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34,964,087 | Within a week of European Tour boss Keith Pelley making clear he wants to fight slow play, his counterpart at the R&A, Martin Slumbers, was holding a St Andrews conference on the issue.
There is broad agreement that the sport needs to speed up and it seems the authorities appreciate the tone can be set by the professional game.
There were a number of fascinating revelations emerging from the two-day Royal and Ancient pow-wow hosted by the governing body's head of rules David Rickman.
It was revealed that 24 slowcoaches have been penalised shots in the history of the European Tour, among them Severiano Ballesteros, Jamie Donaldson and Nicolas Colsaerts.
There have been no such penalties imposed in the last two years though which is being interpreted as a sign that the message is getting through.
However the Masters and US Open winner Jordan Spieth nearly fell foul of slow play rules during the third round of this year's Open at St Andrews.
The young American and playing partner Sergio Garcia were told to speed up by referee Kevin Feeney after falling out of position with the rest of the field.
"Sergio made an effort," the European Tour official revealed. "On the ninth tee I said 'thank you Sergio for your efforts, but Jordan you have made no effort whatsoever, so you are on the clock'."
The intervention had the desired effect in every sense. "When he was on the clock, Jordan went birdie, birdie, birdie and he came over and thanked me after saying it was effectively the kick he was needing," Feeney added.
There are, though, several players who employ different modes depending on whether they are being timed. As soon as officials turn their attention elsewhere they slip back to their more familiar sluggish ways.
This is not only selfish but a form of cheating and it is why I would like to see referees with every group at top professional events.
There is surely enough money in the game to pay for the officials and, if not, find a watch sponsor to pay for them because they would play a vital role in timekeeping.
Swift rulings would allow matches to continue without delay with those decisions being final, just as in other sports. There should be no time for second opinions to arrive on a buggy while you are trying to entertain and engage millions of viewers.
Scottish Ryder Cup player Stephen Gallacher told the conference that he would like to see a system of random spot checks on timings. He says it would "create a little bit of fear."
He also revealed that he has played in America with a golfer who carries a cheque book with him so that he can pay the fines he is happy to collect.
Whenever I have discussed slow play with leading stars and officials there is strong agreement that the imposition of scorecard penalties is the only way to create an effective deterrent.
Players develop pre-shot routines that leave nothing to chance. This is often down to the influence of mind coaches who seek to create the ideal mental state for every shot.
They are given trigger points at which they turn on their game faces. This might be the moment they put on their golf glove - a first move in an elaborate routine designed give them the best chance of hitting the perfect shot.
Never mind that they could have slipped on their glove while walking down the fairway and be ready to hit as soon as it becomes their turn.
This is a bugbear of Ryder Cup winner Ian Poulter and former world number one Luke Donald has also been outspoken against rivals who manage their on-course time inefficiently.
But there are many ways in which golf can speed up. Gallacher questioned why golfers should be allowed five minutes to find lost balls. "Why can't it be three minutes?" he asked.
The way courses are presented has a role to play. There is a macho belief among players at all levels that deep rough and penal setups make for great golf when nothing is further from the truth.
Aside from breeding a one dimensional "hack and hope" form of the game it makes for a miserable time spent searching for balls rather than enjoying the game.
Quoted in the Scotsman newspaper, Stuart McColm, the course manager at the Castle Stuart course near Inverness, said: "We shouldn't be pounding on people hitting bad shots.
"A good course architect thinks how to keep you in the game rather than walking with a golf ball in your pocket."
There are plenty more aspects to be considered. The prevalence of "green books" to assist reading putting surfaces does nothing for the pace of play.
Ultra-fast greens make putting more treacherous and time consuming than it should be. Limit the distance golf balls fly and courses can be shorter, taking less time to walk.
Outlawing the practice of caddies lining up their players should be among rule changes aimed at making the game more time friendly.
Should we be required to take the flag out of the hole for putts on the green? Why penalise someone for hitting the flag with a shot from on the putting surface? Why not make it simpler to play ready golf?
What about making it easier to play out of turn to keep the game moving?
These were among the many questions that were put forward at the Time for Golf conference at the home of the game last week.
It was the first such gathering to tackle this issue for 12 years and it will result in a pace of play manual being published next spring.
Along with the European Tour's avowed intention to eradicate slow play, it is another encouraging step in the right direction. | There is a refreshing impatience about the new chief executives leading the game of golf. |
35,174,959 | The coaches go head-to-head over the festive period, with the first of two Pro12 matches at Murrayfield on Sunday.
"He's a really good coach and I think that's being recognised now," Solomons said of Townsend.
"He certainly has the ability to coach Scotland one day and those decisions will be made by the SRU but he certainly has the ability."
Like Solomons, Townsend recently committed to a contract extension until the summer of 2017, having steered the Warriors to their maiden Pro12 title last season.
"He was an excellent player and that has helped him too," added Solomons, who has experience as an assistant coach with his native South Africa. "He's an intelligent bloke.
"One advantage that Gregor has is that he has played in various parts of the world. He played in France, he played in England and he played in South Africa, so he even has a southern hemisphere influence."
Having played one game less, Glasgow are two points above seventh-placed Edinburgh going into the double-header, with the aggregate winners also taking home the 1872 Cup.
"These games are massive," said Solomons. "For me, this is one of the big derbies of world rugby."
Edinburgh won 20-8 on home soil last season to lift the trophy by a two-point margin but Glasgow - who had enjoyed a five-year stint of dominance before that surprise defeat - are determined to wrestle it back.
However, Townsend thinks it will take something special to cut Edinburgh's mean defence open.
"Edinburgh are improving all the time," he said. "When we played them last season they were better than the year before.
"What they have done this year is really build on what was already a strong defence. They are now the strongest defence in the league and have conceded the fewest tries.
"They are aggressive and very hard to break down. They work well together and the way they tackle slows down the ball.
"You've got individuals like John Hardie and Hamish Watson who have been in fantastic form too. Add to that, they have a scrum that's also rated the best in our league with the three guys that have been starting in the front-row for Scotland - Al Dickinson, Ross Ford and WP Nel.
"We've been working this week on how to break them down and it might be we go away from our traditional game plan and look at other ways to get through them."
Townsend insists revenge is not a motivating factor, stressing the chance to impress Scotland head coach Vern Cotter should be the main focus for his players.
"Those scenes last year was a good reminder of how much this game means to both teams," he added. "Edinburgh really celebrated their win last year and they deserved it. We will have to play very well to win the trophy back.
"A lot of the guys here played in those games and we know we underperformed. We have got to set high standards every game we play but we haven't really spoken about last year.
"The timings of the games are good for the supporters - they are even better for the Scotland selectors with the Six Nations just around the corner.
"Just a month before we play England they will be able to see how the guys are doing against their direct rivals, to see who is ready to step up." | Edinburgh's Alan Solomons believes his Glasgow rival Gregor Townsend can go on to lead Scotland in the future. |
34,568,236 | Henriette Reker - an independent candidate supported by Chancellor Angela Merkel's CDU party - won 52.7% of the vote, officials said.
She is in a serious but stable condition in hospital.
The suspected attacker, a German national, was angry about Germany's immigration policy, officials said.
Germany is struggling to cope with a huge influx of asylum seekers and Ms Reker has been in charge of finding accommodation for migrants arriving in Cologne.
Prosecutors say the 44-year-old suspect, who has not been named, faces charges of attempted murder and causing grievous bodily harm.
A psychiatric examination indicated he can be held criminally responsible, prosecutors and police said on Sunday.
Officials said the man had no police record and apparently acted alone.
Ms Reker was attacked while running a party information stand in Cologne, Germany's fourth-largest city. Four other people were injured.
She underwent an operation on Saturday and doctors say it went well. Ms Reker is expected to make a complete recovery, they added.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her shock at the attack and Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere called it "appalling and cowardly".
Germany has said it expects 800,000 asylum seekers this year, but a leaked report suggested the number could be as high as 1.5 million. | A German politician who was stabbed in the neck while campaigning in the city of Cologne on Saturday has been elected mayor of the city. |
36,516,741 | Her daughter confirmed to ABC News that she died on Sunday morning, having been diagnosed with a benign but inoperable brain tumour five years ago.
As well as starring in The Perils of Penlope Pitstop and The Jetsons, Waldo also appeared in hit US TV series I Love Lucy in 1952.
She had a variety of roles in The Flintstones including Pearl Slaghoople.
Waldo was born in Washington and she is best-known for her cartoon voice work during the '60s, '70s and '80s.
As well as voicing Josie McCoy in Josie and the Pussycats, she also voiced Morticia Addams in a short-lived cartoon version of the TV series in 1973 and a character called Hogatha in The Smurfs during the 1980s.
One of her final roles was in 1998 in the hugely popular adult animated TV series King of the Hill, in which she guest starred as Mrs Tobbis in one episode.
She began acting in 1938 with small roles in several films but by the '70s she worked almost exclusively in animation. | Janet Waldo, who voiced cartoon characters including Penelope Pitstop and Judy Jetson has died aged 96. |
38,364,501 | The whistleblower emailed Mrs Foster's DUP office account with concerns about the heating scheme.
The email warned the scheme was leading to misuse.
The DUP said the First Minister's office had no record of the email, but no reason to believe that it was not sent or received.
On 3 September 2013, a whistleblower wrote to Mrs Foster - who was then enterprise minister - outlining their concerns.
The existence of this email was reported by the Irish News last Thursday. This email has now been seen by the BBC's Nolan Show.
The email said: "Given the benefits of RHI we find that many of our potential customers are no longer worried about becoming more efficient.
"In fact it pays them to use as much as they can. The incentive to use more is leading to misuse in some cases.
"I firmly believe that energy efficiency and sustainability should go hand (in hand) and I'd really appreciate 20-30 minutes if your time to see what you think."
The DUP responded by saying: "As has been apparent over recent days there is clearly some confusion over the precise details in relation to the emails.
"The First Minister has no formal record of any emails from this period as her records do not go back this far.
"Before the email of the 26th August was published the person who had sent the email was contacted by an official in the Department of the Economy who confirmed that the 26th August email had been the only direct contact with Arlene Foster, and the official's understanding was that she was content to release that email subject to redactions.
"We apologise if there was any misunderstanding, as we certainly would not have released the email had we thought that would be against her wishes.
"However, we understand that another email has come to light dated September 3 which makes a reference to concerns about the RHI.
"The First Minister's office has no record of this email, but equally no reason to believe that it was not sent or received.
"In any event the person in question contacted officials two days later on 5 September 2013 (in immediate response to the letter from the Minister) in order to set up a meeting at which her plans and concerns were discussed.
"We understand that at this meeting she also raised concerns about the RHI but, very unfortunately, these concerns were not taken sufficiently seriously. At all times Mrs Foster sought to follow the appropriate processes in relation to this issue."
First Minister Arlene Foster faces a vote of no confidence at the Assembly later over her involvement in the botched heating scheme. | The detail of a second email from a whistleblower to Arlene Foster warning her about abuse of a heating scheme has been revealed. |
28,775,486 | UKIP reported donations of £1.4m from April to June this year - £170,000 more than reported by the Lib Dems.
A UKIP spokesman said it was "a sign that electorally and financially we are now superseding the Liberal Democrats".
The Conservatives reported £7.2m of donations for the second quarter of the year, while Labour reported £3.8m.
The period coincided with May's European elections, in which UKIP got the biggest share of the UK vote, and the party led by Nigel Farage is now aiming to get its first MPs elected at next year's general election.
More than a million pounds declared by UKIP came from a single donor, the Yorkshire businessman Paul Sykes.
The Lib Dems said it demonstrated that UKIP was a one-man party - "one man politically and one man financially".
The Lib Dems said their £1.2m in donations came from more individual donors than ever before.
Analysis, by Arif Ansari
UKIP say these figures show they are superseding the Liberal Democrats electorally and financially as the third party of British politics. The level of donations is certainly significant. It is the first time UKIP have overtaken the Lib Dems.
But there are important caveats. The vast bulk of the cash, just over £1m, came from one donor, the businessman Paul Sykes. He was particularly keen to support the party's campaign for the European elections, and indeed played a role designing the party's posters.
The Lib Dems say that £241,000 of UKIP's donations should have been declared in the previous quarter and, taking that into account, they have not been overtaken. Certainly these accounts show UKIP attracting more money, rather than the Lib Dems attracting less. And the race for cash will intensify for all the parties as they attempt to fuel their general election campaigns.
The biggest donation reported during the quarter from an individual for Labour was £629,000 from property magnate Sir David Garrard. It also got £683,000 from the trade union Unison.
The Tories said Labour had now received a total of £34m from trade unions since Ed Miliband became leader in 2010.
Conservative Party chairman Grant Shapps said: "We all know what payback they want from weak Ed Miliband: more wasteful spending, more taxes, and more debt than our children could ever hope to repay."
Labour said the figures showed another £2m had been donated to the Conservatives from donors who attended private dinners with David Cameron and other senior ministers, taking the total to £5m this year.
Shadow cabinet office minister Jonathan Ashworth MP said: "When millions are flowing in from hedge funds and exclusive groups of donors, is it any wonder David Cameron stands up for the privileged few?" | UKIP have reported more in political donations than the Lib Dems in a quarter for the first time, according to the Electoral Commission. |
33,827,594 | A study in The Lancet concluded that if all pregnant women took a daily dose, it could boost children's IQ scores, causing health improvements.
Iodine is important for healthy brain development and there is some evidence that the UK population may not be getting enough.
But Public Health England (PHE) said a varied diet should offer enough iodine.
"The longstanding government advice is that everyone including pregnant women should be able to get all the iodine they need from a varied and balanced diet," said Dr Louis Levy, head of nutrition science, diet and obesity, at PHE.
Severe iodine deficiency has long been known to cause impaired neurodevelopment in unborn children.
But the picture is less clear in countries such as the UK where iodine intake may only be slightly below recommended levels.
The main source in the UK diet is milk but it can also be found in other types of dairy food, fish and - in smaller amounts - in some foods made from plants, such as cereals.
Societal cost
A previous UK study of around 1,000 pregnant women, published in 2013, found that around two-thirds could be classed as mildly to moderately deficient in iodine.
Lower levels of iodine during pregnancy were subsequently linked with slightly poorer IQ and reading scores when the children were eight years old.
Those 2013 findings sparked the latest study in which researchers calculated the potential impact of all women taking iodine supplements before conception, during pregnancy, and while they were breastfeeding.
They based the study on the assumption that around 67% of women do not get enough iodine from their diet, which is used by the body to make thyroid hormones.
Their estimates suggest that universal iodine supplements in pregnancy could boost children's IQ scores by an average of 1.22 points.
They then took evidence from other studies that had looked at economic benefits linked to IQ score.
Putting figures on the healthcare costs associated with different IQs - which had shown a higher IQ is associated with better health - into their model showed an average saving to the NHS of £199 per pregnant woman.
They also calculated, using previous research, that on average, the financial benefit for every pregnant woman taking the supplement would amount to £4,476 in higher earnings and lower education costs for her child.
The latest study's author, Professor Kate Jolly from the University of Birmingham, said that ideally women who are deficient in iodine should be targeted.
But there was no easy way of knowing who they are.
She added that the UK was behind other countries, such as Australia, which already recommend supplements in pregnancy, and a change in guidance was warranted.
"The next step is we need a large scale look at the iodine status of pregnant women," she said.
No study has looked directly at the impact of giving iodine supplementation in populations that are only mildly to moderately deficient.
And because of ethical and cost concerns this is unlikely to happen, the researchers pointed out.
Last year the government's Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition called for more research into iodine levels in certain groups including "girls of reproductive age, pregnant and lactating women".
UK guidelines recommend that adults need around 0.14mg of iodine a day, while the World Health Organization advises that pregnant women should have 0.25mg a day.
Dr Sarah Bath, spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association, said it was important to stress that kelp and seaweed supplements should not be used as a source of iodine, especially by pregnant women, as they can in fact contain harmful amounts.
And she pointed out that some pregnancy supplements already contain iodine.
"Milk, dairy products and fish are good sources of iodine and eating a balanced diet that contains iodine sources will help to reduce the risk of iodine deficiency," she said. | Recommending iodine supplements to all pregnant women could save the NHS money, say researchers. |
35,194,737 | According to the case filed by Ellen Newlin Chase and Margaret Chase Perry, the show used their mother Ellen's lyrics without buying the rights.
The show's characters have periodically sung a lullaby including the lyrics "soft kitty, warm kitty".
Mrs Newlin's daughters have also sued other media companies over the issue.
Calls to CBS and other companies named in the case were not immediately returned on Monday.
Mrs Newlin died in 2004, having worked as a nursery school teacher in Alstead, New Hampshire, for about 35 years. Her daughters still live in the small town.
The legal case claims that the "soft kitty" lyrics written by Mrs Newlin in the 1930s have been used in their entirety on at least eight episodes of the show since March 2008.
It says the lyrics have also been used in merchandising, including on T-shirts, mouse pads, mobile phone covers, wallets, air fresheners, fridge magnets, toys and other products.
"The Soft Kitty lyrics are among the best-known and most popular aspects of `The Big Bang Theory," the claim states.
"They have become a signature and emblematic feature of the show and a central part of the show's promotion."
According to the claim, Ellen Newlin Chase discovered The Big Bang Theory's use of the lyrics in August 2014, when she was researching her mother's history for an article she was writing and came across a blog post discussing the use of the lyrics on the show.
The lawsuit says that in 2007, Warner Bros. Entertainment and the show's other producers decided they wanted to use the lyrics and sought permission from Willis Music Co., a Kentucky-based company that had published them in a book called Songs for the Nursery School.
But according to the claim, Willis Music gave permission to use the lyrics without consulting Mrs Newlin's heirs even though the book makes clear that Mrs Newlin was the author of and owned the copyright to the lyrics. | The daughters of a teacher who wrote a poem about a "soft kitty" are suing CBS, the network behind The Big Bang Theory, for copyright violation. |
40,255,899 | Keane Wallis-Bennett, 12, was fatally injured at Edinburgh's Liberton High School in April 2014.
Garry Stimpson, of the Health and Safety Executive, said it was not obvious the wall would cause a problem.
He described his investigation into the death as "one of the most difficult cases I have ever dealt with".
Mr Stimpson co-ordinated the HSE's inspection of the wall after the incident in which Keane died.
He told the fatal accident inquiry the structure had been built along with the rest of the original building in 1959, and there were no obvious defects in construction, although there was a crack in it.
Mr Stimpson said the council had an effective system for reporting faults in their buildings, but nothing about this particular wall had been recorded.
He added that the council had met requirements on maintenance and inspections at the school, and did what any reasonable local authority would be expected to do.
Mr Stimpson told the inquiry that, following the accident, the HSE had been "very keen" to ensure that free-standing masonry walls across the whole of the UK were checked and councils throughout the country were alerted.
"Edinburgh City Councill" he said "had done everything possible to comply with regulations".
The inquiry also heard that no criminal proceedings can be brought against anyone in connection with Keane's death, because the regulations concern employees and pupils are not employees.
Mr Stimpson said there had been "considerable discussion" between him and the Crown Office regarding the "freak accident".
He said the decision not to take criminal proceedings against anyone was taken by the Crown Office.
The present law applies to employees and Keane was a pupil, not an employee.
Asked why the regulations did not apply to non-employees, Mr Stimpson replied: "That lies with Parliament".
The inquiry at Edinburgh Sheriff Court continues. | An inquiry has heard that Edinburgh City council met its obligations on maintenance at the school where a wall collapsed and killed a pupil. |
36,058,042 | The key entries on the Commons agenda are now those for consideration of Lords amendments to an impressive array of government bills which have been mangled by peers.
After a week which saw six government defeats in the Upper House, with the potential for plenty more, expect the fabled Parliamentary ping-pong, which sees bills bouncing back and forth between the Lords and Commons to dominate events.
Ministers will want to overturn Lords amendments to the Immigration Bill, the Trade Union Bill, the Housing and Planning Bill, the Enterprise Bill and the Energy Bill, or at least negotiate compromises. And the clock is now ticking.
As usual, the date for the prorogation of Parliament is left unspecified, but the State Opening, which signals the start of the 2016-17 session, is now inked into the Royal diary for 18 May - which means there's about a month left to get the outstanding legislation through its remaining stages of consideration and any disagreements between the two Houses reconciled.
That's not impossible, but the government could find itself having to make concessions to buy off opposition on issues where peers are disinclined to surrender to the will of the Commons, because if a bill is not passed when time runs out, it falls.
Imagine a Victorian-gothic High Noon, involving people in knee breeches, snatches of Norman French, parliamentarians sitting through the night, and increasingly tetchy negotiations in panelled offices, and you begin to get the picture. But with big issues to be resolved, it's a very high-stakes game. So aside from the outcome of actual votes in the Lords, watch how long the debates take - because the time factor becomes increasingly crucial at this time of year.
Here's my rundown of the week ahead.
The Commons opens (2.30pm) with Defence questions - and that is followed by Backbench Business Committee debates. First Labour's Siobhain McDonagh raises the introduction of the National Living Wage and related changes to employee contracts - she is worried that some employers are cutting overall remuneration packages to offset the cost of its introduction, leaving thousands of low-paid employees significantly worse off.
She has already highlighted the case of workers being forced to sign new contracts with cuts in Sunday and bank holiday pay, bonuses abolished, and London weighting hugely cut.
The second debate, on educational attainment in Yorkshire and the Humber is led by Labour's Jo Cox, Conservative Martin Vickers and the Lib Dem, Greg Mulholland. The motion calls for the government to address the underlying reasons for the under-performance in the region.
The adjournment debate, led by Labour MP Jim Fitzpatrick, is on the Metropolitan Police Special Enquiry Team investigation into electoral fraud in Tower Hamlets. Last year, the Election Court voided the election of Lutfur Rahman as Mayor of Tower Hamlets in 2014, and barred him from standing for public office for five years.
Mr Fitzpatrick is concerned that the police and the Crown Prosecution Service now say they will be taking no further action in this case. He says the people who challenged the election are owed their costs.
In Westminster Hall (4.30pm) MPs will debate E-petition 105660 on funding for research into brain tumours.
In the Lords (2.30pm), questions to ministers cover additional runway capacity at London's airports, the extent to which general road traffic laws are enforced on cyclists, and the effect of EU withdrawal on the UK tourism and hospitality industries.
Then, peers continue with the report stage of the Housing and Planning Bill - where the key issues are concerned with "pay to stay" and secure tenancies. Having taken some stinging defeats, Labour sources say the government now realises it needs to make concessions on the detail of the bill - so it is not yet clear whether they plan to force any of their amendments to a vote.
The Commons sits at 11.30am for Treasury questions, after which the Conservative Anne Main will present a ten minute rule bill to require farm produce to be labelled to show its country of origin and whether it meets animal welfare standards.
The day's main legislating is on the Bank of England and Financial Services Bill (report and third reading). The bill makes a series of detailed technical changes to the internal governance and oversight of the Bank, its senior managers' regulatory regime, pensions guidance and advice; and the rules on bank notes issued by banks in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The adjournment debate, led by the Conservative Robert Jenrick, is on the treatment of UK citizens returning from fighting against so-called Islamic State, or Daesh/ISIL - he believes hundreds of UK citizens have volunteered to fight with Kurdish forces against IS, or Daesh, including some vulnerable people and many are ex-servicemen, and he is concerned that the government appears to have no policy on how it regards them. Should they be seen as allies or are they suspected terrorists? Mr Jenrick has a constituent, Aidan Aslin of Newark, who was arrested on his return and spent weeks waiting to see if he would be charged with any offence.
In Westminster Hall, the day's debates cover unaccompanied children (9.30am); children's homes (2.30pm) and regional variations in the rate of teenage pregnancy (4.30pm).
In the Lords, peers will be dealing with the latest round of Commons amendments to the Enterprise Bill - where ministers have now accepted Labour's amendment which asks the pubs code adjudicator to ensure PubCos do not "game" the code. They have now deleted the Lib Dem peer, Lord Teverson's Green Investment Bank amendment, but have implemented it in practice by creating a special share structure that maintains the bank's focus on environmental issues.
After that the House moves to day two of report stage consideration of the Trade Union Bill, where a series of issues are likely to be pushed to a vote.
There's an amendment on retaining the "check-off" system allowing payroll deduction of union subscriptions, on the powers of the Certification Officer for Trade Unions, and the implementation date for the facility time and check-off clauses of the bill.
The Commons meets at 11.30am for Northern Ireland questions, followed by Prime Minister's questions, at noon.
Next comes a Ten Minute Rule Bill on Forensic Linguistics (Standards) - from the SNP MP Roger Mullin. He wants to bring in a professional register to guarantee the standards of practitioners of a new discipline that can, for example, identify that an apparently innocuous conversation online is, in fact, aimed at sexual grooming of young people or terrorist recruitment.
Learn more about PMQs
Evidence from forensic linguists is accepted in American and other foreign courts, but not in the UK - although it is used in law enforcement. A register would help the courts to accept evidence of properly-qualified specialists, Mr Mullen argues.
After that, it's ping-pong time - as MPs react to Lords amendments to the Energy Bill - the government has lost several votes in the Lords on onshore wind generating stations and the remit of the new Oil and Gas Authority.
Then there are two debates chosen by the Backbench Business Committee, on recognition of genocide by Daesh (IS) against Yazidis, Christians and other ethnic and religious minorities and on record copies of Acts - this is a move to overturn the decision to abandon the centuries-old practice of printing acts of parliament on vellum, scraped goat's skin.
Vellum is known to last for centuries, and the parliamentary archives included original documents personally signed by Tudor monarchs. There was a move to save money by switching to printing them on special archive paper, but the break with tradition has met strong opposition in the Commons - and the House authorities are not planning to resist it, after government ministers announced they would meet the cost of continuing to use vellum.
In Westminster Hall, there are debates led by backbench MPs on the effect of aircraft noise on local communities (9.30am); the future of the Cardiff coal exchange (11am); the UK dairy sector (2.30pm); government policy on the trade in small weapons (4pm) and Western Sahara and self-determination (4.30pm).
In the Lords. the day's main legislation is the continuation of the marathon report stage of the Housing and Planning Bill - where peers will focus on the sections dealing with client money protection and local plans.
They may also move onto other planning issues, if time allows. Dinner break business is on progress towards the introduction of the Horseracing Betting Right, the proposal to replace the existing horserace betting levy with a new charge administered directly by the racing industry.
The Commons meets at 9.30am for questions to the Culture, Media and Sport department, the House of Commons Commission (the Commons administrative arm) and questions to the Leader of the House, Chris Grayling. He then remains at the despatch box to deliver the weekly Business Statement on the future agenda of the Commons.
The day's main event will be a debate on "An humble Address to mark the occasion of her Majesty the Queen's 90th Birthday", with the PM and the Leader of the Opposition opening proceedings.
And the Lords begin their day (11am) with a parallel debate on their own Humble Address.
Then, after half an hour of questions to ministers, peers turn to the detail of the Northern Ireland (Stormont Agreement and Implementation Plan) Bill - where the main issues are tackling paramilitarism and balanced budgets.
There will also be a short debate on the report of the Lords Communications Committee on BBC Charter Review: Reith not revolution.
The Commons is not sitting.
The Lords (at 10am) continues its work on private members' bills, rubber-stamping a couple of uncontroversial measures - the Criminal Cases Review Commission (Information) Bill and the Road Traffic Act 1988 (Alcohol Limits) (Amendment) Bill before moving onto the (still not very controversial) House of Commons (Members' Fund) (No.2) Bill.
The main action will be on the committee stage debate on the day's final measure, the Council Tax Valuation Bands Bill, from the Conservative peer, Lord Marlesford who argues that it is "not acceptable in today's world that the most expensive property pays only three times the amount of the humblest and cheapest property", and proposes a series on new valuation bands:
The valuation would be based on sale price after April 2000 - and homes not sold since that date would keep their old council tax valuation.
This is, to put it mildly, a sensitive issue - the Coalition government promised a revaluation of properties for council tax but never actually started the process - and the current valuations date from the 1990s.
But any move to revalue would push up bills and possibly trigger furious protests. | The endgame of the current Parliamentary year is fast approaching. |
38,157,038 | Wellens, 36, left Salford City in October on the back of other permanent spells at Blackpool, Oldham Athletic, Doncaster Rovers and Shrewsbury Town.
He has made 698 professional appearances, scoring 49 goals in total.
The Silkmen, currently 11th in the National League, play Oxford United in the FA Cup second round on Friday. | Macclesfield Town have signed former Manchester United and Leicester City midfielder Richie Wellens on undisclosed terms. |
33,098,797 | It is not clear exactly who any possible charges would target.
All 150 people on board, mostly from Spain and Germany, died in the crash in March.
Marseilles prosecutor Brice Robin said there was "no doubt" that co-pilot Andreas Lubitz deliberately crashed the Airbus A320 in the French Alps.
Both Germanwings and Lufthansa have previously said that Lubitz, 27, had passed all fitness to fly tests.
Lufthansa has also acknowledged that it knew the co-pilot had suffered from severe depression in 2009 while training for his pilot's licence.
Mr Robin said some doctors treating Lubitz felt he was unfit to fly but did not tell his employers because of German laws on patient confidentiality.
He said a preliminary investigation by three magistrates would focus on whether the gap between what the pilot's doctors knew, and what his employers knew, points to manslaughter charges.
Mr Robin said that Lubitz had seen seven separate doctors in the month before the crash - one GP, three psychologists and three eye specialists.
Lubitz was troubled about problems with his eyesight and just over a week before the crash, he told one doctor he was only sleeping two hours a night and feared he was going blind.
But doctors could find no "organic cause" for his failing sight, with one doctor suggesting that it might have been due to psychosis.
Mr Robin was speaking after meeting some of the relatives of those who died in the crash.
Germanwings: The unanswered questions
Who were the victims?
On Wednesday the coffins of 16 German schoolchildren and two teachers killed in the crash arrived in the town of Haltern.
Residents holding white roses lined the route as a convoy of white hearses passed the children's school.
The victims' remains were the first to be repatriated following delays over errors on the death certificates.
The remains of the rest of the victims will be repatriated over the coming weeks. The passengers were from 18 countries, including Australia, Argentina and Japan, but most of those on board were either Spanish or German. | French prosecutors have announced a preliminary investigation into whether manslaughter charges should be brought over the Germanwings plane crash. |
37,986,885 | The enamel "two quails" vase, is thought to have been made at Beijing's Imperial Palace at least 220 years ago.
Auctioneers Woolley & Wallis said the owner only realised its true value after he put it on eBay.
It had been estimated as being worth up to £30,000, but sold at auction in Salisbury for £61,000, including the buyer's premium.
The seller, who did not wish to be identified, picked up the vase at a car boot sale near Lymington.
When eBay bidding reached £10,000 he withdrew it and took it for a valuation.
Woolley & Wallis Asian art expert John Axford confirmed the vase bore the four-character Qianlong mark - the sixth emperor of the Qing dynasty - and would have been made by Imperial command in the palace workshop between 1736 and 1795.
He said it had turned out to be an "excellent investment". | A rare Chinese vase, bought for £10 at a Hampshire car boot sale, has been sold for more than £60,000. |
39,253,464 | Three women were seriously assaulted in Spondon - the first in September 2014 - and another raped in Darley Abbey.
Detectives believe the attacker is connected to the local area and they are "working extremely hard" to catch him, Derbyshire Police said.
Supt Tracy Harrison said the four attacks have had a "life-changing impact" on the victims.
More on this story and other news in Derbyshire
The woman who was attacked in December 2015 described how she fought off the sex attacker.
Sarah, whose identity is being protected, said: "He kept punching me in the head and telling me to shut up.
"Then he was trying to undo my trousers and he was holding my throat. I felt like I couldn't get out the way. It was horrible.
"My friend could hear me screaming, so she rang the police."
Supt Harrison said the force had received "new lines of inquiry" after a dedicated phone number was set up to try to find the person responsible for the attacks.
"I want to thank everyone who has been in touch with us so far," she said.
"The calls and emails that have come in today have provided us with new lines of inquiry and we will be looking into them all."
Extra officers have been drafted in to patrol the areas where the attacks took place. | A sex attacker who has been on the loose for more than two years has been linked to four attacks in Derby. |
35,410,342 | Gladys Hooper celebrated her milestone on 18 January with family and friends on the Isle of Wight.
Thousands of people sent the former concert pianist birthday messages online and through the post.
She said: "Thank you very much. I'd like to say how much I appreciate it. I send my love and great thanks to everyone."
She added she was looking forward to her next birthday.
A video of her talking about seeing a German airship being shot down over London during World War One has been seen by 850,000 people.
The Facebook post by BBC Radio Solent reached almost three million people and generated more than 1,500 comments.
The great-grandmother, who lives at Highfield Nursing Home in Ryde, is the country's most senior supercentenarian, according to the Gerontology Research Group records.
Her son Derek Hermiston, 85, said cards and gifts were still flooding in a week after the event.
People from the US, Canada, Belgium and Australia wrote her birthday wishes on Facebook.
Hallie Mae Richards-Monroe wrote: "The amazing history you have witnessed in your life time. Happy Birthday from New York USA."
Ann Foley wrote: "Such an amazing lady, I thank Mrs Hooper for sharing her memory of that night way back in 1916, during the Great War."
Mr Hermiston said his mother had also met Thomas Edison, who demonstrated his "new lamp" at her school, and had been flying with aviatrix Amy Johnson. | The UK's oldest person has thanked the thousands of people who sent her good wishes for her 113th birthday. |
32,419,412 | Most of those who disembarked were gassed to death almost immediately.
Oskar Groening, 93, was speaking on the second day of his trial for being an accessory to the murder of at least 300,000 Jews at the death camp.
He has said he is "morally" guilty but had no direct role in the genocide.
The charges against the former guard relate to a period between May and July 1944 when about 425,000 Jews from Hungary were taken to the Auschwitz-Birkenau complex in Poland.
Mr Groening, who is being tried in the German town of Lueneburg, said he was regularly assigned to the Auschwitz I section of the complex but also undertook guard duties at Birkenau, where the main gas chambers were located.
"The capacity of the gas chambers and the capacity of the crematoria were quite limited," he told the court.
"Someone said that 5,000 people were processed in 24 hours but I didn't verify this. I didn't know.
"For the sake of order we waited until train one was entirely processed and finished."
Survivors have said their arrival at Auschwitz was chaotic and deeply traumatic, with Nazi guards shouting orders, dogs barking and families being separated.
Mr Groening described the scene as "very orderly" and "not strenuous" for him.
"They all walked, some in one direction, some in another direction... to where the crematoria and gas chambers were," he said.
One of the survivors, Eva Kor, 81, said she did not remember Mr Groening personally but could not forget the scene.
"Everything was going very fast. Yelling, crying, pushing; even dogs were barking. I had never experienced anything that fast or that crazy in my entire life,'' she told AP news agency before addressing the court.
Her parents and two elder sisters were taken straight to the gas chambers, while she and her twin sister, both 10 at the time, were used in experiments conducted by Nazi doctor Josef Mengele.
Recalling the moment she was torn away from her mother, she said: "All I remember is her arms stretched out in despair as she was pulled away.
"I never even got to say goodbye."
On Tuesday, addressing the judges, Mr Groening said: "I ask for forgiveness. I share morally in the guilt but whether I am guilty under criminal law, you will have to decide.''
If found guilty he could face between three and 15 years in prison.
Auschwitz 'may turn away visitors'
How the Holocaust unfolded, year by year
Why did ordinary people commit atrocities in the Holocaust?
How did one Englishman save 669 children from the Holocaust? | A former Nazi SS guard has said so many trains full of Jews used to arrive at Auschwitz that often two would have to wait with closed doors while people from the first were "processed". |
32,117,183 | The Division 2A section of the women's world championships is the fourth International Ice Hockey Federation tournament to be held in the town.
It has previously staged Under 18 events for both men and women and an Under 20 championship.
The tournament runs until Sunday with Great Britain up against Kazakhstan, Korea, Poland, New Zealand and Croatia. | An international women's ice hockey competition is being held at the Ice Bowl in Dumfries. |
37,894,819 | The Canadian indie band is the first act announced for the festival, which was under threat of being cancelled.
The band were recommended to the event's organisers by music legend David Bowie. It will be their first UK festival performance since 2014.
The four-day festival at Seaclose Park, Newport will run from 8-11 June.
The band will be following previous Isle of Wight headliners that have included Queen and The Who.
John Giddings, Isle of Wight Festival promoter, said: "I'm so happy to have secured Arcade Fire as our first headliner. David Bowie recommended them and I've been a fan ever since. Last year was incredible and I'm ready for us to come back even better."
Made up of husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne along with Win's brother William Butler, Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury and Jeremy Gara, the band will take to the stage on 10 June.
Arcade Fire's music reached number one in the UK charts after the release of their fourth album Reflektor three years ago.
The band also received an Academy award nomination after being featured in the film Her in 2013. | Arcade Fire have been revealed as the Saturday night headliner for the Isle of Wight Festival next year. |
28,123,606 | The singer was given a commemorative scroll by Lord Mayor Majid Khan at the town hall on Tuesday.
Williams's parents, Jan and Peter, his wife Ayda and 22-month-old daughter Teddy also attended the event.
The singer, who hails from the city, said he was "proud and extremely honoured" to be recognised for his career in showbusiness.
Earlier this year a series of events were staged in Stoke to mark the star's 40th birthday.
He said being given the Freedom of the City was "poignant" and described the event as a "special day".
"Stoke-on-Trent made me. My humour, my 'cheeky chappie' bit, that's all from here," he said.
"Cut me and it's through me like a stick of rock." | Robbie Williams has been presented with the Freedom of Stoke-on-Trent at a private ceremony. |
30,298,289 | Terrence Hughes, 53, was one of three guards escorting Jimmy Mubenga from the UK when he collapsed in his seat before take-off from Heathrow.
His cries of "I can't breathe" were ignored and he was kept handcuffed with his head forced down for 36 minutes, the Old Bailey trial has heard.
Mr Mubenga died on 12 October 2010.
The 46-year-old married father had suffered a heart attack and was pronounced dead in hospital.
Mr Hughes, from Hampshire, Colin Kaler, 51, from Bedfordshire, and Stuart Tribelnig, 38, from Surrey, deny his manslaughter.
Before Mr Hughes joined G4S, staff at his previous security firm had used a technique of pushing a seated person's head forward - compressing the diaphragm - to stop them spitting, jurors were told.
However, "carpet karaoke" as it was referred to, was later deemed to be "malpractice" by the company, prosecutor Mark Dennis QC said.
Mr Hughes told jurors he had seen it work on two occasions but denied he had ever done it himself or picked it up on the job from his "elders".
Mr Dennis asked if he had resolved to hold Mr Mubenga's head down to "stop him making a noise" until they got into the air.
Mr Hughes replied: "No sir. I did not agree with it when I saw it and I don't agree with it now."
Mr Dennis said: "We suggest that you and your colleagues were forcing Mr Mubenga forwards, holding him down, controlling him and maintaining that hold for as long as you could and as long as he resisted, you held him down."
Mr Hughes replied: "I don't want to make a comment. He was never forced down with his head forced beneath his knees."
Earlier, Mr Hughes told jurors he favoured "talking people down" during deportations.
The court heard Mr Hughes only received a half centimetre-long graze, in what he had described to the court as a "violent" struggle with Mr Mubenga, after he tried to get off the plane.
Mr Dennis suggested this may be because it was not as violent as he had said.
The trial continues. | A G4S guard accused of killing an Angolan deportee by restraining him on an aeroplane, has denied ever using a technique known as "carpet karaoke". |
40,281,413 | At least 12 people are known to have died in the fire at a tower block in North Kensington during the early hours of Wednesday.
Concerns have been raised about the cladding installed on Grenfell Tower.
In total, 32 buildings will be checked by the Housing Executive.
The executive's Colm McQuillan said the same type of cladding had not been used on tower blocks in Northern Ireland, as far as he was aware, but that this was being checked.
"We have rigorously tested the cladding that has gone onto our buildings to an extent that it fits and meets all fire safety regulations," he said.
"We're not going to be complacent. We have an emergency meeting set up with the fire and rescue service today to actually go through any of their thoughts in relation to the recent tragedy and indeed we will work very closely with them in terms of what we should be doing."
There are approximately 1,900 homes and 3,000 residents within the units being checked by the NI Housing Executive.
The majority of tower blocks in Northern Ireland are based in Belfast, with others in Lisburn, Newtownabbey and Larne.
The Housing Executive had received calls from residents concerned about safety since the fire, said its director, adding that he wanted to reassure all tenants their safety was being taken seriously.
The re-inspection would be completed by Thursday evening, he said.
Fire safety certificates are in place across all 32 properties owned by the Housing Executive.
The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service has issued the following advice in the event of a fire:
Mr McQuillan said that there were no fire sprinklers installed in the buildings "due to the age of construction", but that the Housing Executive was "fully compliant with fire safety regulations".
"We will do what we need to do to ensure the safety of our residents," he said.
It is understood the Housing Executive will deliver leaflets to all residents about what to do in the event of a fire.
Group Commander of the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) Geoff Summerville described the blaze in London as an "unprecedented incident, one which we haven't seen the like of for years".
He said that tower buildings were usually designed to ensure that each individual compartment can withstand and prevent fire from spreading.
"Fire-fighting in high rises can be very challenging and crews train extensively to respond to these incidents," he said.
"We work very closely with the housing executive and private management companies to make sure that these buildings are safe, and make regular visits." | The Northern Ireland Housing Executive is to carry out checks on all tower blocks under its care within the next 48 hours as a result of a blaze in a block of flats in London. |
35,925,842 | The purse tops the £50,000 on offer at next month's women's race in the Tour de Yorkshire.
The 66km race, in London on 30 July, has the same fund as the men's RideLondon-Surrey Classic a day later.
"We believe in equality in sport," said event director Hugh Brasher.
The individual winner of the race will collect £19,600, with £7,860 going to the winning team.
The race will take place on a 5.5km circuit around central London, taking in The Mall, Constitution Hill, Parliament Square, The Strand and Trafalgar Square.
Trott, who has raced in each edition of the event, added: "RideLondon has pioneered incredible change in women's cycling, first with live television coverage, then live cameras on bikes last year and now with record prize money and parity with the men's race." | Double Olympic champion Laura Trott says women's cycling is "getting the recognition it deserves" after RideLondon announced a record prize fund of £78,600 for this year's race. |
38,155,378 | The show brings together more than 200 paintings, sculptures, photographs, digital prints and performance pieces from the US artist's six-decade career.
The Times, The Telegraph and The Guardian awarded the show five stars.
The Telegraph's Mark Hudson wrote: "This, to my mind, is the exhibition of the year."
He added: "I can't recall a show in recent times that takes us so vividly into a moment.
"You come away thinking that, if he didn't actually invent the Sixties outright, he pretty much invented Sixties art."
The Guardian's Adrian Searle described it as "impossibly rich and rewarding".
He wrote: "Room after room arrests us with yet another creative swerve, a shift in medium, scale, formal attack and presence.
"The show maintains surprise, even though he was so prolific that much is missing."
The exhibition covers Rauschenberg's work from the late 1950s to his death in 2008 and is the first posthumous retrospective of the pioneering artist.
Writing in The Times, Rachel Campbell-Johnston said: "The breadth of vision is mind-opening."
Noting how he influenced UK artists like Tracey Emin, she added: "Our Brit artists may half wish that this show wasn't coming: we find out how many ideas have been pinched.
"For the rest of us this retrospective is a must-see."
The exhibition is open to the public from Thursday until 2 April 2017.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | The Tate Modern's new Robert Rauschenberg retrospective been has hailed as "the exhibition of the year" and "a must-see" by art critics. |
36,185,708 | Thousands were expected at the two-day Geronimo Festival, held at Harewood House near Leeds, over the Bank Holiday weekend.
But many families took to social media to complain about poor organisation at Sunday's event.
Geronimo's organisers apologised and said queues had been reduced on Monday.
The festival, started by father-of-seven Simon Goldman, was first held at Tatton Park, Cheshire, last May.
Its website advertises a circus, theatre groups, bands, jousting, a funfair, motorcycle displays and sheep-shearing, with tickets priced between £18.50 and £25.
Parent Jo Murricane, who had press tickets to review the festival on her blog, said the event had not lived up to expectations, and there had been an hour-long queue for the car park.
She said some families had left before they even entered, despite having paid for tickets.
"I have never been to such a large scale event that has been so poorly organised," she said.
"There were random tents all over the place, a central arena (with nothing happening in it), and it all looked a little bit lack-lustre and small-scale," Mrs Murricane said.
"It was a family festival, and no one was having any fun."
"It's as if the masses of people were a surprise to the organisers."
Others complained of "abysmal and expensive" food stalls with huge queues.
One person on Facebook said: "We ended up leaving at 15:30 [on Sunday] with two very hungry unhappy children who had more fun at Burger King on the way home."
Another parent wrote on Twitter: "Absolute shambles! So poorly project-managed and executed."
In a statement, the festival's organisers said they had extended opening hours on Monday after some guests "did not have a good experience on Sunday".
Queue times had been "significantly reduced" by Monday and festival-goers were "excited", they said.
Geronimo said it was working closely with Cheshire Council for "the smooth-running" of the Tatton Park leg of the festival at the end of May. | An event billed as "Glastonbury for kids" has been labelled a farce by parents amid complaints of huge queues and poor planning. |
38,756,428 | Safety checks were not carried out on some staff members at Barton Clough Primary School in Stretford, Greater Manchester, a report by Ofsted said.
School leaders also failed to keep children safe and were criticised for being "unaware of the catalogue of safeguarding failures".
Trafford Council said action has been taken to address concerns.
The report said the 250 pupil community school "has declined significantly since the last inspection" and "leaders, managers and governors are not demonstrating the capacity to improve".
It was also rated "inadequate" over concerns bullying was not being dealt with effectively and some pupils said they did not feel safe on the school yard.
Checks on staff and governors were incomplete and some pupils were prevented from making progress in class because disruptive behaviour was not managed well.
The report also highlighted the strength of the school's special educational needs provision and pupils' progress in mathematics due to additional teaching.
The council said it was disappointed at the findings and was "keen to reassure parents".
It added it was "confident in the current school leadership team" to "take the necessary steps to improve". | A primary school previously rated "outstanding" has been placed in special measures over safety. |
35,851,389 | Bale will miss Thursday's clash with Northern Ireland in Cardiff and the trip to the Ukraine on March 28 after consultation with Real Madrid.
But Coleman says the "joint decision," will have no long term consequences.
"If you look at his record he is not a player who misses games unless he has to," said the Wales manager.
Bale, 26, is missing the two friendlies because of fitness concerns.
The Ukraine game is also scheduled the day before Bale's partner Emma Rhys-Jones is due to give birth to their second child.
Wales' last superstar player, Manchester United assistant Ryan Giggs, was criticised for missing friendlies when he was playing for his national team.
And there were worries over Bale's availability when the 54-times capped forward went to Real Madrid.
But Coleman said: '"If you look at his record he is not a player that misses unless he has to. He is not a player that says 'you know what may be I don't need to be there.'
"He knows we need him whenever we can have him and if it's possible for him to be here, he is always here.
"He is not a player that we look at and think 'maybe he will, maybe he won't,' he always does. You know if he is not here it is not possible for him to be here."
Coleman added: "People at the start of the campaign said, they won't get him now because he is in Madrid, that we would not get him as much. But this has been his best form for Wales.
"I never once worried when he went to Madrid. From a personal point of view, I thought it would be better for us.
"I know La Liga, it's a great league, but I have said before, it's a slower tempo than the Premier League. It's less taxing physically so it's better for us he is out there.
"Physically when we get him he's probably better than when he is playing 45 or 55 games for Spurs in the Premier League and cup games. That is way more taxing to play in, than La Liga.
"So, if we're being selfish it is better for us he stays where he is." | Chris Coleman has dismissed fears over Gareth Bale's long term availability for Wales despite his absence in the forthcoming Euro 2016 warm-up games. |
38,639,347 | In the past I have driven through some of the areas so described and its no idle metaphor. There are mile upon mile of oxidised, red metal skeletons, dead factories entombing dead jobs, dead hopes.
But the Interstate 75 road outside Detroit is a reminder that manufacturing industry could just be America's future and not only its past.
Towers and gantries poke up into the skyline, plumes of steam billowing white against a grey sky from dozens of chimneys: little lights, appropriately red and white and blue, blink with brisk industrial efficiency. This is the home of Motown - Motor City - famous for its music and its cars.
Eight years after a heart-stopping crisis for the motor industry Detroit is working again. Some say that is thanks to Obama. Others look to Mr Trump to make it what it once was again.
I am talking to Brian Panbecker in his car opposite Detroit's Ford plant. He's a forklift truck driver and he is just about to go on shift.
"Life around Detroit is always cyclical, up and down. My dad warned me when I was first hired in by Chrysler back in 1978. He said 'Brian, the auto industry is up and down. It is like a rollercoaster. When times are good you have to work overtime, save some money, pay off all your debts. When times are bad you have to ride it out'."
He says Mr Trump speaks the language of the shop floor - sometimes crude and vulgar but straight to the point. And many of those Brian works with support him as a result.
President of the 3000 branch of the United Automobile Workers union, Steve Gonzalez, tells me there are plenty who agree with Brian.
"Some of our members are Donald Trump supporters. I can't get into their heads but a lot of our workers were for him. Not sure if it was the promise of change, or his appeal on TV, little quips, on Facebook, on Twitter. People run with that."
But didn't President Obama and the bailout of Chrysler and GM save this city?
I meet Thomas in a trendy brewery pub. Bit of a waste as he does not drink, and I am not doing so at the moment. Still the brewery logo, of a heroic worker raising a glass, says something about this unionised city.
"I lost a job and I wasn't capable of relocating and because Obama saved this industry I got a job," he explains. The bailout "stopped GM and Chrysler being sold off to companies who would have split it up and sold it for parts. And that is what saved the industry".
I ask if he is better off than in 2008 and he replies: "I'm not broke and would have been."
Brian could not disagree more.
"The bailouts did not save the auto industry, bankruptcy saved the auto industry. That allowed GM and Chrysler to survive in some form and return to profitability. I would not give credit to Barack Obama. As a matter of fact, I think his policies - continuing high taxes and allowing the unions to remain powerful - have caused more jobs to flee to Mexico."
I am in Motor City at a big time of year for the industry - the North America International Auto Show 2017 has just opened. It is a huge sparkly, bright white space where cars rotate on their stands, polished so hard the lights positioned just so that they seem to glow, rather than simply gleam.
Despite the symbols of success and prosperity at the show and despite the health of the industry, the American worker feels insecure.
The Ford stand at the show is particularly impressive but I am drawn to a prototype, a silver car. Not particularly special looking - apart from the round cameras on its windscreen and roof rack-like sensors running along its length. On its side it says "autonomous vehicle development" and underneath "on the road by 2021".
Ford made an important announcement at the beginning of this year - they would invest $700m (£580m) in a plant just outside Detroit, a few miles from here, to make an electric SUV and driverless car.
And - this is where the politics comes in - they would cancel their plan to build a new engine plant in Mexico, something Mr Trump had called "an absolute disgrace", He thanked Ford and said it was only the beginning.
So, has Mr Trump's policy of imposing tariffs on goods made outside the USA - mocked as impractical by many - already paid off, before he is even in the White House?
Darrin thinks not. He is a newly-elected Democratic representative in Michigan's state house - and says without the bailout he would not be where he is now. His dad was an auto worker and Darrin argues that if the local economy had failed he would never have made it to college. But what about Mr Trump?
"I know he likes to take credit for a lot of different economic activities that have happened but the truth is that project had been in the works for a lot longer than the last couple of weeks, or even November.
"Part of this is some of these companies are trying to get out ahead of it, saying 'this isn't really Donald Trump doing this work, its really the unions and management getting together and looking for opportunities'. My read of it is that they want[ed] to put it in place before he was in office so he didn't take credit for it. But he did anyway."
The Detroit bureau chief of Automobile Magazine, Todd Lassa, agrees.
"That decision had a lot to do with the fact that Americans are not buying small cars, they're buying pick-ups and SUVs.
"I think a lot of the Mexico investment had to do with small cars that have thin profit margins and you have a little bit of a better profit margin if you are using Mexican labour. It's very much a commercial decision."
Union leader Steve says this will be the way of President Trump.
"When the news came out [that] we had the autonomous car coming here, we had it coming up on Facebook and Twitter: 'Thank you Donald Trump!'" he laughs.
"Trump did it already! He's not even in office so, that was a kind of misleading. But he puts it out there and, all of a sudden, any positive news he's going take credit for."
This will be the test of Mr Trump and the media. It is easy to mock the bombast. But the first evidence suggests crude and forceful plans may have played at least a part in changing the mind of a multinational.
More to the point, we have witnessed what may be a trademark of this presidency. He may have been pushing against an open door, but Mr Trump has very loudly portrayed himself as the author of a positive story.
Sophisticated observers may question if he deserves the plaudits but if America applauds he will reap the rewards.
Listen to Mark Mardell's report from Michigan for The World This Weekend via BBC iPlayer. The World at One will be broadcasting from the United States during the week beginning Monday 16 January. | Can Donald Trump make America not just great again, but make it gleam and bring the shine of steel back to the rustbelt? |
22,013,724 | The group claims the bank deliberately misled shareholders into believing it was in good financial health just before it collapsed in 2008.
More than 12,000 private shareholders and 100 institutional investors have raised a class action against the bank.
Former chief executive Fred Goodwin is among those named in the action.
Ex-chairman Sir Tom McKillop is also being sued, along with Johnny Cameron and Guy Whittaker, who were senior figures at the bank in 2008.
RBS has declined to comment on the development.
The institutions involved in the claim are understood to include 20 charities as well as churches, pension funds, hedge funds, fund managers and private client brokers. Collectively they manage in excess of £200bn.
The bank has 30 days to respond to the claim, which relates to a £12bn rights issue by RBS in 2008 to shore up its balance sheet after its disastrous acquisition of Dutch bank ABN Amro.
It is the second in recent days to be lodged against RBS.
Last week a group of 21 claimants launched a multimillion-pound lawsuit, also over its 2008 cash call.
The latest claimants said in a statement on Wednesday: "The action group maintains that the bank's directors sought to mislead shareholders by misrepresenting the underlying strength of the bank and omitting critical information from the 2008 rights issue prospectus.
"This means that RBS will be liable for the losses incurred on shares subscribed in the rights issue, by reason of breaches of Section 90 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000."
The action group estimated that the final claim may be as much as £4bn.
A spokesman for the investors said: "Today represents a giant step forward for the many thousands of ordinary people who lost money as the result of inexcusable actions taken by banks and their directors in the financial crisis.
"Now, for the first time, some of these directors will have to answer for their actions in a British court."
The class action has been raised with High Court of Justice's Chancery Division in London.
RBS was saved from collapse in 2008 by a UK government bailout and is now 82% taxpayer-owned. | Thousands of investors have launched a joint compensation claim for up to £4bn against Royal Bank of Scotland and several of its former directors. |
34,919,933 | Four Seasons Health Care's closures affect 254 residents and 393 staff.
In response, Mr Hamilton halted the possible closure of 10 statutory homes.
He said he was "open to the idea" of new admissions to state-run facilities "in the context of a reduction in places across the independent sector".
Four Seasons made the announcement on Tuesday, saying the homes had been "operating at a loss".
In total, eight of its 69 homes in Northern Ireland are set to shut, with the closure of Drumragh Care home in Omagh, County Tyrone, having been announced previously.
Mr Hamilton told BBC Radio Ulster's The Stephen Nolan Show that he was "well aware of pressures that are existing in the independent sector".
But he added that the Department of Health had "no indication of closure of any other homes".
He said: "We want to get these 254 residents into the most appropriate accommodation for them, whether that's in the statutory sector or the independent sector.
"It's important that we get them, with the minimum amount of disruption, into the new accommodation as quickly as we possibly can.
"There are some homes that had been earmarked for closure that are going to be kept and reopened for new admissions."
Roberta Shannon, whose husband is in the Four Seasons's Victoria Park home in Belfast, said she was "absolutely devastated".
She received a letter from the company telling her the home would close in February, leaving her with what it described as "plenty of time" to find an alternative accommodation.
She said that had been "an insult".
"It's not a matter of finding a bed, it's a matter of finding a place that's suitable to cope," she said.
"My husband has Alzheimer's and Parkinson's - that upheaval sends [that] into a further level and we never get that back. This is going to affect his health.
"There's no-one addressing any of this."
Kathy Barenskie, whose mother Bridie has lived in Hamilton Court care home in Armagh for 10 years, said a meeting with Four Seasons management on Tuesday provided her with little information on the closure.
"I don't know how they can do this," she said.
"Nowadays, to make a profit out of a home it needs to be a bigger home.
"I said to my mum: 'Do people not matter any more?'"
Evelyn Hoy, the chief executive of the Commissioner for Older People for Northern Ireland, said there would be difficulties relocating all 254 residents at one time.
"We'd be keen that lots of discussion now takes place with residents and their families, friends and carers about what the alternative provision is," Ms Hoy said.
"That provision has to be as good as or better than what they have been provided with up to now."
She said that the health minister should consider that Northern Ireland's population is aging and "work now to plan for a good mix of choices for people in the future". | Northern Ireland's health minister is to consider allowing new admissions to state-owned care homes after a major private provider announced it is to close seven of its facilities. |
39,390,523 | Rory McKeown's cross-shot hit the bar as Southport made a confident start, but after the break the visitors took control.
Kevan Hurst tested Craig King's handling with a decent effort just after the break, but there was little the Southport goalkeeper could do to deny the 31-year-old's superb volley with 18 minutes remaining.
The victory, which ended a three-match winless run for Guiseley, leaves Southport 10 points off safety with only six matches to play.
Match report supplied by the Press Association
Match ends, Southport 0, Guiseley 1.
Second Half ends, Southport 0, Guiseley 1.
Louis Almond (Southport) is shown the yellow card.
Substitution, Guiseley. Michael Rankine replaces Jake Cassidy.
Substitution, Guiseley. Adam Boyes replaces Jordan Preston.
Jordan Preston (Guiseley) is shown the yellow card.
Substitution, Guiseley. Alex Purver replaces James Wesolowski.
Substitution, Southport. Jamie Allen replaces Declan Weeks.
Goal! Southport 0, Guiseley 1. Kevan Hurst (Guiseley).
Substitution, Southport. Andrai Jones replaces Richard Brodie.
Substitution, Southport. Liam Hynes replaces Jim Stevenson.
Second Half begins Southport 0, Guiseley 0.
First Half ends, Southport 0, Guiseley 0.
First Half begins.
Lineups are announced and players are warming up. | Guiseley condemned National League bottom side Southport to a ninth defeat in 11 games with a narrow victory at Haig Avenue. |
28,970,855 | The new ban has been ordered by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada), which runs drug testing across many sports.
It follows concerns that athletes were breathing these so-called noble gases to encourage the growth of red blood cells that boost stamina.
But despite being piloted, a valid test is not yet ready, the agency says.
The idea of doping with gases more usually associated with arc welding, neon light bulbs and anaesthesia may seem bizarre, but Wada believes there is enough evidence of their enhancement potential to ban them.
Media reports earlier this year indicated that athletes in Russia have been using the gases for years as a means of boosting their stamina ahead of international competitions.
Indeed the company that developed techniques to help athletes prepare using xenon, has a "badge of honour" on its website from the Russian Olympic Committee for "the organisation and conduct of inhalation remediation".
Inhaling xenon, mixed with oxygen, is believed to improve stamina because it increases the body's production of a protein known as hypoxia inducible factor 1, or HIF1.
In turn this stimulates the production of natural erythropoietin (EPO) which regulates the number of red blood cells. The more of these cells, the more oxygen you can carry, and the greater your athletic stamina.
Doping with artificial EPO has been one of the biggest threats to the integrity of sport over the past 20 years. The clampdown on using the drug has seen sports scientists develop other methods including the use of xenon and argon.
Earlier this year Wada's executive committee decided to ban these two named gases by adding them to the prohibited list from this month.
"We had serious information that xenon was being used," Wada's science director Dr Olivier Rabin told BBC News.
"We believe it has been used in the preparation for some major events."
Now that xenon and argon are banned, the agency needs to have an effective test for the gases.
Developing one is not an easy task.
As well as being present in the air we all breathe, albeit in minute quantities, xenon is also used in many countries as an anaesthetic.
Dr Rabin says that Wada scientists are close to developing a direct test for the gas.
"We had some preliminary pilot results that do indicate that detection is not too much of an issue but we just need to make it solid and robust in the anti-doping context and make sure that any result in the future will be accepted by a court."
Validating a test like this to the level that it can stand up in the Court of Arbitration for sport is not easy. When I asked Dr Rabin if the test would be in place by the end of the year, he was unable to give that reassurance.
"I cannot give you a specific date, we usually do not, what I can tell you is that the science is very solid and certainly we will do our best, now that the gases are on the prohibited lists to make sure there are detection methods available as soon as possible."
Other researchers though are not convinced that a reliable test will be quickly forthcoming.
They also question why Wada has banned the use of these gases but allows athletes to use oxygen tents or hypoxic chambers that mimic the effects of sleeping at altitude with the aim of producing a similar blood boosting effect as xenon.
"Their whole argument is based on false grounds," said Dr Ben Koh, a former athlete and an expert on sports medicine.
"What is happening among elite athletes is a very artificial process, involving hypoxic chambers before competitions. This is artificial, and it is no different from the artificiality of xenon."
Wada says that there could be dangers to the health of the athletes if they use large amounts of xenon or argon and this another reason for the ban, as well as the performance enhancement.
Dr Koh rejects this argument.
"I would argue that xenon is actually safer than hypoxic tents, in terms of heart failure, trauma to the ear and to the lungs, the risks are very well documented from hypoxic tents, on the other hand, xenon gas from the published literature seems to be quite safe."
There is a possibility that Wada has information that xenon can have other sports enhancing effects in athletes that go beyond an increase in stamina.
"The concern would be that there's some secondary benefit not due to HIF1, and that seems to me entirely possible," said Dr Chris Cooper, from the University of Essex, who has researched the science of doping.
"I'm surprised if the effect in these animal models is due to increased hematocrit, there is something else going on."
Wada say they have named xenon and argon for the sake of legal clarity.
I asked Dr Rabin what would happen if similar inert gases such as krypton, say, are shown to have a similar effect.
"Xenon and argon are only examples, it is not a closed list as we do have for narcotics - tomorrow any gas that has a HIF1 activation is de facto prohibited."
So no krypton-powered super athletes then?
"Absolutely not!"
Follow Matt on Twitter @mattmcgrathbbc. | Doping experts have yet to find an effective test for athletes using xenon and argon, despite introducing a ban on the gases' use by sports stars. |
35,098,737 | Guinness World Record confirmed to the BBC that the festive spectacle at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Tuesday exceeded the target of 250 surfers.
The organisers say the record-breaking surf is also an attempt to raise awareness of mental health issues.
The event was kick-started by a local retailer, surf school and surf charity.
RedBalloon, Let's Go Surfing, and OneWave came together to hold the lesson, and rustled up hundreds of participants using social media.
OneWave spokesperson and mental health therapist, Joel Pilgrim told the BBC the surf charity started about three years as a way to bring the local community together and to break down the stigma surrounding mental health issues.
He said the group holds weekly meetings - Fluro Fridays - where surfers dress up in outlandish outfits.
"We're giving people routine and purpose which is key in someone's mental health recovery, and also engaging them in an activity that is quintessentially Australian," he said.
Mr Pilgrim said there were a few confused residents on Tuesday who were a bit angry to find their regular surf break bombarded with red-suited surfers.
This year the University of New South Wales studied how the OneWave surf program affected people living with severe mental illness - finding overall improvements in life, psychological growth, physical benefit, and social support networks.
The results are also reflected in a world-first pilot scheme in Biarritz, France - which prescribes surfing over medication for a range of illnesses, including depression.
Tuesday's surf lesson participants seemed to agree that it was at the very least an enjoyable experience.
"It's good, it's awesome, a lot of people, a lot of fun, a lot of energy [it's] exciting," one surfing Santa said. | A pack of 320 surfing Santas have embraced Christmas spirit in Australia and broken the world record for the largest surf lesson. |
32,386,096 | Devon County Council reversed traffic flow through Totnes in 2013 to make the area safer.
But some traders began legal action claiming their businesses had suffered.
The council wanted to contest a decision that the scheme should be dropped but a judge at Exeter County Court said it could not appeal.
The authority could take the case to the Supreme Court, but will still have to reinstate the original traffic flow in the meantime.
In March, the decision to reverse traffic flow through Totnes town centre was quashed in the High Court.
BBC presenter Jonathan Dimbleby was among campaigners who marched with protesters against the traffic changes which meant vehicles could no longer be driven up the High Street from the bottom of the town.
The changes reversed the previous system, in which traffic was allowed up the High Street and brought in alternative routes.
Devon County Council said: "We are disappointed by today's decision and will now consider our options." | Traffic flow through a Devon town centre is set to change after a judge decided a council cannot appeal against a ruling to scrap the scheme. |
38,753,000 | Mr Trump said that while radical groups beheaded people in the Middle East "we're not playing on an even field".
But Mr Trump also said he would consult Defence Secretary James Mattis and CIA director Mike Pompeo and "if they don't want to do it that's fine".
They have both indicated opposition to reintroducing the interrogation method, widely considered a form of torture.
US House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, questioned on the waterboarding remarks at a news conference on Thursday, reiterated that torture was illegal.
Former CIA director Leon Panetta told the BBC it would be a "serious mistake to take a backward step" on torture.
It is an interrogation process that causes the subject to experience the sensation of drowning.
The subject is strapped to an angled board facing down and a cloth is placed over their mouth. Water is poured over the face, creating the feeling that the lungs are filling with water.
Speaking to ABC News, Mr Trump said he wanted to "keep our country safe".
"When they're shooting, when they're chopping off the heads of our people and other people, when they're chopping off the heads of people because they happen to be a Christian in the Middle East, when Isis (IS) is doing things that nobody has ever heard of since Medieval times, would I feel strongly about waterboarding?" he asked.
"I have spoken with people at the highest level of intelligence and I asked them the question 'Does it work? Does torture work?' and the answer was 'Yes, absolutely'.
In his election campaign, Mr Trump had said he might order troops to carry out waterboarding "and tougher" methods on terrorism suspects, although the next day he said he would not order the military to break international law.
The CIA began using waterboarding, among other interrogation processes, after the attacks on New York and Washington in 2001.
Al-Qaeda figures Abu Zubaydah and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed were waterboarded dozens of times under CIA detention.
A Senate committee concluded the technique did not provide critical intelligence, but some ex-CIA officials insisted it had provided actionable information.
The technique is illegal. President Barack Obama banned torture as an interrogation technique in 2009.
And late last year, an anti-torture amendment became law. It writes into the Army Field Manual that there can be no "cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment".
Mr Trump can rewrite the manual but the law's stipulation that there can be "no use or threat of force" cannot be waived by executive order.
Paul Ryan, speaking to reporters alongside Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, emphasised the Republican position, saying that "torture is illegal and we agree with it not being legal".
If Mr Trump relies on his security team, then probably not.
The president said on ABC: "I will rely on Pompeo and Mattis and my group and if they don't want to do it that's fine. If they do want to do then I will work toward that end.
"I want to do everything within the bounds of what you're allowed to do legally but do I feel it works? Absolutely I feel it works."
When Mr Trump was sounding out Mr Mattis for defence secretary he asked him about its use.
Mr Trump told the New York Times: "[Mr Mattis] said - I was surprised - he said, 'I've never found it to be useful.' He said, 'I've always found, give me a pack of cigarettes and a couple of beers and I do better with that than I do with torture'."
Mr Pompeo has been a bit more ambivalent. He has defended the use of harsh techniques but during his confirmation hearing said he would "absolutely not" reinstate those methods.
He was more equivocal in written responses, saying that if intelligence gathering was being impeded he would look into whether changing the laws was necessary.
Mr Panetta was more forthright, telling the 100 Days programme on BBC World News: "The reality is we really don't need to use enhanced interrogation in order to get the information that is required."
"I think it could be damaging in terms of our image to the rest of the world."
A draft document has come into the hands of US media that suggests other actions, although Trump administration spokesman Sean Spicer said it was not a White House document.
The draft order would scrap Mr Obama's move to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
It also calls for a review into whether the "black sites" programme should be reintroduced.
Black sites were locations overseas where the CIA carried out interrogation techniques like waterboarding post 9/11. They were closed by Mr Obama.
The Obama directive giving the Red Cross timely access to all detainees could also be revoked. | US President Donald Trump has said he believes waterboarding works, stating "we have to fight fire with fire". |
32,411,671 | Researchers tested pairs of identical and non-identical twins to see how attractive they were to mosquitoes.
Identical twins were more likely to have similar levels of attractiveness - suggesting shared genetic factors were at play.
The "intriguing" results must now be assessed in larger trials, experts say.
Researchers have long tried to understand what drives mosquitoes to bite certain people more than others. Recent work shows the insects may be lured to their victims by body odour.
And anecdotal reports suggest some relatives are just as likely to be bitten as each other.
Scientists from the UK and US wanted to find out whether genes were behind this phenomenon.
To test their theory they enlisted 19 non-identical and 18 identical pairs of twins in a pilot study.
In a series of experiments each twin placed one hand at an end of a Y-shaped wind tunnel as air was pumped through, carrying odour with it.
Swarms of mosquitoes were then released and moved towards or away from each twin's hand.
For identical twins - who share much of their genetic material - there was an even distribution of mosquitoes in both sections.
This suggests the insects did not prefer the odour of one hand more than the other.
In contrast, results for the non identical twins - who share fewer genes - were more varied.
Researchers say their works suggests attractiveness to mosquitoes could be caused by inherited body odour genes.
Their next step is to uncover which specific genes may be involved.
Further research is now under way.
Providing an independent comment, Dr David Weetman, lecturer at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, said: "This is a novel and intriguing finding.
"It is the first time a genetic basis has been demonstrated.
"But mosquitoes are not just attracted to scent - things like carbon dioxide also play a role.
"Larger studies will help assess how relevant these findings are outside the laboratory where other factors may be important."
Lead author Dr James Logan, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: "If we understand the genetic basis for variation between individuals it could be possible to develop bespoke ways to control mosquitoes better, and develop new ways to repel them." | The likelihood of being bitten by mosquitoes could be down to genes that control our body odour, a preliminary study in Plos One suggests. |
38,264,394 | Only 7% of the 900 doctors who took part in a BMA Scotland survey said the amount of time they had to see patients during consultations was adequate.
The group said GPs were under "immense pressure" due to an "unsustainable" and rising workload.
The Scottish government said it was "significantly increasing" the level of investment in primary care.
There have been warnings that Scotland is facing a shortfall of hundreds of family doctors, amid falling staff numbers.
The survey by the British Medical Association contacted a total of 900 professionals in Scotland, and 91% of them said their workload had "negatively impacted on the quality of care given to patients".
When asked what the best way of improving the situation would be, 44% of respondents said increased funding to support general practice should be the top priority.
A further 36% identified GP numbers as the best goal, while 18% identified longer consultation times.
Dr Alan McDevitt, chairman of the BMA's Scottish GP committee, said the survey reflected the "immense pressure" that doctors in Scotland were feeling.
He said: "The rising workload is simply unsustainable and something has to change to make general practice in Scotland fit for the future.
"It is essential that the additional £500m per year promised by the Scottish government is spent directly on supporting general practice.
"Giving us more time with patients, expanding the GP workforce and supporting the practice based primary care team will help to ensure the quality of care that our patients receive remains of a high standard."
Health Secretary Shona Robison signed a joint agreement with the BMA about the future direction of GP services in November.
She said she was committed to working with the profession to redesign services and provide more support for GPs, allowing them to spend more time with patients.
She said: "We are significantly increasing the amount of investment going into primary and GP care - an extra £500m by the end of this parliament.
"However, as we have made consistently clear, we must also reform the way we provide services.
"These reforms, coupled with the additional investment, will help to improve the attractiveness of general practice as a career, reduce workloads and create a more sustainable workforce."
The Scottish Conservatives said the survey was "the latest in a long line of warnings" to the SNP over Scotland's "GP crisis".
Party health spokesman Donald Cameron said: "Posts are being left unfilled, patients can't get quick appointments and projections for future service levels are becoming increasingly dire.
"The SNP has been in sole charge of health for a decade and it can't get away from the fact it is responsible for this situation.
"That's why we believe at least 10% of health funding should go to general practice by 2020 to ensure GPs are able to cope with present and future demands."
Scottish Greens health spokeswoman Alison Johnstone added: "GPs are under enormous pressure and Greens support the call for a greater share of health funding to go toward general practice.
"Scottish ministers also need to review the way funding is dispersed as GPs in deprived areas dealing with the health impacts of poverty have the heaviest workloads yet do not receive a fair share of funding."
Lib Dem health spokesman Alex Cole-Hamilton said: "When 91% of GPs are telling the Scottish Government that rising workloads are hitting standards of care, it's clearly time for the government to put their hands up and work to address this problem.
"Scottish government ministers need to ensure that working practices are fit for the future and Scotland's GPs have the support and resources they need." | More than 90% of Scottish GPs believe their rising workload has negatively affected patient care, a survey found. |
30,087,432 | About 20 people were evacuated from their homes after the crash in Ardingly High Street at 23:20 GMT on Friday.
Andrew John Sleat, 42, of Blackfold Road, Crawley was bailed to appear before Crawley magistrates on 10 December.
Sussex Police said the road was closed for nearly three hours. | A man has been charged with drinking and driving after a car crashed into a house in West Sussex, causing a gas leak and damaging three other vehicles. |
21,272,490 | Lindsay Sandiford, 56, from Gloucestershire, was convicted last week after she was found with 4.8kg (10.6lb) of cocaine.
Her bid was backed by a human rights charity which wanted judges to rule the Foreign Office's stance was unlawful.
The court will give the reasons for its decision on Monday.
The judge, Mrs Justice Gloster, sitting with Mrs Justice Nicola Davies, said that while the court understood "the deep concerns of Mrs Sandiford and her family about Mrs Sandiford's predicament" the case must be dismissed.
Sandiford faces death by firing squad following the Bali court's verdict on 22 January.
The High Court heard a notice of appeal was filed with Indonesian officials earlier this week and she was given a 14-day deadline to file grounds of appeal.
The Foreign Office said the UK opposed the use of the death penalty and has raised the case through diplomatic channels. It said the government does not fund legal representation for British nationals abroad.
A spokesman said: "We strongly object to the death penalty and continue to provide consular assistance to Lindsay and her family during this difficult time."
Sandiford, whose case was backed by the charity Reprieve, was seeking a judicial review of the government's decision.
Commenting on the High Court decision, Reprieve investigator Harriet McCulloch said: "It is deeply disappointing that the Foreign Office chose to fight against helping Lindsay in the British courts, rather than fighting for her in Indonesia.
"Reprieve and Lindsay's family will now have to look for alternative sources of funding to ensure that Lindsay gets the assistance she so desperately needs."
Law firm Leigh Day, which is representing Sandiford, had argued that as the government had repeatedly confirmed its opposition to the death penalty it had a clear legal duty to ensure she received "appropriate assistance" to be able to file an appeal.
Her lawyer Richard Stein said: "Mrs Sandiford and her sister, both out in Bali, will be devastated by this decision.
"Whilst we have a judgment, we do not have the reasons for it. We await these before being able to formulate an appeal to what we believe is a fundamentally-flawed decision."
Earlier, Aidan O'Neill QC, told the High Court that Sandiford was urgently in need of funding to pay for an "an adequate lawyer" because she was currently without legal assistance and her family had exhausted all of their available resources.
He said without government funding there was "no prospect" competent counsel would be appointed to represent her on appeal.
The Foreign Office could make arrangements, or provide funds to an expert non-governmental organisation like Reprieve, Mr O'Neill said.
The judges heard a lawyer had been found in Indonesia who was willing to waive fees and act pro bono, but required "operational costs" estimated at £2,500.
Mr O'Neill said the Foreign Office's blanket ban on providing legal representation to British nationals overseas meant it had unlawfully fettered its own discretion.
The government was breaching its obligation to the European Convention on Human Rights by failing to protect her right to life - and not to face the death penalty - he said.
The Foreign Office submitted evidence to the court showing that at present there are 13 British nationals who have received death sentences in foreign countries, and 51 others are potentially facing the same sentence.
Some, it said, have not requested British consular assistance while others have returned to the UK and are therefore not being assisted.
Mr O'Neill said if the government helped Sandiford it would not open the floodgates for other cases, as it feared.
Martin Chamberlain, appearing for the Foreign Office, said it would be difficult to limit a scheme of providing assistance to death sentence cases.
He suggested there would be pressure to extend it to other human rights cases where the "human dignity" of other British nationals came under threat.
Cases could include incidents where a Briton was "sentenced to 30 lashes because they are gay - or a sentence for driving a car because you are a woman".
Sandiford is originally from Redcar in Teesside but her last UK address was in Gloucestershire.
She was arrested after a flight from Bangkok, Thailand, and accused of being at the centre of a drugs ring involving three other Britons.
She has repeatedly denied she was attempting to sell drugs in Bali, insisting that she had been coerced into bringing cocaine into the island.
One of the Britons, Julian Ponder, 43, from Brighton, was jailed for six years earlier this week after being cleared of smuggling but convicted of possessing 23g of cocaine.
The two other Britons were also cleared of trafficking; one received a sentence of four years for possession and the other a one year term for failing to report a crime. | A grandmother sentenced to death in Bali for drug trafficking has lost a High Court challenge to a UK government refusal to fund a lawyer for an appeal. |
27,593,167 | As EU government leaders met behind closed doors in Brussels, the BBC's Laurence Peter sought opinions on the elections from European reporters covering the summit.
I think one of the big lessons is that Europe is still struggling to attract the voters. The voter turnout was pretty poor. The mainstream centre parties lost ground, and that's quite worrying for those who think that Europe is a project that deserves to be defended.
In Spain, the drop for the two biggest parties was from about 80% some years ago to less than 50%. They lost five million votes - something that had been inconceivable.
All over Europe, you have discontent - you see it also in Germany, which is the country with the most split party landscape in the European Parliament. Germany is sending MEPs from 14 different parties. Having a seat in the parliament will give the German neo-Nazis more publicity maybe, but it's not a really big worry.
A clash of EU institutions will depend pretty much on the position of UK Prime Minister David Cameron. I don't know if he wants to force such a clash.
I don't think people in Poland are very interested in getting information about the EU. Turnout in Poland was a little better than five years ago. There's a paradox - we really like the EU, everyone says we gain a lot from being in it, but we're not voting, and that's the main problem. We don't know why, really.
UKIP leader Nigel Farage said it was a mistake that Poland joined the EU, and of course we don't like that. We're afraid that maybe David Cameron will have to go that way, because he would also like to gain more votes, so he might change direction.
The Polish conservatives are not like the ones in the UK.
If Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski got the EU foreign affairs job, it may be very good for him, but maybe not for our country. It would be much better for Poland to get the energy commissioner post, because of shale gas, the Russian gas pipelines. We could change energy policy into something real for Poland. On Ukraine, many people in Poland said the EU was too slow - just talk, and not enough action.
In Spain, support went to small parties - even new parties, for example Podemos, which was founded three months ago. They didn't have any money, but they got a lot of support. The same thing happened across the EU - the big parties lost support.
I think the Le Pen (National Front) victory in France and that of UKIP in the UK is like a warning sign that something is happening. We all know that people are not happy with the way things have been working in Europe, especially with austerity. But in Spain, the vote went to populist and leftist parties. People were surprised by what happened - it was much bigger than opinion polls had predicted.
People in Spain are saying that a different kind of economic policy has to be implemented, based on jobs and growth. But there are big differences in Europe too, among the EU countries.
Many people don't know who the candidates for Commission president are, though we in the Spanish media have covered it a lot.
I don't think the European Parliament has the power to change many things, but I think there are going to be more critical voices, against the policies we've been seeing.
The Eurosceptic voices are being heard by the electorate - it's an indication that citizens are not very happy with the way Europe is being governed.
Nobody is surprised about the National Front's success in France. You could sense that Marine Le Pen was going to do well. I don't think there would be much support for her policies in Belgium.
In Flanders, we have a party which was affiliated with Marine Le Pen, Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest), but their result was terrible - they lost nearly all their members of parliament, in the federal parliament and in the Flemish parliament. Vlaams Belang has almost disappeared now.
The idea of Britain leaving the EU is not a topic in Belgium. Ordinary citizens are not bothered by it. I don't think they realise what is at stake.
I think Belgian voters are quite open to reforming the EU and making it function better. People are open to the idea of the EU having more authority to pull Europe out of the crisis. They're not Eurosceptic like in a lot of other countries.
The election is important because an earthquake shook not just the UK, but lots of countries on the continent. But the nationalists don't have a majority - just more blocking power in the new parliament. I think it's a good wake-up call for the European leaders.
I think the Russians are more preoccupied with the situation in Ukraine. That's the main reason we're here today. On Ukraine, Russia would like to see openness, sincerity, the absence of double standards - because we've had a bit of that recently.
We had a fantastic dialogue on visas - the EU was closing in on the decision to give Russians a chance to travel in the Schengen (passport-free) area. That would be welcomed by many Russians who do business, study, travel as tourists.
In the Baltic republics, there's a bit of paranoia among some leaders about the threat of Russia, and they are of course using the shield of the EU to attack Russia on the diplomatic level.
On the energy policy, given the new Russian contract with China, I think Europe should be more concerned than Russia, to be honest, and the pipelines are being built. If you want to go to other sources of energy, that's your decision. | Europe's media are digesting election results which saw big gains for Eurosceptic parties, and are asking whether the balance of power in the EU will change. |
34,835,902 | Tomasz Kocik, of north London, told the Old Bailey he and Marta Ligman, 23, had been taking amphetamines and having sex while at home between 24 and 28 April.
The 38-year-old, of Buckingham Road, Harlesden, who denies murder, said he found her dead on 29 April.
Ms Ligman was found dead in a suitcase in the Grand Union Canal 10 days later.
Speaking through an interpreter, Polish national Mr Kocik told the jury the couple regularly took drugs together, watched porn and had violent bondage sessions.
He said they had spent four days at home taking the drugs and having sex, before he went to work on 29 April.
Upon returning home that evening he said he found Ms Ligman lying on the sofa and realised she did not have a pulse.
"I put her down on the floor and started resuscitating her. I was in shock," he said.
Instead of calling emergency services though, Mr Kocik told the court he only told his neighbour that "Marta is gone".
When asked by his lawyer Jeremy Dein QC what he believed had killed Ms Ligman, Mr Kocik said it was "because we had been taking lots of amphetamines for the last few days."
He said he had "felt terrible" about her death "because I did not stop her from doing that".
That night, Mr Kocik said he got an old suitcase from the loft and put her body inside before going to the canal early the next morning.
He also admitted it was he who was captured on CCTV taking the suitcase to the canal.
When asked why he had dumped the body, Mr Kocik said "I only remember I thought I would be in trouble because we had been taking drugs and I would be blamed for that."
The trial continues. | A man has admitted in court that he dumped his girlfriend's body in a canal but only after finding her dead following drug-fuelled sex sessions. |
37,018,482 | Guiseley had fought back from two down to level but in the 88th minute defender Marcus Williams' attempted clearance rebounded off Russell beyond visiting goalkeeper Dan Atkinson.
North Ferriby took advantage of some poor defending to take an eighth-minute lead, with Ryan Kendall firing a cut-back into the top corner.
They doubled their lead in the 21st minute through Danny Emerton, who steered the ball home low after Guiseley's Jake Lawlor had failed to clear.
Guiseley got themselves back into it eight minutes later when Jordan Preston played in Oli Johnson, and the latter coolly lifted the ball over home goalkeeper Rory Watson.
The visitors levelled in the 84th minute when Johnson struck his second, but in a frantic finale North Ferriby, promoted via the National League North play-offs in May, snatched all three points.
Report supplied by the Press Association
Match ends, North Ferriby United 3, Guiseley 2.
Second Half ends, North Ferriby United 3, Guiseley 2.
Substitution, North Ferriby United. Vinny Mukendi replaces Curtis Bateson.
Danny Boshell (Guiseley) is shown the yellow card.
Goal! North Ferriby United 3, Guiseley 2. Simon Russell (North Ferriby United).
Substitution, North Ferriby United. Connor Robinson replaces Ryan Kendall.
Goal! North Ferriby United 2, Guiseley 2. Oli Johnson (Guiseley).
Substitution, Guiseley. Javan Vidal replaces Adam Smith.
Substitution, Guiseley. Danny Boshell replaces Jake Lawlor.
Substitution, Guiseley. Adam Boyes replaces Michael Rankine.
Substitution, North Ferriby United. Ben Middleton replaces Stephen Brogan.
Second Half begins North Ferriby United 2, Guiseley 1.
First Half ends, North Ferriby United 2, Guiseley 1.
Jake Skelton (North Ferriby United) is shown the yellow card.
Goal! North Ferriby United 2, Guiseley 1. Oli Johnson (Guiseley).
Goal! North Ferriby United 2, Guiseley 0. Danny Emerton (North Ferriby United).
Goal! North Ferriby United 1, Guiseley 0. Ryan Kendall (North Ferriby United).
First Half begins.
Lineups are announced and players are warming up. | Simon Russell's fortuitous late goal clinched North Ferriby a 3-2 win over Yorkshire rivals Guiseley - their first victory in the National League. |
38,210,394 | Media playback is not supported on this device
The 20-year-old joined the Chairboys in August on a deal until January, and scored a hat-trick in Saturday's 5-0 FA Cup second-round win at Chesterfield.
The ex-Leyton Orient player has started just four games for Wycombe, but is their top scorer with nine goals.
"We are building something special here and of course we want to keep our best players," said boss Gareth Ainsworth. | Wycombe Wanderers forward Scott Kashket has signed a new contract until the end of the 2018-19 season. |
39,365,640 | The group from Holy Family Catholic Primary School in Small Heath, Birmingham were on a school trip when the attack took place.
Some on Twitter described the children singing during the wait.
Birmingham Yardley MP Jess Phillips said she was "very very proud" to represent them and described the group as "a credit" to the school.
London attack: Latest updates
Birmingham flat police raid linked to Westminster attack
Live: At least four Birmingham arrests after attack
The children, along with a host of MPs and other visitors, were left stuck in the Parliament building as police secured the area.
Labour MP Ms Phillips tweeted on Thursday that she would visit the school to deliver each of them a letter.
The letter, which she posted to Twitter, reads: "To say that I was proud to be your Member of Parliament would be an understatement.
"Each of you were so calm, so well behaved and so good natured in a situation that could have been very difficult."
It added: "The sight of your waving at us and smiling at us while we were worried made us all feel better and helped us to remember the reasons why we go to the House of Commons to defend and care for people just like you." | Pupils left locked in Parliament during the Westminster attack have been praised for their bravery by an MP. |
36,796,182 | Yona Knight-Wisdom, who was born in Leeds, will represent Team Jamaica alongside stars like Usain Bolt.
Knight-Wisdom, 21, will represent his country in the men's 3m springboard.
He recently graduated from Leeds Beckett University after completing a sport and exercise science honours degree.
Speaking to BBC Radio Leeds, he said: "I'm just so excited. The team list was officially announced last week and to see my name as part of the team, along with some amazing athletes, is something I have been dreaming of for a long time."
He began diving in 2004 as part of a talent programme and qualified for the Rio Olympics at the Diving World Cup.
Asked whether he felt there were any expectations representing Jamaica as its first-ever male diver, he said: "I don't think there is any pressure on my shoulders; the pressure was in qualifying in the first place.
"It's now about enjoying the journey as much as possible. I'm just looking forward to getting there now."
The Rio Olympics will run from 5-21 August. | A Yorkshire-born athlete will become the first male diver to represent Jamaica at an Olympic Games when he competes in Rio next month. |
39,770,134 | Daniel Jones was caught with the tag his brother Paul had been ordered to wear by a court.
Jones, 32, of Great Clifton near Workington, admitted perverting the course of justice when he appeared at Carlisle Crown Court.
Judge James Adkin heard the other brother was jailed for eight months for his role in the offence last year.
Judge Adkin said the criminal conduct "undermines the authority of the court". | A man who agreed to wear his brother's electronic curfew tag has been jailed for six months. |
35,170,989 | Ollie Devoto's first-half try from scrum-half Chris Cook's turnover gave Bath the early lead before Worcester edged in front through Cooper Vuna.
Horacio Agulla restored Bath's lead before the break and the boot of Wales fly-half Rhys Priestland kept Worcester at bay in the second half.
Worcester claimed a losing bonus point courtesy of Tom Heathcote's kicking.
Victory for Bath was their first in seven weeks and only their third in the Premiership this season.
Priestland, handed a rare start ahead of England fly-half George Ford, drove Bath to victory by mixing his running and kicking game and notching 11 points for the hosts.
After Devoto touched down on 10 minutes for Bath, Ryan Mills struck a long-range penalty to keep Worcester in reach.
A clever run on the blindside of the scrum by Vuna saw him cross for the try which gave the visitors an 11-10 lead.
Argentina international Agulla snuck over in the corner before running out of space to get Mike Ford's men back in front on the stroke of half-time.
Priestland and Heathcote exchanged penalties after the break before the Welshman's third proved to be the final score with 12 minutes remaining.
Bath coach Toby Booth said:
"The challenge for us now is where we go from here. We have been a case of win one, lose one, win one.
Consistency is key, and if you can put together three or four wins in a row, it makes the world of difference to everything."
Worcester director of rugby Dean Ryan said:
"We will take the bonus point. I am pretty proud of the guys' efforts.
"I like the way we are heading and the rugby we are playing, and a point here at the end of the season will look bigger than it does now.
"I am really excited what we will get out of 2016. I think we are really starting to travel, although we know we still have got some issues.
"It was a good point. Not many teams come away from here with something in the bank."
Bath: Homer; Rokoduguni, Joseph, Devoto, Agulla; Priestland, Cook; Lahiff, Batty, Thomas, Garvey, Ewels, Houston, Mercer (capt), Denton.
Replacements: Dunn, Auterac, Wilson, Attwood, Douglas, Matawalu, Ford, Watson.
Worcester Warriors: Pennell; Heem, Olivier, Mills, Vuna; Heathcote, Arr; Leleimalefaga, Annett, Schonert, Cavubati, Barry, Cox, Betty, Dowson (capt).
Replacements: Sowrey, Ruskin, Rees, O'Callaghan, Mama, Mulchrone, Symons, Biggs.
For the latest rugby union news follow @bbcrugbyunion on Twitter. | Bath withstood a strong performance from Worcester to claim only their second Premiership win in five games. |
19,890,250 | The National Farmers' Union (NFU) said wheat yields in England were down by almost 15% on the five-year average, with productivity down to 1980s levels.
The British Retail Consortium said food prices were already being driven up after a rise in grain costs following the worst drought in 50 years in the US and a heatwave in Russia.
Poor UK harvests also mean smaller fruit and vegetables than normal.
This summer was the second wettest in the UK since records began, Met Office figures indicated. The only summer - defined as June, July and August - which was wetter since national records began was in 1912.A drought across much of England during the spring followed by record-breaking wet weather has meant a poor wheat harvest for many farmers, the NFU said.
Figures suggested wheat yields were down by 14.1% - but some farmers in the wet western half of England reported even lower yields.
NFU President Peter Kendall said: "There are many farmers who are down 25 to 30% on the wheat crop.
"In some cases you looked from the outside and you thought, this crop will do over four tonnes to the acre - and it's been struggling to do three and some cases two tonnes to the acre.
By Nick TriggleHealth correspondent, BBC News
It goes without saying that when it comes to choosing what food to buy cost is a key factor.
There is a wealth of research that has looked at a variety of factors that influence purchasing from health promotion schemes to marketing techniques deployed by supermarkets.
Nearly all have concluded by far the most important one is price.
And so for a nation that is still not eating enough fresh produce, particularly fruit and vegetables, the latest news is a worrying development.
Just over a quarter of adults eat the recommended five portions a day - a figure which has been falling during the economic downturn.
The trend has been most marked in the poorest households. According to government figures, the bottom tenth consumes just 2.7 portions a day - down 30% in the last four years. By comparison, average consumption is 3.7.
"It's been soul destroying for the farmers growing the crops."
Mr Kendall said the increase in the global price of wheat - by some 30% over the past 12 months - was also putting pressure on farmers who buy grain to feed their livestock.
He said: "The challenge for the pig and poultry market is trying to make sure that retailers pay a fair price, because in pigs 50% of the cost is grain, poultry it's 60% - and these farmers at the moment, because the prices haven't responded yet, they're actually saying I'm not going to fill my sheds with poultry or pigs any more."
The problems faced by farmers in the UK and the global increase in wheat prices are both adding to fears over rises in food prices.
Richard Dodd, of the British Retail Consortium, said: "Whilst retailers are certainly doing all they can to protect customers from the full impact of that, of course some of that inevitably will impact on shop prices."
The extreme weather has taken its toll on the amount of food produced and the quality of food and grain.
Martyn Jones, from the Morrisons supermarket chain, said that, for example, carrots were not quite as sweet as previous years, and the available volumes of some food was down - about 25% across most potatoes and root crops.
He said consumers would also see smaller fruit in the shops, and yields of fruit were also down.
Ian Johnson, south-west England spokesman for the NFU, said this year's weather had led to a "mixed picture" for arable farmers.
Source: English Apples and Pears Ltd
He said while wheat crops had suffered, winter barley yields were up 1.6%; spring barley yields were down 7.4% and oilseed rape yields were up 5.9%.
Mr Johnson said fruit and vegetable crops had also been affected, with potatoes and apples particularly badly affected.
The adverse conditions cause blight, mildew and disease to get into crops, he said.
Mr Johnson said that if a pattern of winter drought followed by unexpected huge amounts of rain continued then it would have to be addressed by changes in technology or farming techniques, such as planting in different ways or at different times.
"Farmers will engage in this provided they will see realistic returns but if they don't then they are not going to," he said.
But he said retailers also needed to have sufficient provision to cushion farmers during such times.
Paul Harris, an arable farmer in Dorset, believes the difficult times may be set to continue.
He said: "I've been farming now for 40 years and it's the worst harvest I have ever known.
"There has always been a seed time and a harvest. This year's harvest has been done, but I'm just so worried about seed time. It will come round but we've just got to work with it and fight with it."
The bad weather is also affecting the UK's wine industry - award-winning West Sussex vineyard Nyetimber is not harvesting its grapes because the quality and volume of the fruit is not up to standard.
'Worst harvest in my lifetime'
Environmental group Friends of The Earth predicts that the situation will deteriorate in the years to come due to global warming.
Spokeswoman Vicki Hird said: "Climate change is already damaging food production and causing prices to soar - and the situation is expected to get worse without urgent action to slash emissions.
"Our agricultural system is also in desperate need of overhaul to meet the twin challenges of feeding a growing world population and protecting the planet."
Former government food advisor, Lord Haskins, warns that agricultural policy and practices must adapt to the changing conditions.
He said: "Research into food development has been neglected for a number of years, partly under pressure from people who don't think that, for example, genetically modified food is a good thing.
"We have to make sure that those lobby groups who've opposed scientific research don't run the game from now on - science has got to come into its own." | Food prices look set to rise after poor UK harvests due to recent wet weather. |
32,964,806 | 1 June 2015 Last updated at 18:00 BST
Whilst the pair celebrates their big win on the show not everyone thinks dogs performing on a TV show is a good idea.
A top vet says that people should think harder before putting dogs on camera.
But TV makers say they take welfare of animals incredibly seriously and make sure they're safe and happy.
Watch Jenny's report to find out more. | Matisse the dog and trainer Jules O'Dwyer won Britain's Got Talent 2015 on Sunday. |
36,035,136 | The IMF says in a new report that the deterioration in developed countries is partly due to setbacks to economic growth.
In emerging economies, declines in commodity prices have affected financial stability.
In a separate report, the IMF also warns that government finances have deteriorated.
It says the risks to government finances are "rising almost everywhere".
The reports follow a wider warning on Tuesday from the IMF about the general global economic outlook.
That downgraded the agency's global growth forecasts and said the world economy was now more vulnerable to adverse shocks.
This new warning specifically about financial stability is partly due to that downbeat economic assessment.
Those same factors are also a danger for government finances in the rich countries.
Slow growth and low inflation make it even more challenging to reduce public sector debt burdens as both factors undermine tax revenues.
Higher inflation is often helpful for debtors, governments and others because over time it erodes the real, inflation adjusted value of those debts.
The thrust of these reports on stability and government finances is one of rising risks, rather than imminent crisis.
As the IMF's managing director Christine Lagarde has put it "we are on alert, not alarm".
The financial stability report says there is "growing concern about a mutually reinforcing dynamic of weak growth and low inflation that could produce sustained economic and financial weakness". The IMF is also concerned that in some countries inflation is too low.
Uncertainty about China's economic performance is also a factor.
The IMF says if the outlook for economic growth and inflation were to deteriorate further there would be an increased risk of a loss of confidence and renewed bouts of financial market volatility (something the world experienced earlier this year).
Borrowing costs could then rise, especially for debtors perceived as more at risk of default.
The report continues: "In such circumstances, rising risk premiums may tighten financial conditions further, creating a pernicious feedback loop of fragile confidence, weaker growth, lower inflation, and rising debt burdens."
The aftermath of the financial crisis in the rich countries, especially the Euro zone, is a persistent concern.
The banking industries in Italy, Greece, Portugal and even Germany are mentioned.
Only this week, the Italian government has been involved in setting up a fund to underpin banks struggling with loans that aren't being repaid.
Low oil prices are also a factor undermining financial stability, especially in oil exporting countries. The price decline has been exacerbated in some cases by consequent currency weakness which has made debts in US dollars more expensive.
The report says that China's widely reported economic slowdown has eroded the financial health of businesses and increased the burden of problem loans that the banks have to address.
The IMF says these problems are currently manageable but there is a concern that if the situation were to get much worse it could hit the rest of the world, especially emerging markets. | The risks to global financial stability have increased according to the International Monetary Fund. |
36,712,154 | 5 July 2016 Last updated at 17:08 BST
The Reading FC academy manager died on 21 June after being treated for a cancerous tumour on his bladder.
He was the caretaker manager for a brief time after the sacking of Brian McDermott during the 2013 Premier League season. | Former Reading captain Ady Williams has said that naming the North Stand at the Madejski Stadium after Eamonn Dolan will please fans. |
37,348,966 | The nine-day Royal National Mòd, which will take place from 14-22 October, was last held in the Western Isles in 2011.
Organisers An Comunn Gàidhealach said last year's event in Oban was estimated to have generated about £3m for the local economy.
The Mòd features music, dance and arts competitions and performances.
This year's opening ceremony will include headline performances by Gaelic group Dàimh and the Mischa Macpherson Trio.
Lewis Pipe Band will also lead the festival's traditional torchlight procession, which is held on the opening night of the Mòd.
John Morrison, chief executive of An Comunn Gàidhealach, said a "tremendous amount" of entries had been received for this year's competitions.
He added: "The Mòd is a huge highlight in Scotland's cultural calendar, attracting Gaels and non-Gaels from across the world to celebrate our diverse range of events and competitions.
"We're delighted to have the Mischa Macpherson Trio and Dàimh play at this year's opening ceremony, setting the tone for what will be a tremendous Royal National Mòd 2016."
Norman MacDonald, convener of the Western Isles' local authority Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, said: "With only a month to go until the Mòd begins with the torchlight parade through Stornoway followed by the opening ceremony at the Lewis Sports Centre, preparations are at an advanced stage.
"The Royal National Mòd brings huge economic benefits to the area at a time when the peak tourism season has more or less come to an end." | Final preparations are being made for the staging of Scotland's biggest Gaelic cultural festival in Stornoway on Lewis. |
33,769,805 | A group of teenagers made the find behind a row of shops in the town of Humpty Doo on Sunday.
The heads belonged to saltwater crocodiles, a protected species in Australia's Northern Territory.
There is a lucrative trade in the area for crocodile skins, many of which go to make handbags and shoes.
Anyone found guilty of killing protected wildlife can face a fine of up to A$76,500 (£36,000; $56,000) or five years in jail.
"There was quite a bad smell and maggots around everywhere," Tommy Nichols, a senior wildlife ranger specialising in crocodile management, told ABC.
"A lot of people keep some strange things in freezers."
Saltwater crocodiles, the largest of the species, can grow up to 7m (23ft) in length and weigh up to a tonne.
There are believed to be up to 200,000 saltwater crocodiles in the wild in Australia, where they were made a protected species in 1970. | Police in Australia are investigating how up to 70 crocodile heads ended up in a freezer dumped near the city of Darwin. |
40,266,524 | Forest Green's first match as an English Football League club is at home to Barnet, while fellow promoted side Lincoln begin the campaign at Wycombe.
Follow the links below for your team's fixtures in full.
Accrington Stanley
Barnet
Cambridge United
Carlisle United
Cheltenham Town
Chesterfield
Colchester United
Coventry City
Crawley Town
Crewe Alexandra
Exeter City
Forest Green Rovers
Grimsby Town
Lincoln City
Luton Town
Mansfield Town
Morecambe
Newport County
Notts County
Port Vale
Stevenage
Swindon Town
Wycombe Wanderers
Yeovil Town | The League Two fixtures for 2017-18 have been released. |
35,025,386 | As Storm Desmond swept across parts of the UK, people have been sharing their experience with BBC News:
Sarah Whitby sent in this photo from the River Rothay in the Lake District on Saturday.
Robin Newton, from Keswick, spoke to the BBC on Sunday. He said he had had no supply of water all day.
"I live near to the River Greta. We have been flooded, but the majority of Keswick is out of water. The local fire station has been handing out bottles of water, but they have now run out. I walked a quarter of a mile away into town this morning - the devastation has been unbelievable. The river was a raging torrent, and it had breached all the new flood defences. At the back of my house, I can hear the roar of the river."
Ravi Uppoor lives close to the River Eden in Carlisle. He described how the river flowed over the flood defences on Sunday.
"About 15 houses near to my house are flooded. One of my neighbours, who is in her 90s, said she had never seen anything like this in the last 40 or 50 years. There is no power supply, no fire alarm or heating, so we have had to make alternative arrangements for our children. The rain was unprecedented. I grew up in India with a lot of flooding, but I have never seen anything like this."
John Chadwick was evacuated from his home in Carlisle on Saturday, as the River Caldew burst over the flood barriers.
"The waters were 2in [5cm] deep, and I got out by dinghy. I live alone and have severe mobility problems including osteoarthritis and mild epilepsy - I just had time to grab some medication. I have nowhere suitable to stay as I need ground-floor accommodation with disabled access. My friend drove near where I live, but he couldn't get through. I have nothing insured."
Ben Freke, a student at Lancaster University, said the power had gone out at 23:00 GMT on Saturday on campus. The next day, everyone was given two hours to evacuate the building.
"As a lot of students are unable to go home - some are international students - the only place to go was to the Great Hall on campus. When my dad arrived to pick me up today, it was pandemonium - people tried to get on coaches to Preston, and some had to wait for hours."
Some of you have been sharing video clips from around affected areas:
Many people tried to help via social media over the weekend:
Compiled by Sherie Ryder | Heavy rain over the weekend left thousands of homes in Cumbria without power and some schools and hospital services closed. |
35,565,515 | Mr O'Brien, 33, was reported missing from his Dublin home on 15 January.
His torso was found the following day in the canal near Ardclough in Kildare and other remains were later found in other locations in Kildare and Dublin.
Paul Wells, 48, of Barnamore Park in Finglas, was charged with his murder at Dublin District Court on Friday night.
A sergeant told the court that he had arrested Mr Wells and charged him with murder at Naas police (Garda) station in County Kildare at about 17:15 local time on Friday.
The judge remanded the accused in custody until 18 February. | A man has been charged with the murder of Kenneth O'Brien, whose dismembered body parts were found in the Grand Canal in the Republic of Ireland. |
39,288,790 | Details of the revised deal, which was announced on Wednesday, reveal a commitment to upgrade cameras and increase safety training.
Circumstances in which trains could run with only a driver on board have also been reduced from eight to five.
Mick Cash, leader of the RMT, said Aslef members were being "hoodwinked".
The latest offer comes after a previous agreement between Southern's parent company Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) and the drivers' union was rejected in February.
It is being put to members in a ballot, with the result expected on 3 April, with union leaders recommending acceptance after saying that drivers' concerns have been met.
I've seen a copy of the deal announced on Wednesday between train drivers' union Aslef and Govia Thameslink, which owns the Southern franchise.
The differences between this one and the deal that got rejected are subtle, but potentially significant.
There are slightly fewer circumstances a train could be sent off without an onboard supervisor (OBS).
Upgrades to CCTV cameras (used to dispatch a train by the driver) would be rolled out a year earlier.
And all new OBSs would be given PTS training - safety training that enables them to walk on the track.
Will this wash with drivers? Does it answer their safety concerns?
Remember - the margin was pretty close last time, so not too many minds need to change for a deal to stick.
In any case, we'll see on 3 April, when their ballot delivers its results.
The RMT union, which mostly represents guards who have been taking their own strike action over the same issue, said its dispute "remains on", and it was seeking urgent talks with the company and the government.
Mr Cash said the new deal with Aslef still meant that drivers and passengers had "lost the cast-iron guarantee they once had of a guard on the train which means they will now be more exposed and left vulnerable when something goes wrong".
"Disabled passengers will be seriously disadvantaged as access to train services ‎is compromised," he added.
"The fact is that GTR have deliberately done this deal behind the backs of guards and their union."
RMT members on Southern have taken 30 days of strike action over the dispute, which began last April. | A deal between Southern rail and Aslef to end the dispute over driver-only operated trains is "the old deal in a new envelope", the RMT has claimed. |
38,417,862 | The 30-year old has been at Notts since 2008, but his England commitments mean he has made only 22 first-class appearances for the county.
Director of cricket Mick Newell said: "When he comes back to Notts, he shows the same intensity in how he practices and prepares as he does for England.
"The discipline he shows is something we want our young players to learn."
Broad, who remains centrally contracted by England, has been a mainstay of the Test team since 2008, making 102 appearances, as well as featuring in 121 one-day internationals and 56 Twenty20 international games.
His tally of 368 Test wickets puts him third on England's all-time list behind Sir Ian Botham and James Anderson.
Broad has been involved in four Ashes victories, won the ICC World Twenty20 in 2010, and taken two Test hat-tricks.
"He's still very driven. He's going to play for at least a few more years and his experience and skill will continue to influence matches," added Newell. | England fast bowler Stuart Broad has signed a new three-year contract with his county side Nottinghamshire. |
33,734,330 | The heifer, named Seren, survived the fall on to Traeth Bach, near Llangrannog, Ceredigion, unhurt apart from cuts.
Food was taken down as she remained trapped for days before better weather allowed a rescue on Thursday.
An RNLI crew and volunteers held her head and tail above water as she swam to an accessible beach.
A crowd gathered to greet Seren on to shore near Llangrannog village as boat owner Mickey Beechey and others helped.
Farmers Geraint and Delyth Griffiths praised the "community spirit" shown in the rescue operation.
Seren was taken back to their farm, where she spent time grazing on a grassy paddock. | A cow which fell down a steep cliff and became trapped on a beach, was given help to swim over a mile to safety. |
35,594,712 | "This discussion that we do not have control of our border - this is a lie," Yiannis Mouzalas said.
"We have the best control of a sea border that anyone can have," he added.
He was speaking to the BBC ahead of Thursday's EU summit, where Greece will report on its efforts to register migrants, many of them Syrian refugees.
Athens has been told to tighten border controls, to ensure that refugees are properly identified and that those not in need of protection are returned to Turkey or their home countries.
The EU hopes this will help reduce the flow of migrants to western Europe.
The minister also said it was a lie that Greece had not set up enough accommodation to cope with the influx.
The EU has demanded that Greece implement a raft of measures to improve border controls and facilities by May.
If not, some EU member states have discussed potentially suspending Greece from the Schengen area, where there are no passport controls - a region covering most of Europe.
Mr Mouzalas insisted the main reason his government had been slow in registering and identifying migrants and spotting false documents was because the EU had been slow in providing the equipment and personnel it needed.
"Why is there now big progress in registration?" he said. "From 10% we are now at 90%, because now they have brought the machines that we were looking for, Eurodac (a fingerprint database)."
The minister reserved his harshest criticism for countries like Hungary and Slovenia which, along with several other EU member states, have sent teams of police officers to help the Macedonian security forces patrol their border with Greece, to prevent migrants crossing illegally into Macedonia.
Last week Austria told the Macedonian government to be ready to seal off the border to halt the flow of migrants.
"Is Greece the enemy of Europe, are the refugees the enemy?" he said.
"If someone believes something like that they have to declare it."
As for Hungary and its position on the refugee crisis, Mr Mouzalas questioned whether it was possible for Athens to have friendly relations with Budapest.
"They didn't give us a single blanket, for god's sake."
"We want a Europe of the Enlightenment, a Europe of romanticism, not a Europe of the Middle Ages."
A note on terminology: The BBC uses the term migrant to refer to all people on the move who have yet to complete the legal process of claiming asylum. This group includes people fleeing war-torn countries such as Syria, who are likely to be granted refugee status, as well as people who are seeking jobs and better lives, who governments are likely to rule are economic migrants. | Greece's migration minister has accused fellow EU countries of hypocrisy and lying about Greece's handling of the huge migrant influx from Turkey. |
28,741,605 | The group, made up of two orthopaedic surgeons and a plastic surgeon, set off as a fresh three-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas continued to hold.
The agreed truce, which began at midnight (21:00 GMT) on Sunday, came after days of intense talks in Egypt.
Steve Mannion, clinical lead of the team, said the doctors would be able to assess how much medical help was needed so the UK could plan its aid.
"There's been nearly 2,000 deaths as a result of the conflict and nearly 10,000 injured," Mr Mannion said.
"And the question is to what extent there's capacity in Gaza to deal with that number of injured people - both in terms of the medical professionals and in terms of equipment and resources necessary to treat that pattern of injury."
Prime Minister David Cameron announced the deployment of the expert team at the weekend, saying the NHS would play a "crucial role" in helping hundreds caught up in the conflict.
Speaking before setting off from Heathrow Airport, Mr Mannion said the team could expect to treat blast wounds and people injured by fallen masonry.
"The kind of complex area that we might be looking at from our own expert medical teams might be open fractures, severe soft tissue wounding and things like that," he said.
The conflict began on 8 July when Israel launched an operation intended to deter militant attacks from Gaza.
Those killed include more than 1,900 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the UN. Sixty-seven people have died on the Israeli side, including three civilians.
If the current truce continues to hold, Israel will send negotiators to Cairo on Monday for talks on a longer-term deal. | A team of UK doctors are flying to Gaza to help people injured in the violence. |
39,193,086 | The blaze happened at Fennel Restaurant in Inverurie early on Sunday evening.
Owner William Bird said the youths involved could have kitchen porter jobs to teach them about responsibility.
Police Scotland, thanking the public for helping the inquiry, said the teenage boy charged would be reported to the Youth Justice Management Unit.
Sgt Sandra Crighton said: "Our inquiries are continuing and I would urge any further witnesses or anyone with additional information which they think could help to please contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 to remain anonymous.
"In particular, if you saw any other youths in the area around the time in question please let us know."
The fire had involved outdoor furniture at the restaurant. | A boy aged 13 has been charged after a fire at a restaurant which had prompted the owner to offer a job to whoever was responsible. |
30,116,667 | It includes 700 posts at accountancy firm Deloitte after hopes were raised in September that it would expand in the new Cardiff enterprise zone.
In Torfaen, Griffin Place Communications will create more than 300 jobs at a new call centre in Cwmbran.
It comes on the eve of an international investment conference in Newport.
The jobs unveiled are:
First Minister Carwyn Jones, who will visit SPTS Technologies on Thursday, said the announcements were the latest in a steady stream of new investors choosing Wales.
"We operate in a global market and there is global competition for these projects. These companies could have been located anywhere in the world and I am happy to say they all chose to come to Wales," he said.
He said it was a "good news day" for Wales as the jobs were being created in parts of both north and south Wales, across a number of sectors.
He added that they would be jobs for local people.
"We have the skills in Wales, " he told BBC Radio Wales' Good Morning Wales.
"If you look at our universities, they certainly are able to produce the people with the skills that are needed.
"There may be some people who might come down in the initial stages into Wales but in the medium term, certainly, these are jobs for local people."
Although only 30 posts are coming to SPTS, the work will be highly-skilled in researching and developing biomedical devices.
The company, which already makes micro-electrical equipment, is receiving a £4.6m research and development grant from Welsh government, while four of the other companies are sharing a total of £2.2m in business finance.
The announcement comes as UK Investment Summit Wales 2014 is due to take place at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport over the next two days.
It brings together 250 investors, business leaders and ministers.
Hi-tech products will also be showcased including a James Bond-style high performance speedboat that transforms into a streamlined underwater submersible, made by an Anglesey firm, and the UK's first 3D printed metal bike frame from Cardiff.
"There's nothing we can't do in Wales and that's what I'll be telling international investors tomorrow," added Mr Jones.
Welsh Secretary Stephen Crabb said the UK government had a long term economic plan for "getting right behind Welsh businesses and creating the perfect conditions for growth".
"This week's summit will send a message to the world that we are an ambitious nation that is open for business," he said.
"There has never been a better time for Wales to capitalise on an investment summit - to turn the success of the recent Nato summit into jobs and prosperity so that more people in Wales can benefit from the security of a regular wage." | More than 1,100 jobs have been announced by six companies across Wales. |
32,550,481 | South Western Ambulance Service said the child was hit "at slow speed" as a train pulled into Camborne, Cornwall, on Thursday at about 16:50 BST.
An eyewitness said the girl grabbed a carriage door handle and was dragged down "almost instantly".
Devon and Cornwall Police said the girl was airlifted to hospital with minor back and leg injuries.
Witness Jade Willoughby was waiting on the platform to meet her boyfriend when the girl fell and described hearing her scream. "It went right through me" she said.
"She completely disappeared from sight and then the scream suddenly stopped. I didn't want to look because I thought she wasn't going to make it."
Miss Willoughby, 21, said a man on the platform ran over and pulled her out.
The girl was alone so Miss Willoughby travelled with her by air ambulance to the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro.
She said the girl spent the night in hospital.
British Transport Police (BTP) is investigating and said it was being treated as an accident.
First Great Western, which runs the service, says it is working with the BTP "to ascertain the full circumstances". | An 11-year-old schoolgirl escaped with minor injuries when she fell from a railway platform on to the tracks. |
37,196,629 | Cato Berntsen Larsen climbed feet-first into the public facility after his friend dropped the phone while urinating.
Mr Berntsen Larsen said he had volunteered to enter the tank, which is not connected to the sewer and which is only emptied once a season.
The 20-year-old became sick as he stood thigh-deep in its contents, and had to spend an hour completely enclosed in the small area.
"I panicked because I hate confined spaces," he told Norwegian newspaper VG.
"It was damn disgusting - the worst I have experienced. There were animals down there too."
To make matters worse, Mr Berntsen Larsen quickly threw up after entering the tank, which was standing room only.
The unfortunate turn of events had begun when Mr Berntsen Larsen's friend shouted for help to get his phone back.
"I did not think twice," Mr Berntsen Larsen said about his decision to go in.
But the amateur diver immediately realised he was stuck. He later described himself as "apparently thin enough to go down but not thin enough to come up again".
Firefighters were forced to destroy the toilet, which is now out of service.
Mr Berntsen Larsen sustained injuries to his upper arms and said he believed he had been bitten several times. He was treated at hospital and given antibiotics.
He was not successful in retrieving the phone. | Firefighters in Norway have pulled a man from the inside of a toilet after he lowered himself in to retrieve a friend's phone and became stuck in the tank below. |
34,650,484 | Spokeswoman Dena Iverson said the investigation will look into "the circumstances surrounding the arrest" to see if a federal law was broken.
The incident occurred at Spring Valley High School in Columbia when the unnamed student refused to leave class.
Video shows the officer knocking her down and pulling her across the floor.
The officer, Ben Fields, has been placed on leave and there has been an outcry from various civil rights and parents' groups.
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott, who asked for federal help to investigate, said he wanted to avoid a "conflict of interest".
The FBI, which will carry out the probe, said in a statement it would "collect all available facts and evidence".
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division will assist in the investigation as well.
Mr Fields had been assigned to the school and was meant to protect students and faculty and promote anti-crime and anti-drug initiatives.
The state's ACLU said such "egregious use of force" against young people in class was "outrageous".
source: Richland County Sheriff's Department
The officer is white and the female student, who was unharmed, is black, the sheriff's office said.
The incident comes at a time of increased scrutiny of police and their use of force against African Americans.
One group called the Richland Black Parents Association said the video "revealed what many African American parents have experienced in this district for a very long time." | The US Justice Department is looking into why a female student in South Carolina was pulled from her desk by an officer and dragged across a classroom. |
35,579,225 | BT's Openreach division referred to the UK as the "country that invented the internet" in the ad, which was printed over the weekend.
However, the US is widely credited as being the net's creator thanks to a Department of Defense project that dates back to the 1960s.
BT has acknowledged the error.
"For most people, the words 'internet' and 'world wide web' are interchangeable," said a spokesman for the firm.
"We accept the language wasn't precise enough for some, but no harm has been done."
The internet refers to the millions of interlinked computer networks used to transmit data. It encompasses information sent via email, chat tools, apps and a range of other online services in addition to websites.
By contrast, the world wide web is a subsection of the internet made up of webpages, documents and other resources connected together via hyperlinks.
The internet was born out of Arpanet, a US government-backed scheme that initially only connected the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) to the Stanford Research Institute (SRI), 400 miles (644km) away.
It was not until 1973 that a university in the UK and a Norwegian research institute were added as the first international participants in the project.
Although University College London subsequently helped test the networking protocols that gave rise to what we now recognise as the internet, much of the original work on them had been carried out at Stanford.
"While Donald Davies and his team at the National Physical Laboratory can lay claim to having developed packet-switching that enabled the technological infrastructure of the internet, Vint Cerf and a number of Americans were the driving forces behind the Arpanet that became the internet," commented Prof Martin Campbell-Kelly, a trustee at The National Museum of Computing.
It is not clear, however, that the UK can even lay claim to having invented the web.
The English computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee was indeed its creator, but he was working at Cern - the European Particle Physics Laboratory in Switzerland - at the time.
Even so, one computing historian suggested BT's mistake was an easy one to have made.
"People mistakenly conflate the internet and the world wide web all the time," said Tom Lean.
"But while Britain may not have invented the internet, not only was the web co-invented by a Brit, BT themselves rolled out the world's first service that was a lot like the world wide web, Prestel, back in the 1980s.
"Sadly BT closed Prestel in the early 1990s, because they couldn't interest enough people in using it." | An advert published by the UK's leading broadband provider indicates confusion within the firm about the internet's origins. |
30,359,198 | Steven Mathieson, 38, was also charged with abducting and raping two women.
He made no plea or declaration during a brief hearing at Falkirk Sheriff Court and was remanded in custody.
The dead woman was found in a bedroom of a house in the town's Springfield Drive at 00:30.
Mr Mathieson is alleged to have carried out the crimes at his home.
A Crown Office spokesman said he faced one charge of murder, two of abduction, and two of rape.
He is expected to appear in court again on 16 December. | A man has appeared in court charged with murdering a woman at a house in Falkirk in the early hours of Friday morning. |
11,878,241 | Ruins beneath house floors in the northwestern Peru showed evidence of chewed coca and calcium-rich rocks.
Such rocks would have been burned to create lime, chewed with coca to release more of its active chemicals.
Writing in the journal Antiquity, an international team said the discovery pushed back the first known coca use by at least 3,000 years.
Coca leaves contain a range of chemical compounds known as alkaloids. In modern times, the most notable among them is cocaine, extracted and purified by complex chemical means.
But the chewing of coca leaves for medicinal purposes has long been known to be a pastime at least as old as the Inca civilisation.
Other alkaloids within the leaves have mildly stimulating effects, can reduce hunger and aid digestion, and can mitigate the effects of high-altitude, low-oxygen environments.
Evidence of the chewing of the leaves has been found from around 3,000 years ago, but the addition of calcium-rich substances - which draw out far more of the alkaloids - was seen to be a much more recent development.
Now, Tom Dillehay of Vanderbilt University in the US and his colleagues have found evidence both of chewed leaves and calcium-rich rocks that were burned and scraped to supply ash for chewing.
The evidence was found beneath the buried floors of the homes of foraging peoples from northwestern Peru, where the conditions were favourable to preserve what is normally a fleeting, organic remnant of a bygone civilisation.
The samples were dated to about 8,000 years, but Dr Dillehay told BBC News that a further surprise was the distribution of the finds.
"We found it not so much in a household context, as if it was something that was heavily used by a lot of people, but rather... restricted to certain households of individuals and produced in a sort of public context - not individualised," he explained.
"The evidence we have suggests that unlike in Western societies - where if you've got the economic means you can have access to medicinal plants - that seems not to be the case back then."
More than providing an archaeological perspective on the ancient civilisation, however, the find provides evidence that feeds into a current debate.
International moves are being made to curb coca production in the Andes because of its association with cocaine, but Dr Dillehay argues there is far more to the plant.
"Some have argued that (coca chewing) is a fairly recent historical tradition - meaning the last several centuries or a thousand years - but it's a deeply-rooted economic, social and even religious tradition in the Andes."
Peter Houghton of King's College London, editor of the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, told BBC News that the finds were "significant" in terms of pushing the date back for the first known coca chewing - in particular finding both leaves and calcium-bearing rocks in the same place.
That the consumption appears to have been restricted to few would not be surprising, he told BBC News.
"The evidence is that the widespread use amongst the people in that part of Peru and Bolivia is a comparatively recent thing; before then it was restricted to a privileged class." | Peruvian foraging societies were already chewing coca leaves 8,000 years ago, archaeological evidence has shown. |
36,488,254 | In its central forecast, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) said some households could lose up to £2,771 a year.
Falling national income might result in cuts to the welfare budget by 2020, the NIESR study said.
The Vote Leave campaign said the report was based on "dodgy" assumptions.
Using existing forecasts, NIESR assumed that national income will fall by up to 6% by 2020 if the UK leaves the EU, compared to what it otherwise would have been.
It also assumed that the government would stick to its promise to balance the books by 2019/20.
In that case, it said, the government would need to save £44bn by the end of the decade, a large proportion of which could come from the welfare budget.
However, the government could choose instead to cut other areas of spending or raise taxes.
The welfare budget represents about 28% of all current government spending, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).
"Based on these assumptions, our results show that a disproportionately large share of the costs of Brexit is likely to fall on low income households," said Angus Armstrong, one of the report authors and a former Treasury official.
The NIESR report used existing forecasts from seven published sources, including the Treasury. But none of these use a "dynamic" model.
In other words they take no account of any policy changes that might be announced in response to a UK exit from the EU, such as a cut in base rates by the Bank of England.
If 25% of the necessary savings were to come from welfare spending, the biggest cut in benefit payments and tax credits would be £1386 a year, the NIESR study says.
That would be for a lone parent of working age who has two children.
The minimum would be £465, for a couple, both working, with no children.
If 50% of the savings were to come from the welfare budget, the biggest cut would be £2,771, and the smallest would be £930.
"The effect on low income families is likely to be large," said Katerina Lisenkova, another of the report's authors.
However the Vote Leave campaign said the findings were not credible.
"This is yet another report from a former supporter of the euro masquerading as new research that is simply recycling and repackaging previous reports," said Matthew Elliott, chief executive of Vote Leave.
"That means the same dodgy assumptions of establishment economists and the Treasury underpin the findings - it is the same people who predicted the world would end if we did not join the euro."
The NIESR study suggested that net migration from the EU into the UK would fall by two-thirds in the event of a UK exit.
It also found that the population profile of the UK would become older. | Low income families could receive hundreds of pounds less in benefit payments if the UK leaves the EU, according to an economic think tank. |
37,728,786 | We'll discuss the biggest cybersecurity threat of the moment, the use of bots in the fight to get the upper hand on social media during the US elections and the ongoing debate about the risks of artificial intelligence.
This week, producer Jat Gill and I attended a demo by security firm Sophos which left us both rather scared. James Lyne from the firm played a bad guy launching an attack on a company, while two colleagues played the increasingly confused system administrators trying to work out what was going on as chaos engulfed the network.
We then heard that the principle weapon in the attackers' armoury was now ransomware. This is malicious software that first takes over your network, then encrypts all your files before demanding a ransom - usually in Bitcoin - to unlock them.
This is now proving a major threat to organisations from hospitals to police forces - we don't know the exact scale of the problem because it seems many quietly pay up without telling anybody.
What's really scary is that some of this ransomware is now out there on the internet but without any way of even paying the criminals behind it, who have long since moved on. That means there is no way of unlocking your encrypted files.
So what's to be done? James Lyne tells us that companies which regularly update their security systems should be safe - but the most important advice is to make regular back-ups of your files, and make sure they are insulated from the rest of your network.
Computational propaganda is the term Professor Philip Howard of Oxford University uses to describe his research project. He is on this week's show talking about his study of Twitter activity during the Presidential debates.
His research - which has not yet been peer reviewed - appears to show that many more automated accounts are being used to tweet in support of Donald Trump than the bots backing Hillary Clinton.
During British election campaigns I get bombarded with reports from sentiment analysis firms, claiming they can mine Twitter to understand who is winning over voters. Those claims always seemed dubious - even more so, now that it appears that expertise in running bots is becoming the prime weapon in social media campaigning.
At a period when new advances in Artificial Intelligence seem to be reported every day, the ethical issues surrounding its impact on our lives are rising up the agenda.
This week saw the opening of an AI think tank, the Centre for the Future of Intelligence, in Cambridge with Prof Stephen Hawking renewing his warnings that the technology could bring extraordinary benefits to mankind - but could also spell the end for us.
Then on Thursday night I took part in a Cambridge Union debate opposing the motion: "This House fears the rise of artificial intelligence". I'm afraid to report that our side lost - and fear won - though all the speakers agreed we needed a more nuanced view of AI.
And that's what we get on Friday's programme from one of the pioneers of artificial intelligence research in the UK, Prof Margaret Boden. She tells us to stop worrying about some apocalypse that is a very remote danger but start thinking about the ethics of using robots to care for the elderly.
Listen to Tech Tent on Fridays at 15:00 GMT (16:00 BST) on BBC World Service or catch the podcast here.. | On this week's Tech Tent - your weekly status update on the technology business - we have three stories reflecting our current anxieties about the nature of our digital world. |
28,117,520 | Elfyn Llwyd asks if it was appropriate that Nikki Holland was given the job while a report into an investigation she led has not yet been published.
It looked at South Wales Police's role in one of Britain's worst miscarriages of justice.
The force said her work on it ended two years before she applied for the post.
Three men from Cardiff spent a decade in jail after being wrongly convicted of killing newsagent Phillip Saunders in the Canton area of the city in 1987.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) set-up Operation Resolute in 2010 in response to claims from one of the wrongly convicted men that evidence was fabricated by a South Wales Police officer.
A year later, Nikki Holland, then a detective superintendent with Merseyside Police, was selected by the IPCC to take over the investigation, which has now been completed.
Control over publication of the operation's report lies with South Wales Police.
In February, the force said it would publish the report "in as much detail as possible" once it had been signed off by the IPCC.
It will be submitted for sign-off in the next few weeks.
Plaid Cymru MP Mr Llwyd said appointing Ms Holland as assistant chief constable before publishing the report was a "curious situation" that requires explanation.
He says he is writing to the Home Secretary to ask whether Ms Holland's appointment was appropriate.
He said there was "something odd" that a person who led a very far-reaching and important report into a miscarriage of justice by South Wales Police suddenly becomes one of its most senior officers before its publication.
"Secondly, I've asked the Home Secretary...to ensure the report is published fully and urgently or alternatively that she can explain fully and urgently what is the true reason for any further delay," he said.
In 2009, Ms Holland was promoted to superintendent at Merseyside Police and later began working on overseeing the operation.
South Wales Police deputy chief constable Matt Jukes said: "Following a thorough and robust investigation, this work was completed in April 2012 around two years before Ms Holland applied for her current position".
Newsagent Mr Saunders died after being hit over the head and robbed outside his home.
Three men - Michael O'Brien who was then 20, and Ellis Sherwood and Darren Hall who were 19 - were convicted of his murder in 1988.
They spent 11 years in prison until their convictions were overturned by the Court of Appeal.
Appeal judges ruled that a confession by Darren Hall was unreliable because he suffered from a personality disorder.
Mr O'Brien has always insisted the prosecution was malicious and claimed that evidence was fabricated by a police officer, who is now retired.
South Wales Police has always insisted that all officers on the investigation acted in good faith.
Following requests from BBC Wales to see the Operation Resolute report, South Wales Police Chief Constable Peter Vaughan said in February it was essential there was transparency.
"South Wales Police prides itself on being an open and transparent organisation and it remains our intention to publish this report in as much detail as possible," he said. | A senior Welsh MP is to write to the Home Secretary questioning South Wales Police's choice of assistant chief constable. |
36,561,713 | His last Test was against Pakistan in October 2015, following which he was dropped after scoring 156 runs in his past 12 innings at an average of 13.
The 25-year-old has been a key figure for the one-day side, helping England to the World T20 final in April.
"I'm confident in myself and my ability," Buttler told BBC Lancashire.
"It's never going to change my ambition. The only way I can get back in is by playing good cricket and performing well.
"I've got to enjoy my cricket, enjoy every chance I get to play and play well, and if I'm enjoying my cricket and in the right frame of mind I'm going to play well."
Buttler's one-day skills, showcased in the Indian Premier League with Mumbai Indians, will be in demand for England in the forthcoming one-day games against Sri Lanka.
There is continuity in the one-day international side, with an unchanged side, while Buttler will line up alongside three uncapped players in Tymal Mills, Dawid Malan and Liam Dawson for the T20s.
"It's a really fun team to play in," Buttler said.
"We've been together as a group of players for about a year and made some good strides forward."
Buttler returned from India with 255 runs from 14 games, finishing 24th in the highest run-makers list ahead of one-day specialists Yuvraj Singh, Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard.
Lancashire allowed the Taunton-born player to take up the option despite the competition running during the County Championship campaign.
"It's complicated for English players, clashing with our season," he added.
"If the chance does arise, and people can get there I'd recommend it. It's fantastic to realise what cricket is like in that environment and the pressure of being an overseas player.
"There are new challenges and you learn a lot about yourself and especially about cricket. It's a melting pot of information and loads of things to learn." | England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler still seeks a return to Test cricket, and cites enjoyment of the game as the key to form and impressing selectors. |
39,075,753 | Last year more than 2,000 suspects were identified by police forces in the region, compared to 758 in 2014.
The number of cases has left at least one police force overwhelmed, an officer said.
The Home Office said more resources than ever before were being used to target those involved in exploitation.
Under the Freedom of Information Act, the BBC found more than 4,000 suspected paedophiles had been identified across Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, Thames Valley, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Bedfordshire and Suffolk in the last three years.
The forces were asked how many people were suspected of downloading and distributing indecent images of children.
Essex Police refused to say how many suspects had been identified by its officers.
The Lucy Faithfull Foundation, which works to reduce the risk of children being sexually abused, said it currently deals with 700 to 800 calls nationally every month.
The foundation's Donald Findlater said many paedophiles graduate from pornography to indecent images of children.
He said: "Three quarters of the men viewing those indecent images of children were previous to that viewing heavy adult pornography."
4,140
Online child sex offence suspects in the east of England in the last three years
2,179 Suspects identified in 2016
758 Suspects identified in 2014
700-800 Calls dealt with nationally by Lucy Faithfull Foundation
For John, downloading sexual images of children was a natural progression from years of viewing pornography.
A pornography user for 20 years, he said he did not realise at first that the children he was viewing were being abused for his gratification, saying he "didn't dwell on that too much".
After being arrested, John - who did not want to give his real name - attended workshops with the Lucy Faithfull Foundation.
He said he is now "fully aware of the damage I have caused" and feels "huge remorse".
John added he was fortunate to be arrested and get help. He was given a community order for his offences.
Mr Findlater said despite police arresting record numbers of suspected paedophiles, those numbers are a small fraction of the actual number of online offenders.
PC Jason Callum, from Northamptonshire Police's Paedophile Online Investigation Team, said the force was "definitely" overwhelmed by the number of cases.
Part of the problem is parents letting children go on the internet from as young as four years old, PC Callum said.
He added the force is only "now getting the true feel of what is going on out there".
"I don't think we'll ever be able to reflect how bad it really is in terms of what people are prepared to do to the most vulnerable people in society; children."
Mr Rogers said paedophiles act "like small organised crime groups" targeting a society where "everybody has a tablet or a mobile phone".
He said online games and chat rooms are targeted, with offenders posing as 13 or 14 year olds.
The Lucy Faithfull Foundation believes rehabilitation provides an alternative solution to jailing paedophiles.
Mr Findlater said: "A lot of people say look, lock them up.
When Sarah started talking to a 38-year-old man online she initially ignored his age as she "liked the attention".
The teenager, whose name has been changed for her protection, was first contacted by him on a phone app. He ended up raping her in a hotel room.
Even though she told him "several times" that she was under age, the pair exchanged explicit photographs online.
Eventually they agreed to meet: "I lied to my mum and we ended up staying in a hotel."
"He said he cared about me, but obviously he didn't," she said. "He just wanted to use me like a rag doll."
Her abuser has since been jailed.
"I entirely understand - I'm a parent and a grandparent and these crimes are appalling, but we have to face reality.
"The police cannot, will not, arrest them all so by saying lock them all up what we are doing we are denying the size of the problem."
He said although police were committing more resources and making more arrests, "there's still this volume problem to be dealt with".
The Home Office spokesman said: "Child sexual abuse is abhorrent and we are determined to do all we can to bring perpetrators of these vile crimes to justice.
"Since 2010, we have increased support for victims of sexual abuse, invested in training and technology to improve law enforcement's response to abuse both on and offline, and brought in a tougher inspection regime to ensure all front-line professions are meeting their child protection duties.
''Overall, in 2015, more than 2,800 individuals were prosecuted for indecent images of children offences, a 27% increase on the previous year." | The number of suspected online child sex offences across the East of England has nearly trebled in three years, the BBC has discovered. |
13,926,342 | "I fought them off but they hit me in the face and broke my nose," he said. "My vision was blurred for a week afterwards.
"These kind of attacks happen all the time, especially to Asians," said Mr Shi, who runs a driving school in the Belleville neighbourhood of Paris and has been mugged twice.
"My wife has had her mobile phone stolen at least five times," he said. "Every day people are being attacked and beaten up, so we're scared."
Ethnic Chinese residents of the French capital say they are being systematically attacked and robbed - and they are campaigning for more police protection.
This is in an area which, until recently, was held up as a model of multi-cultural harmony.
Chinese community leaders say at least one robbery is being committed each day, often accompanied by gratuitous violence.
The numbers are confirmed by municipal officials and residents of the city's 20th arrondissement, or district, where many of the muggings take place.
The problem has become so bad that thousands of members of this normally shy community have been demonstrating on the streets, calling for tougher policing.
Local officials are not unsympathetic and the police say they have put extra officers on the streets.
But budgets are limited and residents say there still are not enough patrols, especially when they are most needed, at night, when the streets are deserted.
The mayor of the 20th district, Frederique Calandra, said she believed the attacks were not motivated by racism.
"Chinese people are attacked very often, not because of racist problems but because thugs have this opportunity of making money easily, because Chinese people are used to carrying cash - a lot of cash," said Ms Calandra.
The Chinese may have become targets because they are seen as relatively prosperous. Some of them run shops or restaurants, and it is hard for them to avoid carrying large amounts of cash after they close their businesses for the day.
Officials say the muggers are often of immigrant descent themselves, from other communities.
The Chinese association spokesman, Olivier Wang, says most of the attacks are violent, even when the targets are women.
"This is happening because of poverty, but it's unbearable," Mr Wang said.
He said a Chinese man who tried to film a recent mugging in Belleville on his mobile phone was attacked by the muggers and beaten up so badly that he is now in a coma.
Mr Shi says people are terrified of being assaulted. "Our problem isn't so much that money or phones are being stolen, it's the violence we can't stand."
Many Parisians are shocked that the attacks are happening, not in the notoriously violent suburbs - the banlieue - but in the city itself.
Hamou Bouakkaz, a deputy mayor of Paris, says things have degenerated in the past two years following the economic downturn.
"Belleville was a very universal melting-pot, but the government has cut budgets allocated to integration, to security," Mr Bouakkaz said.
Mr Shi showed me photographs of people who had been mugged. One was of a woman, with bruised eyes, cuts on her face and a blood-soaked dress.
Another showed a man with cuts around his eyes.
He also produced a thick sheaf of copies of police reports of muggings. There were more than 80, covering a period of less than a year.
But many victims do not report attacks to the police, because they are illegal immigrants or cannot speak French well.
Those who do report muggings say the perpetrators are rarely brought to justice. The police declined to comment on this.
Community worker Dominique Dardel, a member of the neighbourhood council, says the long-term solution is not more police on the streets.
"Those who carry out these muggings usually grow up spending a lot of time on the streets," he said.
"Early on they realise that society isn't really offering them a future. The schools have to change their approach to these kids and convince them that they can have a future. That's the key."
But for now, victims like Mr Shi say the muggings are getting more violent, and they are fed up with living in fear. | Businessman Wei Ming Shi was out walking with his wife when three muggers tried to snatch her bag. |
34,654,403 | The government has confirmed that the steel industry will be refunded the cost of green levies on energy bills as soon as the EU grants state-aid clearance.
The package could be worth about £50m a year for the struggling sector.
But the government has come under fire for failing to have a steel industry strategy.
Thousands of job losses have been announced in the sector in recent weeks, with the collapse of SSI in Redcar, Cleveland, and cutbacks at Tata Steel in North Lincolnshire and in Lanarkshire.
The industry blames what it says are unfair Chinese imports, as well as the higher energy costs it faces compared with rivals elsewhere in Europe.
The government wants to compensate intensive-energy industries, including steelmakers, for the green levies for renewable energy which add to the cost of our bills.
Speaking during Prime Minister's Questions in the Commons, David Cameron said that the industry would have those costs refunded once the plan was approved at an EU level.
"We will refund the energy-intensive industries with the full amount of the policy costs they face as soon as we get the state aid judgment from Brussels," he said.
The compensation package was expected to be introduced from April 2016.
Industry body Steel UK said that starting it earlier would give give the sector breathing space in the current crisis.
"The steel sector had asked for a full commitment to help offset the cost of high energy costs and it now appears this will be given over the lifetime of the Parliament," said Gareth Stace, director of UK Steel.
"This will give much needed confidence to the sector in terms of future investment."
"It is now essential that we seek state aid as soon as possible, so that payments can begin immediately as promised," he added.
But the government has been criticised for failing to have a strategy for the industry.
Angela Eagle, the shadow business secretary, accused the government of sacrificing the UK's steel industry on the "altar of laissez-faire economics".
Speaking during an opposition day debate on the steel crisis, Ms Eagle accused the Government of lacking an industrial strategy.
"The problem that we are dealing with here is actually that this government don't have a strategy and they are living hand to mouth, trying to deal with a crisis that they should have seen coming," she said.
Ms Eagle also called for the government to do more to prevent unfair trade.
"China is currently responsible for a tsunami of cheap steel which is being dumped on European markets," she said. "The UK should be at the forefront of demanding rapid and effective action to stop it."
Cheap Chinese imports were high on the agenda of the Business Secretary, Sajid Javid, during a visit to Brussels on Wednesday.
The Luxembourg presidency of the EU has now granted his request for an emergency meeting of the European Council to discuss what can be done on the steel crisis.
"I have been lobbying member states and met European commissioners to drive up the importance of this issue," said Mr Javid.
"I have called for an urgent EU Council meeting on steel, and I am pleased the Luxembourg presidency has agreed that this will take place within the next 10 working days. I am determined this council leads to swift action, not just a talking shop."
Mr Javid said that he had spoken about the issue to his counterparts in France, Italy and Spain.
"When it comes to unfair trading practices, just as the US has taken action, we need to show that the EU can also take that type of action, but it can do it quickly," he said.
Follow John Moylan on Twitter @johnmoylanbbc | Steel firms in the UK could start to receive compensation for high energy costs within weeks. |
37,219,471 | Pupils at Pretoria Girls High say staff often tell them to straighten their hair and they are not allowed afros.
School rules would be suspended while an independent investigation takes place into the allegations, Gauteng province's education minister said.
The school has not commented.
Its code of conduct has a detailed list of rules about hair, but does not specifically mention the afro hairstyle.
Photos of the schoolgirls' protest went viral over the weekend and have sparked a national debate on race, with the hashtag #StopRacismAtPretoriaGirlsHigh used more than 150,000 times on Twitter.
Gauteng Education Minister Panyaza Lesufi, who held emergency talks on Monday with pupils and administrators at the prestigious private school in the capital, criticised its "stone-age rules" on hairstyles during an interview on Talk Radio 702.
During his visit, black pupils told him that some staff at the school "tell them they look like monkeys, or have nests on their heads", a statement from the Gauteng Department of Education said.
"The mocking of African learners' usage of their mother tongue must stop.
"In fact, the diverse use of languages (especially African languages) must be encouraged for all learners at the school," it added, in response to reports that black pupils had been chastised for speaking their own language in class.
White-minority rule and legalised racism, known as apartheid, ended in South Africa in 1994.
Pretoria Girls High was founded in 1902 as a multi-racial school, according to its website, but was a whites-only institution during the apartheid era.
A petition calling for an end to racism at Pretoria High has gathered 25,000 signatures. | Rules over how female students wear their hair at a South African high school have been suspended after anti-racism protests from black pupils, a local minister says. |
37,105,125 | In her first interview since being found with her baby in May, Amina Ali Nkeki told Reuters she also wanted to go home to Chibok, a town in the north.
She and her child are being held in the capital, Abuja, for what the government calls a restoration process.
More than 200 girls were kidnapped from a school in Chibok in April 2014.
The abduction led to the #BringBackOurGirls campaign, that was supported by US First Lady Michelle Obama and Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai.
The Boko Haram group has waged a violent insurgency for several years in north-eastern Nigeria in its quest for Islamic rule.
Ms Nkeki was found three months ago by a vigilante group in a forest with suspected militant Mohammed Hayatu, who identified himself as her husband, and their child of four months.
The 21-year-old said she was unhappy about being separated from Mr Hayatu, who was arrested after they were found.
"I want him to know that I am still thinking about him," she told Reuters. "Just because we got separated, that does not mean that I don't think about him."
During the interview she only lifted her gaze from the floor once to breastfeed her daughter when the baby was brought into the room, Reuters reports.
"I just want to go home - I don't know about school," she said. "I will decide about school when I get back."
Her mother, Binta Ali, told the BBC Hausa service earlier this week that her daughter wanted the government to give her a sewing machine so she could become a seamstress.
She said the man claiming to be her daughter's husband had said he was a mechanic from the town of Mubi before he was captured by Boko Haram - and that he had organised their escape.
Earlier her brother had told the BBC that because of an increase in air strikes Mr Hayatu was no longer willing to continue fighting and they had planned to leave together.
Ms Nkeki said she had not watched the video, released by Boko Haram on Sunday, which apparently shows recent footage of some the other missing Chibok girls.
"I think about them a lot - I would tell them to be hopeful and prayerful," she said. "In the same way God rescued me, he will also rescue them."
Boko Haram child custody battle
Town divided by Boko Haram legacy
On patrol against Boko Haram
Who are Boko Haram? | The first Nigerian schoolgirl from Chibok to be rescued from Boko Haram says she misses the father of her baby, a suspected Islamist militant. |
36,637,421 | Flight SQ368, which departed at 02:05 local time on Monday (18:00 GMT Sunday), was two hours into the flight when the pilot announced there was an engine problem.
The plane turned back and landed before the right engine of the Boeing 777 burst into flames.
All 222 passengers and 19 crew on board were safely evacuated.
"We were in the air for roughly an hour before we began to smell gas," one passenger who gave his name as Chuan told the BBC.
"The pilot came on the intercom and said that there was an oil leak in one of the engines and that they were going to turn and go back to Singapore."
Chuan added that all the passengers were very calm and that he actually "went back to sleep" after the announcement was made.
It was only after he got off the flight that he realised how "close to death" he and his wife had been.
Firefighters took about five to 10 minutes to extinguish the flames, he said.
Passengers will be transferred to another aircraft which is expected to depart for Milan later on Monday, said Singapore Airlines in a statement on Facebook. | A Singapore Airlines plane bound for Milan caught fire shortly after making an emergency landing. |
37,540,164 | The manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index - which surveys companies about the strength of their order books - saw an increase to 55.4.
Last month the figure was 53.4 - itself a significant increase compared with August. Any figure over 50 shows an expansion in the sector.
Philip Hammond's much quoted suggestion that Britain might be due a "fiscal reset" was predicated on there being grim economic news following the referendum.
Although the chancellor has made it clear it wants to retain "flexibility" in the way he approaches fiscal (tax and spending) policy, he also had another message today.
Ultimately, balancing the books is still the cornerstone of Conservative economic policy.
Yes, it may take longer and the government may have to borrow more because of fears over the impact of the Brexit referendum - and the chancellor shares those fears - but it is still the goal.
I have been reminded time and again by those close to him - the chancellor is a "proper Conservative" when it comes to fiscal discipline.
"Fiscal reset" should never have been confused with a spending splurge, officials say, pointing out that Mr Hammond was one of the key architects of the Conservatives' original austerity plan in 2010.
The chancellor's speech today was peppered with references to credibility on the public finances, balancing the books and not returning, as the Conservatives see it, to the "tax and spend" ways of Labour.
Mr Hammond very deliberately kicked off his speech with a reminder of Liam Byrne's note that there was "no money left".
Mr Byrne was the Labour Chief Secretary to the Treasury before the 2010 election.
Mr Hammond denounced what he said were Labour's economic failures of the past, the clear message being that borrowing too much can only lead to one destination.
An economic mess.
He said that Labour's economic plans for the future were anchored in "la-la land".
And when it came to listing the challenges facing the UK, "dealing with the deficit" was the first, well ahead of "rebuilding our infrastructure".
As he looks towards the Autumn Statement on 23 November, Mr Hammond knows that the Office for Budget Responsibility, the official economic watchdog, is likely to have grim news on the state of the public finances.
Deficit reduction targets set at the Budget in March are likely to be missed, meaning that the debt being carried by the UK will be higher and growing for longer than expected.
With such a warning ringing in the Treasury's ears, would that really be a time to announce significant amounts of new borrowing?
Particularly if growth is stronger than expected (the GDP - national income - figure for the third quarter of 2016 will be published at the end of the month).
And the Bank of England has cut interest rates again, as it may do at its next rate meeting on 3 November.
At this stage, and if the economic data continue to surprise on the upside, expect limited announcements on spending on infrastructure projects in November.
And don't forget we are about to get a decision on airport expansion in the south-east of England, which can be trumpeted as Britain "building for success", though, less noisily, with largely private money in this instance.
But the overall message of the new chancellor is clear.
The Conservatives want to balance the books and eliminate the deficit.
The referendum result means the original 2020 target date has been ditched.
But Mr Hammond is still, at heart, a fiscal hawk. | This morning, the latest figures on the UK's manufacturing sector revealed another significant bounce upwards. |
15,253,038 | Dave and Angela Dawes from Wisbech were the only winners of the jackpot in Friday's draw, banking £101,203,600.70.
Mr Dawes, 47, is a shift supervisor, and his partner, 43, is a volunteer for the British Heart Foundation.
Chelsea fan Mr Dawes, said he now plans to buy a house near the ground - and ask Frank Lampard round for tea.
He said: "We were watching TV and the Euromillions draw show came on so we kept watching, not thinking we would win anything.
"We got our tickets out and watched in shock as, one by one, the numbers came up on the line I'd chosen.
"We couldn't believe it. It was too late to call Camelot so I kept the ticket on me all night until the morning but we didn't sleep a wink."
The ticket was bought at WH Smith on the Market Place in Wisbech.
Mr Dawes, who works at Premier Foods, said he wanted to buy a season ticket to watch Chelsea FC.
He said: "I'm not worried about getting a box - I want to stand with the real fans and watch my team play.
"I'd also love to live near the ground and have Frank Lampard come over for a cup of tea."
The couple, who have been together for four years, said they would continue with their plan to get married in Portugal next year.
Ms Dawes, who has already changed her surname to her partner's, said: "It's an excessive amount of money but we intend to make our friends and family millionaires."
She added that they had already broken the news to some of the people that they would be helping.
"They are absolutely gobsmacked, amazed," she said.
"Obviously it's exciting for us and exciting for them."
In July, Colin and Chris Weir from Ayrshire won a record European lottery prize of £161m.
UK ticketholders have banked the Euromillions jackpot more than 15 times in the past two years.
Last year two anonymous UK winners scooped £113m and £84m.
The couple's success means they are £1m better off than David Bowie, the 703rd richest person in the country, according to The Sunday Times Rich List 2011.
They move ahead of celebrity couples such as Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne (£95m) and Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin (£48m).
The winning numbers were 18, 26, 34, 38 and 42. The Lucky Star numbers were five and eight.
Nine countries participate in Euromillions - the UK, the Republic of Ireland, Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Austria.
Ticket sales in all those countries contribute to the Euromillions jackpot. | A couple from Cambridgeshire are celebrating a £101m Euromillions win - the third largest lottery jackpot in UK history. |
29,599,902 | The NW Counter Terrorism Unit used civil powers under the Terrorism Act to confiscate cash found hidden in luggage or under clothing.
Most was seized from passengers flying from Manchester to Turkey, said police.
Officers believe it would have then been taken over the border into Syria.
Greater Manchester Police said the cash was confiscated between April 2013 and April this year.
The force said 90% of the money was discovered at Manchester Airport with the rest at other north-west sea and air ports.
Figures for the rest of the country were not available.
Det Ch Supt Tony Mole of Greater Manchester Police said officers were able to target funding for terror groups including Islamic State militants even when there was not enough evidence to press criminal charges.
He said: "Terrorists need money to fight.
"At the Turkish border with Syria there are shops where you can buy guns, boots, rations and if you are going out there to fight you need money and you want equipment."
"We take that cash away from people, not only stopping them from buying weapons and funding terror organisations which are a threat to the UK and an international threat but we also disrupt that person."
Police can hold the cash for up to 48 hours and if the passenger is unable to give a satisfactory explanation a court can order the money to be confiscated. | More than £250,000 of suspected Islamic State (IS) funds have been seized at Manchester Airport and other north-west ports in the past year, anti-terrorist officers said. |
37,037,494 | Philip Temple, 66, admitted abusing 12 boys and one girl while working in south London care homes and a north London church.
He also admitted lying on oath in the 1990s when he was cleared of child sex abuse charges against a teenage boy.
Judge Christopher Hehir apologised to the victim at Woolwich Crown Court.
He said: "I am sorry justice was not done when you came to court in 1998 and 1999."
The victim, who cannot be named, told the court he self-harmed, became a recluse and even tried to kill himself after the previous trials.
He said: "I can only imagine the damage he has caused to other victims. We can never escape what he did and we can never be free of it."
In a statement read out in court, one victim said: "I feel like I have been robbed of my childhood and sometimes when I see other children in the street I wish I could go back in time and be a child again."
During sentencing, the judge told Temple: "You of course exploited the opportunities your deceit as to your character had afforded you, not only by sexually abusing children but, as a priest, by lying on oath to deny the truthful accusations brought against you by one of your victims.
"Your actions as a priest demonstrated that in truth you were a wolf in shepherd's clothing."
On Tuesday, Temple admitted seven charges committed in the 1970s. He had already admitted 20 similar charges and two of perjury at Croydon Crown Court in April.
Temple abused boys and a girl while working as a social worker in Lambeth and Wandsworth councils between 1971 and 1977.
He became a priest in 1988 and served at Christ the King Monastery in Cockfosters, where he abused two children, including an altar boy.
He abused youngsters in children's homes in south London, including the Shirley Oaks complex near Croydon, the court heard.
Raymond Stephenson of the Shirley Oaks Survivors Association said: "If Temple had been caught at Shirley Oaks he would not have been able to abuse anyone else."
A Lambeth Council spokesman said it was cooperating fully with the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) and added: "We hope the outcome provides some solace to the victims of these dreadful crimes."
A spokesperson for the Catholic Church in England and Wales said when concerns were raised it was limited in the measures it could take because as a monk he was answerable to the head of his order in Italy rather than the archdiocese here. | A former social worker and Catholic priest has been jailed for 12 years after admitting historical child sex abuse charges dating back to the 1970s. |
36,093,060 | The official centenary commemorations took place at Easter last month, but the TV programme will be broadcast on the actual centenary - Sunday 24 April.
Exactly 100 years to the day that the rebellion began, the BBC film examines how events were viewed from Ulster.
It includes eyewitness accounts from both British soldiers and Irish rebels.
The Easter Rising was an ill-fated insurrection against British rule in Ireland which lasted less than a week - from 24 April to 29 April 1916.
However, the short-lived rebellion made a lasting impact on the course of Irish history and ultimately led to the partition of the island and the creation of the state of Northern Ireland.
"There wasn't a shot fired in the north, but there was still a very large northern contingent who fought on the side of the rebels," says series producer Paul McGuigan.
"Also, you have the irony that some people from the north were part of the British Army and they were all Irishmen at that stage because there was no partition.
"So, you had Irish fighting against Irish and some people from the north were part of the British Army stationed in Dublin at that stage and I don't think that has really been looked at in any of the proceeding documentaries."
The programme, entitled Voices 16 - "Rising", concentrates heavily on putting the rebellion in its wider historical context - as an unexpected challenge to British colonial power right in the heart of its empire, while its troops were suffering heavy losses in World War One.
It also examines the origins of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), and the parallel, arguably even greater, threat it posed to British authority in Ireland by resisting Home Rule.
The outbreak of World War One postponed the introduction of limited self-governance in Ireland - legislation that had set northern unionists in direct conflict with southern republicans.
"In 1913-14 Ireland was on a tipping point of civil war over this issue of Home Rule," National Museum of Ireland curator Lar Joye tells the programme.
Political historian Éamon Phoenix agrees, adding that unionist leader Edward Carson and his well-armed UVF militia had become a seditious force to be reckoned with.
"The Larne gun-running of the 22nd of April 1914 changes everything," Phoenix says.
"Thirty-five thousand German guns distributed around the province of Ulster - sophisticated weaponry including machine-guns.
"Now Carson's army has military dominance in Ireland. It's even a threat to the forces of the Crown."
The rebels also made their own, unsuccessful attempts to ship German guns to Ireland, notably led by County Antrim-raised Sir Roger Casement, who was later hanged for treason.
Phoenix says that it appeared to many that the government was using "kid gloves" on unionists and "lead bullets" on nationalists.
However, the government was not the only player to tread with caution around the UVF.
Using a witness statement from an Irish Volunteer, the programme recounts how rebel leader James Connolly angrily issued the order: "You will fire no shot in Ulster".
The Scottish-born socialist, who had moved his young family to Belfast, was wary of sectarian conflict, but later added: "If we win through, we will then deal with Ulster."
The documentary also hears testimony from the Belfast activist, Winifred Carney, who acted as Connolly's military secretary during the rising.
Carney had helped to set up an organisation called Cumann na mBan (League of Women), which was known as the women's IRA.
Stationed in the rebels' headquarters - Dublin's General Post Office (GPO) - she typed out orders from Connolly as the city centre building burned down around them.
The GPO was destroyed in the bombardment, but remarkably, both Winifred and the typewriter she used survived the heat of battle.
The programme team managed to track it down 100 years on, and seeing the actual typewriter used to despatch rebel orders was "pretty special", according to the producer.
"With that, came a cache of letters and telegrams from the likes of James Connolly," Mr McGuigan says.
"We also found her first-hand account [of the Easter Rising] the actual transcript of it and the document itself, and these haven't been seen in quite a while."
The documentary also recounts how a last-minute order issued by County Antrim man Eoin MacNéill - chief of staff of the Irish Volunteers - threw plans for the rebellion into confusion.
His notorious countermand, issued on the eve of the rising, meant the rebellion was confined to Dublin and ensured its military failure was even more emphatic than expected.
MacNéill was imprisoned while other rebel leaders were executed, on the orders of Sir John Maxwell, the British general brought into to restore the rule of law.
"As the executions grind on over those weeks in May, you can see things beginning to change," says National Archives of Ireland historian Catriona Crowe.
Contributors agree that Maxwell "misjudged" the mood of moderate Irish nationalism and that his merciless approach only engendered greater sympathy for the rebels' cause.
But Crowe reminds the programme that the same British general had never been inclined to tolerate dissent from any corner of Ireland.
"Interesting, Sir John Maxwell wrote to his wife during those weeks in May to say that 'If we -the British establishment - had taken a strong line against the Ulster Volunteer Force and nipped that particular rebellion in the bud, none of this would ever have happened'."
Voices 16 "Rising" will be broadcast on BBC One Northern Ireland on Sunday 24 April at 20:00 BST. | The 1916 Easter Rising, told from the perspective of people from what is now known as Northern Ireland, is explored in a new BBC documentary. |
40,578,754 | Malouda played in Wednesday's goalless draw against Honduras despite being ineligible under the Fifa rules in use.
French Guiana-born Malouda, 37, played 80 times for France.
"We are using Fifa rules so a player who's played in an official match for a different [country] cannot play in the Gold Cup," said a Concacaf official.
Malouda, who currently plays for Indian Super League team Delhi Dynamos, featured in the 2006 World Cup final for France and, during six years at Chelsea, won three FA Cups, a Premier League and a Champions League.
French Guiana is an overseas department of France.
The national team are not Fifa members and could not, for example, play in the World Cup - but as they are not Fifa members the global governing body's eligibility rules do not normally apply to them.
As a result Malouda was allowed to play for French Guiana in the 2017 Caribbean Cup, featuring twice as they finished third in Martinique in June.
However, Concacaf's decision to use Fifa rules means he is ineligible to play in the Gold Cup and Wednesday's result could be ruled a 3-0 forfeit in favour of Honduras.
"The disciplinary committee will review the case and render its decision in due time," Concacaf said in a statement. | French Guiana are facing disciplinary action after fielding ex-Chelsea and France midfielder Florent Malouda in a Concacaf Gold Cup match in America. |
40,560,236 | New research indicates that warm waters pulled up from the deep by strong winds sharply undercut glaciers from about 11,000 years ago to 7,500 years ago.
This incursion then stopped until it got under way again in the 1940s.
The findings are important because they inform our understanding about how the ice may respond in the future.
Today, the big glaciers that enter the ocean in a key sector called the Amundsen Sea Embayment are in a rapid withdrawal.
These ice streams, such as Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers, are colossal in scale - and their melting has become a significant contributor to global sea-level rise at around 1mm per decade.
The glaciers’ grounding lines - the places where they enter the ocean and become buoyant - are heading inland; as are the floating segments, or shelves, they push out in front themselves.
Dr Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand, a senior marine geologist at the British Antarctic Survey, explained: "We know today that the ice sheet in the Amundsen Sea is mainly influenced by this warm deep-water upwelling, which is very effectively melting the undersides of the ice shelves and weakening them, and because these shelves buttress the glaciers we therefore get the thinning of the glaciers, the acceleration in the flow speed of the glaciers and the retreat of their grounding lines."
Dr Hillenbrand and colleagues have been examining the shells of tiny marine organisms called foraminifera recovered from ocean-floor sediments in the Amundsen Sea Embayment.
These shells have chemical "fingerprints" that record the nature of the water in which they were formed.
For example, the ratio of different trace metals in the shells says something about how cold or warm the water was. And the different types of carbon incorporated into the shells reveal information about the age of the water.
In Antarctica, the surface waters are "young" and cold; young in the sense that they are in contact with the atmosphere.
The deep waters, on the other hand, have not seen the surface in a long time and are therefore considered "old" - but they are relatively warm.
Piecing together the distribution and fingerprint pattern of the shells, Dr Hillenbrand's team has been able to show that the warm deep-water would have welled up and spilled across the continental shelf in front of the glaciers to melt their fronts at the end of the last ice age - about 11,000 years ago.
This retreat operated until about 7,500 years ago.
Independent data has already indicated a coupling between the position of strong westerly winds and upwelling. The further north is the belt of westerlies, the weaker is the upwelling; the further south, the bigger the upwelling.
"We can detect the weakening of the circumpolar deep-water at 7,500 years," said Dr Hillenbrand.
"It has been documented through other data that there was a northern shift of these winds then. And around the 1940s, also independent data shows there must have been a southward shift of the belt. So we demonstrate that the circumpolar deep-water upwelling is indeed coupled to the wind system."
Some scientists have made the argument that the strengthening westerlies in recent decades can be linked to the ozone hole and the rise in greenhouse gases.
The sediments examined in the study are very modern in the geological context, but researchers are also engaged in drilling much deeper materials in the Amundsen Sea Embayment to get a much longer time perspective.
For example, scientists would like to get a detailed description of conditions during the last interglacial - the last major warm period on Earth - about 120,000 years ago.
Researchers suspect the West Antarctic Ice Sheet at that time became extremely denuded.
The big question is whether it could experience a similar withdrawal as the Earth warms as a consequence of rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide.
"As you know there are some computer models which say a West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapse has potentially already begun," Dr Hillenbrand told BBC News.
His team’s study has been published in the journal Nature.
[email protected] and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos | Scientists are getting a much clearer picture of the retreat of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet over thousands of years, and of the forces driving it. |
36,004,856 | Addressing the Tories' spring forum, he said he was to blame for the handling of revelations about his holding in his late father's offshore fund.
Days after questions were first raised, the PM admitted this week he had owned and later sold units in the fund.
Mr Cameron also said he would publish information on his tax return later.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he "looked forward" to that publication.
Hundreds of protesters calling on Mr Cameron to "close tax loopholes or resign" rallied outside Downing Street on Saturday, some moving on to demonstrate outside the venue where the Conservative forum was held.
Addressing Conservative Party activists at the central London forum, Mr Cameron said: "It has not been a great week. I know that I should have handled this better, I could have handled this better.
"I know there are lessons to learn and I will learn them.
"Don't blame Number 10 Downing Street or nameless advisers, blame me."
Mr Cameron said: "I was obviously very angry about what people were saying about my dad. I loved my dad, I miss him every day.
"He was a wonderful father and I'm very proud of everything he did. But I mustn't let that cloud the picture. The facts are these: I bought shares in a unit trust, shares that are like any other sorts of shares and I paid taxes on them in exactly the same way.
"I sold those shares. In fact, I sold all the shares that I owned, on becoming prime minister."
Mr Cameron continued: "Later on I will be publishing the information that goes into my tax return, not just for this year but the years gone past because I want to be completely open and transparent about these things.
"I will be the first prime minister, the first leader of a major political party, to do that and I think it is the right thing to do."
Revelations about Mr Cameron's financial affairs followed a leak of 11 million documents this month held by Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca.
The documents, known collectively as the Panama Papers, revealed that Mr Cameron's late father Ian had been a client of Mossack Fonseca when establishing a fund for investors.
BBC political correspondent Alan Soady
This mea culpa by the prime minister is solely on how the questions about his tax affairs have been handled, not on his decision to hold shares in his late father's offshore firm.
David Cameron remains adamant that he did not break any rules and that his father's Bahamas-based business had not been established for the purpose of avoiding tax.
But he is well aware that taking several days to confirm that he used to hold shares has allowed his political opponents to accuse him of "misleading" the public.
And so in an attempt to show he has nothing to hide, he will publish "information" from his tax returns.
That may or may not take some heat out of the row, depending on what the "information" actually is. But politically, a lot of damage has already been done.
When David Cameron refers to taking personal responsibility, he is seeking to shield his closest advisers in Downing Street, who some sections of the press - and even one or two Conservatives - have been criticising for the prime minister's flawed response.
Protesters in central London waved placards and chanted slogans criticising tax avoidance.
The organiser of the Downing Street protest, journalist Abi Wilkinson, told BBC Radio 5 live the week's revelations raised questions about Mr Cameron's commitment to tackling tax avoidance.
"But the thing that really made us think we had to get out and protest was the news that, in 2013 when the EU were trying to crack down on offshoring and tax avoidance, he stepped in and actually weakened what they were trying to do."
Meanwhile, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the issue was, "not about an individual, not about one person, one family, it's about a whole ethos where the very rich are able to put their money into tax havens, offshore accounts".
"That is money that is being made that is untaxed and doesn't contribute anything to the need of public services."
Mr Corbyn said he would publish his own tax returns "very, very soon, when I've got the papers together".
Commons leader Chris Grayling, who is on the opposite side to Mr Cameron in the debate over Britain's EU membership, said those accusing Mr Cameron of misleading the public were making a "mountain out of a mole hill".
At the Conservative spring forum, Mr Cameron said local elections in England and mayoral contests in London, Bristol, Liverpool and Salford on 5 May gave voters a clear choice between "Tory competence and the disarray of the rest".
Only Tory councils could be trusted to keep taxes low while "getting things done" and "delivering more for less", he said.
The Conservatives are defending about 880 seats last contested in 2012.
More than 2,700 seats in 124 councils across England are up for grabs next month in what will be Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's first national test in England at the ballot box. | Prime Minister David Cameron has said he could have handled the row over his financial affairs "better", admitting it had "not been a great week". |
31,622,337 | This is not a cure or vaccine, but a highly effective way of preventing transmission of the virus.
The idea is to give HIV drugs to gay men having unprotected sex while they are still uninfected.
It means the medicine is there waiting for the virus to arrive and kills it when it does.
The approach relies on one of the biggest breakthroughs in the field - antiretroviral drugs.
HIV infection was a death sentence when it was first reported in the 1980s (it had gone largely unnoticed in Africa for decades before).
Every patient would progress to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (Aids) and death was inevitable.
But just look at the impact effective medicines had when they were introduced in the late 1990s.
Deaths from Aids dropped dramatically.
HIV infection has gone from guaranteed killer to life-long infection, at least in the west where the medicine is available.
Those drugs have certainly had one "game-changer" moment, they may be about to have another in patients at risk of HIV.
Having ever-growing numbers of people who are living with HIV does create a problem - a higher risk of the virus being spread.
Imagine one in eight of the sexual partners in your lifetime had HIV.
Those are the odds faced by gay men in London, the figure is closer to one in 26 for the rest of the UK.
It's why one man told me he feels at high-risk of HIV just by being in London and that it has a crippling effect on forming relationships.
Many people would say "use a condom".
They are an incredibly effective barrier to HIV transmission and recommended by every sexual health expert you can find.
But like many health messages - don't smoke, exercise more, drink less - they are often ignored.
One analysis found only 55% of men reported using a condom the last time they had sex with another man.
Some will be in long-term caring monogamous relations, some are gambling with terrible odds.
The result is the number of new HIV infections in gay men has been consistently above 2,500-a-year for a decade and they remain the most at-risk group in the country.
The trial by the UK's Medical Research Council and Public Health England showed that giving HIV drugs while the men were still healthy led to a 86% fall in new infections.
Be in no doubt that is huge.
If we were discussing a medicine that prevented 86% of cancers we'd be calling it a miracle drug.
The study showed that one case of HIV would be prevented for every 13 men treated for a year.
One member of the research team gave an extreme example saying that if the drugs were given to "all men and all were adherent then we could stop the epidemic".
These drugs are never going to be prescribed on that scale.
But they have the potential to prevent hundreds of new infections where nothing else seems to work.
That's why it has been described as a game changer. | There is excited talk today that we have reached a "game changing" moment in controlling the HIV epidemic. |
19,395,832 | The band were at the forefront of the Liverpool scene but never made it big.
The tapes were recorded in March 1960, two years before Starr was poached by Brian Epstein to join The Beatles.
Found in Storm's sister's cellar, the tapes will form the group's first and only album release later this month.
Starr joined the group at the age of 18 in 1959, but the band got left behind during the Merseybeat boom in the wake of The Beatles' success.
They only released a couple of singles, including one produced by Brian Epstein in 1964, but they failed to chart.
Frontman Storm, born Alan Caldwell, was known for his gold lame costumes and on-stage charisma. He died in 1972 aged just 34.
"Rory was a performer," his sister Iris Caldwell said. "He wasn't, like The Beatles, a brilliant songwriter. They called him The Golden Boy and Mr Showbusiness.
"Rory was so far ahead of his time. He was doing glam rock then." Rod Stewart is among the artists thought to have been influenced by Storm's style, she said.
Epstein did not give Storm a real shot at the big time because he "didn't want any major competition" for The Beatles, Caldwell believes.
The tapes include tracks recorded at the Jive Hive club in Crosby, north of Liverpool, and at Storm's house, known as Stormsville, where bands including The Beatles would get together once clubs like The Cavern had shut at night.
"I suppose these tapes have been in an old sealed box ever since [they were recorded]," Caldwell said.
Author and Radio Merseyside presenter Spencer Leigh said the group were "crucial to the early years of Merseybeat".
"Even though the playing is very rough and ready, they have tremendous presence and were probably considerably better than the Beatles were in March 1960," he said.
Iris Caldwell's son Adam F, a Mobo Award-winning drum and bass DJ, said the recordings allowed a new generation to hear his uncle's style and personality for the first time.
"The quality of the tape left a bit to be desired - it was over half a century ago - but the spirit and rawness suggest a whole scene waiting to happen," he said.
"I am so proud that my uncle was, as has been suggested to me often, the father of the Liverpool sound."
Storm's on-stage antics included climbing up to the high diving board during one gig at New Brighton swimming pool.
"He had a cloak on and stripped right off to his little gold Speedos," Caldwell recalled. "He dived into the water, came up and carried on singing the song.
"Another time, they had a box on the side of the stage. He made his entrance by jumping from the box onto the stage. He did manage to break a couple of ribs but he still finished the spot and then went off to hospital."
Other than Starr and guitarist Lu Walters, whose whereabouts are unknown, the original members of Rory Storm and the Hurricanes have all passed away. | Recordings by Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, Ringo Starr's first band and one of the most popular groups of the early Merseybeat era, have been unearthed after more than 50 years. |
16,786,413 | Pranava Prakash said five men barged into the gallery in the Noida district on Sunday, saying the pictures were "against Indian culture".
He said he was thrown to the floor and a number of pictures were damaged.
Hardline Hindu groups have in the past protested over art works they say offend their beliefs.
The attack also comes in the wake of an intensified debate over artistic free speech, with controversial UK writer Sir Salman Rushdie abandoning plans to attend a literary festival in Jaipur amid security concerns.
Mr Prakash told Agence France-Presse news agency: "Five guys came in on Sunday and started yelling at me, saying, 'Your paintings are against Indian culture, we cannot tolerate them'.
"They slapped me twice, threw me to the floor and then began pulling down the paintings, damaging three of my pictures."
The nude paintings in the Espace Alternative Gallery include depictions of Bollywood star Vidya Balan, Pakistani actress Veena Malik and model Poonam Pandey.
The latter painting features Ms Pandey with words written on her bosom, while Ms Malik appears with the Pakistani flag painted on her back.
Mr Prakash said: "There is a certain section of people who think they alone are the custodians of Indian culture, and anyone who disagrees with them is the enemy."
Hardline Hindu groups have protested in the past over art works they regard as offensive, including by late artist MF Husain.
Valentine's Day has also come under attack for being anti-Hindu.
Sir Salman lashed out at extremists who he said were undermining free speech after an attempt to address the Jaipur festival by video-link were abandoned amid threats of violence by Muslim hardliners opposed to his book, The Satanic Verses. | An Indian artist has been assaulted in a gallery in the capital, Delhi, where he is exhibiting a number of nude paintings. |
37,653,746 | Fifteen firefighters tackled the blaze, which began in Remembrance Road at about 03:40 BST.
Police said it was too early to confirm if it would be investigated as a hate crime.
Shop owner Norbert Krupan, who has lived in the area for 11 years and opened the premises a year ago, said he was "devastated".
Read more news for Coventry and Warwickshire
"We've had it confirmed that we've been targeted and someone's done this deliberately," he said.
"The police ask me if it was maybe a racial background, or maybe the competition, I really don't know." | A fire that destroyed a Polish food shop in Coventry is being investigated as a suspected arson attack. |
30,525,666 | Cook, 29, said he will have to "wait and see" if he will keep the captaincy after England were beaten 5-2 in a one-day series in Sri Lanka.
England's 15-man World Cup squad must be named by 7 January, with their first match against Australia on 14 February.
"Cook simply isn't playing that well," said Giles. "He is under pressure."
England selectors James Whitaker, Peter Moores, Angus Fraser and Mick Newell will announce a 16-man squad on Saturday for a tri-series next month in Australia against the host nation and India.
Head coach Moores said Cook's position will be reviewed this week. The Essex left-hander scored 119 runs in six matches in Sri Lanka, with a top score of 34.
"He hasn't been playing that well for a year and going into a World Cup your leader is important," Lancashire coach Giles told BBC Sport.
"But so is having 15 players in that squad who can perform and win games for England."
Cook has been England's one-day captain since 2011 and was appointed Test captain the following year.
Giles, England's limited-overs coach from November 2012 to April 2014, added: "I think there's still some discussion to be had and from the sort of the whispers we're hearing from the camp clearly they're not 100% sure.
"He is desperate to do well but he is still not getting the output that he would or England would want.
"In the last one-day match, he was dropped twice before he was finally out, so he is riding his luck - but he is not capitalising on it and it's becoming a problem." | England captain Alastair Cook's form is a "big worry" ahead of the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, says former one-day coach Ashley Giles. |
28,644,714 | A spokesman said UK officials were looking into reports that the person was killed in Rafah on Sunday.
The prime minister said he was "extremely concerned" by the reports.
Around 1,800 Palestinians, most of them civilians, are said to have been killed in Gaza since the conflict with Israel escalated in July. Sixty-seven Israelis have died, all but three soldiers.
A Thai national working in Israel was also killed.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are aware of the reports of the death of a British national in Rafah and are urgently looking into them."
A seven-hour "humanitarian window" announced by Israel in parts of Gaza has ended - it did not include Rafah.
David Cameron said UK officials were doing everything they could to find out exactly what happened regarding the Briton who was reportedly killed.
"I don't want to say anything before we do that," he said.
"But this only reinforces the need for an immediate, unconditional, humanitarian ceasefire observed properly by both sides. This slaughter, this killing has got to end."
Shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander said reports of the death of a British aid worker only confirmed that "suffering continues".
He said the killing of civilians and children in Gaza in recent days represented "both a moral failure and a strategic error".
"Hamas displays no regard for human life and must cease firing rockets into Israel and digging tunnels to facilitate the murder of civilians," Mr Alexander added.
"But sustainable security for Israel cannot be achieved simply by permanent blockade, aerial bombardment and periodic ground incursion."
Meanwhile, International Development Secretary Justine Greening announced the UK is to provide a further £2m in emergency aid for Gaza.
The funds will help provide mattresses, blankets, nappies, cooking equipment and other essential supplies for nearly 8,000 families who have fled the conflict.
It will go to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency's (UNRWA) Gaza flash appeal. and brings the UK's total funding for Gaza to £15m.
On Monday, Prime Minister David Cameron said there had been "an appalling loss of life" in the region.
He also said the UN was right to speak out against an Israeli attack near a UN-run school in Gaza on Sunday, which Palestinian officials said killed at least 10 people.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called the attack "a moral outrage and a criminal act".
Mr Cameron said the UK government had been "very clear that there needs to be an immediate, comprehensive, humanitarian ceasefire and that we want this conflict to stop - and we obviously think that it's an appalling the loss of life". | The Foreign Office is investigating reports that a British national has been killed in Gaza. |
41,025,082 | The Food and Drink Federation said: "Our sector faces a rapidly approaching workforce shortage and skills gap."
In its survey of the "farm-to-fork" supply chain, almost half of all businesses surveyed said EU nationals working in the UK were considering leaving.
It said that 31% of them have already seen EU workers leave the country.
The Federation is calling on the UK government to guarantee the rights of nationals from across the European Economic Area.
Ian Wright, its director-general, said: "It is only a matter of time before the uncertainty reported by businesses results in an irreversible exit of EU workers from these shores.
"Without our dedicated and valued workforce we would be unable to feed the nation."
In April a report by the Commons Environment Food and Rural Affairs Committee said: "Evidence ... suggests the current problem is in danger of becoming a crisis if urgent measures are not taken to fill the gaps in labour supply."
A government spokesperson said: "In June we published our offer to protect the rights of EU citizens in the UK, confirming no-one living here lawfully will be asked to leave when we exit the EU and they will have a grace period to regularise their status."
The Federation said it had welcomed the government's announcement. However, of the businesses it surveyed:
The Federation is calling on the government to ensure there is no abrupt reduction in the number of EU in the UK the day the country leaves the EU, which "would cause significant disruption to the whole food and drink supply chain".
Mr Wright said: "This is why it is imperative that we receive assurances from government about their future, and that of our wider workforce."
Last month the National Farmers Union deputy president Minette Batters said: "The NFU cannot emphasise enough the urgent need for clarity and certainty on access to a competent and reliable workforce and all other issues relating to Brexit.
"The industry needs commitments that there will be sufficient numbers of permanent and seasonal workers from outside the UK post-Brexit."
A Government spokesperson commented: "After we leave the EU we must have an immigration system which works in the best interests of the UK. Crucial to the development of this will be the views from a range of businesses, including the agricultural, food, drink and manufacturing sectors.
"We will be setting out our initial proposals for this system in the autumn but we have already been clear there will be an implementation period after we leave the EU to avoid a cliff edge for businesses."
In the longer term the Federation says it accepts there will be a reduction in the number of EU workers.
"Our supply chain is aware of the expectation to reduce reliance on EU workers and is focused on upskilling wherever possible locally within the UK, with a strong emphasis on building skills through apprenticeships and investment in technology to support automation," it said. | The UK food industry has warned that a Brexit workforce shortage could leave a third of its businesses unviable. |
38,061,035 | Guy Verhofstadt said he was looking forward to a "hell of a conversation" - referring to comments by Mr Davis.
In September, Mr Davis answered a question about Mr Verhofstadt, an avowed believer in the EU, by saying "get thee behind me Satan".
Mr Verhofstadt, a former Belgian prime minister, has said there will be no compromise on freedom of movement.
He insists the UK will not get free access to the single market if it does not accept that.
The European Parliament has to vote on, and could therefore veto, both the terms of the UK's exit and the even bigger subsequent deal to establish Britain's future relationship with the EU.
How Mr Davis and Mr Verhofstadt fare face to face may have profound implications for the UK's future, says BBC Europe correspondent Damian Grammaticas.
Our correspondent says all eyes are on the meeting between Mr Davis and the man who could be one of the biggest thorns in his side.
Mr Verhofstadt tweeted: "Looking forward to a hell of a conversation with David Davis tomorrow :)", and attached a link to a newspaper report of the Brexit secretary's appearance before MPs and his "Satan" remark.
Mr Davis explained after that meeting that he was not comparing Mr Verhofstadt to the Devil, but telling the questioner not to tempt him into commenting on him. | Brexit Secretary David Davies will meet the European Parliament's chief negotiator in Strasbourg later. |
38,261,608 | At least 30 sports, including football, covered up samples, the report says.
"It was a cover-up that evolved from uncontrolled chaos to an institutionalised and disciplined medal-winning conspiracy," said the report's author, Richard McLaren.
Lawyer McLaren said London 2012 was "corrupted on an unprecedented scale".
The report also implicates medallists at the 2013 World Athletics Championships in Moscow, and the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
According to the report, salt and coffee were used to manipulate Russian samples.
The report added the system was refined over the course of the 2012 Olympics, 2013 Worlds and Winter Olympics to protect likely Russian medal winners.
Russia won 72 medals at the London Games, 21 of which were gold, and 33 medals at Sochi, 13 of which were gold.
McLaren's second report added depth and supporting evidence to the initial findings published in July - that Russia operated a state-sponsored doping programme.
That first report was met with denials from Russia and calls for more proof from the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Writing in his latest report, McLaren says: "The desire to win medals superseded their collective moral and ethical compass and Olympic values of fair play."
He said international sports competitions had been "unknowingly hijacked by the Russians" and sports fans have been "deceived" for years.
"It is time that stops," he added.
In a statement, Russia's sports ministry said it would examine the report but insisted on "the absence of a state programme of support for doping sport". It said it would "continue to fight doping from a position of zero tolerance".
Russian MP Dmitry Svishchev, who is also the head of Russia's Curling Federation, was quoted by Ria Novosti news agency as saying: "This is what we expected. There's nothing new, only empty allegations against all of us. If you are Russian, you'll get accused of every single sin."
When asked for a reaction to those comments, McLaren said: "I would say read the report. Its findings are not challengeable. He is reacting in a vacuum because he has not read the report."
The new report also found:
Investigators have published a searchable database of all the non-confidential evidence they have gathered here.
The full report can be read here.
The first McLaren report explained how disappearing positive drug tests were secreted through "mouse holes" drilled by spies.
That was based on information received from Dr Grigory Rodchenkov, a director of the anti-doping laboratory at Sochi 2014.
He had said the Russian secret service developed ways of opening sample bottles and replacing their contents without intervention being detected.
The new report claims to have compiled clear details on exactly how the sample bottles in Sochi were tampered with.
Investigators used a tool which matched the description of one used by the FSB (Russian Federal Security Service), which leaves tiny marks and scratches when the inside of a cap is opened.
An expert was given 13 bottles, one of which had not been tampered with, which he immediately spotted.
In cases of alleged sample swapping, investigators found there were scratches and marks on the inside of the cap, along with DNA inconsistencies.
BBC sports editor Dan Roan
Once again the gory details of Russian state-sponsored cheating have been laid bare by Professor Richard McLaren.
The difference now is those claims have been backed up with concrete evidence.
Some of the details really do defy belief, and the fact the Russian government is so strongly implicated will inevitably lead to calls for Russian athletes to be banned from the 2018 Winter Olympics, and perhaps even for the 2018 football World Cup to be taken away from the country.
Media playback is not supported on this device
The IOC said the report showed "there was a fundamental attack on the integrity of the Olympic Games and on sport in general".
It said it would re-analyse all 254 urine samples collected from Russian athletes at Sochi 2014.
UK Anti-Doping chief executive Nicole Sapstead said the report was "hugely significant for sport and those who fight to keep it clean".
She added: "Everyone engaged in sport needs to ensure that the right processes, sanctions and safeguards are in place to protect everyone's right to clean, fair and honest sport."
She also called for more funding to support investigations.
Travis Tygart, chief executive of the United States Anti-Doping Agency said the Russian Olympic Committee should be suspended, and no sporting events should be held in the country until "all the individuals who participated in the corruption are held accountable".
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) described the report's findings as "unprecedented and astonishing", adding: "They strike right at the heart of the integrity and ethics of sport."
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), the body that governs world athletics, said: "It is time that this manipulation stops." It said it will take further action once it is able to examine the latest report.
British marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe said Russia had committed a "huge fraud". She added: "We need to know this cannot happen ever again."
Katherine Grainger, Britain's most decorated female Olympian, told BBC Radio 5 live: "This is a reminder that, along with all those high points in sport, there is a very dark side. It's depressing and it's slightly soul-destroying that it's on this scale."
Paralympic table tennis champion Will Bayley said: "I do have compassion for the athletes. Because if they were forced into it, and they are never going to be able to compete in the sport that they love, then that's really sad."
UK sports minister Tracey Crouch said: "The sheer scale of what has been uncovered underlines just how much more needs to be done.
"We will continue to assist on this front, including in Russia, where UK Anti-Doping is assisting Wada by managing a testing programme that we hope will lead to Russia becoming compliant with the Wada."
Stanislav Pozdnyakov, vice-president of the Russian Olympic Committee, told state news agency R-Sport the report contains "nothing new".
He said Russian athletes "should train calmly" for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Igor Lebedev, deputy speaker of the Russian parliament and a member of the executive committee of the Russian Football Federation, said: "This is yet another torrent of lies, disinformation, rumours and fables."
Natalia Gart, president of the Russian Luge Federation, said: "Where are the facts? You can say this is nothing but rubbish... I am convinced that all of our athletes are clean and the silver medals that we won at Sochi are well deserved."
The Russian Investigations Committee - the country's main anti-corruption body - continues to investigate criminal cases that have been launched.
The committee says 60 athletes have so far been questioned.
Senior officials from Russia's sports ministry, its anti-doping agency and the Russian Athletics Federation are also said to have been questioned.
On Wednesday, Russia's anti-doping agency (Rusada) appointed former double Olympic pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva to chair its new board.
The move was questioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada), which said Rusada broke an agreement it would be consulted before any appointment was made.
Isinbayeva, 34, was strongly critical of Wada's recommendation that all Russian athletes be banned from Rio 2016.
McLaren was asked whether Russians athletes could be trusted in the future.
He said: "I think the answer to that is yes but they need to reform themselves. I've spoken with many Russian officials since July and they are putting together a very comprehensive programme which, if implemented properly, will make a major difference."
Wada says it will now pass evidence on Russian athletes' doping to the relevant international sporting federations and governing bodies.
In a news conference on Thursday, IOC president Thomas Bach said the McLaren report's findings would be taken up by two further commissions.
Only once those commissions had made their recommendations could the IOC decide what steps to take, he said.
"As soon as we have the report it will be handed over to the two commissions, who have already undertaken preparatory work," Bach said.
"But if you ask me for my private opinion then personally if you have an athlete being part of such a manipulation system, clearly I would not like to see this person compete again."
More on the IOC's two commissions
In May, McLaren was tasked by Wada with investigating allegations of doping in Russia.
He published the first part of his report - stating Russia operated a state-sponsored doping programme from 2011 - in July.
As a result, Wada recommended all Russian athletes be banned from competing from the Rio 2016 Olympics and Paralympics.
But the IOC chose not to impose a blanket ban, instead leaving decisions on whether Russians could compete to individual sporting federations.
Russia eventually took 271 athletes from an original entry list of 389 competitors to August's Olympic Games in Rio.
However, the IPC chose to ban the nation entirely from the Paralympics in September.
Last week, the IAAF decided to extend Russia's ban from international competitions. | More than 1,000 Russians - including Olympic medallists - benefited from a state-sponsored doping programme between 2011 and 2015, a report claims. |
38,525,872 | The authorities say 56 inmates died as rival gangs clashed on Sunday.
Brazil wants to increase co-operation with neighbouring countries to reduce the influx of weapons and drugs into the prison system, said Mr Moraes.
Brazilian prosecutors said one of the factions involved in the uprising had links with Colombia's Farc rebel group.
"We will set up police intelligence units in every Brazilian capital," Mr Moraes announced.
"They will gather data focusing mainly on drug trafficking and organised crime inside and outside prisons," added Mr Moraes.
The new security plan has three main points: the reduction in the number of cases of manslaughter; combating organised crime inside the jails, including transnational organisations that smuggle in drugs and weapons; and the modernisation of the prison system.
Mr Moraes called for a change in the law to reduce the number of people serving time for minor crimes.
He said that 72% of women in Brazilian jails had been convicted of drug trafficking offences and most of them were arrested in possession of relatively small amounts of illegal substances.
They should be serving alternative sentences or wearing electronic tags outside prison, said Mr Moraes.
He also announced that President Michel Temer had allocated funds for the construction of five new high security jails.
Sunday's 17-hour prison uprising was the deadliest in Brazil in years. Fifty-six inmates were killed. Many were decapitated.
Officials say police have managed to recapture 40 of the 87 prisoners who escaped.
Mr Moraes criticised the private company that manages the Anisio Jobim Penitentiary Centre.
"We are carrying out an investigation, but it's clear that the company in charge of the prison has failed," he said.
"You can't allow weapons, including knives, other sharp objects and shotguns, to be smuggled into a prison."
The clashes appeared to be between members of Family of the North (FDN), a powerful local gang, and rivals from the First Capital Command (PCC), Brazil's largest gang, whose base is in Sao Paulo, in the south-east.
Prosecutor say FDN has links with Colombia's Farc rebel group, from whom it buys guns and drugs. | Brazil's Justice Minister Alexandre Moraes has announced a plan to reduce violence in prisons, after a deadly riot in the northern city of Manaus. |
32,021,736 | Mr Elumelu said the entrepreneurs were Africa's "hope for the future".
The 1,000 come from 52 African states and territories and were chosen from some 20,000 applicants.
Forbes magazine listed Mr Elumelu last year as the 26th richest African, worth $1bn.
The BBC's Lerato Mbele reports from South Africa's main city, Johannesburg, that his donation is the largest by a businessman towards the development of small businesses in Africa.
"The selection of these 1,000 entrepreneurs brings us closer to our ultimate goal - to drive Africa's economic and social transformation from within and to radically intensify job creation in Africa," Mr Elumelu said in a statement.
He plans to spend $100m to support 10,000 entrepreneurs over the next decade, and to create one million jobs through the initiative, the statement said. | Nigerian billionaire Tony Elumelu has decided to fund 1,000 budding African entrepreneurs as part of a $100m (£670,000) initiative to boost the continent's private sector. |
36,031,679 | The nine-floor building, part of Ipswich Hospital, was hit on Tuesday evening.
Just before 19:00 GMT, Hospital chief executive Nick Hulme tweeted that a "massive clap of thunder and lightning has struck the building".
A hospital spokesman said patient care had not been affected but the unit's bleeper system was down.
Mr Hulme said everything was "safe" but there may be disruption for a while.
Hospital co-ordinator Karen Lough said the maternity unit was "fully operational" and the contingency plans had worked.
"We are using phones and radio communication to replace our bleeper system, but patient care has not been affected," she said. | A lightning strike has hit a hospital's maternity unit, causing disruption to its communication systems. |
30,586,539 | What images have lodged in your mind from Ed Miliband's year?
Eating a bacon sandwich? Posing with the front page of The Sun, before having to apologise to the people of Liverpool for posing with the front page of The Sun? Delivering his conference speech, minus the bits he forgot such as the deficit?
What you may have forgotten is that the Labour leader also celebrated two by-election victories.
The party comfortably held on to Wythenshawe at the start of the year but October's win in Heywood and Middleton - also in Greater Manchester - had UKIP breathing down Labour's neck.
The vote share for Nigel Farage's party went up by 36% on the general election. It was 617 votes short of victory.
Colin Lambert, a Labour councillor for West Heywood and a former leader of the local council, says the threat has not gone away.
"Some of us who know the area were quite surprised that we actually held on to the seat," he says. "We were not surprised by the closeness of the result."
He thinks there is a disconnection between the party's message from Westminster and what activists hear locally on the doorsteps.
"The campaign was very weak to start with," he believes. "It went on one issue - an important issue - the NHS - but they have to accept that immigration is an issue on the doorstep and the public will tell you that they voted with several thoughts in mind.
"One was immigration, another was poverty levels and the fact they (the public) felt the national party had ignored local views.
"Talking to Labour colleagues around the country it would seem Heywood and Middleton is fairly typical. In which case I'm beginning to be more and more pessimistic."
Heywood has always been a Labour seat and its supporters will hope that many former Labour voters who deserted the party in October return to the fold in May. Even so, enthusiasm for the party is muted.
"Poorly" was how one lady responded on Heywood's high street when we asked how Labour was doing. On whether Labour could win the next election she replied: "No - not unless they change radically."
Another voter told us he had "no confidence in them - or confidence in anyone".
In the summer, the Labour leader confronted his perceived image problems as he sought to cast himself as a politician with substance over style. If you want the politician from central casting, he said, vote for David Cameron.
Yet he still has to persuade voters to see him as a potential prime minister.
The party's showing in the council elections was respectable - it gained nearly 400 seats - but still demonstrated the limits of its appeal - it was not the sort of performance that suggested victory in the general election was guaranteed.
"Ed Miliband has had pretty poor ratings throughout his leadership and in recent weeks they have been worse than they were and he didn't get a boost after the conference which he did receive last year and the year before, so he will be clearly disappointed by that," says Peter Kellner from pollsters YouGov.
"I fear now it's going to be very hard for him to change that."
Labour has two major challenges to address between now and the election, Peter Kellner believes.
"There's never been a case when a party has won an election when it's been behind on both leadership and the economy - and that's where Labour is now. So Labour has go to neutralise at least one of those two factors if it's to have a real chance of winning next May."
Former cabinet minister Hazel Blears says who stands for Labour at the election will be critical to its chances of success.
"If you have local candidates, I think that does make a difference because people relate much more easily to people they see on a Saturday morning down the market doing their shopping," she says.
"I do think that is something, perhaps in recent years, that has become a bit more tenuous and we've lost some of those links. We absolutely need to re-establish them."
Time, though is short, and she urges leadership to use it wisely.
"I think over the next few months we've got to hone it down to four or five absolutely key pledges here and make sure they are costed, practical - we can implement them - and we can get on with it. I think we have absolutely got to bang that message again and again."
So is Labour there yet?
"I don't think so," she replies. "But I think the next few months will give us the opportunity. People will start to take more notice as the general election approaches."
Back in Heywood, Colin Lambert - who used to be on the local council for Labour - says that even after holding on in the by-election, Labour remains vulnerable in what was once a party stronghold.
"They need to wake up. UKIP are still here in the town, they're still operating, they're still out on the estates and they're in the community.
"We should have been doing the same with our new MP. I think if Labour carries on locally as it is then the seat's gone. It will go." | Labour won two by-elections in 2014 and performed respectably in council elections but question marks still remain about their leader and strategy in the run-up to May's general election. |
21,686,793 | It is returning to the city, having first used its conference centre for the event in 2011.
Liverpool has become an established conference location in recent years and will also host the Lib Dems in 2014.
Competition for autumn conferences, attended by thousands of party workers, lobbyists and the media, is fierce among the UK's largest cities.
The mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, said Labour's decision to return twice in the next five years was a "huge vote of confidence".
Labour is to hold its 2013 conference in Brighton, with the Lib Dems and the Conservatives visiting Glasgow and Manchester respectively. | Liverpool is to host the Labour Party conference in both 2016 and 2018, the party has announced. |
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