship industry generated around £4m for the economy.
Michael Morrison, business development manager for Orkney Islands Council's marine services, said: "We're all set for a record-breaking year for cruise ship visits.
"We're seeing more visits by bigger vessels, resulting in greater overall passenger numbers for Orkney.
"The increase in the size of ships visiting demonstrates the confidence that the industry has in our ability to deliver a first class experience for visiting passengers.
"Orkney remains, despite stiff competition from other developing cruise ports, the most popular cruise ship destination in the United Kingdom."
The Disney Magic liner is among those expected in 2015. | Orkney's cruise liner industry was worth more than £4m to the local economy in 2014, and the islands are now set for their busiest ever year. |
34,144,550 | The Netherlands defence ministry identified the man as a 26-year-old air force sergeant. It said he had been suspended from service and his access to military intelligence revoked.
Authorities are investigating radicalisation in the Dutch military.
The Dutch air force is currently operating in Jordan, taking part in an operation against IS in Iraq.
Sources say the sergeant was not involved in the mission, according to Netherlands' public broadcaster NOS.
The allegations are being investigated by the public prosecutor, the defence ministry said in a statement.
Defence Minister Jeanine Hennis Plasschaert said it would be "unpleasant" if it turned out that one man had "joined up with evil" while his colleagues "risked their lives for other people's freedom".
Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the allegations were "extremely serious and painful", especially for the sergeant's colleagues.
Officials have stressed that travelling overseas to join IS is a crime in the Netherlands.
The case would be the first time a serving member of the Dutch army has gone to Syria to join IS.
In January the country's then Security Minister Ivo Opstelten said 180 Dutch jihadists were believed to have travelled to Iraq and Syria.
Several members of a Dutch motorcycle club, who were ex-servicemen, travelled to northern Iraq last year to help Kurdish forces fight against IS.
Dutch prosecutors told BBC News at the time that signing up with organisations like IS or the Kurdish militant group PKK was banned but joining a foreign armed force was no longer forbidden. | A serving member of the Dutch air force is suspected to have travelled to Syria to join the Islamic State group. |
23,447,200 | The bright orange lobster has been called Jaffa by staff at the National Lobster Hatchery in Padstow.
Staff at the hatchery have described the lobster as a "very queer specimen".
Most of the lobsters caught around the Cornish coast tend to be light brown or even a dark blue but staff at the attraction said very, very rarely were they orange.
Ben Marshall, senior technician, said "It would be great to have a pair, so that we could breed them and use their babies as natural markers to indicate movements of juveniles when released."
The charity released its last orange lobster called Thermidore back into the wild in 2010 after a couple of years of living at the hatchery.
Research and development officer Dr Carly Daniels said "What a lobster feeds upon might influence its colour, if it feeds on highly pigmented foods such as mussels or crabs it might be dark, or if it feeds on fish it might become paler.
"Colour morphs are different however. Colouration is due to several pigments found within the shell.
"The main pigment is called astaxanthin and the way it interacts with other proteins gives the range of colouration that you normally expect to see in a lobster."
The lobster was given to hatchery by a Paignton-based shellfish food company. | A lobster described by staff as a "one in ten million colour morph" has gone on display at a Cornish attraction. |
35,720,061 | Big banks must "serve the economy not just themselves", the Labour leader told the British Chambers of Commerce.
He also set out his vision for a "new economics", including borrowing to invest in infrastructure and skills.
He said Labour and business should be "natural allies", but warned that firms would need to "put more back into the economy" if it was in power.
Labour has been accused of being anti-business and lacking economic credibility - both under previous leader Ed Miliband's stewardship and now under Mr Corbyn.
Mr Corbyn was addressing the annual conference of the British Chambers of Commerce for the first time as Leader of the Opposition.
He used his speech to accuse the banking sector of letting down small businesses and consumers and said the banks "drove the economy to the point of collapse" in 2007 and 2008.
The Labour said the political consensus at the time was for "light touch" banking regulation "and sit back and collect the tax revenues".
"But you cannot base a decent social policy on an unsustainable economic policy and we cannot outsource economic policy to the City of London," he said, adding: "That has not served our economy well, and it has not served businesses well."
"The banking sector has to be reformed. Finance must support the economy, not be an extractive industry treating consumers, entrepreneurs and businesses as cash cows," he argued.
Mr Corbyn said a "new ecology of finance" was needed, with more support for credit unions and small businesses.
He called for a national investment bank to target investment "on key public and economic priorities, not just for very quick returns", and "we need to reform the major banks so that they serve the economy not just themselves".
Mr Corbyn also attacked the economic approach pursued by the government, saying the UK economy was "built on sand".
Labour wanted to "break with the failed economic orthodoxy" that had "gripped policy makers for a generation", and prioritise investment.
"We will borrow to invest over a business cycle. We will put public investment in science, technology and green industries of the future front and centre stage," he said.
Setting out his vision, he added: "Only an economy that is run for wealth creators - the technicians, entrepreneurs, designers, shopfloor workers, and the self-employed - and puts in them in the driving seat is going to deliver prosperity for all."
He acknowledged businesses "may not like everything we say" but when it came to "big decisions on the economy, infrastructure, skills and investment, we are actually natural allies because Labour is committed to what is needed for business to expand and succeed".
But he added: "We expect businesses to put more back into the economy but we will do more to give the economy a stronger future." | Jeremy Corbyn has warned banks not to treat people as "cash cows", as he called for reform of the industry. |
35,059,577 | The sports car was towed away after it was stopped outside a police station in Cambridge in August.
The Huracan model was pulled over by Cambridgeshire police close to its Parkside base.
Police said the company that hired out of the vehicle was "not at fault" and would not face any penalty.
In a Freedom of Information response on 26 November, Cambridgeshire police said the driver had been reported for a "traffic offence" that had yet to be finalised.
A Cambridgeshire Police spokesman confirmed the driver had now been offered the chance to accept a £100 fine for driving without a front number plate, plus a £300 fine and six penalty points for having no insurance.
If the driver refuses to accept the penalty, the case could be taken to court.
In a tweet at the time of the offence, Cambridgeshire's roads policing unit said: "Even Lamborghinis need insurance." It added: "He was stopped outside the station!"
The vehicle, which retails from about £180,000, was later collected by the hire firm. | The driver of an uninsured Lamborghini seized outside a police station could avoid court action by accepting a fine and penalty points, police have said. |
37,221,250 | Katrina Percy said "the effect ongoing personal media attention has had on staff and patients" had made her position as boss of Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust untenable.
Ms Percy had faced calls to quit after the trust was criticised over the way it investigated patient deaths.
An NHS England-commissioned probe found 272 of the 722 deaths over the last four years were dealt with properly.
Updates on this story and more from Oxfordshire
Ms Percy, who was chief executive for nine years, said she "firmly believed" it was her responsibility to stay on to "oversee improvements".
She said she understood why "many will say I should have stepped down sooner given the very public concerns which have been raised in the past months".
Ms Percy said she was taking on a new role with Southern Health providing "strategic advice to local GP leaders".
A spokeswoman for the trust said Ms Percy's salary - which is quoted in the trust's annual report as between £180,000 and £190,000 - would remain the same when she moved to the advisory role.
In June, Southern Health accepted responsibility for the death of 18-year-old Connor Sparrowhawk, who drowned in a bath at one of its facilities - Slade House in Oxford.
The trust admitted it caused the death of Connor, who had suffered an epileptic seizure before he died in July 2013, and offered his family £80,000 compensation.
A report published in December said the deaths of hundreds of mental health and learning-disability patients over four years were not properly examined, and blamed a "failure of leadership".
Following a six-week review, interim chair Tim Smart said it was clear the executive team had been "too stretched to guarantee high quality services".
He recommended the trust should "transform the way in which it delivers services, and makes changes to the structure and strength of its leadership team".
Connor's mother Sara Ryan said Ms Percy's resignation was "long overdue" and that the former CEO was still not taking responsibility for the trust's failings.
"This whole sorry episode has shone an important light on peculiar workings at senior NHS levels around regulation, accountability and enforcement," she said.
"It also demonstrates that candour and transparency remain woefully lacking in 2016."
Ms Ryan added that is was "totally scandalous and shameful" that she would keep the same salary in her new role.
July 2013 - Connor Sparrowhawk, 18, drowns after an epileptic seizure at Oxford unit Slade House. An inquest later rules neglect contributed to his death
11 December 2015 - The BBC reveals details of a leaked Mazars report which highlights a "failure of leadership". Jeremy Hunt says he is "profoundly shocked"
17 December 2015 - The report is officially published and shows out of 722 unexpected deaths over four years, only 272 were properly investigated
6 April 2016 - The Care Quality Commission (CQC) issues a warning notice to significantly improve protection for mental health patients
29 April 2016 - A full CQC inspection report is published, which says the trust is continuing to put patients at risk
30 June 2016 - Following a review of the management team competencies, it is announced that Katrina Percy is to keep her job
29 July 2016 - The BBC reports that the trust has paid millions of pounds in contracts to companies owned by previous associates of Katrina Percy
30 August 2016 - Ms Percy announces she is standing down
Mr Smart said Ms Percy's new role was "vital work that needs to be done for which she is ideally suited".
"Katrina has shown great resilience, devoting herself to the patients and staff of Southern Health since it was created in 2011," he added.
Julie Dawes, who joined the trust in May as director of nursing and quality, has been named as the interim chief executive officer.
In July, a BBC investigation found Southern Health had paid millions of pounds to companies owned by previous associates of Ms Percy.
One firm received more than £5m despite winning a contract valued at less than £300,000, while another was paid more than £500,000 without bidding at all. The trust said it took its financial responsibilities "very seriously".
Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust covers Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. | The chief executive of a troubled NHS trust has quit over "media attention". |
37,586,772 | The 48-year-old had been favourite to take over after Feeney was sacked with the club bottom of League Two.
He will assume his duties on Monday with joint caretaker managers Sean McCarthy and James Bittner remaining in charge for Saturday's League Two game at Colchester United.
Westley was in charge at Peterborough from September 2015 until April.
Hounslow-born Westley managed Stevenage on three separate occasions, leading the club into the Football League and then into League One.
He also been manager at Preston North End, Rushden & Diamonds, Farnborough Town, Enfield and Kingstonian.
Newport revealed they interviewed five shortlisted candidates for the vacancy following Feeney's sacking after just over eight months in charge.
"The board were unanimous in their decision to appoint Graham due to his extensive managerial experience in the Football League," Newport said in a statement. | Newport County have confirmed former Peterborough United manager Graham Westley as Warren Feeney's successor. |
38,906,461 | Sutherland is currently recovering from a groin injury sustained in the autumn.
The 24-year-old, who turned professional with Edinburgh in 2014, won his three Scotland caps last year.
Fowles, 23, previously played for Sale Sharks and Preston Grasshoppers and joined Edinburgh in 2015 but is yet to feature at senior international level.
He has played for England Under-20s but qualifies to play for Scotland through his grandfather.
"I feel that the club is moving in the right direction and there's a lot to look forward to in the next few years," Fowles told Edinburgh's website. "I'm delighted to be staying.
"We're developing well as a team, in the way we want to play the game and the speed we want to play at, which is exciting for the players and fans."
And Sutherland said: "Everything is moving forward and I'm really happy to be a part of the team for another two seasons.
"There's a good feeling around the club just now and I feel that this is the right place for me to stay to take my rugby to the next level and try to continue being involved in the Scotland set-up."
Sutherland and Fowles follow flanker Hamish Watson, 25, in committing himself to Edinburgh until 2019. | Scotland prop Rory Sutherland and scrum-half Nathan Fowles have signed new two-year contracts with Edinburgh, tying them to the club until May 2019. |
29,575,087 | The 20-year-old links up with Paul Cox's League Two side ahead of their game at Portsmouth on Saturday.
With a number of players ruled out of the trip to Fratton Park, Cox has been given permission by Stags chairman John Radford to bring in Sendles-White.
"We've had to move into the market as a result of our injury situation," Cox told the club website.
"We've brought in a player, in Jamie, who has international experience with Northern Ireland at youth and Under-21 level. He also featured in QPR's pre-season tour of Germany and is a player they rate very highly."
Centre-back Sendles-White is yet to make a senior appearance at club level. | Mansfield Town have signed young defender Jamie Sendles-White on a month's loan from Queens Park Rangers. |
35,843,664 | The company, which has more than 2,000 staff, initially said 350 jobs would be cut, but that number has since been reduced.
Bosses said the firm would help affected staff find other employment.
Union Unite said it was a "very bad day" and it was working to "reduce the number of compulsory job losses".
Dave Springbett, from Unite, said: "The fact the union and management together have managed to protect the number of compulsory redundancies by a big margin is good news, but that shouldn't take away from the drastic effect it's going to have on some workers."
In a statement, the firm said: "For those staff members who are affected by this process, the company is to establish an out-placement service designed to assist in securing future employment.
"Princess Yachts is now looking ahead to a successful and prosperous 2016."
The firm marked 50 years in business last year. | Luxury yacht builder Princess Yachts will cut 172 jobs following a large-scale restructuring of its headquarters in Plymouth. |
33,698,009 | The US justice department said Harlem Suarez, also known as Almlak Benitez, has been charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction.
He allegedly planned to bury a bomb containing nails at a beach in Key West and detonate it with a mobile phone.
Prosecutors claim he was inspired by the Islamic State militant group, which has called for attacks on the West.
According to the FBI, Suarez recorded a video in May in which he said: "We will destroy America and divide it into two. We will raise our black flag on top of your White House and any president on duty."
Officials say he first came to the attention of the FBI in April after posting extremist messages on Facebook.
He was caught after buying a fake device from an FBI agent in a sting operation on Monday.
Several young men have been arrested in the US in recent months, with many plotting attacks in the name of the Islamic State group. | A 23-year-old man has been charged with planning to detonate a backpack bomb on a Florida beach, US officials say. |
39,401,253 | After a scoreless first period, Colin Shields and Blair Riley were on target, with Layne Ulmer replying for Cardiff.
Chris Higgins restored the Giants' two-goal lead, Ryan Martinelli made it 4-1, but Matthew Myers replied.
Ulmer grabbed his second with 50 seconds left, before James Desmarais scored into the empty Cardiff net with 10 seconds remaining.
The Giants had lost 4-3 to the Elite League champions on Saturday night in the first encounter of the double-header between the teams.
The focus now shifts to the end-of-season play-offs with the Giants hosting Fife Flyers in their quarter-final in Belfast on Saturday 1 April (19:00 BST). | The Belfast Giants beat Cardiff Devils 5-3 on Sunday night to secure second place in the Elite League. |
39,108,528 | Darren February, 33, of no fixed address, had denied breaking into the Holland Park house while the music mogul and his family slept.
He took jewellery and two passports from an open safe while a security guard was in the toilet in December 2015, Isleworth Crown Court heard.
February had previously been convicted of 37 burglaries, the prosecution said.
He is currently serving an eight-and-a-half year jail sentence for causing death by dangerous driving after hitting a motorcyclist near Mr Cowell's home just 10 days after the burglary. He was convicted last year.
He was first convicted aged 12 and has committed 58 offences spanning two decades.
The jury took less than an hour to find him guilty following a four-day trial.
The court heard February's DNA was found on gloves dropped during his escape and on a handprint left on a wall at the property. A security worker also spotted him as he fled.
In a statement read out in court, Mr Cowell said he and his partner Lauren Silverman had been "very concerned" for their son Eric after learning about the burglary.
He explained the safe had been left open as Ms Silverman was catching a flight in the morning and wanted to "quietly get her jewellery" when she left.
Among the items taken were a ring estimated to be worth £500,000 as well as earrings, watches and a diamond bracelet.
February will be sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court on Wednesday. | A serial burglar has been convicted of stealing jewellery worth almost £1m from Simon Cowell's west London home. |
36,971,691 | Moussa Dembele's injury-time penalty sealed a 2-1 win on the night for the Scottish champions and a 3-2 aggregate victory over the Kazakh side.
That put them into Friday's play-off round draw - one tie away from the group stages - after a nervy evening.
"The fans were unbelievable for us, but I think they need to show a little bit of patience as well," Rodgers said.
"I'm a Celtic supporter. I know what they want, I know how desperate they want it. But instead of having that edginess, trust the players and how we work and eventually we can get there."
Neil Lennon, meanwhile, who experienced many tense nights in European competition as a Celtic player and manager, says it is natural that the fans were on edge.
"They're like an extra man. They raise your game to another level," said the Hibernian manager.
"Celtic's home record in Europe at home over the years has been very strong because of the backing they get.
"There are times they do get a bit anxious. It is understandable sometimes because they are very tense occasions."
Celtic will face one of Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia), Ludogorets Razgrad (Bulgaria), Copenhagen (Denmark), Hapoel Be'er Sheva (Israel) or Dundalk (Republic of Ireland) with a place among Europe's elite at stake.
Should they lose that tie, they are guaranteed a place in the group stage of the Europa League.
Rodgers says he has no preference, but hopes to have the second leg at home again after overcoming Lincoln Red Imps and Astana after travelling for the first leg.
"That's a real benefit for us," he said. "We'll just take whoever comes in the next game.
"It's the final step [before the group stage]. There was always going to be three tough rounds."
Dembele's goal was his first for Celtic since signing from Fulham.
It came after the 20-year-old's driving run earned a spot-kick and led to the dismissal of both Igor Shitov, for making the foul, and Dmitri Shomko for protesting.
Earlier, Leigh Griffiths netted another penalty in first-half stoppage time, only for Agim Ibraimi to level the tie on aggregate midway through the second half.
"Both penalty takers showed wonderful composure in a pressure game," Rodgers said. "But Moussa especially for a boy who has just turned 20.
"He has been playing catch-up in his fitness, but he's got quality and that's why he was coveted by so many teams." | Manager Brendan Rodgers says the Celtic fans "put the players on edge" during the Champions League win over Astana. |
14,026,218 | The Dutch were in charge of the UN "safe area" when Bosnian Serb forces overran it in 1995 and killed 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys.
The court in The Hague ruled that the Dutch troops should not have handed the three men over to Bosnian Serb forces.
The ruling was unexpected, and may open the way for other compensation claims.
The case centred on three Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims) who were working for the Dutch force, Dutchbat, during the 1992-1995 Bosnian war and were among thousands who took shelter in the UN compound as Bosnian Serb forces commanded by Gen Ratko Mladic overran Srebrenica on 11 July 1995.
Two days later, Dutch peacekeepers forced the Bosniaks out of the compound.
By Lauren Comiteau BBC News, The Hague
The verdict is historic. It is believed to be the first time a state has been held responsible for the actions of its troops working under UN auspices. This could have far-reaching implications for other countries that may be wary of sending their troops on UN peacekeeping missions.
The Dutch government, which the court ruled had "effective control" over their troops, has been ordered to pay compensation to the plaintiffs.
This could pave the way for compensation claims by other Srebrenica victims, especially those whose relatives were similarly forced off the Dutch compound, a designated UN safe haven, where they had sought protection.
The verdict, which government lawyers say they have to study before deciding whether or not to appeal, will no doubt reopen a painful chapter in Dutch history.
In 2002, the Dutch government collapsed after an investigation by the National War Documentation Institute blamed them and the UN for sending ill-equipped Dutch soldiers on an impossible mission.
"The court ruled that the Dutch state is responsible for the death of these men because Dutchbat should not have handed them over," a spokeswoman for the court said.
The appeals court's judges have ordered the government to pay compensation to the dead men's relatives in a ruling that could have implications for similar cases against the Dutch state, says the BBC's Lauren Comiteau at the court.
The verdict came as a surprise to both the Bosnian Muslim plaintiffs and government lawyers, our correspondent says.
The court said that even though Dutchbat was working under the UN after the fall of Srebrenica, in a situation which they called "extraordinary", the Dutch government became more involved with Dutchbat and the evacuation, and in that sense they were responsible.
A court had previously ruled in 2008 that the Dutch state was not responsible for the deaths of Bosnian Dutchbat employees and their families because the soldiers were operating under a UN mandate.
When Bosnian Serb forces overran the Srebrenica enclave, Bosniak Muslims converged on the Dutch base. Between 4,000 and 5,000 were allowed into the compound, an estimated 15,000-20,000 remained outside.
Two days later, Dutch peacekeepers began expelling the refugees from their base, as the Bosnian Serb troops had demanded.
A lawyer for one of the plaintiffs, Liesbeth Zegveld, told the BBC that relatives of other Bosniak men who had been handed over by Dutch troops "may stand a good chance to win their case in Dutch courts".
About 300 men of military age are estimated to have been expelled from the compound.
The case was brought by relatives of Rizo Mustafic, who worked as an electrician for Dutchbat, and by Dutchbat interpreter Hasan Nuhanovic, who lost his father and brother in the fall of the Bosniak enclave.
Source: UN report from 1999
Timeline: Siege of Srebrenica
They filed a lawsuit against the Dutch state because Dutchbat handed over their relatives to the Bosnian Serbs, and have been trying to get the Dutch government to take responsibility for their deaths for nine years.
The ruling said even though the Dutch soldiers were operating under a UN mandate, they were under "effective control" of top military and government officials in The Hague when they ordered the hundreds of Bosniak men and boys out of their compound.
The ruling said the three men were among the last to be expelled on 13 July, and by that time the peacekeepers already had seen Bosnian Serb troops abusing Bosniak men and boys and should have known they faced the real threat of being killed.
"The Dutchbat had been witness to multiple incidents in which the Bosnian Serbs mistreated or killed male refugees outside the compound. The Dutch therefore knew that... the men were at great risk if they were to leave the compound," the court said in its ruling.
Mr Mustafic was forced to leave and was separated from his wife just outside the compound fence and taken away, and was never heard of again.
Hasan Nuhanovic was allowed to stay, but his relatives were forced to leave. The remains of his father and brother were recovered in 2007 and 2010.
The Srebrenica massacre remains a sensitive issue in the Netherlands. In 2002, the government fell after an official report was heavily critical of Dutch actions when the killings took place.
The conduct of the country's peacekeepers was highlighted again following the recent arrest of Gen Mladic.
In May, during a televised debate featuring former Dutchbat commander Col Thom Karremans, Dutch TV aired footage of Lt Col Karremans drinking a toast to peace with Gen Mladic on the eve of the massacre, in what commentators described as a humiliation.
The Dutch state, which has faced several cases in recent years over Srebrenica, has always argued that it was let down by the UN, which failed to give its troops sufficient support.
Gen Mladic is currently on trial in The Hague, charged on 11 counts including genocide of Bosniaks and Bosnian Croats during the Bosnian war. | A court in the Netherlands has ruled the Dutch state was responsible for the deaths of three Bosnian Muslims in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre. |
39,887,843 | 11 May 2017 Last updated at 15:08 BST
She is being fed and cared for by experts after being rescued in Indonesia when she was caught in a remote village.
Orang-utans which are considered critically endangered by the World Wildlife Fund, usually have brown or orange hair and dark eyes. They live in Indonesia and Malaysia.
But this one is different. She's an albino which means she doesn't have the chemical in her hair, skin and eyes that creates colour - it also means she struggles with bright lights.
She still loves eating Bamboo though and has been getting stronger and putting weight back on. | This is a really rare albino orang-utan. |
37,257,627 | The actor plays a fictional celebrity who is accused of historical sex crimes in Channel 4 drama National Treasure, which begins later this month.
Referring to real-life revelations, he said: "Every day another story [comes out], and I think it appals all of us."
He said he believed appearing in the series was "an important thing to do".
"The power of drama is you can deal with these things in a way that the judiciary, the police and Parliament can't, or seem unable to."
The actor said he had avoided meeting Jimmy Savile, who was found to be a serial abuser who had preyed on children and adults over several decades.
"I never wanted to meet him. I always thought he was creepy," Coltrane said.
"The big question is, what kind of culture was going on that he got away with it for as long as he did?"
At least 72 people were sexually abused by Savile in connection with his work at the BBC, and the corporation missed opportunities to stop his abuse because of a "culture of fear", the Dame Janet Smith review concluded earlier this year.
Coltrane said he hoped advances in communication and technology meant similar abuse would be less likely to occur now.
"With the way electronics and social media [are], hopefully it won't happen again, that you could not get away with it these days. That's what you'd hope," he said.
Asked whether it was a difficult decision to appear in the show, Coltrane said: "Not once I read the script."
The four-part drama's screenplay was written by Jack Thorne, who also wrote Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, which is currently playing in London's West End.
Co-star Julie Walters agreed that National Treasure "was wonderfully written, and written in a complicated, multifaceted way".
The actress plays the wife of Coltrane's character, one of many people around him whose lives are torn apart by the allegations.
"You look at these cases and for me it's the wife you want to know about," Walters said.
"Women like that are fascinating. The reasons she stands by him were fascinating to go into."
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram, or if you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | Robbie Coltrane has said he was "appalled" by the number of public figures who have been accused of historical abuse in recent years. |
35,041,681 | Benjamin Hoyle, who works for engine manufacturers Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains, is alleged to have searched and saved race data.
Hoyle was set to leave Mercedes at the end of 2015.
"The company has taken the appropriate legal steps to protect its intellectual property," said a team spokesperson.
According to Bloomberg, Mercedes wants the return of all documents and information, payment of its legal fees, and is seeking to block Hoyle from joining Ferrari or any other F1 rival until after the 2016 season.
The Mercedes team won the 2015 constructors' championship by 275 points from Ferrari. | Mercedes are taking legal action against an engineer who allegedly took confidential information as he prepared to join Formula 1 rivals Ferrari. |
36,416,350 | Harambe, a 17-year-old gorilla, was captured on video dragging the child across a moat in the enclosure.
The boy's mother, identified on social media as Michelle Gregg, is heard shouting in footage of the incident.
She tells her son to remain calm, after he had climbed through a barrier and fallen into the pen at Cincinnati Zoo.
A Facebook post, purportedly written by Michelle Gregg, thanked "the right people" for being "in the right place" and said "accidents happen".
Ms Gregg later became the focus of a furious online backlash after zoo officials defended the decision to shoot the animal.
Eddie Whrnbrg wrote on Facebook: "...the zoos aren't the problem. It's the idiotic parents."
On Twitter @blxxm83 wrote: "So lazy parents can't control their wild kids and a beautiful endangered animal gets shot and killed because of it? #Harambe #RIPHarambe"
In another tweet @brittrosenthal wrote "Sad thing is it looked like #Harambe was protecting the kid more than the parent was. #CincinnatiZoo"
Some even called for Ms Gregg to be dismissed from her job.
Ms Gregg posted on Facebook after the incident and at about the same time a Facebook group called Justice for Harambe was set up.
An online petition signed by more than 300,000 people was also created, calling for her to be held accountable for Harambe's death.
Michelle Gregg's Facebook page has since been deleted, after many accused her of being a bad mother.
Other social media users with the same name have been dragged into the debate after being mistakenly targeted.
This Facebook user even changed her profile picture and posted: "There is some pretty foul language in these emails... but here are some I've received today. I have also received tons of emails of people apologising for what others have said to me."
In contrast to more than 100,000 likes on the Justice for Harambe page, a Facebook group in support of Ms Gregg has attracted just over 300 likes.
One of its most recent posts reads: "#ISupportMichelleGregg As to the people writing disgusting things I hope you guys have a good night knowing all of you are hypocrites. Don't scream for justice and then turn around and wish death on a child."
Emily Rose Clifford wrote on Facebook: "I don't normally even voice my opinion on these types of things but I just feel so sorry for this mother. I know as a mother that things and accidents can happen in the blink of an eye, even if you are a good mum."
By Rozina Sini | The mother of a boy who fell into a gorilla enclosure at a US zoo has become the victim of online abuse after zookeepers shot the animal dead. |
30,443,083 | Cryptoy was created by three industrial placement students and tells the story of four historical cyphers, including the German Enigma code, cracked at Bletchley Park during World War Two.
The free app for Android tablet devices also encrypts messages using the codes.
GCHQ says it is hoping it will help to encourage teenagers to be the next generation of cyber security experts.
Cryptoy also showcases the substitution and vigenere cyphers, and the shift, which dates back to Roman times.
A spokeswoman for Cheltenham-based GCHQ said the app is intended as a "fun teaching aid" to help 14-16 year olds studying at the Key Stage 4 level learn something about code making and code breaking.
She said it aims to encourage them to become interested in associated disciplines such as mathematics, as well as problem solving and the necessary programming skills to create such an app.
"All of this is extremely relevant to today's world where information security is increasingly important and where we need young people to study the subjects necessary," she added.
The app was initially produced by the industrial placement students for the Cheltenham Festival cultural event last year.
The GCHQ spokeswoman said the agency was keen where possible to be open about some aspects of its work.
The BBC's technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones said the public should have no qualms about downloading the app.
Cryptoy will be available to download directly from Google Play or through the GCHQ website. It is understood that a version for Apple iPads will not be available until next year. | The government's electronic monitoring agency GCHQ is releasing its first computer app. |
36,141,808 | A leaked 2012 review found staff did not feel Slade House, Oxford, was safe and that it was dirty and difficult to track the care of patients at the unit.
Connor Sparrowhawk, 18, died at the site in July 2013.
Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust said a post-review plan had not been completed before his death.
An inquest jury found in October that neglect contributed to Mr Sparrowhawk's death.
Dr Sara Ryan, his mother, said she would be asking police to open an investigation.
She said the leaked documents were the "missing piece" for a corporate manslaughter charge, and described seeing the 2012 report as "devastating".
"Numerous things were wrong that were clearly important failings. To think that was known about… is awful, shocking, and harrowing," she said.
"There's so many failings within the failings."
The internal review involved staff carrying out a mock Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection.
Staff described safety as either "medium" or "low", while others were "very clear" that it was not safe.
There was also a "lack of clarity" around care plans, risk assessments and risk management, and a "gap" between information stored on its electronic system and on paper.
In addition, the review found evidence of "difficulty in maintaining an acceptable level of cleanliness".
The report was undertaken while the trust - which covers Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire - was in the process of taking over the unit from the Ridgeway Partnership.
Visits by the CQC in 2013 said it needed "urgent" action to make it safer. It has since been closed.
Gail Hanrahan, from Oxford Family Support Network, said the details that had emerged were "heartbreaking" and "incredibly sad".
She added: "The fact that they were flagged up almost a year before Connor died… words fail really, it's just devastating."
The trust said the findings in the review were "circulated to an internal meeting and discussed as part of our governance process".
It said they also contributed to a larger report in October 2012 and that an action plan was put in place.
"However, the trust fully accepts that these had not all been completed at the time of Connor's death," it added. | An NHS trust knew of failings at a care unit 10 months before a teenager drowned in a bath there, the BBC has learned. |
39,410,763 | Media playback is not supported on this device
The 15-year-old first-year senior won the floor event despite winning the junior title just a year ago.
"I am speechless, I don't know how to describe it, it is phenomenal really," she told BBC Radio Wales Sport.
"I never went into the competition expecting to win anything, as it was my first time in the senior event."
She continued: "I really just wanted to test things out.
"It is incredible to beat Claudia, just having the experience of being with her was amazing.
"My family and friends are over the moon. It was only 12-months ago I was British junior champion.
"I didn't expect this in my first year as a senior, beating people who went to the Olympics."
The teenager from Pontypool, who lives with other members of the Welsh gymnastics squad in Cardiff, says her aim is now selection for - and success at - the Commonwealth Games in Australia in April 2018.
"My main aim now is the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast. I would love to be among the medal winners," she said.
"The training is all geared up to that, it will be a busy few months."
Find out how to get into gymnastics with our special guide. | Teenager Maisie Methuen said she was in disbelief after beating Strictly Come Dancing star Claudia Fragapane at the British Gymnastics Championships. |
32,168,754 | Following a hearing last week, the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) found him in breach of two rules, one of fixing and one of misusing inside information.
It will decide on a sanction against the Irishman at a later date, likely to be next month.
There is no suggestion Burnett was involved in any wrongdoing.
Sutton is not a member of the WPBSA and does not hold a World Snooker tour card.
He accepted an invitation to play, and was beaten by Burnett, in an International Championships qualifier in Barnsley in September 2014.
Suspicious betting patterns on the game were reported.
Married father-of-four Sutton is a business development manager who practises between five and 10 hours a week.
He told World Snooker last year that his strengths are his "temperament and never-know-when-I'm-beaten attitude" but that his weakness is "consistency".
"I'm good one day and awful the next," he said, adding his idols are Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry "due to their commitment and dedication to the game". | Amateur snooker player John Sutton has been found guilty of match-fixing after a 6-0 defeat by Jamie Burnett in 2014. |
32,133,010 | The lorry driver was allegedly assaulted by another motorist on the A320 by a roundabout with Woodlands Road, near Slyfield industrial estate in Guildford on 5 February.
A 26-year-old man from Farnborough has been arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm.
He has been released on bail until 2 May. | A man has been arrested after road rage attack in Surrey left a lorry driver with a fractured cheekbone. |
32,241,978 | The SNP, Labour, Tories and Liberal Democrats will be fielding candidates in every Scottish constituency.
UKIP have 41 candidates and the Scottish Greens have 31.
The Scottish Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition will have 10 candidates, with seven from the Cannabis is Safer than Alcohol Party.
The SSP has four candidates, while the National Front will have two and the Scottish Communist Party, the Scottish Christian Party and the Socialist Equality Party have one each.
There are a further 10 candidates who describe themselves as independent.
Britain First and the BNP are not putting up any candidates in Scotland.
Any individual or party that wanted to stand for election as a Member of Parliament had until 16:00 on Thursday to file their papers.
There are now exactly four weeks until the election, with anyone who wishes to vote in person having until Monday 20 April to register.
Anyone who wants to vote by post has to apply by 17:00 on 21 April.
The BBC News website has a full list of candidates in every constituency. | Nominations have closed ahead of the general election on 7 May, with more than 340 candidates standing in Scotland's 59 constituencies. |
26,612,982 | Ahead of the Budget, we asked BBC News website readers to share their tips for saving money and how they manage their own household budgets.
Here are 10 of the best:
1. Water waste: Brian Powell suggests that when taking a shower, as soon as you are wet turn off the water. Then apply the soap or gel. When thoroughly rubbed in, turn the water back on to remove suds. This method halves the water and soap used as well as halving the energy needed to heat the water.
2. Watch the pennies: Howard Alderton suggests that instead of using coin changers, which often charge 9% in the pound, you should use the self-service tills at supermarkets to pay for cheap items and put a load of coins in and collect your change in a note or notes.
3. The pounds will look after themselves: Anderson Chipandire says: "I have worked out my basic salary per month and any extra I get from overtime I put into my savings. It's working very well for me and I have taught myself to live on my basic salary."
4. Dinner for two: Fiona Williams says if there are just two of you, cook a recipe for four, eat half and freeze half. That way you get to cook most recipes and, over a week, build up enough food for the next week thus saving money.
BBC Consumer
5. Energy saving: Kit Hurst has a combi boiler and the water takes about 45 seconds to a minute to run hot: "I realised one day that when I wash my hands I'm running the boiler but washing in cold water. Since that moment I've moved all my mixer taps to the cold position so that my boiler doesn't switch on each time I wash my hands. I do, however, live alone so I don't upset anyone with my energy saving methods."
6. Best before: Mark Smith buys fresh food that has been marked down due to being close to its use-by date. He then puts it in the freezer where it will keep for weeks. This is especially useful for items that can still be cooked straight from the freezer (eg pizzas or some microwave meals). It also frees up more space in the fridge for beer.
7. Do it yourself: William Brown says you should learn how to do things yourself - from DIY to car maintenance to cooking and cleaning. It saves fortunes and has the added benefit of educating yourself.
8. Savings drive: Adrian Chapman drives at 60mph on dual carriageways and sticks to all speed limits as normal while also ensuring that he avoids unnecessary braking and gear changes.
9. Travel costs: Ian Spincer has a fold-up bicycle in the boot of his car and rather than pay for parking he simply parks in a residential area and rides into the centre of the various towns that he has to visit with his work as an accountant.
10. Don't forget the milk: Peter Hughes's parents have been diluting their milk for years. They buy full-fat (whole) milk, dilute it by about one-third with water and call it semi-skimmed. "They reckon they save about £50 a year just from that one trick. People probably have bigger expenses to cut, but for those who have tried it all, how about this? I think it's a bit over the top personally, but both my parents managed to retire in their mid-fifties, so I guess they have had the last laugh."
Are we missing any? Tell us what you want to see in this year's Budget. Email us at [email protected] adding 'Budget' in the subject heading and including your contact details. | Chancellor George Osborne will announce his Budget to Parliament on 19 March 2014. |
38,826,196 | The deaths occurred between March and December 2016 following a "reckless" attempt by the government to save money, Malegapuru Makgoba said.
It transferred patients from a specialised institution to centres with "invalid licences", he added.
The findings have led to the health minister in Gauteng province resigning.
A visibly angry Dr Makgoba released his findings in a report entitled 94 Silent Deaths and Counting.
He described the deaths as unlawful, and called on law enforcement agencies to take up the cases.
"One person has died from a mental health-related illness. None of the 93 [others] have died from a mental illness," Dr Makgoba said.
The ombudsman's investigation was prompted by complaints from families who were desperately searching for their relatives.
A total of 1,900 patients were transferred by the Gauteng health department from the Life Esidimeni health institution to various unregulated care organisations, he said.
The decision was taken to cut costs and was a "total shambles", Dr Makgoba added.
The Gauteng government's premier, David Makhura, said he had accepted the resignation of his health minister, Qedani Mahlangu.
Ms Mahlangu understood that if something went "profoundly wrong, you take direct accountability", he added, the local News24 site reported. | Nearly 100 mentally ill patients have died of starvation, dehydration and diarrhoea at care centres in South Africa, the health ombudsman has said. |
39,166,971 | Staff at a Barnardo's store in Porthmadog, Gwynedd, were amazed to discover the document showing details of the former £200m HMS Trafalgar.
"Someone said that if the phone rang and it was someone with a Russian accent, I should put it down," joked manager, Stella Parker.
The plans will be auctioned off.
Charity store staff say the suitcase was donated anonymously and filled with books.
But hidden in the lining of the luggage was the impressive 6ft (1.8m) drawings of the former Royal Navy vessel.
While unusual finds are not uncommon for the charity shop, Ms Parker said she quickly recognised this was something out of the ordinary.
"When I found it I just thought, wow, this is amazing," she said.
"I can only imagine perhaps the family of someone who had passed away donated the suitcase, that is what often happens. perhaps they did not know the plan was there.
"We are all very excited here about it and we've certainly never seen anything like it before."
Mrs Parker took the plans to be looked at by experts when the TV show, David Dickinson's Real Deal, visited the Gwynedd town.
She was told there that the plans were most likely posted on the sub to familiarise the crew with the lay-out of the vessel.
It seems more likely that the document comes from Vickers, who built Trafalgar, or the submarine's designers.
During its years in service, Trafalgar prowled under the frozen polar icecaps keeping the then-Soviet threat in check.
It also served the Afghanistan conflict and became the first Royal Navy submarine to launch Tomahawk cruise missiles against Taliban forces.
In 1996 the sub gained notoriety after running aground off the Isle of Skye during a training exercise, causing £5m worth of damage.
The Plymouth-based vessel was decommissioned in 2009.
But foreign agents looking to get their hands on the document today will face an easier task than they did in the 1980s - as the plans have been declassified and are being auctioned by the shop.
Ms Parker said: "We are hoping to raise as much money as we can. one thing for certain is that you are not going to be able to buy one of these anywhere else." | A north Wales town has a cold war thriller on its hands after nuclear submarine plans were found in a charity shop suitcase. |
32,760,651 | The 42-year-old singer wed in St Mary's Church in Woburn, Bedfordshire.
She arrived at the parish church, just off the High Street, in a vintage Rolls Royce ahead of the wedding to Horner, whom she first met in 2009.
She was accompanied by her daughter Bluebell, who was her bridesmaid.
The groom, who lives locally, was at the church a full hour earlier, with F1 racing legend David Coulthard who was dressed for the occasion in a kilt.
Other guests included Jennifer Saunders and her husband Ade Edmondson, Dawn French, Myleene Klass, Amanda Holden and former World Racing Champion Jackie Stewart.
The Duke and Duchess of Bedford were also present, along with ex-racing driver and TV commentator Eddie Jordan and Niki Lauda.
The only Spice Girl at the ceremony was Baby Spice, Emma Bunton.
Following the wedding, the reception was held in a giant white marquee in the grounds of Woburn Abbey.
Earlier in the day, she posted clues of events to come on Twitter and Instagram, in the form of a series of pictures of something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue.
Halliwell and Horner have been friends since 2009.
They have been publicly dating since March 2014 and got engaged in November. | Former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell has married Red Bull F1 team boss Christian Horner in a wedding attended by a string of celebrities from showbiz and motor racing worlds. |
40,720,327 | Muska the cat adopted the spiky brood after their mother died in a lawn-mowing accident.
The tiny hoglets, as they are known, had refused milk from a syringe, a bottle, and a saucer for two days, according to Sadgorod Zoo.
At night, the babies had a heating pad to stimulate their digestion.
Still, nothing helped.
As Muska had recently raised a litter of foster kittens, she had milk to offer - so the zoo decided to try the unusual pairing.
The hungry orphans reacted to her bodily warmth and the smell of milk, and soon began to nurse.
The good-natured cat proceeded to feed the hedgehogs for more than a week and comfort them at night, Russia's Vesti reports.
The fragile youngsters are now eating on their own, although their feline guardian is still keeping an eye on proceedings.
A picture on the zoo's Instagram feed shows one of them happily snoozing in his food bowl.
Sadgorod Zoo's media director Alyona Asnovina said there had been an "invasion" of hedgehogs in eastern Russian this year.
It's not the first time a cat has nursed orphaned hedgehogs in the country. In 2012, a cat named Sonya took in four babies and fed them alongside her own kitten. | Eight orphaned hedgehogs have survived against the odds at a zoo in the Russian city of Vladivostok, after a kindly cat became their surrogate mum. |
39,027,095 | Dean Yeats, from Forfar, is alleged to have caused the blaze at King George V Pumping Station on Thursday.
Prosecutors allege he wilfully set fire to a piece of paper and threw it on the pumping station.
It is alleged this caused a fire to take effect, causing "extensive damage." Mr Yeats made no plea or declaration at Dundee Sheriff Court.
The case was continued for further examination and he was granted bail. | A 25-year-old man has appeared in court accused of starting a major fire at Dundee's dock area. |
19,733,057 | Bassist Peter Hook, who went on to form New Order with his remaining bandmates, has now written a book about the Joy Division years.
He discusses the continuing guilt over Curtis's suicide and his current "war" with other band members.
In the book, you say you were inspired to form a band by watching The Sex Pistols in Manchester in 1976. What would you be doing now if you had not been at that gig?
"That is something thankfully I'll never know. The only love I've ever had, apart from music, is cars. So I always imagine that I would have gone to work in a scrap yard."
Has researching and writing the book given you a different perspective on the band?
"The thing that made me feel sad about it was the ongoing fracas with the other members, with what I feel is the wrong use of the New Order name and also the dissatisfaction I feel with the way they've handled the affairs going forward.
"I probably would have looked at it a lot more fondly if I wasn't in court with the other members very shortly.
[Guitarist Bernard Sumner and drummer Stephen Morris are continuing to tour as New Order but Hook is contesting their use of the name and the financial arrangements.]
"To be at war with somebody, especially the way Bernard and I are, and the only way you carry it out is in the press, is a very pathetic schoolboy thing. It's just happened with them in The Guardian and me now. It always leaves a bad taste in the mouth."
Didn't writing the book make you think life is too short for squabbles like this?
"It's human nature for you to be gladiatorial, isn't it? I don't want to sit there for the rest of my life thinking what they did was wrong and have to suffer it. I'd rather fight and at least I can say I had a go.
"The last thing I want is their descendants laughing at my descendants in the future. It's an odd situation, but it is about business."
Joy Division were such an important band, but this book is about four mates having a laugh on the road and doing what lads do. Do you think the subsequent mythology has built the band up to be something they were not?
"While I was in New Order we completely ignored anything to do with Joy Division. The myth was good: 'They all think we're dead arty and intelligent and intellectual.'
"I'm happy to buy into the myth, so when I came to writing the book I was wary about breaking it. Do people want to know that Ian used to urinate in ashtrays? Do people want to know that Bernard used to eat his dinner in the bath?"
Some might have expected you to use the book as an opportunity to stick the boot into Bernard and the others.
"Strangely enough the others thought that too. It wasn't on my mind.
"There are certain things I think are sacrosanct and you shouldn't underestimate the part that Bernard played in creating Joy Division's sound; you shouldn't underestimate the part that Stephen played in it or Ian or me. We were at our best in that period."
You say you "hated" your debut album Unknown Pleasures after it was recorded. Why?
"As far as Bernard and I were concerned, we were in a punk band. In the studio, [producer] Martin Hannett turned us into a normal group and Bernard and I didn't want that - we wanted to sound like The Sex Pistols.
"I said 'I don't like it' and went and had a huff in the corner. We didn't have the vision to see past that, but he did give it such fantastic production - he gave it timelessness."
How has it been looking back at Ian's death, and what you could have done differently?
"When you put it all in a timeline, it was a shock to see how intense the work was around nearly every episode the poor boy had.
"He'd have a really bad fit one night and be at a gig the next day. He was self-harming and was at a gig the next day. The first suicide attempt, he was at a gig the next day. To look at it on paper, I thought, this is ridiculous.
"It still makes me feel guilty and in many ways it explains why the ending came. If we'd have cancelled all the gigs and got him rested and well and got him help, we might not have got the nasty ending that we did. But we'll never know.
"I must admit that Ian didn't want that, Ian didn't want us to stop, and that was the big problem. We were all just glad to hear from him that he was OK and happy to carry on."
What are your memories of Ian in the good times?
"He wasn't a morose chap. He was happy a lot of the time and was very sincerely happy about Joy Division's success and the hard work that we'd put in.
"He struck me as a very generous person to work with. After working with a lot of people over the years, you don't meet many people who have his attitude. I remember him very fondly."
Unknown Pleasures by Peter Hook is published on 1 October. Hook's new band The Light will perform Joy Division material on a UK tour in November and December before playing New Order's first two albums Movement and Power Corruption And Lies in January. | More than 30 years after the untimely death of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis, the band remain one of the most influential and revered bands in British rock. |
34,998,880 | Michael Davies, 71, from Blaina, Blaenau Gwent, was missing for five weeks before his remains were found on marshland in July.
He and his wife Pat were on a coach holiday and staying at the Hotel Maria.
Isle of Wight Coroner Caroline Sumeray said: "I cannot rule out that he suffered from a natural event such as a heart attack or a stroke." | An open conclusion has been recorded in the death of a pensioner who disappeared on the Isle of Wight. |
28,201,577 | BBC Worldwide said it was investigating "a security issue around Doctor Who Series Eight where unfinished material has inadvertently been made public".
The statement urged fans not to distribute the spoiler material.
The series - which marks Peter Capaldi's debut as the Doctor - is due to begin on BBC One on 23 August.
Confirming the leak, BBC Worldwide, the corporation's global arm, said: "We deeply regret this and apologise to all the show's fans, the BBC and the cast and crew who have worked tirelessly making the series.
"We would like to make a plea to anyone who might have any of this material and spoilers associated with it not to share it with a wider audience so that everyone can enjoy the show as it should be seen when it launches.
"We know only too well that Doctor Who fans are the best in the world and we thank them for their help with this and their continued loyalty."
The leaked scripts are reported to have originated from a BBC Worldwide office in the US.
The first episode is due to have its premiere at a screening in Cardiff on 7 August, after which the show's stars and executive producer Steven Moffat will take it on a world tour leading up to the first TV broadcast.
The scripts, beginning with episode one, titled Deep Breath, are marked "private and confidential".
Last year, some US fans were sent DVDs containing the series finale three weeks before it had been broadcast.
In May 2011, Moffat criticised those "who call themselves fans" who revealed crucial plot lines ahead of transmission.
"You can imagine how much I hate them," he told BBC Radio 5 live. "I wish they could go and be fans of something else." | Five scripts for the new series of Doctor Who have leaked online, seven weeks before the episodes are broadcast. |
40,643,556 | It was the very first time UU has entered a team on the quiz and with an average age of 50 they were some of the oldest competitors to take part.
They may have suffered a loss, but at only five points behind their rivals, they can hold their heads up high.
Team member, Matthew Milliken, a PHD student, said it was "tremendous fun".
The UU team was made up of members drawn from the four campuses in Belfast, Coleraine, Jordanstown and Londonderry.
As well as Matthew, from Comber, County Down, it consisted of Cathal McDaid from Buncrana, County Donegal, Kate Ritchie from Waringstown, County Down, and captain Ian Jack from Peterhead in Aberdeenshire.
Matthew told BBC's Good Morning Ulster that the team hadn't set their sights too high.
"We set ourselves a target of not being the lowest ever score, but we exceeded that ambition."
They even got a tweet today from University Challenge legend Bobby Seagull who said it was the highest losing score in the last six years.
Monkman v Seagull: The greatest face-off of all time?
Why do University Challenge contestants go viral?
The team were able to have a joke with the famously stern presenter, Jeremy Paxman.
"In the picture round, the picture came up on the screen in front of us. It was a round on actors who had played a part on Broadway and gone on to win an Oscar for the film," Matthew said.
"The picture was Yul Brynner and I do have a pretty similar hairstyle to him. I buzzed in with the right answer.
"Jeremy Paxman, looked across at me, raised an eyebrow knowingly and I removed my glasses and wiped my baldy head.
"As I said to my daughter, 'Your daddy's a meme' ".
Matthew added that the university had never made an attempt to get on the show before.
"It would be really easy for it [to be] populated with Oxbridge students. There are so many colleges and phenomenally intelligent young people over there.
"We're a bunch of folk who have, perhaps struggled a bit to come through this stage of education. I proudly boast that I scrapped two A Levels and went to the poly.
"I wasn't one of these kids who grew up watching the programme. It was a much more recent advent in my world."
However, it's not all over for the team, as they will still have the opportunity to compete in the play-offs.
We have everything crossed for you. | If you tuned into University Challenge on Monday, you'll know that a team from Ulster University (UU) lost narrowly to Edinburgh University. |
32,816,172 | Limits will be imposed on S1 numbers at all four secondary schools in 2016/17 as part of the Dumfries Learning Town project.
The town's 25 primary schools will also be subjected to restrictions on their primary one intake.
Council officials said they need to reduce the town's school estate by 1,000 pupils "to reflect demographics".
It is likely to mean that the most popular schools in Dumfries will be forced to turn some prospective pupils away.
At Dumfries High School, which accepted 165 first years last year, the roll will be capped at 141 pupils.
Laurieknowe Primary School's P1 class will be restricted to 54 children, limiting its total roll to 364.
Without capping, its roll was expected to rise to 384 in August 2016.
In a report to members of Dumfries and Galloway Council's education committee, officials said historical data and the design of planned new schools pointed to the need to cap rolls.
They added: "Capping will enable us to plan for change, work creatively across associated schools supporting the key aim of Dumfries Learning Town to ensure equality irrespective of where you live in the burgh."
According to the council's projections, the cap will have little effect at most schools and they will have space to enrol additional pupils.
However, there is likely to be a high demand for places at at least three primary schools where the "capped" school roll will be lower than the predicted demand for places.
The report revealed that about 70% (1,711) of secondary age students in Dumfries do not attend their designated catchment school.
Just under 200 leave the town to attend Wallace Hall Academy in Thornhill.
More than half of pupils (389) from north-west Dumfries do not attend their local school, Maxwelltown High.
A total of 1,585 primary pupils (45% of the total) do not attend their designated catchment school.
Under plans for the Dumfries Learning Town, new "learning campuses" would built at Maxwelltown High and Dumfries High. St Joseph's College and Dumfries Academy would be refurbished.
It would also involve the creation of a "learning hub" offering specialist higher academic and vocational studies. | Pupil numbers at schools in Dumfries will be capped under plans to transform education in the town. |
32,028,173 | The 400-kilometre (250-mile) wide area is buried deep in the earth's crust and consists of two separate impact scars.
The team behind the discovery, from the Australian National University (ANU), said the asteroid broke into two before it hit, with each fragment more than 10km across.
The impact is thought to have occurred at least 300 million years ago.
The surface crater has long since disappeared from central Australia's Warburton Basin but geophysical modelling below the surface found evidence of two massive impacts, said Dr Andrew Glikson, who led the ANU team.
"It would have been curtains for many life species on the planet at the time," said Dr Glikson.
But the team, which published its findings in the geology journal Tectonophysics, has not been able to connect the impact to any known extinction.
"It's a mystery - we can't find an extinction event that matches these collisions," said Dr Glikson. "I have a suspicion the impact could be older than 300 million years."
The rocks around the impact zone are roughly 300 to 600 million years old, but a layer of ash that would have been thrown up by the impact has not been detected as sediment in rock layers from the same period.
The large meteorite believed to have killed the dinosaurs 66 million years ago corresponds to a layer of sediment in rocks around the world.
"Large impacts like these may have had a far more significant role in the Earth's evolution than previously thought," Dr Glikson said.
The apparent impact zone in the Warburton Basin was discovered by accident while scientists were drilling 2km under the Earth's surface for a geothermal research project.
The dig returned traces of rock that had been turned to glass by extreme temperature and pressure, consistent with a massive impact. | Scientists in Australia have discovered what they say is the largest asteroid impact area ever found. |
33,491,761 | The 72-year-old took to the stage on a Star Wars panel at the San Diego Comic-Con in front of thousands of fans.
"I'm fine," Ford reportedly said. "I walked here so how bad can it be?"
Ford, who suffered a broken ankle and pelvis when he crashed his small plane on to a golf course, appeared alongside original Star Wars trilogy cast members, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher.
The trio who played Han Solo, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia in the sci-fi saga reprise their roles in the next instalment, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens.
"It should have felt ridiculous," Ford said about stepping back on to a Star Wars set after such a long period.
"It was 30 plus years ago, and I sort of grew up. Yet here I was. I will tell you that it felt great."
Some fans had queued for days for a seat at the Star Wars event. The panel also included The Force Awakens director J J Abrams, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy, and the film's co-writer Lawrence Kasdan.
The film's two young British stars, Daisy Ridley who plays Rey and John Boyega who plays Finn, also took to the stage.
As well as being given the chance to ask questions, the audience was also the first to see a three-minute behind the scenes video. The clip showed scenes being shot abroad and at Pinewood studios in Buckinghamshire.
The Force Awakens is set for release on 18 December and is the first in a new series of the sci-fi franchise. | US actor Harrison Ford has made his first public appearance since he was injured in a plane crash in March. |
35,800,891 | Matthew Hepworth and David Kierzek discovered a chisel and a dagger in a Lancashire field, 20 years after one of them first explored the site.
This led to the uncovering of an ancient barrow at the site, which lay untouched for thousands of years.
The men will take part in a dig in July, which is being financed with a £49,500 Heritage Lottery Fund grant.
Mr Hepworth, 40, said: "This site is untouched which makes it very, very rare. It wouldn't have been discovered if we hadn't found those artefacts.
"I've been on the site five times before over 20 years, but metal items do move in the ground.
"It was just a lucky find on the day. The first thing I found was a chisel, which is quite rare, there's only a handful in Britain. Then we found a dagger and other pieces in bronze."
Previously, Mr Hepworth, who works as a community nurse, had discovered a stash of Viking silver in the area, which is displayed at Lancaster City Museum.
He said finding the burial monument, which was used for around 1,500 years from the late Neolithic period to the middle or late Bronze Age, is "as good as it gets".
The excavation will be carried out by DigVentures, a crowdfunding group founded by the three archaeologists concerned about the lack of funds for archaeological digs.
Brendon Wilkins, archaeologist and projects director at DigVentures, said barrows are the "best windows we have into the lives and deaths of Bronze Age Britons". | A Bronze Age burial site uncovered after two metal detector enthusiasts found artefacts is set to be excavated. |
27,669,702 | The Scottish Mesh Survivors campaign urged the Scottish government to suspend all such implant surgery pending a safety inquiry.
Health Secretary Alex Neil said he was hoping to discuss the matter with the medicines regulator.
He added that action was being taken to make GPs more aware of the issue.
About 1,500 women in Scotland receive transvaginal mesh implants every year, usually to treat a prolapsed bladder and relieve incontinence, often as a result of childbirth.
However, some have been left in constant pain after the implants hardened, and have been told they can never have sex again.
Convenor of the petitions committee David Stewart called on the Scottish government to act.
Mr Neil said he had written to the chairman of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) seeking an "urgent meeting to discuss on-going concerns over the use of transvaginal mesh implants".
He added: "It is extremely upsetting to hear the accounts of women who have experienced unimaginable suffering as a result of having this procedure.
"I personally met with some of the women affected and I am clear that no-one else should have to go through the suffering they have experienced.
"It is imperative that we have expert opinion of the full implications of the use of mesh implants and I think it is of paramount importance that we can be in a position to reassure women all across Scotland that this issue is being treated with the severity it deserves."
Hundreds of claims are due before the Scottish courts within the next year, with cases already under way in the US and Canada, where the authorities have issued warnings to hospitals.
An expert group set up by the Scottish government to look at the issue met for the first time in February.
It is developing a revised information leaflet for use in the NHS in Scotland, which will be given to women in advance of undergoing the procedure.
However, Olive McIlroy from Scottish Mesh Survivors said she wanted ministers to go further.
She said: "In a nutshell, we are asking for mesh implant surgery to be suspended pending a safety inquiry, for reporting of adverse incidents to be mandatory for doctors - currently only 12 have reported cases to the MHRA despite more than 300 women undergoing repeated operations.
"[We] want an implant register to act as an early warning system as the current system is clearly not working.
"The women have been working on new consent forms which will contain all the complications. One of the big problems has been that the women were not given proper advice before they got the operations.
"They weren't told the life changing side effects and they were not offered alternatives. We have some of the world's top docs writing to Health Secretary Alex Neil asking him to stop mesh in our hospitals."
Following the committee meeting, convener Mr Stewart said: "This is one of the most compelling petitions we have had before us.
"We heard moving and indeed heartbreaking evidence from the petitioners and the committee was united in its determination to address the issue.
"We will ask the Cabinet Secretary to give evidence at our next meeting as there must be action and there must be action now." | Women who suffered "life-changing side effects" after receiving surgical implants have given evidence to a committee of MSPs. |
35,323,472 | Kevin Watch, 68, failed to clear up after his dog at Perranporth on the north coast of Cornwall and refused to pick up the mess when challenged.
He also refused to give his name and address, but the dog warden who witnessed the offence tracked him down.
Truro Magistrates ordered him to pay an £800 fine with £1,000 costs and an £80 victim surcharge.
Cornwall Council, which brought the prosecution, said the case "sent a clear message" to dog owners.
When the council learned the man's identity, he was issued with an £80 fixed penalty notice which was not paid and the matter went to court.
Watch, of Hendrawna Lane, Bolingey, pleaded not guilty to one count of being in charge of a dog and failing to remove faeces.
Following the case, heard on Wednesday, Allan Hampshire, head of public protection at Cornwall Council, said dog fouling "blighted" lives of residents.
He said: "This fine sends a clear message to the small minority of irresponsible dog owners that if you don't clear up after you dog, the courts will fine you accordingly." | A man who refused to clean up his dog's mess on a beach has been ordered to pay almost £2,000. |
11,734,424 | The paper, Kommersant, says a Col Shcherbakov of the Russian foreign intelligence agency had been working for the Americans.
Ten Russian sleeper agents were arrested and sent back home, in the biggest spy swap since the Cold War.
It was the biggest US-Russian spy scandal since the end of the Cold War.
Col Shcherbakov had a senior role in Russia's foreign intelligence agency, Kommersant says; his job: to plant moles in the United States, secret agents deep under cover.
But at some point the colonel changed sides.
Quoting intelligence sources, the newspaper says Col Shcherbakov fled to America in June, just three days before President Dmitry Medvedev's official visit to the US.
A few days after that, once the Russian president was back in the Kremlin, the Russian agents were seized.
Kommersant cited sources who claimed Col Shcherbakov visited one of the arrested spies, Mikhail Vasenkov, in prison to try to convince him to confess.
But the spy, who went by the alias Juan Lazaro, insisted he was not Russian.
Col Shcherbakov then presented Mr Vasenkov's dossier to US officials, according to the newspaper.
A year before the spy scandal, Col Shcherbakov had reportedly been offered a promotion at work, but had turned it down, to avoid having to take a lie detector test.
The newspaper claims Col Shcherbakov's bosses had overlooked the fact his daughter had been living in America for years.
Kommersant quotes an unidentified Kremlin official as suggesting that a Russian hit squad was already planning to kill the colonel.
The Kremlin source predicted Col Shcherbakov would spend the rest of his life fearing retribution.
A spokesman for Russia's foreign intelligence agency refused to comment on the newspaper report.
But Gennady Gudkov, deputy chairman of the Russian parliament's security committee, confirmed that Kommersant's report was correct.
"Shcherbakov turned over our agents in the USA - I knew of this long before the publication today in Kommersant," Mr Gudkov said.
"It is a major blow to the image of the Russian intelligence services," he told Reuters news agency. | A newspaper in Moscow has named the Russian intelligence agent it claims helped America break up a Russian spy ring last summer. |
32,248,396 | Paul Cummin's work joins Phyllida Barlow's Dock and Grayson Perry's Who Are You? in the visual art category.
The English National Ballet's Lest We Forget - inspired by the centenary of WWI - is up against The Royal Ballet and Ballet Black for the dance award.
The awards will be hosted by South Bank Show presenter Melvyn Bragg in June.
He praised the high standard of nominees: "Yet again we turn up with a cracking range of talent across the arts. At present, British artists are on song. Many of those nominated are not only British, but world class artists."
The South Bank Sky Arts Awards recognise the best in genres of the arts including dance, opera, comedy, TV drama, literature, classical music, pop, film, visual art and theatre.
Lord Bragg will host the event at The Savoy Hotel on 7 June, with the ceremony being aired on Sky Arts 1 on 10 June at 8.00pm.
The film award will see sci-fi hit Under the Skin (starring Scarlett Johansson) fight it out with Paddington and the uplifting gay rights film Pride.
The Almeida/Wyndham Theatre's King Charles III will take on both his ancient ancestor Henry IV (Donmar Warehouse) and The Young Vic's A View from the Bridge for the theatre award.
The BBC has been nominated five times in the TV drama and comedy category with BBC Two's The Honourable Woman, Line of Duty, W1A, The Trip to Italy and Happy Valley all nominated. Sky Living's Doll & Em is also up for the comedy gong.
The Royal Opera House's Die Frau Ohne Schatten, David Nicholls' tale of a marriage in crisis Us; and the Arditti Quartet's 40 Years Young compete amongst their peers for the opera, literature and classical music categories respectively.
This year's award has been designed by Miriam Woolf, a 22-year-old student at The Glasgow School of Art.
Phil Edgar-Jones, Director of Sky Arts, said: "Arts and Culture in the UK and Ireland is as vibrant and exciting and popular (and fun) as it's ever been, and there really is no other awards event that celebrates the range, diversity and sheer brilliance of Arts talent across the spectrum.
"I am doubly thrilled this year that the award itself has been designed by a student from the Glasgow School of Art, recognising the great work the school has done over the years."
Read the full list of nominations. | The poignant Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red installation at HM Tower of London has been shortlisted for this year's South Bank Awards. |
34,119,243 | The change smoothes out some of the features in the letters that make up the well-known colourful logo spelling out its name.
It said the change was needed because people were now reaching Google on lots of mobile devices rather than just desktop computers.
The change comes after Google put its many divisions under an umbrella company called Alphabet.
It said that the logo, and its many variations, would work better on the many different-sized screens through which people used or encountered Google and its services. As well as the full logo of the company's name, it also plans to use four dots in its signature blue, red, yellow and green colours and a single, multi-coloured capital "G" to represent it.
Google announced the change on its official blog and illustrated what was different via a series of animated gifs. It said the revamped logo was "simple, uncluttered, colorful, friendly" and represented the best of Google.
It also provided a much more detailed explanation of what drove it to change the logo. One key challenge for the designers, it said, was to refine "what makes us Googley".
Google last updated its logo in September 2013.
Writing on Creative Review, Mark Sinclair said the shift was significant because before now Google had resisted doing the same as other tech companies many of which adopted a "simpler and often blander" look when they updated their official insignia.
By contrast, he said, Google had kept its "scrappier demeanour" but this latest update showed the company had indeed "smartened itself up". | Google has unveiled a new logo for its core search services. |
35,941,679 | The community and religious leaders say they hope to "shine a light" on the Alawites after a long period of secrecy, at what they call "an important moment" in their history.
In the eight-page document, termed a "declaration of identity reform", the Alawites say they represent a third model "of and within Islam".
Those behind the text say Alawites are not members of a branch of Shia Islam - as they have been described in the past by Shia clerics - and that they are committed to "the fight against sectarian strife".
They also make clear that they adhere to "the values of equality, liberty and citizenship", and call for secularism to be the future of Syria, and a system of governance in which Islam, Christianity and all other religions are equal.
And despite Alawites having dominated Syria's government and security services under Mr Assad and his late father Hafez for more than four decades, they stress that the legitimacy of his regime "can only be considered according to the criteria of democracy and fundamental rights".
The Alawites emerged in the 10th Century in neighbouring Iraq.
Little has been confirmed about their beliefs and practices since then because, according to the leaders, they had to be hidden to avoid persecution.
However, most sources say the name "Alawite" refers to their veneration of the first Shia imam, Ali, the son-in-law and cousin of the Prophet Muhammad.
Alawites are said to share the belief of members of the main branches of Shia Islam, of which Ithna Asharis or Twelvers are the largest group, that Ali was the rightful successor to Muhammad as leader of the Muslim community following his death in 632.
The Alawites purportedly differ from Twelvers in holding that Ali was a manifestation of God - a notion that some members of Syria's Sunni majority consider heretical.
In the document published on Sunday, the Alawite leaders insist that their faith is "solely based on the idea of worshipping God". They add that "the Koran alone is our holy book and a clear reference to our Muslim quality".
While acknowledging that they share some formal religious sources, the leaders stress that Alawism is distinct from Shia Islam, and decline previous legal rulings, or fatwas, by leading Shia clerics that seek to "appropriate the Alawites and consider Alawism an integral part of Shiism or a branch of the latter".
The leaders also acknowledge that Alawites have incorporated elements of other monotheistic religions into their traditions, most notably Judaism and Christianity, but say they should "not be seen as marks of deviation from Islam but as elements that bear witness to our riches and universality".
Speaking on condition of anonymity, two of the leading Syrian Alawites behind the document told the BBC that they were keen to make this statement of identity as many Alawites were being killed because of their faith.
They wanted to make clear, they said, that members of all Islamic sects in Syria were "brothers and sisters" - and that the Alawites "should not be associated with the crimes the regime has committed".
The Alawite leaders added that the future of Syria now lay in the hands of the international community.
Those behind the document said that they hoped it would "liberate" the Alawite community, who made up around 12% of Syria's pre-war population of 24 million, and that their declaration of identity would cut the link or "umbilical cord" between the Alawites and the Assad regime.
The Alawites, they pointed out, existed before the Assad regime, "and will exist after it".
According to Michael Kerr, professor of conflict studies and director of the Institute for Middle Eastern Studies at King's College London, sectarian identity became a primary driver in the civil war in Syria, even though it was not the case at the beginning of the uprising there in 2011.
In the recent book he edited, The Alawis Of Syria, Prof Kerr wrote that Bashar al-Assad "took the strategic decision to facilitate sectarian narratives and counter-narratives and... perhaps intentionally, exposed his community to the reductionist logic of the most extreme Islamist forces".
Prof Kerr concludes that the future of Syria's Alawites "remains inimically linked to the Assad regime; it is hostage to Bashar's realpolitik approach to a zero-sum conflict that transcends Syria's borders, the outcome of which will have great significance for the future power balance in the region".
Of the document itself, he says: "It is very significant that Alawi community leaders have stressed that they are not a branch of Shia Islam but a separate Muslim religious community that is of and within Islam.
"This development marks an important shift from the regime's previous attempts to steer the community closer to Twelver Shia Islam, under Hafez al-Assad after the Cold War, and Bashar's attempts at 'Sunnification' after he inherited the presidency in 2000.
"They seem to be saying that they are an Abrahamic faith, that they want to be treated as such rather than as a minority Shia Islamic sect, and that they want this identity to be accepted and respected in a new secular Syria comprised of other Peoples of the Book."
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a Western diplomat who has seen the declaration of identity believes it is significant, and that it matters.
"It's homegrown by the Alawite community inside Syria, and we have seen nothing authentically Alawite of this kind since 1949 and 1971. The language implies a dissociation from Iran and the regime there, but also something that seeks to disconnect the Alawite community from the Assad family," he says.
"If this had come out during darker times, it would have been seen as a plea for mercy, but this is a time of strength for the regime, supported by the Russians, so this is a statement by Alawite leaders that says 'we are who we are'.
"It's an assertion of belonging to Syria, and an assertion of having an equal right to rights and duties within Syria independent of the regime system." | In a deeply unusual move, leaders of President Bashar al-Assad's Alawite sect in Syria have released a document, obtained by the BBC, that distances themselves from his regime and outlines what kind of future they wish for the country after five years of civil war. |
39,329,119 | Police Scotland have issued a CCTV picture of a man they wish to speak to in connection with the incident on Sunday 12 February.
It happened on board the 16:00 Virgin East Coast service.
The white man is 5ft 10in, in his late 30s and of a large build. He has short black spiked hair and was wearing glasses and white polo shirt.
He was also wearing a dark coloured jacket, a thick metal chain around his neck, dark grey jeans and white trainers.
He has a tattoo on his right arm and has a north-east English accent.
Anyone who recognises him is being urged to contact the police. | A toddler has been assaulted on a train from Edinburgh Waverley to Peterborough. |
33,387,022 | Samuel Easterbrook, 20, repeatedly kicked and punched 18-weeks pregnant Kira Brooks in the stomach after they split up, Exeter Crown Court heard.
Easterbrook, of Danvers Road, Torquay, admitted causing actual bodily harm and criminal damage and was jailed for 21 months.
Judge Jeremy Griggs told him: "This is as unpleasant as it gets."
Easterbrook went to Miss Brooks' Torbay home on 16 May after they split up, the court was told.
He punched and kicked Miss Brooks and stabbed her in the arm during a struggle in the kitchen.
The attack came after he smashed a television and poured bleach on Miss Brooks' clothes.
Felicity Payne, prosecuting, said: "She was petrified. He began to push and kick her repeatedly in the stomach area and said he was going to get the baby out of her.
"He said if she was not going to be with him she could not have the child."
Judge Jeremy Griggs said the attack "appears to be a deliberate attempt to cause your child to be aborted. Thankfully, that has not happened."
The judge made a restraining order banning Easterbrook from any contact with Miss Brooks and told him he would have to apply through the family courts to see his child when the baby is born.
Ann Bellchambers, defending, said Easterbrook told police he "just went mad" and was now remorseful. | A jilted boyfriend told his pregnant ex-girlfriend he would "kick the baby out of her" as he attacked her. |
37,468,080 | At an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, Samantha Power said Russia had told the council outright lies about its conduct in Syria.
She said Russia and the Syrian regime were "laying waste to what is left of an iconic Middle Eastern city".
Russia said Syrian forces were trying to remove terrorists from Aleppo while harming as few citizens as possible.
Ambassador Vitaly Churkin did not say Russian forces were involved.
But he said that bringing peace to Syria was "almost an impossible task now." He also accused opposition armed groups of sabotaging the ceasefire.
The northern city of Aleppo has become a key battleground in Syria's bloody five-year civil war.
Save the Children said on Sunday that humanitarian workers on the ground reported that approximately half of the casualties pulled from the rubble were children.
One hospital told the charity that 43% of the injured they treated on Saturday were children, and a Syrian ambulance crew said more than 50% they picked up in the past 48 hours were children.
Ms Power told the meeting that Russia, which is supporting the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, had "long had the power to stop this suffering".
She said: "Instead of peace, Russia and Assad make war. Instead of getting life-saving aid to Syrians, Russia and Assad are bombing hospitals and first responders."
She accused Russia of preparing air strikes against eastern Aleppo even at the very moment its Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was telling the UN that Russia was committed to a peaceful solution.
Ms Power went on to call on the council to "have the courage to say who is responsible and tell Russia with one voice to stop".
Several representatives at the meeting suggested Russia may have committed a war crime over the bombing of a humanitarian convoy near Aleppo on Monday.
Russia has denied carrying out the attack, which destroyed 18 of 31 aid trucks. It has said that rebel shelling or a US drone were responsible.
Russia has not admitted to bombing Aleppo since the end of the recent ceasefire.
The UN meeting, requested by the US, UK, and France, follows an intensification of the bombing campaign over Aleppo.
UN special envoy on Syria Staffan de Mistura said at least 213 civilians had been killed since the offensive began, many of them women and children. He said the conflict had reached "new heights of horror".
Hours after the end of a week-long cessation of hostilities on Monday, the Syrian regime declared a new offensive against eastern Aleppo and jets began pounding the area, where 275,000 people are trapped.
Mr Churkin said there was a humanitarian corridor by which residents could leave but it was being blocked by rebels.
Mr de Mistura said reports suggested Russia had used incendiary weapons in Aleppo, which he said "create fireballs of such intensity that they light up the pitch darkness in Aleppo as if it were daylight".
He said that Russia and the Syrian regime were also using so-called bunker busting bombs - designed to penetrate the earth and destroy underground targets - against residential areas.
"The systematic and indiscriminate use of such weapons in areas where civilians are present may amount to a war crime," he said.
Mr de Mistura called for the Council to recommend weekly 48 hour pauses in fighting to ensure that UN aid workers could reach eastern Aleppo.
The UK ambassador accused the Syrian regime of a "sick bloodlust against its people". | The US ambassador to the UN has accused Russia of "barbarism" over the bombing of the Syrian city of Aleppo. |
34,998,365 | The 25-year-old picked up the injury during the World Cup and is now a doubt for the Six Nations.
Gilchrist was named Scotland captain ahead of last year's November Tests but soon suffered an arm injury which ruled him out for the rest of the season.
And his World Cup ended during Scotland's second game, when he was injured against the United States.
"Further specialist opinion revealed some damage to soft tissue structures which had not previously been clinically evident," said a statement from Edinburgh.
"Following best advice from the specialist, it was decided that surgery would be the most appropriate course and this has already taken place."
Gilchrist, capped 12 times, has spent his entire professional career with Edinburgh. | Edinburgh and Scotland lock forward Grant Gilchrist has undergone groin surgery. |
39,063,225 | The 29-year-old was passing Starbucks coffee shop in Dudley Street, Wolverhampton, at about 11:45 GMT when wooden debris from a nearby building hit her, police said.
She suffered "very serious head injuries" and died at the scene.
A number of people were also injured as winds of up to 94mph were recorded across the UK.
At 22:00, UK Power Networks said 35,295 homes remained without power across East Anglia, including 18,720 in Norfolk and 10,180 in Suffolk.
Latest on Storm Doris in Birmingham and the Black Country
The area outside the coffee branch was sealed off by police after the woman was fatally hit.
A spokesman for Starbucks said: "We are shocked and saddened by this terrible incident.
"We are supporting the police with their investigation and our store will remain closed until further notice."
Ambulance crews received about 15 emergency calls at about 11:45 following the incident.
Rebecca Davis, a 40-year-old teacher from Wolverhampton, said the woman was hit with debris resembling a piece of roof which was "about the size of a coffee table".
"I think the wind broke it and caused it to fall," she said.
"I don't know if it was hit by something else or just the wind did it."
Fire services across the country took thousands of weather-related calls as trees came down on to houses, cars, roads and railway lines.
Ambulance crews treated several injured people.
A woman in her 60s was seriously injured when she was hit by a car-port roof in Stoke-on-Trent.
In London, a man was found with suspected head injuries in Victoria Street after police were alerted to reports of "debris falling from the roof of a building".
In Merseyside, a man in his 60s suffered back and pelvic injuries when a tree fell in Crosby, North West Ambulance Service said.
Train services were also affected, with Virgin Trains suspending all services until 17:00 when a "very reduced service" ran to the end of the day.
In Hertfordshire, a trackside fire was started by a tree falling on to an overhead cable on the railway line at Ware.
Abelio Greater Anglia said it blocked "all lines", delaying services.
West Midlands Police urged people to to take care after it revealed it had received 3,500 calls by 15:00 on Thursday.
Severe weather warnings are in place for some areas of northern England, East Anglia, north Wales and the Midlands, although calmer conditions are expected later.
Storm Doris chaos across England: | A woman has died after being hit by "coffee table-sized" debris in Storm Doris. |
33,272,529 | Mold Crown Court heard victims were assaulted at sex parties at the home of Gary Cooke, 64, who was convicted of 16 offences.
David Lightfoot, 72, and former local radio presenter Roy Norry, 55, were also convicted of several offences.
The jury will continue considering charges against four others on Friday.
The trial has been under way since April after the men were arrested as part of the Operation Pallial investigation into historical sexual abuse of children across north Wales. | Three men have been found guilty of historical sexual offences against children carried out in the Wrexham area during the 1980s. |
38,959,329 | Hampshire Constabulary has released a video of the woman's story as part of a Valentine's Day awareness campaign.
The woman, referred to as "Jenny" on the video, lost £20,000 and received a suspended sentence for laundering more than £200,000.
Police said romance fraud was "emotionally destructive".
On the video she explained how she began using a dating website after being single for several years.
She started communicating with a "very caring, considerate" man who had an image showing on the site and who said he was an IT consultant.
"Very early on in the communication he was telling me how much he loved me, how he wanted to be with me, I suppose I got to the point where I believed everything he said," she said.
Jenny said they never met and an attempt to contact via webcam failed.
She explained that requests for cash began gradually, with the man saying that he needed money while in the Far East on business.
Four months later, Jenny had given away £20,000 of her own money. She later began to launder a total of £228,000 when he asked her to open up a bank account to transfer funds from other accounts.
She eventually received a suspended prison sentence for money laundering.
On the video she said: "I never thought that I was naïve; I didn't think anything like this could ever happen to me - it could happen to anybody."
The fraudster has not been identified or arrested.
Crime prevention advisor Sarah Cohen said the video would raise awareness of the "callous tactics" used in targeting users of dating sites.
"The consequences of romance and online dating fraud can be emotionally destructive because offenders prey upon a victim's deepest desires and longing for love."
Online safety advice
Source: Action Fraud | A woman who was convicted of money laundering, after falling for an online romance fraud, has warned about the dangers of such scams. |
38,724,826 | Two men have been arrested over the blast which happened at Bridge Point on Ardleigh Green Road in Hornchurch shortly after 17:00 GMT on Monday.
Firefighters said they had rescued 25 people as residents were evacuated from the building.
The arrested men, who both required hospital treatment, are being held on suspicion of arson.
London Ambulance Service said four people had been treated at the scene and taken to hospital, while a woman and a child trapped on the building's second floor had escaped down a fire brigade ladder.
A Havering Council spokesman said the explosion had happened in a ground-floor flat.
He said 41 properties had been evacuated and most residents went to a local McDonald's restaurant while alternative accommodation was found.
London Fire Brigade station manager Paul McClenaghan said: "Crews worked hard to get the fire under control and are now making efforts to ensure the structure of the building is safe.
"Firefighters will remain at the scene damping down any remaining pockets of fire for some time."
Police said road closures were in place and people were advised to avoid the area. | An explosion has ripped through a block of flats in east London causing the building to partially collapse. |
36,127,458 | Neil Lennon, the former Celtic boss, and former Wigan Athletic manager Malky Mackay have already said they would want to be considered.
Deila announced last week that he would stand down at the end of the season.
"There are a lot of good managers out of work and Celtic is a great club," Clarke told Sky Sports.
"If they want to give me a call, it would be nice."
Norwegian Deila, whose side are on course to win a fifth consecutive Scottish title, expressed frustration at being unable to improve his side, who exited both domestic cup competitions at the semi-final stage and also had poor results in European competition.
Former Scotland full-back Clarke spent most of his playing career in England with Chelsea after joining from St Mirren.
He was assistant manager at Newcastle United, Chelsea, West Ham United and Liverpool before taking over at West Brom but has been out of work since being sacked by Reading in December.
"Celtic is a massive club and anybody that comes from the west coast of Scotland understands the size," said the 52-year-old.
"Next year will be fantastic with Rangers back in the top flight.
"Aberdeen made a good fist of it this year and hopefully Hibs will come back up through the play-offs from the Championship and it can be a really exciting league next year.
"It's a big job and Celtic I'm sure have it in their own mind who they want to go after and who they want to target and we should just let Celtic get on with their business."
Former Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo, who has been out of management since leaving Bundesliga club Schalke 04 in May, was more guarded about whether he would be interested in the Celtic job.
"I don't know," said the 45-year-old. "If ever it comes up, I will think about it."
Former Everton, Manchester United and Real Sociedad manager David Moyes remains the bookmakers' favourite to succeed Deila.
However, the 52-year-old, who is also believed to be interested in the vacancy at Aston Villa, has stated that he will make a decision about his future in the close season. | Former Reading and West Bromwich Albion boss Steve Clarke has expressed his interest in succeeding Ronny Deila at Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic. |
23,115,819 | He was flown from the northern town of Adado, escorted by government security forces, but it is unclear whether he has surrendered or defected.
The United Nations says he gave himself up to government allies after infighting but clan elders deny this.
Mr Aweys is considered a terrorist by the UN and the United States.
Regarded as the elder statesman of Somali Islamists, he has been on a US list of people "linked to terrorism" since shortly after the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
A new UN-backed government in Mogadishu is trying to regain control of the country from al-Shabab after more than 20 years of conflict.
Supported by some 18,000 African Union soldiers, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's administration is the first in more than two decades to be recognised by the US and the International Monetary Fund.
Mr Aweys was flown by plane from Adado, a town about 500km (310 miles) north of the capital.
"If he renounces violence, then we can start the discussion about the options available," government spokesman Abdirahman Omar Osman told Reuters news agency, without describing the options.
Mr Aweys left al-Shabab territory after factions within the al-Qaeda linked group clashed last week - the first deadly infighting since it launched an insurgency in 2006.
Al-Shabab, which means "The Youth", is fighting to create an Islamic state in Somalia - and despite being pushed out of key cities in the past two years still remains in control of smaller towns and large swathes of the countryside.
It was as a radical offshoot of the now-defunct Union of Islamic Courts, which was led by Mr Aweys and for much of that year controlled Mogadishu and many southern and central areas.
The exact cause of the al-Shabab split is not known, but there has been a long-running internal power struggle between its leader Ahmed Abdi Godane and those seen as more moderate who oppose links with al-Qaeda, analysts say.
There are conflicting reports about the fate of the second-in-command - Ibrahim Afghan, the al-Shabab founder - following last week's fighting.
Initially, sources told the BBC he had been captured and was in al-Shabab detention; subsequent reports in local media say he has been executed. | A top Islamist in Somalia, Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, has arrived in the capital Mogadishu amid reports of a split in the al-Shabab group. |
35,781,345 | England and Wales have accused each other of illegal scrummaging before the Six Nations showdown at Twickenham.
The hosts' head coach Eddie Jones believes Wales push too early at the scrum but Adam Jones says Wales' set-piece could help them dominate.
"Any prop worth his salt pushes the boundaries as much as they can at this level," Adam Jones told BBC Wales.
"The more they can get Samson to pre-engage, I think the better for them.
"For me he's one of the best tight heads in the world.
"If Samson can get to grips with Joe [Marler] then Wales will be fine."
Media playback is not supported on this device
Eddie Jones says his side have a stronger scrum than Wales, adding if the laws are enforced England "will get an advantage".
Wales felt harshly done-by at the scrum in their 28-25 win over England in the pool stage of last year's World Cup.
Forwards coach Robin McBryde highlighted England prop Joe Marler as a frequent infringer at the scrum.
Marler's Harlequins front row colleague Adam Jones believes accusations the 25-year-old is guilty of illegal tactics at the scrum have been harsh.
"For me he's a square scrummager and he gets quite a bad reputation, especially after the World Cup," Jones added.
"When the scrummaging went to the new laws without the hits, he was one of the props you thought it would favour more because he get a long bind and he's outside the tight-head.
"In the World Cup he scrummaged well against Wales and he got the penalties, and against Australia it was the reverse." | Former Wales prop Adam Jones has urged tight-head Samson Lee to get the better of England's Joe Marler on Saturday. |
40,774,458 | The 31-year-old, whose best bowling display of 5-37 came against Scotland in 2013, has not played for Ireland this year.
"At this stage of my career, I feel I need to move on with my life," he said.
"I realise the likelihood of me getting back into the set-up is unlikely, with my various injuries and fluctuating performances in the past year or so."
Sorensen took his 95 wickets at just 20.16 - putting him 14th on the all-time averages list of bowlers who have taken more than 50 wickets.
"I'd like to thank Ireland for the wonderful opportunity of playing cricket for my adopted country," said South African-born Sorensen.
"It's time for me to move forward and hang up the international boots."
He will continue playing for Leinster Lighting and The Hills, although primarily as a batsman as he has not bowled in recent months because of a shoulder injury.
Ireland head coach John Bracewell said: "Max was a tireless worker, never giving anything less than 100% effort - he always exhibited professionalism and passion, as well as obvious skill." | Irish paceman Max Sorensen has retired from international cricket after taking 95 wickets in 68 appearances. |
38,450,042 | He was 36 years old and from Portugal, but had been living in the Dungannon area.
No other vehicle was involved in the crash which happened near Tamnamore at about 12:35 GMT.
Police have appealed to anyone who saw what happened to contact them. | The man who died in a crash on the M1 in County Tyrone on Friday 23 December was Paulo Roberto Maia- Lopes. |
30,404,147 | West Midlands Police said officers from its counter-terrorism unit arrested the man on Tuesday afternoon.
The arrest was made at property in the West Midlands, the force said.
The force had issued an alert to officers and staff after receiving an "anonymous but credible" tip-off and said it was taking the threat "extremely seriously".
Officers have been urged to take extra precautions, including not wearing uniform during journeys to and from work.
Staff were first told on Monday night after the force received the call.
Senior officers clearly chose to make this threat public - perhaps to get the message out there to anybody planning such a plot that the police knew what was going on.
The officers I have spoken to have said it is business as usual.
If the force is being called out to, say, a burglary, senior officers are having to say to themselves, "Is this a burglary or is it an attempt to ambush our officers?"
Officers were held on duty to be given the security reminder while others were told as they started their shifts.
Assistant Chief Constable Garry Forsyth said the information received related "to the safety of West Midlands Police officers and police staff".
"We have taken the opportunity to remind all employees of the need to be vigilant. Our priority remains serving our communities and protecting them from harm," he said.
"Officers remain on patrol and our staff continue to respond to calls for service as usual."
The force remains on a "severe" level of terror alert.
"The status hasn't changed," a representative said.
In October, the threat level to police officers across Britain was raised to substantial.
The national security level remains at severe, signifying a terrorist attack is highly likely.
Threat levels indicate the likelihood of a terrorist attack in the UK and are split into five categories: | A 31-year-old man has been arrested in connection with threats to kidnap and kill a serving police officer. |
29,804,426 | It says the government's decision to split up services has put probation staff and the public at risk.
It comes after the government announced a list of preferred bidders to buy and run private companies to supervise low and medium risk offenders.
Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said changes will help reduce reoffending.
"These reforms are all about changing lives. We cannot go on with a situation where thousands of prisoners are released on to the streets every year with no guidance or support, and are simply left to reoffend," Mr Grayling said.
"These reforms will transform the way in which we tackle reoffending."
Under the changes, the probation service - which was split in two earlier this year in preparation for the new system - will continue to supervise high risk ex-offenders.
The National Probation Service (NPS) will supervise and rehabilitate 31,000 high-risk offenders.
New Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRC) will supervise 200,000 low and medium risk offenders, including 45,000 short-sentence prisoners who currently do not receive any probation monitoring.
The contracts are worth around £450m a year over seven years.
Reoffending is the nut that no criminal justice system has ever fully cracked. Rates here remain stubbornly high.
Of the 45,000 offenders released from prison every year having served a sentence of a year or less, nearly 60% reoffend within a year of release. These offenders have not previously been supervised by probation.
So the government is trying something very new and ambitious by opening up the market to a range of rehabilitation providers from the private, voluntary and social sectors.
Critics say this is untried, a leap into the unknown that could put the public at risk. They point out that the 35 probation trusts in England and Wales had all been graded good or excellent by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Probation. And, if it ain't broke….
Napo's point is that the service is being fractured for privatisation and communication and information sharing which is critical to assessing risk, will be much more challenging.
The government says its reforms are about bringing together the best of the public, private and voluntary sectors to battle reoffending, and that something new has to be tried.
On Wednesday, ministers named the private firms they expect to take on the running of the 21 CRCs.
However, Napo says the new way of working has already caused problems.
It says protection laws stopping private companies accessing personal data mean probation officers working for CRCs have found themselves unable to look at an offender's full criminal history.
Napo says it means staff cannot assess individuals safely or make a rational judgement as to their risk to the community.
The union now wants courts to decide whether the government's decision to privatise part of the service was reasonable.
Ian Lawrence, general secretary of Napo, said the Ministry of Justice had "refused to listen to our concerns".
In a letter to the MoJ - which has been seen by the BBC - the union's lawyers, Slater & Gordon, say a number of "real and immediate" risks have been posed to probation staff, as well as to the public.
It calls for the government to make public results of safety tests to ensure CRCs are capable of running the service.
The letter also referenced examples of when members of staff have been put at risk because of the information access problem, and their subsequent lack of knowledge about the background of an offender.
It details:
One probation officer, who spoke to BBC News anonymously, said they had been managing an offender "blind".
"I cannot access his case files. He has got a history of previous sexual, violent offences, but I have no way of getting the detail."
"I'm currently looking for new employment. This is not the job I want to do anymore, we are not protecting the public," the officer added.
However, Mr Grayling said the reforms would bring together "the best of the public, private and voluntary sectors to battle against reoffending".
"I am really pleased that we will be deploying the skills of some of Britain's best rehabilitation charities to help these offenders turn their lives around," he added. | A legal challenge to government plans to privatise some probation services in England and Wales has been launched by the probation officers' union Napo. |
10,406,798 | Plans by the Commercial Estates Group for the development in Carlyon Bay were halted when a public inquiry rejected them last year.
The group said it had new proposals for the plans and that people had the chance to look at the development brief until 26 June and give their views.
The company said it would then submit a fresh planning application to Cornwall Council in the autumn.
Planning permission was first granted in 1991 for the project near St Austell - which includes more than 500 holiday apartments - and sea defences were originally built to protect the apartments and construction workers.
But when developers applied to upgrade the defences, opponents claimed they were too big, unsafe, and could damage the environment.
The company said it was now working with the council and using feedback from other consultations in the hope the plans would meet with local people's approval.
The Commercial Estates Group said the new plans included defences which would be set back about 27m (90ft) from the front line of the previously refused scheme.
Exhibitions of the plans are being held at the project's Information Centre at Crinnis Beach, Carlyon Bay, until Saturday, and at The Engine House, Fore Street, St Austell on Friday. | A public consultation has opened into a £250m resort planned for Cornwall. |
13,748,349 | China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei all have competing claims.
China has backed its expansive claims with island-building and naval patrols. The US says it does not take sides in territorial disputes, but has sent military ships and planes near disputed islands, calling them "freedom of navigation" operations to ensure access to key shipping and air routes.
Both sides have accused each other of "militarising" the South China Sea.
There are fears that the area is becoming a flashpoint, with potentially serious global consequences.
It is a dispute over territory and sovereignty over ocean areas, and the Paracels and the Spratlys - two island chains claimed in whole or in part by a number of countries.
Alongside the fully fledged islands, there are dozens of rocky outcrops, atolls, sandbanks and reefs, such as the Scarborough Shoal.
Although largely uninhabited, the Paracels and the Spratlys may have reserves of natural resources around them. There has been little detailed exploration of the area, so estimates are largely extrapolated from the mineral wealth of neighbouring areas.
The sea is also a major shipping route and home to fishing grounds that supply the livelihoods of people across the region.
China claims by far the largest portion of territory - an area defined by the "nine-dash line" which stretches hundreds of miles south and east from its most southerly province of Hainan.
Beijing says its right to the area goes back centuries to when the Paracel and Spratly island chains were regarded as integral parts of the Chinese nation, and in 1947 it issued a map detailing its claims. It showed the two island groups falling entirely within its territory. Those claims are mirrored by Taiwan.
However, critics say China has not clarified its claims sufficiently - and that the nine-dash line that appears on Chinese maps encompassing almost the entirety of the South China Sea includes no coordinates.
It is also not clear whether China claims only land territory within the nine-dash line, or all the territorial waters within the line as well.
Vietnam hotly disputes China's historical account, saying China had never claimed sovereignty over the islands before the 1940s. Vietnam says it has actively ruled over both the Paracels and the Spratlys since the 17th Century - and has the documents to prove it.
The other major claimant in the area is the Philippines, which invokes its geographical proximity to the Spratly Islands as the main basis of its claim for part of the grouping.
Both the Philippines and China lay claim to the Scarborough Shoal (known as Huangyan Island in China) - a little more than 100 miles (160km) from the Philippines and 500 miles from China.
Malaysia and Brunei also lay claim to territory in the South China Sea that they say falls within their economic exclusion zones, as defined by UNCLOS - the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Brunei does not claim any of the disputed islands, but Malaysia claims a small number of islands in the Spratlys.
The most serious trouble in recent decades has flared between Vietnam and China, and there have also been stand-offs between the Philippines and China. Some of the incidents include:
China prefers bilateral negotiations with the other parties. But many of its neighbours argue that China's relative size and clout give it an unfair advantage.
Some countries have argued that China should negotiate with Asean (the Association of South East Asian Nations), a 10-member regional grouping that consists of Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Brunei, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar and Cambodia.
However, China is opposed to this, while Asean is also divided over how to resolve the dispute.
The Philippines has sought international arbitration instead. In 2013, it announced it would take China to an arbitration tribunal under the auspices of the UN Convention on the Laws of the Sea, to challenge its claims.
In July 2016, the tribunal backed the Philippines' case, saying China had violated the Philippines' sovereign rights.
China had boycotted the proceedings, and called the ruling "ill-founded". It says it will not be bound by it. | Rival countries have wrangled over territory in the South China Sea for centuries, but tension has steadily increased in recent years. |
38,429,720 | Rendell - who left Woking for the Shots in the summer and hit a hat-trick against them in the 4-0 win on Boxing Day - headed in a cross from Anthony Straker in the 63rd minute.
But less than two minutes later Woking hauled themselves level through Max Kretzschmar's lob over goalkeeper Jake Cole.
However, Aldershot won it a minute into stoppage time when Rendell helped the ball on in the area and Idris Kanu bundled it in at the far post.
Report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Woking 1, Aldershot Town 2.
Second Half ends, Woking 1, Aldershot Town 2.
Substitution, Aldershot Town. Will Evans replaces Idris Kanu.
Frankie Sutherland (Woking) is shown the yellow card.
Goal! Woking 1, Aldershot Town 2. Jake Gallagher (Aldershot Town).
Substitution, Aldershot Town. Jim Kellerman replaces Kundai Benyu.
Substitution, Woking. Frankie Sutherland replaces Max Kretzschmar.
Substitution, Woking. Anthony Edgar replaces Fabio Saraiva.
Substitution, Aldershot Town. Matt McClure replaces Shamir Fenelon.
Goal! Woking 1, Aldershot Town 1. Max Kretzschmar (Woking).
Idris Kanu (Aldershot Town) is shown the yellow card.
Goal! Woking 0, Aldershot Town 1. Scott Rendell (Aldershot Town).
Kane Ferdinand (Woking) is shown the yellow card.
Cheye Alexander (Aldershot Town) is shown the yellow card.
Second Half begins Woking 0, Aldershot Town 0.
First Half ends, Woking 0, Aldershot Town 0.
Nathan Ralph (Woking) is shown the yellow card.
Fabio Saraiva (Woking) is shown the yellow card.
First Half begins.
Lineups are announced and players are warming up. | Scott Rendell was on target against Woking for the second time in six days as Aldershot snatched a 2-1 injury-time win. |
33,362,224 | Amadeus specialises in providing technology for the travel industry.
Navitaire works with more than 50 airlines - focusing on low-cost carriers - on IT support for areas such as reservations and loyalty programmes.
As part of the deal, 550 Navitaire employees, including senior management, are expected to move to Amadeus.
The firms said the deal should go through towards the end of this year.
"Airlines of all shapes and sizes face an increasingly competitive market for an increasingly demanding traveller, and this transaction will give us the ability to serve all airlines with technology that can enable them to drive new revenues and contain their costs," said Amadeus boss Luis Maroto.
Separately, Amadeus and Accenture agreed to form an alliance to help airlines to use technology to increase efficiency. | Spanish technology firm Amadeus has agreed a deal to buy Navitaire, a subsidiary of consulting group Accenture, for $830m (£532m; €749m). |
38,626,831 | Netherlands defender Van Dijk will have a new centre-back partner after the sale of Jose Fonte to West Ham.
Leicester's Leonardo Ulloa, who handed in a transfer request, has been ruled out with a thigh injury.
The Foxes are without Africa Cup of Nations trio Riyad Mahrez, Islam Slimani and Daniel Amartey.
John Roder: "It was goalless when these two sides met earlier this season, and another 0-0 draw on Sunday has to be a strong possibility.
"Southampton are struggling for goals at St Mary's in the Premier League this season, while Leicester have scored only eight on their travels.
"Leicester's away record this season is in stark contrast to their title-winning campaign. A draw this Sunday would be a good result given the fact they come into the weekend in the bottom six.
"Claude Puel may very well inherit the "Tinkerman" nickname from Claudio Ranieri, for the Saints manager has not yet selected an unchanged side this season."
Twitter: @johnrodercomm
Southampton manager Claude Puel: "It's two teams with difficulties in the Premier League, in the same situation. We want a good result and the points. It's important to have good concentration for this.
"They will want to counter-attack against us. We know this game.
"It's a physical game also and it's important to analyse them well, have good concentration and the right attitude, like the last three games."
Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri: "Our goal is to get 40 points as soon as possible. Now we have two away matches and we will try to do our best.
"Sooner or later we will start to win away."
Claude Puel's rotation policy is not working. Meanwhile, Leicester's form remains completely up and down.
The Foxes still have not won away from home, and do not look anything like the team they were last season. I do not see that changing here.
Prediction: 1-1
Lawro's full predictions v actor James McAvoy
Head-to-head
Southampton
Leicester City
SAM (Sports Analytics Machine) is a super-computer created by @ProfIanMcHale at the University of Salford that is used to predict the outcome of football matches. | Virgil van Dijk and Ryan Bertrand are both likely to return for Southampton after sitting out the midweek FA Cup win over Norwich. |
33,950,381 | The glitch, at an air traffic centre in Leesburg, Virginia, caused delays of nearly three hours in some cases.
A spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration said later that it had resolved the issue.
Planes would be able to take off normally by about 16:00 EDT (20:00 GMT), the FAA said.
The affected airports are among the busiest in the US, especially in the summer holiday months.
Among those hit by the glitch were Washington's Dulles International Airport and Reagan National Airport, as well as New York's LaGuardia and John F Kennedy International Airport.
The FAA said the problem is not believed to be caused by any accident or hacking.
According to the agency, the fault was with a computer system known as ERAM which is used at 20 air traffic control centres around the country that handle high-altitude air traffic.
The system was installed earlier this year but was already years behind schedule.
"The FAA is continuing its root cause analysis to determine what caused the problem and is working closely with the airlines to minimize impacts to travellers," the agency said in a statement.
Flight tracking service FlightAware reported that about 400 flights had been delayed or cancelled across affected airports. | Thousands of travellers in the US faced delays on Saturday after a technical glitch grounded flights into and out of New York and Washington. |
14,584,860 | The National Institutes of Health said that out of every 100 funding applications it considered, 30 were granted to white applicants.
This compared with 20 to black applicants.
The study, published in the journal Science, found the gap could not be explained by education or experience.
It suggested small differences in access to resources and mentoring early in a scientist's career could accumulate, leaving black researchers at a disadvantage.
Black people make up 13% of the US population, but only 1.2% of lead researchers on biomedical studies are black.
The NIH said concerns over this prompted it to commission a study, which was led by University of Kansas economics professor Donna Ginther.
The research - which was published on Thursday - examined submissions for NIH grant applications by more than 40,000 researchers from 2000-2006.
The study found that 71% of grant-seekers said they were white; 1.5% said they were black; 3.3% were Latino; 13.5% were Asian; and 11% were identified as "other" or "unknown".
NIH director Francis Collins said it would take action to address the potential for "insidious bias" in the grant process.
"This situation is not acceptable," he told reporters in a conference call. "The data is deeply troubling."
When applicants send proposals to the NIH, they identify their race, ethnicity and gender.
This information is removed from the application before the materials are sent to review.
Mr Collins said it was possible that reviewers could guess the race or ethnicity of an applicant by looking at names or where they trained.
He said they would look at reviewing grants on the basis of scientific merits alone, without requiring information about an applicant's qualifications or background.
The NIH is the largest source of funding for medical research in the world, disbursing $30bn (£18bn) each year. | Black scientists in the US are much less likely to be awarded funding than their white counterparts, says a US government research-funding agency. |
33,745,611 | Mark Karpeles, 30, is being held in connection with the loss of bitcoins worth $387m (£247m, €351m) last February.
He is suspected of having accessed the exchange's computer system to falsify data on its outstanding balance.
MtGox claimed it was caused by a bug but it later filed for bankruptcy.
Japan's Kyodo News said a lawyer acting on Mr Karpeles' behalf denied his client had done anything illegal.
Mr Karpeles, who was born in France, is suspected of benefiting to the tune of $1m (£640,000), the agency said.
In March 2014, a month after filing for bankruptcy, MtGox said it had found 200,000 lost bitcoins.
The firm said it found the bitcoins - worth around $116m - in an old digital wallet from 2011.
That brings the total number of bitcoins the firm lost down to 650,000 from 850,000.
That total amounts to about 7% of all the bitcoins in existence.
Bitcoin is a virtual currency built around a complicated cryptographic protocol and a global network of computers that oversees and verifies which coins have been spent by whom. | Japanese police have arrested the CEO of the failed company MtGox, which was once the world's biggest exchange of the virtual currency, bitcoin. |
12,329,957 | Police have not named the monk but said he is 24 years old and was caught with 72 packets of chewing tobacco.
Bhutan says it is determined to become the world's first smoking-free nation. It banned the sale of tobacco in 2005.
But authorities admit that booming contraband traffic from neighbouring India has largely undermined the ban.
Critics say the flow of illegal cigarettes is so strong that the ban has failed to make much of an impact.
Kuensel newspaper said that the monk is the first person in the country to be charged under legislation passed in January which prohibits consuming and smuggling tobacco.
An earlier law passed in 2005 gives police sweeping powers to enter homes and search for tobacco products.
In addition it gives them power to jail shopkeepers for selling tobacco and arrest smokers if they fail to provide customs receipts for imported cigarettes - which are only permitted in very small quantities.
Smokers can legally import only up to 200 cigarettes or 150 grams of other tobacco products a month. They must provide a customs receipt when challenged by police.
A senior Bhutanese police official confirmed the arrest of the monk at the weekend after he failed to provide receipts to back his claim that he had purchased 72 packets of chewing tobacco from the Indian border town of Jaigaon.
"We will charge him with smuggling of controlled material, which is a fourth degree felony," an official of the Bhutanese Narcotic Drug and Law Enforcement unit told the BBC.
A fourth degree felony carries a sentence of five years.
The monk told the police he was "not aware of the new laws and had not kept the receipt" - a claim police have not accepted.
Monks are highly respected in a deeply religious society like Bhutan and thousands of them are maintained by the state.
Bhutanese people - some of whom drink and smoke heavily - have largely complied with the new laws, though somewhat grudgingly. | A Buddhist monk is likely to face five years in prison for violating strict anti-smoking laws in the tiny Himalayan nation of Bhutan. |
33,227,839 | Emma Carpenter, 17, of Nottingham, had been treated at a unit for teenagers with eating disorders before her death in hospital, on 22 December 2006.
When the teenager was referred she weighed about four stone (25kg) and had a body mass index (BMI) of 10.
According to the NHS, an ideal BMI for an adult is between 18.5 and 24.9.
Emma died of organ failure 10 days after being admitted to the intensive care unit at Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham.
Dr Timothy Bowling, a consultant gastroenterologist at Nottingham Universities Hospital Trust, told the coroner that if Emma had been referred to hospital when her BMI was 12 she would have survived.
The inquest also heard how the alcoholism of Emma's mother was "inextricably linked" to the girl's condition.
Glyn Flowerdew, Emma's grandfather, told the court that the teenager had lived with him and his wife for about a year before her death because her mother was an alcoholic and showed signs of suicidal behaviour.
Questions over the identity of his granddaughter's biological father had also caused concern, Dr Flowerdew said.
The inquest at Nottingham Coroner's Court is expected to last two weeks. | A girl who died as a result of anorexia could have survived if she had been admitted to hospital sooner, an inquest has been told. |
39,745,123 | Covering a total of over 300 miles, split into three separate stages, the Tour de Yorkshire is one of the UK's longest and toughest bicycle races.
In 2016, the tour was watched on TV in over 150 countries around the world and attracted one and a half million people who lined the route to cheer on the riders.
Each stage takes a different route and presents the riders with different climbs, not quite as steep as some of the climbs in the Tour de France but still very challenging.
The Grand Départ is the name given to the start of the Tour de France. Since the 1970s it has been common for the Grand Depart to take place outside of France and competition for a city to win the chance to host it is strong.
The Tour de Yorkshire came to life after the Tour de France Grand Départ and also two of the first stages of the Tour de France where held in Yorkshire in 2014.
After the success of the Tour's visit to the UK, the idea came about for Yorkshire to host its own stage based cycle race.
Now in its second year, the Tour de Yorkshire brings some of the world's biggest cycling teams and riders to the rolling hills of the North West of England. | The Tour de Yorkshire took its name from the world famous Tour de France and 2017 will be the second year it has taken place. |
36,652,140 | In 1913, Sir Edward Carson formed the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) to oppose a Dublin parliament, by force if necessary.
Irish nationalists, incensed at any attempt "to mutilate the nation", formed the much larger Irish Volunteers.
Up to 170,000 strong, the new force was determined to "defend Ireland's rights".
As both forces acquired arms from Imperial Germany, Ireland seemed on the brink of civil war.
But the sudden outbreak of World War One on 3 August 1914 put the 'Irish Question' on hold as John Redmond and Carson pledged their rival armies to the British war effort.
Redmond, flushed by his success in having the third Home Rule Act placed on the statute book - it was suspended for the duration of the war - urged Irish nationalists "to go wherever the firing-line extended".
Moved by the fate of "gallant little Belgium" and the need for Irishmen to win British goodwill for all-Ireland Home Rule, the nationalist leader told volunteers at Woodenbridge, County Wicklow, on 18 September 1914: "This war is undertaken in the defence of the highest principles of religion, morality and right…"
Redmond's hopes of a distinctively 'Irish brigade', based on the National Volunteers, met with rank hostility from the pro-unionist Kitchener and the War Office.
While the UVF were effectively absorbed into the Ulster Division, the British military élite was determined to prevent the creation of an Irish army.
By the end of 1915, the 16th Irish had joined the Ulstermen in France.
Although the tragedy of the Somme is forever linked to the blood-sacrifice of 'Carson's Army', the 16th (Irish) Division also took part in that horrific battle.
The 1st battalion of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers were cut to pieces by machine-gun fire as they tried to take the German stronghold of Beaumont Hamel on 1 July. It was later to fall to the 10th Dublin Fusiliers.
The 16th Irish made their greatest impact in the later stages of the battle at Guillemont and Ginchy on 6 and 9 September 1916.
Responsibility for attacking the German stronghold of Guillemont fell to the 7th Leinsters and 6th Connaught Rangers (which included 600 nationalists from west Belfast).
As they made their way through the aptly-named 'Death Valley', the Connaughts, led by Lt JFB O'Sullivan, caught the Germans by surprise .
It was, an observer wrote, "one of the most astonishing features of war… a wild and irresistible assault".
Redmond's army had won its first battle honour as well as its first VC, awarded to Pte Thomas Hughes of County Monaghan who, despite being wounded, had taken out a machine-gun post. But the victory was a costly one: almost half the 2,400 Irish troops involved were killed.
After Guillemont, the focus shifted to the nearby village of Ginchy.
General Haig felt its capture was essential to any allied breakthrough.
To catch the German defenders by surprise the attack was planned for 16:45 local time on 9 September 1916 following a ten-hour artillery barrage.
The 16th's assault was led by the 6th Royal Irish Regiment and the 8th Munsters who advanced in four waves, followed by the Connaughts and 7th Leinsters. Many of the British shells had fallen short of the German lines.
No sooner had the Irishmen left their trenches than they were cut down by remorseless machine-gun fire - "a hurricane of steel and lead".
Some 450 of the 1,000 assault troops were killed or wounded.
Among the dead was the poet and former Home Rule MP, Professor Tom Kettle, 36, killed when leading his men into Ginchy village.
Kettle, who had experienced the Easter Rising at home, predicted that the executed rebel leaders would "go down as heroes and martyrs" while he would go down - if at all - as "a bloody British officer".
Like Redmond, he expressed the hope that the shared experience of Irishmen from north and south in the war might lead to "the reconciliation of Protestant Ulster with Ireland and... of Ireland with Great Britain".
Kettle refused to leave the appalling trench conditions for a safer posting.
"I have chosen to stay with my comrades," he confided to his brother.
"I am calm and happy and desperately anxious to live."
He was not hopeful, however.
In a poignant sonnet to his infant daughter on the eve of his death, the young nationalist officer foresaw that his involvement in "England's War" might be misunderstood:
"So here, while the mad guns curse overhead,
"And tired men sigh, with mud for couch and floor,
"Know that we fools, now with the foolish dead, died not for flag, nor king, nor emperor,
"But for a dream, born in a herdsman's shed,
"And for the secret scripture of the poor."
Nine months later in June 1917, Irishmen from north and south would fight alongside each other for the first time in the Battle of Messines in Belgium.
Demobbed in 1919, the survivors of Redmond's "Irish Brigade" would return to an island transformed by the impact of the 1916 Rising.
Nationalist veterans would find themselves ignored, marginalised and "airbrushed out of history" after the War of Independence in the south.
Their world had changed forever.
Dr Éamon Phoenix is a political historian and a member of the Taoiseach's Expert Advisory Group on Centenaries. | The 16th Irish Division which saw service at the Battle of the Somme was, like its Ulster equivalent, the 36th Ulster Division, a product of rising tension in Ireland during the Home Rule crisis of 1912-14. |
38,941,016 | Mr Trump told reporters on Air Force One that a "brand new order" could be issued as early as Monday or Tuesday.
It comes after an appeals court in San Francisco upheld a court ruling to suspend his original order.
It barred entry from citizens from seven mainly Muslim countries.
It is unclear what a new US immigration order might look like.
Mr Trump said that it would change "very little", but he did not provide details of any new ban under consideration.
Despite his suggestion on Friday, Mr Trump's administration may still pursue its case in the courts over the original order, which was halted a week ago by a Seattle judge.
"We'll win that battle," Mr Trump told reporters, adding: "The unfortunate part is it takes time. We'll win that battle. But we also have a lot of other options, including just filing a brand new order."
A unnamed judge from the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals, which on Thursday upheld the stay on the original order, has called on all 25 judges of that court to vote on whether to hear the appeal again.
Technically known as an en banc review, a second hearing of the case would involve an 11-judge panel, rather than the three who initially heard the appeal.
Mr Trump's travel ban, which was hastily unveiled at the end of his first week in office, caused chaos at US airports and sparked protests across the country.
Read more on this story:
On Thursday, the appeals court said the administration failed to offer "any evidence" to justify the ban, which the president said was necessary to keep the US safe from terror attacks.
However Mr Trump insisted that the executive order was crucial for national security and promised to take action "very rapidly" to introduce "additional security" steps in the wake of the court's decision.
He spoke as Virginia state lawyers argued in court that his policy "resulted from animus toward Muslims".
Their challenge focuses on the travel restrictions imposed by the ban, rather than the four-month suspension of refugee admissions.
But lawyers for the US government in Virginia wrote that "judicial second-guessing" amounted to "an impermissible intrusion" on Mr Trump's constitutional authority.
The appeals court ruling means that visa holders from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen can continue to enter the US, and refugees from around the world, who were also subject to a temporary ban, are no longer blocked either.
But the ruling does not affect one part of Mr Trump's controversial executive order: a cap of 50,000 refugees to be admitted in the current fiscal year, down from the ceiling of 110,000 established under his predecessor, Barack Obama. | Donald Trump is considering a new executive order to ban citizens of certain countries from travelling to the US after his initial attempt was overturned in the courts. |
39,557,628 | It is the third year in a row the bird of prey, officially known as LF15 has laid three eggs at the Dunkeld estate with her partner LM12.
Viewers from around the world have been watching the pair's progress on the Loch of the Lowes live webcam.
Lassie arrived back in Scotland on 23 March, six days after her mate.
Ospreys typically lay two to three eggs which are incubated for an average of 37 days,
Charlotte Fleming, Perthshire ranger for the Scottish Wildlife Trust said: "We're delighted that LF15 has laid another hat-trick of eggs in her third season at Loch of the Lowes. " | A female osprey nicknamed Lassie has laid her third egg of the season at the Scottish Wildlife Trust's Loch of the Lowes nature reserve. |
21,697,947 | The High Court has ruled the consultation over changes to children's heart surgery in England and Wales was flawed.
Legal action was brought by campaigners trying to save operations at Leeds General Infirmary but the ruling could affect other units.
The team behind the NHS review said quashing its plans would be unfair.
The High Court judge backed claims by The Save our Surgery group (SOS) that the consultation process was unfair and legally flawed.
Sharon Cheng, from SOS, said the group was "extremely pleased and relieved".
She said: "Winning this case in the High Court proves once and for all that the supposed consultation was a rubber-stamping exercise conducted with an outcome in mind, with clinicians, MPs and patients fooled into feeling they had influence.
"This action was taken by parents and clinicians who simply could not stand by and watch a clear injustice being done."
The Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts (JCPCT) decided child heart surgery should also end at Leicester's Glenfield Hospital and London's Royal Brompton so care could be concentrated at fewer sites to improve standards.
The High Court ruling could also affect the future of surgery at those units.
Sir Neil McKay, chairman of the JCPCT, said he was disappointed at the ruling.
In a statement he said: "The pressing need to reform children's heart services is long overdue and experts have cautioned that further delay in achieving the necessary change would be a major setback in improving outcomes for children with heart disease.
"The consultation - which we undertook with an honest and open mind - was the largest carried out by the NHS and respondents were staunch in their support of the need for change.
"There is nothing in the court's judgment that supports the claimant's accusations the consultation was a 'rubber stamping' exercise.
"The judge in fact found that this was a comprehensive consultation, lasting a matter of months and prompting 77,000 responses. Thought and care was given to the consultation process both as to its content and implementation.
By Nick TriggleHealth correspondent, BBC News
The verdict over child heart surgery is just the latest twist in a long-running fight over the future of this complex area of care.
The debate has been raging for over a decade and has already been subject to legal challenges - a perfect illustration of why changing the NHS remains an incredibly tricky task.
The medical profession is united in the belief that expert care needs to be done at fewer sites.
Child heart surgery is the prime example of that - it is one of the most complex procedures undertaken by the NHS.
To provide a uniformly high quality and safe service operations in such fields need to be concentrated, it has been argued. Evidence shows this helps doctors improve skills and share expertise.
But the push for change is not just confined to child heart surgery. Similar debates are going on over everything from A&E units to stroke care.
The problem is change comes at a price: the loss of services from much-loved local hospitals.
The strength of feeling in Leeds - and in other places that face losing services for that matter - is testament to that.
These are difficult decisions and with money getting ever tighter in the health service expect more disputes in the future.
"We need to understand whether the court will quash the JCPCT's decision in its entirety, as the claimant seeks, or whether it will impose a less draconian remedy.
"We are making representations to the court that a quashing of the decision would be unfair and unnecessary.
"Once we have the court's judgment on this point we will strongly consider an appeal if we believe that this would enable us to reach a final decision on reconfiguring children's heart services in a reasonable timeframe."
The Prime Minister later said the choices on which cities would be centres for children's heart surgery must be based on clinical decisions.
David Cameron said the government would now have to study the High Court decision but the final "difficult choices" had to be fair and based on medical needs.
As part of the NHS review process, each hospital was visited by a panel of experts and given a score based on its performance.
SOS told the High Court the JCPCT had produced "sub-scores" measuring the quality of service under various criteria but had not disclosed them to consultees.
In her judgment, Mrs Justice Nicola Davies said: "As the scores were relevant to the assessment, the breakdown of the scoring should have been disclosed to the centres whether or not the JCPCT proposed to look at it.
"If there is a public law duty to make information available to a consultee, disclosure cannot be denied simply because one party does not wish to look at that information."
The judge said a further court hearing would be held on 27 March to determine what the "remedy" would be following her ruling.
This could lead to the whole process being started again - or it could just mean the review team take a fresh look at the decision over Leeds.
An independent review of the NHS decision is also expected to report back to the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt at the end of the month.
Nearly 600,000 people signed a petition against the decision to end surgery at the unit in Leeds, which treats children from across Yorkshire and the Humber region.
If the plan went ahead, children would instead have to travel to Newcastle or Liverpool for operations. | Campaigners trying to keep child heart surgery in Leeds have won a legal challenge. |
37,116,050 | The Department for Transport (DfT) said the tunnel, which would bore through the Peak District, could halve journey times between the two cities.
It described the scheme as "the most ambitious road scheme undertaken in the UK in more than five decades".
The Campaign for Better Transport described the scheme as a "folly" and claimed it would increase pollution.
Bridget Fox, from the group, said: "The enormous sums of money and expertise being spent on this speculative exercise would be better used on proven solutions and improving everyday travel."
The plans would link the M60 motorway east of Manchester to the M1 north of Sheffield.
A feasibility report published last year by Highways England said the project would include a tunnelled section, which could range between 20-30km (12 -19 miles), making it one of the longest road tunnels ever built.
These are very broad brush strokes at the moment, but by carrying out a second strategic study in less than a year the government is showing it is serious about looking at options for a tunnel.
The five routes would all involve motorists from Sheffield heading north up the M1 and then turning off somewhere between Junction 35 (Thorpe Hesley) and Junction 38 (Bretton). Drivers would then head west before entering a tunnel.
The new road would continue and connect up with either the M67 motorway near Tintwistle or at a junction on the M60 near Ashton-under-Lyne.
It would reduce journey times, but would also come at a huge financial cost. The government will set out more detail before the end of 2016.
The DfT said the tunnel "could provide an economic boost to the two cities as well as the surrounding area, as well as reducing traffic through the Peak District National Park".
Transport Minister John Hayes said: "I want people in the north of England to benefit from quicker, more reliable journeys.
"Today's study brings us a step closer to building a Trans-Pennine roads tunnel - it would be the most ambitious project since the construction of the first motorways 50 years ago."
A DfT spokesman said that no timeframe for building the tunnel had been decided, nor had the cost or sources of funding been identified.
A final report on the economic benefits of each route is expected by the end of the year. | Five possible routes for a tunnel between Sheffield and Manchester have been unveiled. |
36,485,900 | Ricardo Quaresma also scored twice, with Danilo, Eder and Karol Mets' own-goal completing the rout on Wednesday.
It was 31-year-old Ronaldo's first appearance since winning the Champions League with Real Madrid last month.
The Portugal captain was substituted at half time, but showed no sign of injury with his country's first Group F game against Iceland on Tuesday.
The 2004 finalists also face Austria and Hungary in the group stage.
Create leagues and play against your friends in BBC Sport's new Euro 2016 Predictor game | Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice in 10 minutes as Portugal beat Estonia 7-0 in their final warm-up game for Euro 2016. |
30,289,546 | Saudi Arabia is playing politics with oil, forcing Opec to maintain its current production levels at 30m barrels per day, to force down the price.
Consequently oil prices have fallen 35% in 2014, tipping under the $70 mark for the first time since May 2010.
The question is why the Saudis would risk the goodwill of other Opec members, simultaneously emasculating the organisation and undercutting their ability to use it in the future to serve their interests.
It is a game of high-stakes poker and in the long run will cause the Saudis some harm, but that is not where their immediate thoughts lie.
Since the first oil shocks following the 1973 Middle East War, the Saudis have understood the role they can play in regional and world affairs by turning the taps on and off.
But recently, as the US upped its production, it would have been reasonable to assume that Saudi would have correspondingly cut surplus supply to maintain a healthy balance sheet.
But instead Riyadh has done the opposite.
From Riyadh the world looks a grim place, and the Saudis have a host of concerns that they feel are not being addressed adequately, either by their allies in the West or by their partners in the region.
Many experts talk of a Cold War between Saudi and Iran, where on every major issue of regional concern an Iranian gain is viewed by the Saudis as a loss, and for the House of Al Saud alarm bells are ringing.
In their view the US has effectively caved in, and allowed Iran off the hook.
The Iranians were not supposed to be allowed any domestic uranium enrichment capacity, let alone get paid $7bn for the privilege.
Yet the US and Europeans have spent months looking at ways to creatively offer Iran's "moderate" President Hassan Rouhani economic crumbs to appease the hardliners back in Tehran.
For the Saudis the mild mannered Rouhani is friendly manifestation of a regime that seeks to dominate the Middle East, and which is trying desperately to be accepted by the world.
Iran's reach across the Middle East region worries Saudi even more than its nuclear programme.
In Iraq, the Iranians have as good as sewn up the state security apparatuses, and were it not for the intervention of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to assist northern areas of Iraq, including Kurdish border regions, IS would be rampant in all but the most distinctly Shia regions of the country.
In Syria, as the US-led coalition strikes the Islamic State (IS), the pressure on Iranian ally Bashar al-Assad appears to have lifted.
Where once there was a determination to remove him from power, rumours grow that the West will have to consider dealing with him to help fight the bigger threat of the Islamic State.
Propped up by Iranian money and proxies such as Hezbollah, and cushioned with Security Council support by Russia, Assad looks to be safe.
To make matters worse on the Kingdom's southern and eastern borders, Shia rebels in Yemen, and protestors in Bahrain, only contribute to the sense that the Kingdom is being strangled by Iranian power from all sides.
In the midst of the chaos from which Iran seems to be profiting so well, Saudi Arabia has taken the decision that it has to hit back.
And given that Riyadh would prefer not to be drawn into a military confrontation with the Iranians, it has had to seek other ways to confront Iran.
The easy way it can do this is by picking Tehran's back pocket.
Iran's economy is heavily reliant on hydrocarbons, which make up some 60% of its export revenue and provided 25% of total GDP in 2013.
Deeply committed to the fight in Syria, and Iraq, the Iranians are spending untold millions of dollars a month to maintain their operations in the two countries, all the while attempting to placate potential domestic unrest.
Interestingly, the Iranians proposed cutting Opec output ahead of the November conference only for the Saudis to rebuff them.
Additionally, the Saudis get a chance to deal Russia, Bashar al-Assad's stalwart ally, a bloody nose, by driving down the cost of oil and hurting Moscow's hydrocarbon revenue streams, which prop up a shaky domestic economy.
As oil prices have fallen so has the value of Russia's Rouble, plummeting 35% since June.
Killing two birds with one stone would seem a smart policy, especially since it is highly unlikely to result in the sort of military escalation the Saudis wish to avoid.
How long can the Saudis keep this game up? Realistically a few months, but if the price of oil keeps falling the Saudis may have to rethink their strategy.
Nevertheless the Kingdom sits on $741bn of currency reserves and posted a $15bn surplus at the end of last fiscal year, and the Saudis can absorb the cost of budget deficits for a few years if needs be.
This is helped by the fact that recent mega-arms purchases have been completed and the Kingdom's future defence expenditure is projected to fall in the coming two or three years, freeing up cash for other endeavours.
Although Riyadh has tried to stamp its authority on the region, which will undoubtedly cause headaches in Tehran and Moscow, the oil weapon cannot reverse some of the more critical issues facing the region.
IS runs an entity roughly the size of Britain across Iraq and Syria, its hostility to the "Al Salool" (a derogatory term for the Al Saud family) recently made clear in a 17 minute speech by its Caliph AAbu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Cheap oil from IS territory will continue to flow, earning the organisation millions a day in revenue, and although the Saudis have had notable success in striking IS targets, it is not enough to ensure their defeat unless the US and Iran openly cooperate to solve the issue, which may result in grudging acquiescence from the Riyadh.
Likewise, the Saudis will have to grudgingly accept that some form of deal between Iran and the P5+1 (US, Russia, China, UK, France and Germany) will have to be struck, if regional war is to be avoided.
It is the best of a bad series of options, and recent attempts by the Saudis to diplomatically engage their Iranian counterparts, particularly on regional security issues like Islamic State appear positive.
But the mistrust is still deep, and the threat of IS appears not to have stopped the Kingdom in its drive to blunt Iran.
Michael Stephens is Research Fellow for Middle East studies and Head of RUSI Qatar (Twitter: @MStephensGulf) | A recent meeting in Vienna, between the member states of Opec finally uncovered what the world had expected for months. |
37,342,514 | While attending a Kraftwerk concert in New Orleans, Louisiana, with her husband, 11-year-old son and his friend, Knowles drew the ire of a group of white women seated behind them.
Knowles began live-tweeting from the concert, where she estimated she and her family were among only 20 black attendees in a crowd of 1,500 white concert-goers.
"4 older white women yell to me from behind, 'Sit down now'. I tell them I'm dancing at a concert. They yell, 'u need to sit down now'..." Knowles tweeted. "You are telling ... not asking me ... to sit down. In front of my child."
Knowles wrote that the incident culminated in the women pelting her with trash and a lime wedge.
"I'm just going to share my experience ... So that maybe someone will understand, why many of us don't feel safe ... in many white spaces," she tweeted.
But some criticised Knowles for starting "drama" and said she had been rude for standing.
A short item about the incident in the New York Post called her complaints a "Twitter rant".
At some point, Knowles deleted almost all her tweets describing what happened.
On Sunday she published an essay titled And Do You Belong? I Do on her website Saint Heron.
She explained why the incident was not isolated, and why her response should not be treated as celebrity gossip.
"The tone," she began. "It's the same one that says to your friend, 'BOY…. go on over there and hand me my bag' at the airport, assuming he's a porter.
"It's the same one that tells you, 'ma'am, go into that other line over there' when you are checking in at the airport at the first class counter before you even open up your mouth."
Knowles said that even before the dancing incident, a security guard brusquely ordered her son and his friend to stop smoking.
She writes that two adult white men were actually the ones puffing away.
It was just the latest in a series of incidents in which Knowles felt she was aggressively, dismissively or rudely treated in spaces that seemed to be reserved for white people.
She said she didn't feel as though the people she encountered "do not like black people", but instead were a "product of their white supremacy and are exercising it on you without caution, care, or thought".
"Many times the tone just simply says, 'I do not feel you belong here.' You and your friends have been called the N word, been approached as prostitutes, and have had your hair touched in a predominately white bar just around the corner from the same venue."
Knowles' essay was met with praise and support online, including from actress Gabrielle Union.
"I can relate to everything @solangeknowles experienced. This is real & it happens everyday. We are not making it up," Union wrote.
Another Twitter user wrote: "@solangeknowles' piece is a good reminder for anyone who thinks famous & affluent black people are immune to racism."
By penning her own essay about the incident, Knowles writes that she hoped to take control of the conversation and avoid focusing on what she might have done to deserve the treatment she received.
"We belong. We belong. We belong," she concluded.
"We built this."
More from the Magazine | Following an incident between her family and a group of white women at a concert, singer Solange Knowles penned an essay explaining how black families are made to feel uncomfortable in "white spaces". |
36,562,664 | PCS union members have been involved in an all-out strike since 28 April over changes to weekend working allowances.
Additional financial support from the Welsh Government has now allowed NMW to improve the previous offer, it said.
As a result, an outline agreement has been reached with the union.
The improved terms would apply to all staff.
They include:
The museum has sites in Cardiff, Swansea, Newport, Blaenavon in Torfaen, Llanberis in Gwynedd, and Carmarthenshire.
The ballot, which opened on Friday, closes on 24 June and the union has recommended acceptance.
A joint statement from NMW and the PCS union said they "aim to bring this dispute to an end quickly and resume a normal service for visitors and the people of Wales as soon as possible". | National Museum Wales workers are being balloted on a "massively improved offer" which could end a long-running dispute. |
13,163,943 | In pictures: Moneygall gets ready for Obama
Moneygall in County Offaly is awash with paint, as the rural village prepares to welcome the most powerful man in the world in May.
President Obama's great, great, great grandfather came from Moneygall and the president plans to set foot in his ancestral home during his two-day visit to Ireland.
To ensure the presidential feet are made as comfortable as possible, the pavements are being dug up, re-laid and smoothed over. It is just one of many improvements being made.
Houses on the main street are being cleaned with power-hoses. Gardens are being tidied, new flowers are being planted.
The air in Moneygall is filled with the smell of paint. It seems like every spare brush in County Offaly is being used.
Every house is being made to look its best, in preparation for the visit, which is likely to take place on Monday 23 May.
The decision by one family to paint their house with the colours of the American flag has not gone down well with some of their neighbours.
"It looks a bit tacky," said one woman, as she watched the street turn red, white and blue.
But, overall, the small rural community has pulled together.
The parish rector, Canon Stephen Neill, said: "This has brought joy and excitement to the whole area. It's something to celebrate in what have been very dark times in our country economically."
Moneygall has already received an economic boost - 3,500 litres of free paint from Dulux to help with the make-over.
The village has no bank, no cash point, no coffee shop and a population of less than 300 people.
However, it does have two pubs, including Ollie Hayes's bar in the middle of the main street.
The pub is full of Obama memorabilia, including a life-size bust which has pride of place on the bar. Now, the man himself is likely to call in next month.
"It's something I never dreamt would happen in a small village like this," said Mr Hayes, as he served a group of American tourists.
"We're going to enjoy every minute of this."
Moneygall is in the heart of Ireland, about 90 minutes from Dublin, on the road to Limerick.
On St Patrick's Day in Washington, President Obama announced that not only would he be visiting Ireland in May but travelling to Moneygall to re-trace his Irish roots.
One of the villagers, Henry Healy, is the eighth cousin of Obama.
He said: "At first it felt almost surreal but now it's becoming very real. He's coming to Moneygall, he's coming to my home town and I'm hopeful reality will really kick in if I'm privileged to meet the man and shake his hand.
"You have to pinch yourself. I got a bit taken aback when I saw the CIA here two weeks ago.
"I can only imagine what my reaction will be when the man himself actually lands here in the village."
A welcome song has been written already.
The chorus goes: "O'Leary, O'Reilly, O'Hare and O'Hara, there's no-one as Irish as Barack Obama. From the old Blarney stone, to the green hills of Tara, there's no-one as Irish as Barack Obama."
In Ollie Hayes's pub, there is a fictitious picture of Obama in Moneygall listening to traditional Irish music and holding a pint of the black stuff.
Fiction is about to become reality. The only thing that can go wrong is if they run out of paint. | The forthcoming visit to Ireland by American President Barack Obama has transformed the appearance of a small Irish village. |
29,895,678 | The track was recorded as Cdr Hadfield prepared to return to Earth.
It was released on YouTube under a one-year agreement from David Bowie's publisher and had nearly 24 million views.
It was removed in May 2014 at the end of the deal.
Chris Hadfield, who has now retired from the Canadian Space Agency, announced its return in a blog post.
He said there had been "no rancour" in the decision to honour the original agreement and remove the video, and that everybody was keen for it be reinstated.
"The day we took the video down we started to work again to get permission to get it re-posted," he said.
"It wasn't anyone's ill-will or jealousy that kept this version of Oddity off YouTube. It was merely the natural consequence of due process."
He explained some of the legal complexities behind the arrangement.
"The Space Station was built by 15 countries, and depending on where I floated while singing and playing, whose copyright laws applied? Which Space Agency owned the recording? Whose jurisdiction was I in?"
David Bowie himself described Cdr Hadfield's cover as "possibly the most poignant version of the song ever created".
This undoubtedly helped negotiations, Cdr Hadfield suggested.
"As a result... the recent reapplication of the legal process has been fairly straightforward," he added. | Canadian astronaut Cdr Chris Hadfield's cover of David Bowie's track Space Oddity, recorded on board the International Space Station, is back on YouTube. |
34,553,148 | A military source told Reuters news agency that "hundreds" of troops from Hezbollah and Iran were also involved.
Control of Aleppo has been divided between government forces and various rebel groups since 2012.
The Syrian army has launched at least four ground offensives since Russia began air strikes two weeks ago.
They are in a wide stretch of mostly rural territory north of the cities of Homs and Hama, in the rugged northern parts of Latakia province along the coast and now the villages and countryside south of Aleppo.
In a statement the Syrian army said that it had inflicted "heavy losses" on rebel groups, with the help of Russian strikes.
Russia says it is targeting "terrorists", primarily jihadist militants from Islamic State (IS), but Western governments say many strikes have hit civilians and moderate rebel groups.
Despite the intervention of its Russian and Iranian allies, the Syrian regime is unlikely to be able to sustain major offensives on several fronts at the same time, the BBC's Jim Muir reports from Beirut.
It is more likely that the multiple attacks are aimed at keeping the rebels under pressure and off balance, while Russia drops bombs and the Syrian army inches slowly forward, our correspondent says.
In a separate incident, Turkey said it had shot down a drone that intruded into its airspace near the border with Syria.
BBC Defence correspondent Jonathan Marcus says the aircraft in question seemed to be similar to military drones of Russian origin.
A US official said they believed the drone was of Russian origin, but Russia says that all their drones have been accounted for and that non had violated Turkish airspace.
Earlier this month Turkey accused Russian jets - which have recently joined the air battle against Syrian rebel group - of entering its airspace.
The Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah said the Syrian army was carrying out a "broad military operation" across a 10-mile (16km) front south of Aleppo.
"This is the promised battle," a Syrian military source told Reuters news agency.
"The main core is the Syrian army", the source said, but added that hundreds of fighters from Iran and Hezbollah were taking part.
There are unconfirmed reports that hundreds of Iranian troops have arrived in Syria to join assaults on rebel positions in northern and central Syria by government forces and fighters from the Lebanese Shia Islamist movement, Hezbollah.
An unnamed US official told AFP that as many as 2,000 Iranian-backed fighters were helping the Syrian army near Aleppo.
"We are now seeing a coordinated effort between Iran and Russia to assist Assad with fighting opposition groups", the official said.
Iran, a staunch ally of President Bashar al-Assad, has long acknowledged sending military advisers to Syria, but has denied the presence of any ground forces.
Several high-profile Iranian advisers have been killed in the past month as the fighting continues. | Syrian government forces backed by Russian air strikes have launched a fresh offensive against rebels south of the country's second city, Aleppo. |
30,519,574 | Roland McKoy, a 54-year-old handyman, killed Valerie Forde, 45, and 22-month-old Jahzara at the family home in Hackney, north London, on 31 March.
The brutal attack was heard by Mrs Forde's 28-year-old daughter Carrise.
McKoy, who was found lying with the bodies, had denied the murders.
He attacked Mrs Forde, inflicting at least 30 separate injuries, as she got ready to leave for work on 31 March - the deadline she had set for him to move out of the three-bedroom terrace, the Old Bailey heard.
Afterwards, he drank bleach and left a note on Mrs Forde's face, which was stained with Jahzara's blood, blaming her for what happened.
Following a series of threats, Mrs Forde, a community project manager, texted her sister in January saying: "Just looking at his face and body language I have to be very, very careful and pray for my safety each day and night."
She also wrote she was "feeling a bit scared of him but I continue to be guided by my angels".
Jurors were reduced to tears as the messages were read out. They took two and a half hours to convict him.
The verdict was greeted with cheers and clapping from the public gallery.
Judge Charles Wide sentenced McKoy to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 35 years.
He told him: "You did it out of spite and resentment that Valerie at long last had the strength and resolve to say that enough is enough and you had to go.
"You thought she was going to back down but she didn't and that was an affront to your monstrous egotism."
McKoy's legal team had argued he was acting in self-defence against Mrs Forde having found their daughter dead.
But prosecutor Ed Brown QC said he had concocted a fictitious version of events.
"It is plain that the defendant had attacked Valerie Forde with the hammer, slashed her face and neck with the machete and stabbed her multiple times with the screwdriver," he said.
"It is equally clear from the evidence that the defendant used that same machete to cut Jahzara's neck from one side to the other. Each attack was a brutal one."
Mrs Forde's daughter Carrise had listened on an open phone line to the screams of her half sister while McKoy was attacking their mother.
The court heard the couple's relationship had begun to deteriorate in 1999 when Mrs Forde discovered McKoy was still married to another woman, by whom he had two children.
Mrs Forde's family said her life and that of Jahzara, their friends and the wider community in Hackney had been "destroyed".
Mrs Forde has previously contacted the police about McKoy and the Met's directorate of professional standards has referred the case to the Independent Police Complaints Commission, which is investigating. | A man who beat his ex-partner to death with a machete, hammer and screwdriver and slit his baby daughter's throat has been jailed for a minimum of 35 years for murder. |
36,570,373 | Police were called to Bosworth Drive in Chelmsley Wood at about 04:00 BST on Saturday after receiving reports an ATM had been targeted.
When officers arrived a stolen red Audi A6 car, with four people inside, fled the scene and rammed two marked police cars.
The car was later abandoned and two boys, aged 15 and 16, found nearby.
The pair were arrested on suspicion of burglary and have been released on bail.
Officers are looking to trace two other people seen in the stolen car.
Det Sgt Jamie Mason, from West Midlands Police, said two traffic officers were treated for bruising and whiplash after the cars were rammed. | Two teenagers found hiding in undergrowth have been arrested after an attempted raid on a cash machine. |
40,065,978 | Henry Esin, also known as Henry Ayabowei, was a well-known footballer who turned out for several teams in the area.
The 27-year-old, from Llangefni on Anglesey, was found unresponsive near Dean Street in Bangor on 2 April.
Gareth Williams, who is helping organise the event, said: "Playing this game is our way of remembering Es."
He said it was also about "doing their bit" to help his family.
The match will pitch former Bangor University squad members against the current team, at the Bangor University Stadium 3G pitch at 14:00 BST.
A 26-year-old man is due to go on trial in the autumn charged with Mr Esin's murder. | Old university friends of a man killed in Gwynedd will play a football match on Saturday in his memory. |
33,188,322 | The blaze at Clandon Park House in April gutted the Grade I-listed building near Guildford in Surrey.
The trust said it will rebuild the 18th century stately home, with scaffolding soon to be erected around the house.
Hundreds of items were rescued from the flames and it is hoped others can still be salvaged.
Helen Ghosh, director-general of the trust, said despite the pledge it was "far from certain" when and in what form the rebuild will take.
"The house has been left a shell, with the inside of the building almost completely destroyed," she said.
"We're still awaiting guidance from the structural engineers on the safety of the house.
"Despite the uncertainty, we would like to reassure all those people who love Clandon as much as we do that it will continue in some shape or form in the future."
It is still not known what caused the fire, however, the trust has said a "significant amount" of the house's collection had been saved.
One room - the Speakers' Parlour - survived "almost intact," it said.
Details of more than 350 items rescued have been released by the trust, including personal mementoes belonging to the 6th Earl of Onslow relating to his time as a prisoner of war. | A mansion reduced to a shell following a massive fire will be rebuilt "in some shape or form," the National Trust has said. |
37,300,254 | Meeting the PM at Number 10, Mr Tusk said the other 27 member states were waiting to see when the UK would formally trigger its EU departure.
Mrs May said she wanted a "smooth" Brexit process.
Meanwhile, former Belgian PM Guy Verhofstadt has been appointed as the EU Parliament's lead Brexit negotiator.
On Twitter, Mr Verhofstadt, head of the Liberal group in the European Parliament, said it was an "honour" to be appointed to the role, which he said would be central to the deal struck with the UK and "any future EU-UK agreements".
EU leaders, excluding the UK, are preparing to meet next week in Bratislava to sketch out the bloc's future after Brexit.
Mr Tusk - who oversaw the UK's EU renegotiation attempts prior to the in/out referendum - told Mrs May: "It doesn't mean that we are going to discuss our future relations with the UK in Bratislava, because for this - and especially for the start of the negotiations - we need the formal notification, I mean triggering Article 50.
"This is the position shared by all 27 member states. To put it simply, the ball is now in your court.
"I'm aware that it is not easy but I still hope you will be ready to start the process as soon as possible.
"I have no doubt that at the end of the day our common strategic goal is to establish the closest possible relations."
The PM has said the government will "not reveal its hand", amid pressure to set out what it wants to achieve from the negotiations.
The meeting between Mrs May and Mr Tusk - over salmon and scrambled eggs - was billed as an attempt for the two leaders to get to know each other ahead of those talks.
They were also expected to discuss trade, migration, Russian sanctions and the Ukraine.
Donald Tusk is a businesslike pragmatist - hence his talk of turning the potentially fractious and intractable process of Brexit into a "velvet divorce".
His visit to London is part of the process of preparing for the Bratislava gathering where the UK won't be a voice around the conference table but will be very much an elephant in the room.
Neither he nor Theresa May is anywhere near deciding where their bottom lines will eventually settle on the issues of immigration and access to the single market - nor would either be ready to reveal their hand to the other if decisions had been taken.
But these talks could be important because they could help to set the tone for the opening phase of the more serious negotiations on Brexit whenever they might begin - and when they do it's worth noting Mr Tusk will be representing the interests of the 27 states remaining in the EU, rather than the one that's leaving.
Speaking ahead of Mr Tusk's visit, the PM's official spokeswoman said it was: "An opportunity in part to talk about the process of leaving the European Union, how we see the upcoming months, but also to talk about the upcoming October European Council and some of the issues that we expect to be on the agenda for that."
The UK government has said it does not plan to kick-start the formal two-year EU exit process until the start of 2017 at the earliest, to give it time to prepare its negotiating position.
Mrs May has refused to give a "running commentary" on the Brexit process, and pledged to "think through the issues in a sober and considered way".
"So we will not take decisions until we are ready. We will not reveal our hand prematurely and we will not provide a running commentary on every twist and turn of the negotiation," she told MPs on Wednesday.
After Thursday's talks, the prime minister is chairing a cabinet subcommittee on Britain's exit from the EU which will focus on trade.
It comes after Australia and the UK began "preliminary discussions" about a new trade deal, with Australian trade minister Steven Ciobo predicting an agreement between the countries "when the time is right".
But with the UK unable to sign deals while still in the EU, he said an agreement would not be able to happen until the UK left the EU in two-and-a-half years' time.
Mrs May has said India, Mexico, South Korea and Singapore are also keen to remove trade barriers.
Brexit Secretary David Davis has predicted a "round of global trade deals" will be "fully negotiated" within 12 to 24 months, coming into force when the UK leaves the EU. | European Council president Donald Tusk told Theresa May "the ball is now in your court" as the pair discussed the next steps on Brexit. |
40,594,362 | The department has ordered all schools and colleges in England to carry out fire safety checks.
Cladding on a secondary academy and a primary special school, both in London, was found to be "not of limited combustibility", says a DfE statement.
Both buildings have been declared safe after extra checks, it adds.
"As a precautionary step, both schools have already been inspected by the fire and rescue service, who confirmed appropriate measures are in place to mitigate the risks from potential fire, and the buildings have now been declared safe for continued use," says the statement.
The DfE ordered all England's 22,000 schools to carry out a fire safety survey following the blaze at west London's Grenfell Tower, in which at least 80 people are believed to have died.
And thousands of responses had now been received, a DfE spokesman said.
Schools with buildings over 18m (or about four storeys) high were also asked to send samples of any cladding of a similar type and structure to the aluminium composite cladding used at Grenfell for tests at the Buildings Research Establishment in Hertfordshire.
And the cladding at London Enterprise Academy, in Tower Hamlets, and The Bridge primary school, in Islington, had failed these safety tests, said the spokesman.
However, fire experts have been into both schools to ensure systems are in place for evacuation.
They had also advised that the design of these buildings meant the risk was not of the same order as that of housing, the spokesman added.
Checks by the Scottish government have found that no Scottish local authority-owned school buildings above 18m contain aluminium composite cladding of the type used at Grenfell.
The Scottish government has also asked universities and colleges to carry out fire assessments on their buildings and some cladding is being removed from a hall of residence at Edinburgh Napier University.
The Welsh government has also written to schools asking them to check the cladding on their buildings, with a particular focus on any buildings that are more than six storeys high. | Cladding on two of the schools so far tested following the Grenfell fire has failed combustibility tests, according to the Department for Education. |
38,815,399 | The news that Beckham, football's most famous face and biggest name, was to join the MLS stunned the footballing world.
However, Beckham, England's former captain and one of sport's most marketable stars, was not the only player to cross the Atlantic in the January transfer window of 2007.
Ten years ago Carl Robinson left English football after making more than 500 appearances for the likes of Wolves, Portsmouth and Norwich to join Toronto.
While the MLS has provided a temporary showcase for the likes of Thierry Henry, Kaka, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, for Robinson, North America is now home.
He finished his career in the MLS via a stint in New York playing for Red Bulls, eventually retiring in 2012.
A coaching career had been planned long before he got the chance to become a manager in his own right with Vancouver Whitecaps in 2013, an opportunity he says would "never" have come had he stayed in the Football League.
Robinson has led Whitecaps, by no means a big financial player, to two MLS Cup play-off appearances, two Cascadia Cup titles and qualification to the CONCACAF Champions League for the first time.
Talking to BBC Wales Sport during a pre-season training camp in south Wales for the Whitecaps, Robinson admits Beckham-mania transformed the MLS at the precise time he arrived.
"I signed around the same time as David, a lot of people followed him, but I went before him, he wasn't an influence in my decision," he explained.
"But since David has come over? Brilliant. He's had a massive impact on football in Major League Soccer and north America.
"That was the beginning really, because if you fast forward five years, the increase in quality, the number of spectators, the media coverage, it all improved.
"That was due to David, because he was a global superstar. He's had a phenomenal impact and the sport has grown year-on-year."
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Robinson says his life has been culturally enriched by living abroad.
"Toronto was a great city, I lived there three years and we loved it and were happy to settle there," he said.
"But, you can get traded at any time without a players' say, and before I knew it I was off to New York.
"I had a fantastic 18 months there. Living across from Manhattan in Hoboken, New Jersey.
"Opening and closing your curtains looking over the Manhattan skyline every night is something no-one can ever take away from me.
"It is a bit different to where I grew up in Llandrindod Wells - which is the sort of place where you can leave your door open and the car running. You can't do that in New York!
"Everyone thinks of NYC or LA when they think of moving to America, I was very, lucky."
Robinson thinks he has advanced on the coaching ladder more than he ever could have done in England or Wales.
"I wouldn't (have had the opportunity)," he explained. "In MLS there are 17 or 18 ex-players out of 22 coaches. It is a great breeding ground.
"Going to America was the best decision I ever made. Every month I get 20 or 30 calls from British-based players, wanting to come out to America.
"But they can't because of the designated player rules and rules on foreign recruits.
"No team wants to just flood themselves with English players.
"There was a small window of opportunity and I count myself very lucky to have made the move."
Robinson worries that Bob Bradley's perceived failure as Swansea boss - where he was sacked after 85 days - has damaged the reputation of US coaches in the UK.
"Bob is a fantastic manager and I was thrilled when he went to Swansea. I follow Swansea very closely and I thought he would help them steer clear of trouble.
"I was surprised and disappointed he didn't get a transfer window to try and re-jig the squad like Paul Clement has had, but he is a great guy and excellent coach."
Robinson says he has no intention of leaving Whitecaps before the end of his contract, which runs until 2020, especially as managerial job stability is a rarity in England.
"Will I come back? Probably. But when? I don't have a clue," Robinson said. "It is about opportunity.
"The average shelf life of a Football League manager is for under a year and that sort of thing does go through your head when you are thinking about your next move.
"But I live and breathe English football and I have since I was eight years old.
"I watch the goals, I watch games at 4am. It is in me. I want to get to the best level I can as a coach."
Whitecaps' 2017 league season begins when they host Philadelphia Union on Sunday, 5 March.
Robinson is ultimately targeting the top job for any Welshman.
"I wanted to play for my country and it would be an honour at any stage of my career to manage Wales," he said.
"If there was a Welshman who doesn't want to manage Wales, they aren't really Welsh. It is the ultimate." | Ten years ago David Beckham announced his intention to quit the pantheon of the Santiago Bernabeu and the elite level of European football to join LA Galaxy. |
30,783,913 | Raziq Hussain's Hackney cab was stopped after driving on the wrong side of Oldham Road in Manchester in December.
The 32-year-old, of Eastbourne Street, Oldham, registered double the legal limit when he was breathalysed.
Manchester magistrates heard he had been taking fares. He was fined £110 and banned from driving for 16 months.
Greater Manchester Police said Hussain was first seen cutting a corner on Whitley Road in Collyhurst in the early hours of 19 December.
After being stopped, he registered 71mg of alcohol per 100ml of breath when breathalysed at the roadside, double the legal limit of 35mg.
He told officers he had not drunk alcohol since he started work at 18:00 GMT and had taken several fares that night.
Speaking after sentencing, Sgt Matt Bailey-Smith said Hussain's profession was the "significant aggravating factor" in his case.
"His actions were reckless and risked the safety and welfare of every fare he took that evening as well as innocent motorists and pedestrians," he said.
Along with his ban and fine for driving with excess alcohol, Hussain was also ordered to pay costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £20. | A taxi driver who was found to be twice the drink-drive limit after being seen weaving down a road has been banned from driving. |
33,322,443 | This is where the two powerful socio-political currents currently pulsing through Europe collide and clash.
On the one hand, you have the traditional powers that be - bankers, big business and traditional political parties, imposing their will from above.
And on the other are grassroots movements, populist and people-driven, saying a loud NO to the status quo. They are offering an alternative vision of society (in Spain, Italy and France, for example) whose workability on a national level has yet to be proven.
The two lead-roles on the Greek stage are played by the Troika (that is, Greece's international creditors - the European Commission, ECB and IMF) and left-wing Syriza, carrying its supporters in its rolled-up shirt sleeves.
The ideological abyss between them has been publicly demonstrated over the last five months and it's not diminishing with time.
Angela Merkel is the most well-known face of Greece's paymasters.
On Monday, the German chancellor repeated her belief that "if the euro fails, Europe fails".
But what kind of Europe is she talking about?
Acute EU dissatisfaction is a syndrome now affecting and infecting the whole continent.
High unemployment, sluggish growth, if any, a deteriorating quality of life for the majority, while the super-affluent minority continues to profit - the call for change, for a new Europe, is widespread.
Two prominent European politicians now loudly trumpet that call: the Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and his British counterpart, David Cameron.
But their visions for a new European dawn are quite, quite different. | As you make your way through the flag-waving, gesticulating, chanting crowds of pro and anti-government protestors here in Athens - in the lead-up to Greece's Sunday referendum on bailout conditions imposed by its international creditors - you get the feeling that this is about something bigger than Greece's financial crisis, bigger even than the future of the eurozone. |
38,928,904 | Jatupat Boonpattararaksa, an opponent of the military-backed government, shared the profile published by BBC Thai on his Facebook page.
He was detained two days after the new king ascended the throne in December.
Thailand has very strict lese-majeste laws, which ban any criticism of the monarchy.
Human rights groups accuse the government of using the law to crack down on opponents.
The BBC post was shared by 2,410 people, but Mr Jatupat is the only one to have been charged.
Read more:
Mr Jatupat appeared briefly at the court in Khon Kaen, north-east Thailand, to hear the charges on Friday. Formal proceedings will begin in late March.
His lawyer said he had also been charged with violating the cyber crime law for sharing the link.
"He is still in good spirits and will fight," his lawyer Krisadang Nacharut told AFP news agency. He has denied both charges.
Mr Jatupat, who has been involved in anti-government protests in the past, could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
He is thought to be the first person charged with lese-majeste since King Vajiralongkorn, 64, officially became monarch.
King Vajiralongkorn's father, the revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, died on 13 October at the age of 88 after seven decades on the throne. | Thailand will put an activist on trial for insulting the monarchy, after he shared a profile of new King Maha Vajiralongkorn. |
35,101,130 | "This is a victory of life over the jihadists," President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita said at the opening ceremony, AFP news agency reports.
Twenty two people died in the siege, including the two attackers.
Mali's state prosecutor said on Monday the gunmen might have been been Somali but investigations were continuing.
Somalia's Islamist militant group al-Shabab has not commented on the allegation.
Three other jihadist groups have previously said they were behind the attack.
These include al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), its offshoot al-Murabitoun and the Macina Liberation Front from central Mali.
Last month, Malian forces in Bamako arrested two people in connection with the attack, but no further arrests have been made.
Security has been increased at the hotel and it is now not possible to drive in front of the building and the road surrounding it has become one-way only.
The hotel's manager, Gary Ellis, told the BBC there were now fences around the hotel, an automatic gate and a scanner for baggage.
"We are resuming our activities with a winner's spirit - we need to erase that terrible day of the attack." he said.
Abdourahmane Dia from the BBC French Service says that since the attack Bamako has remained on high alert.
Militant groups have become more active in southern Mali this year, he says.
On Sunday, armed men attacked a military barracks in the central town of Niono.
One soldier was injured and two others are still missing. | The luxury Radisson Blu hotel in Mali's capital, Bamako, has reopened less than a month after it came under attack from Islamist militants. |
35,099,445 | The US insists on its right to make such flights and B-52 bombers flew over the area last month, angering China.
In a recent civilian flight, a BBC team intercepted radio communications showing the Australian military is also operating such flights in the area.
Australia's defence department confirmed the flights to the BBC.
The BBC's Rupert Wingfield Hayes is warned by the Chinese Navy as he investigates island-building.
In a statement, the Department of Defence said one of its P-3 Orion surveillance aircraft was carrying out what it called "a routine maritime patrol" as part of its efforts to maintain regional security and stability in the region.
"China navy China navy we are an Australian aircraft exercising international freedom of navigation rights, in international airspace in accordance with the international civil aviation convention, and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea - over," said a message heard by the BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes while on board a Philippines civilian aircraft.
China is locked in territorial disputes in the South China Sea. It claims large swathes of the South China Sea - an area defined by the "nine-dash line". Vietnam and the Philippines have both contested this claim.
China's foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said: "Freedom of navigation in the South China Sea is not a problem. Countries outside of this area should respect other countries' sovereignty and not deliberately make trouble."
The disputed Spratly Islands are regarded as one of the potential geopolitical flashpoints of the 21st Century, our correspondents say.
China has been using land reclamation to expand islands and is building runways on them, sparking outrage from its neighbours. The US has warned China to stop all land reclamation activity.
The US Freedom of Navigation programme challenges what it deems to be "excessive claims" to the world's oceans and airspace.
It was developed to promote international adherence to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, even though the US has not formally ratified the treaty.
In 2013 and 2014, the US conducted Freedom of Navigation operations of different kinds against China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam - each of whom occupies territory in the South China Sea.
China's island factory
Why is the South China Sea contentious? | The Australian military is carrying out "freedom of navigation" flights over disputed islands in the South China Sea, the BBC has uncovered. |
32,452,284 | Crowds watched as the man was shot by a firing squad in the southern town of Jamame in the Lower Juba region.
A BBC Somali service repoter says al-Shabab have previously killed people accused of spying or apostasy.
Last month al-Shabab carried out an attack on Garissa College in neighbouring Kenya, killing 148 people.
The Islamist group controls large swathes of rural Somalia.
Witnesses say that the man was shot by firing squad after he pleaded guilty in a Sharia court trial.
Who are al-Shabab?
The Islamists have been locked in violent conflict with the Somali government for nearly a decade.
African Union and Kenyan troops have been successfully squeezing the areas that al-Shabab controls.
Kenya has begun building a wall along the length of its border with Somalia in an attempt to halt attacks. | The Somali Islamist movement al-Shabab has for the first time publicly killed a man for "insulting the prophet Muhammed", witnesses have told the BBC. |
35,649,467 | David Brookes' image won the Mountains of Scotland category and overall award in the Edinburgh Mountain Film Festival photography competition.
It shows fellow hillwalker Juliet Harris looking out over Loch Avon in the Cairngorms.
Mr Brookes had 5% of battery life left in his phone when he took the picture.
The climber, who is originally from Cumbria and lives in Edinburgh, said: "This photograph was taken in October 2015 in the Cairngorms. Remarkably the snow had lasted from the previous winter.
"We had hoped to climb on Hell's Lum Crag but the rock was too slippery after a long wet summer. Instead, we decided to walk up Ben Macdui and came across this snow cave at Feith Buidhe."
Mr Brookes added: "I wasn't intending this to be a photography trip so I hadn't brought my usual camera.
"All I had was an iPhone with 5% battery left - and with that, I took this picture."
Another of the festival's winning images was a photograph of ice climber Kev Shields which was taken by Euan Ryan, of Scottish adventure film-making company Finalcrux Films.
Mr Ryan's picture won the People in Wild Places category. | A prize-winning photograph of a hillwalker gazing out from inside a snow cave was taken as the battery ran out on the photographer's camera phone. |
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