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38,219,928 | The lawyer acting against the government said the "political significance" of June's vote was "irrelevant" to the legal battle.
But the government says a Parliamentary vote is not necessary before invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.
It is appealing against the High Court ruling it lost last month.
Although the result could complicate the government's triggering of the process for the UK leaving the EU it is not expected to stop Brexit happening.
On Tuesday afternoon it was the turn of Lord Pannick, who is representing lead appellant Gina Miller, to make his case.
He said:
Earlier the government's lawyer, James Eadie QC, said ministers could prepare a "one-line act" if they are forced to consult Parliament before triggering Brexit, and "certainly won't" set out possible arguments and how it intends to negotiate.
"The solution in legal terms is a one-line act," he said, adding: "It may be that would lead to all sorts of Parliamentary complications and possible additions and amendments and so on, but that's the solution."
Read legal correspondent Clive Coleman's full analysis
Mr Eadie, who had been addressing the court since the case began on Monday morning, brought his arguments to a close by summing up why the government thinks it is entitled to use executive powers to trigger Article 50.
He said:
This second day of the Supreme Court Brexit battle was like Men's final day at Wimbledon: two massive hitters, James Eadie for the government and David Pannick for the main claimant, smashing legal balls around the court. Were there any aces?
Lord Pannick was full of rhetorical flourishes. He argued the 1972 Act to join the then EEC had created a "new legal order" that created unique and unprecedented rights that can't be swept away by ministers. Only Parliamentarians, he said, have that right - and ministers had even told them in 2015 that the referendum wasn't necessarily binding.
But Mr Eadie warned that if the Supreme Court did not let ministers have their way, the right to trigger Article 50, the justices could be crossing the line into making law themselves - something they are not there to do.
Lord Pannick continues tomorrow and he will try to batter home an argument that he says is "so obvious, so basic" - that how we leave the EU is a matter for Parliament - not ministers.
The government says it will trigger Article 50 by the end of March, which begins two years of formal Brexit talks.
It has said it will keep its cards close to its chest ahead of the negotiations, and has so far revealed little about what it will demand.
Campaigners, led by Ms Miller and hairdresser Deir Dos Santos, say triggering Article 50 requires Parliamentary approval, and won at the High Court last month.
The government has appealed to the Supreme Court, whose decision is expected in January.
Prime Minister Theresa May was asked about the court case during her visit to Bahrain.
"We wait to hear what the Supreme Court judgement is going to be but I'm clear that what government will be delivering and what Parliament will be delivering is on the will of the British people," she told the BBC.
Also on Tuesday, Lord Keen QC, the UK government's Scottish legal adviser, told the court Holyrood's consent was not needed before Brexit negotiations formally get under way.
The Scottish government believes it should be consulted before talks between the UK and EU begin, and its top law officer will be putting its case later in the week.
But Lord Keen said the Scottish government's argument was "fatally undermined" by powers over foreign affairs being reserved to Westminster.
He said it was plain from the legislation setting up the Scottish Parliament that it had no authority over matters of international relations, such as EU membership.
John Larkin QC, Attorney General for Northern Ireland, agreed with Lord Keen that the triggering of Article 50 by the UK Government fell within the royal prerogative.
The Brexit court case is pitting some of the country's top legal brains against each other.
First up, for the government, was James Eadie, the government's chosen QC, a role known as "Treasury Devil".
According to his chambers, the Cambridge-educated barrister is "the government's silk of choice for its most demanding and significant cases". Appointed to the role in 2009, his appearances acting for the government include during the Leveson inquiry into the press and the 7/7 bombings inquests.
On the other side is Lord Pannick, a member of the same chambers as Mr Eadie, who is a crossbench peer.
Educated at Oxford, he is described as "simply the best advocate of his generation", and acted in many high-profile public law cases. His previous clients include the Queen, and he has acted both for and against the UK government in the European Court of Human Rights. | The EU referendum result does not give ministers the power to trigger Brexit without consulting Parliament, the Supreme Court has been told. |
39,763,408 | The city is a flurry of colour as the biggest sporting event in Northern Ireland's calendar includes relay teams, wheelchair racing and a fun run.
Kilkeel mother-of-four Laura Graham won the women's race in a personal best time of 2:41:47.
Bernard Rotich won the men's race in 2:16:04, beating Kenyan compatriots Daniel Tanui and Emmanuel Kiprotich.
The event started at Belfast City Hall and finishes in the Ormeau Park, with many competitors raising funds for this year's official charity Mencap - and lots taking part in fancy dress.
Graham, 31, is the first woman from Northern Ireland to triumph since Barbara Brewer in 1999.
"It doesn't feel real," she told BBC News NI. "I feel I've yet to wake up!"
Rotich broke clear at the 23-mile mark after a leading group of five finally began to fragment.
"In 2014 I was here, I was not well prepared because I had an injury, but today I was very impressed with the time I ran," he told BBC News NI.
It was understandably slower going at Ravenhill Road, over 25 miles into the race.
Determination powered most runners as they edged closer to the finish line, along with the prospect of sweet relief.
Thankfully, they were getting plenty of support from those at the roadside.
"C'mon, you're almost there, keep going!" was the urgent chorus to the steady beat of pounding feet.
A local church offered free burgers and pumped out Eye of the Tiger - if it's good enough for Rocky, then it's good enough for a marathon.
Just around the corner and into Ormeau Park, the finish line was in sight - cheers, applause, fast food and massages for tired limbs.
A sweet reward for a marathon effort.
The weather is good for running conditions: A cool start, warming up a little later in the day and with little wind to throw runners off course.
All Belfast quarters are represented in the route, which is relatively flat going - although organisers say miles nine through to 14 are hillier.
There are 12 water stations which will also be distributing energy drinks and energy gels for runners.
Organiser David Seaton said the mix of events had been key to Belfast marathon's success over the years. | More than 15,000 runners are pounding the streets of Belfast for the city's 36th annual marathon. |
39,265,427 | Barrister Patrick Roche represented the families of those who died at the Sussex beach last summer, at a pre-inquest review in Hastings.
Coroner Alan Craze agreed the inquest should take place before summer "in the interests of safety recommendations".
The five who died on 24 August were all from south-east London.
They were:
Two others, Brazilian Gustavo Silva Da Cruz, 19, and Mohit Dupar, 36, from Hayes, west London, lost their lives in July 2016.
Mr Dupar died in hospital on 28 July, four days after trying to rescue Mr Da Cruz.
Mr Roche said the inquest should look at whether Rother District Council "could or should" have done more given the history of Camber Sands.
He told the pre-inquest review there had been one death there in 2015, followed by the two last July, but no remedial measures came in until after the five further deaths a month later.
"This is very much a case where the court will have to examine whether the local authority is to blame for these deaths," he said.
The coroner revealed a letter had been received from a "thoroughly disaffected" ex-employee of the council who worked for the authority until 2007.
The author said that in 2007 contracts were changed, a rescue boat was sold and life-saving employees had their employment discontinued.
Mr Craze said he had no intention of calling the author to the full inquest as his evidence was by now "so peripheral", but "it does spark me to inquire into the history".
He said the full inquest would be held in Hastings from 26 June but he would defer a decision on whether or not to hold it with a jury.
Last month, Rother council allocated £51,000 for lifeguards at Camber this summer.
They will be stationed at the beach from the late May bank holiday until the end of the summer holidays. | An inquest into the deaths of five men at Camber Sands will have to examine whether the local authority was to blame, a lawyer has said. |
36,478,447 | Ryan Webster, of Aberdeen, James Mackie, of Inverness, and Scott Hunter, of Bathgate, took up road cycling and signed up to do 150 miles for the Men United prostate cancer event.
Their padlocked bikes were stolen the day after the event, outside King's Cross St Pancras station in London.
They have now launched an appeal to raise £2,500 to buy replacements.
This is to allow them to continue to support various charities.
Mr Webster and Mr Hunter, both 28, and 30-year-old Mr Mackie bought the bikes earlier this year.
The charity cycle at the weekend took them from the Olympic Velodrome to Harwich ferry port, and then to the Netherlands to reach Amsterdam.
Mr Webster told BBC Scotland: "We have all had someone affected by cancer so it was a cause close to us all.
"We were buzzing, we had raised more than our target.
"But when we came back to the station on Sunday and the bikes were gone it was such a drop in feeling. We had thought they were secure.
"And the CCTV at the spot was facing the wrong way.
"The plan was to keep on cycling in future and raise more money for charity." | Three friends raised almost £5,000 in a cycle challenge - but then had their bikes stolen after they finished. |
35,572,271 | It is thought several Americans are to be approached about replacing Sir Michael Wilshaw, who will stand down as chief inspector in December.
The Sunday Times says a figure working in the publicly funded US Charter schools system could be appointed.
The schools have been credited with boosting attainment in deprived areas.
They have been expanding across the US in recent years, with supporters seeing them as a way of re-energising standards in state education.
Charter schools, like free schools and academies in England, are independent of local authority control.
Government sources have told the BBC that leading educationalists in the US have had to face similar issues to their contemporaries in England, not just in raising standards but in responding to the demands of teaching unions.
A number of British candidates are also reported to be in the running for the Ofsted post.
Christine Blower, the general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: "If the government is scouring the world for a new head of Ofsted, they should look to Finland.
"It is universally agreed to have an excellent education system characterised by co-operation, collaboration and trust - a far cry from the Charter School ethos of the US." | Education Secretary Nicky Morgan is understood to be looking to the US for the next head of England's schools inspectorate Ofsted. |
40,459,125 | Six years later, it ranks top in Europe for gay rights, it was the first country to ban gay conversion therapy - and it's about to legalise same-sex marriage.
"Malta wants to keep leading on LGBT issues and civil liberties, to serve as a model for the rest of the world," Prime Minister Joseph Muscat told the BBC.
Fresh from a resounding electoral victory, Mr Muscat put forward the Marriage Equality Bill as the first law to be discussed in parliament.
Aware of the potential backlash, centre-right Nationalist Party leader Simon Busuttil killed off speculation that the conservative faction within his party was against gay marriage. He insisted the opposition would support the new law.
It is not a standalone law, but consists of changes to the Marriage Act and several other laws.
Among the most contentious changes, it scraps references to "husband", "wife", "mother" and "father", preferring gender-neutral terms. It also gives gay couples equal rights to adopt children.
Marriage will be put on an equal footing for everyone, removing the notion that there is a "first-class" union for husband and wife and a "second-class" version for the rest, according to Mr Muscat.
Malta's liberal paradox
Germany MPs approve gay marriage
But the law has also been dismissed by critics as too progressive and even of going beyond the mandate of the Labour government's pledge.
Nationalist Party whip David Agius protested in parliament: "From now on, you cannot call your parents 'mum' or 'dad' because it is not in the law. Will we be celebrating "person who gave birth today" instead of Mothers Day?"
Maltese Catholic organisation Cana warned that gay marriage was a prelude to sperm donation and surrogacy for same-sex couples wanting children.
The suppression of the cherished terms 'husband and wife', 'mother and father' in Maltese law is lamentable
Malta Archbishop Charles Scicluna told a church community recently: "We are not against gays... But we do not need to change the way in which God created marriage to enable us to say that two men or two women can get married."
The amended law undermines the true procreative purpose of sexual intercourse between a husband and a wife, Mgr Scicluna told the BBC.
"The suppression of the cherished terms 'husband and wife', 'mother and father' in Maltese law is lamentable."
The Mediterranean island nation of fewer than 450,000 inhabitants has seen dramatic social changes since it joined the EU in 2004.
As Malta's first children's book about gay love is published, Prime Minister Muscat knows the tide is changing - and he is taking some of the credit.
"The change in civil liberties in Malta came because the Labour government put issues of equality as a matter of principle rather than mere cosmetic changes."
Gay marriage (marriage equality) is legal in these EU states: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, UK (excluding Northern Ireland)
Registered partnerships (with similar rights to marriage): Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Malta, Slovenia
Registered partnership (limited rights): Czech Republic, Estonia
No legislation: Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia
Source: ILGA Europe
When Maltese couple Neil Falzon and Roderick Vassallo got married in Portugal in July 2013 they could only host a small celebration, certainly nothing like the massive family feasts synonymous with Maltese weddings.
"At the same time it was surreal, almost other-worldly, that I was sitting before a marriage celebrant doing the unthinkable: marrying another man," recalls Mr Falzon, a human rights lawyer.
He said that from the age of 10 he knew he had a "dark corner" inside, which he felt nobody should see.
"Throughout those difficult years the toughest moments were those battling with the certainty that I would live alone forever, with nobody to love and no family of my own."
His partner Roderick faced the same dilemma.
"Since my coming out I always excluded the possibility of being ever married. The Maltese mentality was quite medieval at the time and being openly gay was somehow frowned upon, let alone the formal sanctioning of a relationship."
When Malta introduced civil unions in 2013, which gave several rights to gay couples but recognised only marriages contracted abroad, the two men felt they could finally become integrated into Maltese society.
"We had chosen to marry in Portugal on a point of principle. Why should we settle for a civil union when everyone else can marry? Although the legal effects are identical, the name is everything. This is why the new legislation is so important," Mr Falzon says. | Staunchly Catholic Malta only introduced divorce following a referendum in 2011, to the dismay of many in authority. |
15,549,985 | Two judges at the High Court in London decided that a previous ruling in favour of extradition must be upheld.
Swedish authorities want him to answer accusations of raping one woman and sexually molesting and coercing another in Stockholm last year.
Mr Assange's lawyers say they will appeal at the Supreme Court.
They have 14 days to bring the case to the highest court in the land, on the grounds that it raises issues of general public importance.
However, Mr Assange's legal team will first need to seek permission from the High Court to launch the appeal.
In February, District Judge Howard Riddle ruled that Mr Assange should be extradited to face investigation following a hearing at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court.
The 40-year-old Australian denies the allegations and says they are politically motivated.
However, in their ruling the judges, the President of the Queen's Bench Division Sir John Thomas, sitting with Mr Justice Ouseley, said that the issuing of the European arrest warrant (EAW) that led to Mr Assange's arrest and all subsequent proceedings to achieve extradition was "lawful" and "proportionate".
They dismissed Mr Assange's argument that the warrant was invalid because it had been issued by a prosecutor, and not a "judicial authority".
They also said the action of the prosecutor was subject to the independent scrutiny of Swedish judges, "which, as judges of another (EU) member state, we must respect".
By Clive ColemanBBC News legal correspondent
Mr Assange's lawyers have 14 days to go back to the High Court and apply for a certificate of law of general public importance.
In other words, to frame a question whereby they say there is a point of law that is important and goes beyond Julian Assange the individual, and is of general public importance.
If that certificate is not granted, that's it - he will be on a plane back to Sweden within 10 days.
If it is granted, then his lawyers have to seek leave to appeal on the basis of that question to the Supreme Court. That hearing will probably take place around January. Again, if he fails there, Julian Assange will be put on a plane back to Sweden within 10 days of the decision.
If he is successful, a full appeal hearing would be likely to take place at the Supreme Court in around May of next year.
The judges said: "It is clear that the allegation is that he had sexual intercourse with her when she was not in a position to consent and so he could not have had any reasonable belief that she did."
The court also rejected Mr Assange's assertion that the descriptions of the offences were not a fair and accurate description of the conduct alleged against him.
They added: "This is self evidently not a case relating to a trivial offence, but to serious sexual offences.
"Assuming proportionality is a requirement, it is difficult to see what real scope there is for the [appeal] argument in circumstances where a Swedish Court of Appeal has taken the view, as part of Swedish procedure, that an arrest is necessary."
Speaking after the judgement, Mr Assange said: "I have not been charged with any crime in any country.
"Despite this, the European arrest warrant is so restrictive that it prevents UK courts from considering the facts for a case.
"We will be considering our next steps in the days ahead."
The BBC's legal correspondent Clive Coleman said Mr Assange's difficulty has always been that he was being extradited on an EAW, which is a scheme brought in after the terrorism outrages to fast-track extraditions amongst European countries.
"The idea that underpins it is that every justice system within the scheme is as good as any other - he will get as fair a trial in Sweden as he would get here.
"That means it's very, very, difficult to resist extradition because as long as an allegation is made in relation to an extraditable offence and there's an intention to prosecute, then you pretty much have to give the person up for extradition," our correspondent said.
Wikileaks has published a mass of leaked diplomatic cables which have embarrassed several governments and international businesses.
American soldier Bradley Manning is being held in US custody for allegedly leaking information to the website.
Mr Assange appeared in court wearing a smart suit and Remembrance Day poppy but sat silently through the judgement, said BBC News home affairs correspondent Dominic Casciani.
Upon his arrival, Mr Assange was mobbed and police redirected him away from the crowd who had fixed to the iron railings of the court banners reading "Free Assange! Free Manning! End the wars".
Speaking after the appeal hearing, his supporters outside the court said they were "outraged" by the judges' decision.
Ciaron O'Reilly, 51, said: "Assange is probably the most amazing person in recent history who's upset so many powerful people in such a short space of time so it's obviously not a level playing field."
But extradition expert Julian Knowles QC, told BBC Russian.com he was not surprised by the decision in the Assange case.
"Although it's huddled some media attention and although some people have tried to make a lot of it, at heart it's an allegation that somebody has raped and sexually assaulted two women in Sweden," he said.
"The European Arrest Warrant system was invented so that these sorts of allegations could be dealt with speedily." | Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has failed in his appeal against extradition from the UK to Sweden over allegations of rape and sexual assault. |
35,380,609 | Gerard Kelly, 62, from the Montrose area, was hurt after the crash on the Woggle Road between Westhill and Blackburn at about 15:35 on Wednesday.
He was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary by ambulance.
Insp Jon Barron, of Police Scotland, said: "Motorists stopped at the scene to render assistance and administer first aid. I would like to thank them for doing their utmost to help."
He added: "At this very sad time, my thoughts are very much with Mr Kelly's family, friends and colleagues." | A man injured in a one-vehicle crash in Aberdeenshire has died. |
36,587,907 | A United Kingdom stars Rosamund Pike and David Oyelowo.
It tells the true story of the marriage of Seretse Khama, King of Bechuanaland (modern Botswana), and Ruth Williams, a British office worker.
The film, based on the book Colour Bar by Susan Williams, will be shown on 5 October, the festival's opening night.
The couple at the centre of the book faced fierce opposition from their families and the British and South African governments when they married in 1947.
The BBC film is directed by Amma Asante, whose previous credits include Belle.
Clare Stewart, the festival's director, said: "A United Kingdom is testament to a defiant and enduring love story that also reveals a complex, painful chapter in British history."
Assante described her film being chosen as "a great privilege".
The 60th BFI London Film Festival runs from 5-16 October. The festival's full programme will be announced on 1 September. | A film based on the true story of a Botswana king who married a London office worker will open the BFI London Film Festival. |
38,057,732 | In the North East about 1,200 people are detained under the Mental Health Act each year.
But a two-year study found that the teams delivering street triage had cut this amount to about 600 a year.
Newcastle University researchers, publishing in the BMJ Open, said the project meant options other than arrest were considered.
Researchers also found it cost the NHS, local authorities, ambulance and police services a combined total of more than £1,600 to hold someone in custody for three to four hours. | Street teams of nurses and police have halved the number of mental health-related arrests. |
40,673,767 | Chase the Ace is a lottery game popular all over Canada's east coast, and often raises money for charity.
The winner of each week's draw gets to pick one card out of a deck; the ace of spades wins the jackpot.
A record-breaking-million-dollar game has attracted thousands of people to the Goulds area of St John's.
With 12 cards left in the deck, the jackpot in Goulds has grown to C$1m ($800,000, £613,000) and people are lining up as early as 06:00 local time to buy tickets.
Run entirely by volunteers to help raise money for St Kevin's Parish, the jackpot has broken the previous provincial record of C$733,000.
Each Wednesday, when tickets are sold and drawn, the neighbourhood is overwhelmed with traffic, as thousands of people vie for their chance to win it all.
The crowds overwhelm mobile phone towers, making it impossible to make a phone call or send a text message, and traffic is so bad authorities have had to close the road and ban parking on some streets.
"Everything is rocking on Wednesday nights, which is usually a slow night," parish spokesperson Carol O'Brien told the St John's Telegram. "Every business in the Goulds is booming and it is fantastic."
Things got a little extra-heated this week when people discovered that a printing error caused some tickets to be duplicated.
Service NL, the governmental organisation that regulates gambling in the province, had to postpone this week's draw while it investigated the matter.
"I am going out of town tomorrow morning," Michelle Skinner told the Telegram.
"I know a lot of people also drove in from out of town, so I am sure it is frustrating for a lot of people, including the organisers."
This is not the first time Atlantic Canada has caught Chase-the-Ace fever.
The game was born in Nova Scotia in 2013, reaching a jackpot of about $200,000.
But as the game's popularity spread across the region, so too did its winnings.
In 2016, a game in Sydney, Nova Scotia, reached jackpot of C$2.9m with just five cards left in the deck, the largest jackpot to date.
The winner, grandmother Kathy McPherson, donated part of the money to the victims of Fort McMurray fire. | A uniquely Canadian game has brought gambling fever to the city of St John's in the remote eastern province of Newfoundland and Labrador. |
36,125,099 | The 39-year-old has played for his hometown club his entire career but is out of contract this summer.
He has been used sparingly under Spalletti, but scored twice late on in Wednesday's 3-2 win over Torino.
Totti, who won the Serie A title with Roma in 2001, released a statement on his website on Saturday.
Former Italy international Totti's cameo on Wednesday, coming off the bench in the 85th minute at 2-1 down to score twice, left some fans in tears.
With 247 goals he is the second top scorer in Italian top-flight history and the third-highest appearance maker with 597.
However, this season he has only played 11 times, scoring four goals, and has been linked with Leicester and New York Cosmos.
His statement read: "The great beauty of Rome and Roma - like the fairytale we experienced at the stadium on Wednesday night - can only be truly appreciated by those who love these colours, as I do and as you do.
"My goals helped the team and the club I've always loved to win the game. That should unite people, not divide.
"We have a big match coming up on Monday and the only thing that matters to me - as always - is being able to celebrate with my team-mates, the coach, the club and our very special fans."
Spalletti, who took over in January and would not confirm if Totti will face Napoli on Monday, said: "I've had a non-existent rivalry with Totti thrust upon me. I'm pleased if he's doing what he loves.
"I really enjoyed Totti's message on his website. A true captain's statement.
"I need everyone in my squad, Totti included obviously. I have to make sure all the lads feel important. He is always an asset to us." | Roma coach Luciano Spalletti has thanked Francesco Totti for urging the debate about his future not to split the fans. |
39,678,137 | UUP leader Robin Swann said he will discuss the decision with DUP leader Arlene Foster on Monday.
He was speaking after a meeting of the party's ruling executive in Belfast, where MPs Danny Kinahan and Tom Elliott were reselected to stand in Fermanagh South Tyrone and South Antrim.
Mr Swann also said the DUP would be wise to consider a unionist pact to retain Mr Elliott's seat.
He added that the decision not to field three candidates was made without the influence of other parties.
Mr Swann also said he was unaware of media reports that the party's former leader, Mike Nesbitt, was being considered as a possible candidate for South Belfast.
On Wednesday, MPs voted overwhelmingly to back the prime minister's call for a snap general election on 8 June - three years ahead of schedule.
It was announced earlier this week that the main unionist parties would discuss an electoral pact.
Talks between Stormont's political parties and the British and Irish governments have so far failed to secure agreement to enable the collapsed institutions to be restored.
Long-running rows over a proposed Irish language act and deep divisions over how to deal with the legacy of the Troubles are holding up a deal.
On Friday, the Secretary of State announced a new deadline of 29 June for Northern Ireland politicians to restore a power-sharing executive.
Mr Brokenshire had previously warned there would either be direct rule from Westminster or another election if no agreement was reached by early May. | The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) has said it will not be running candidates in three constituencies in the general election - North Belfast, West Belfast and Foyle. |
38,196,130 | The 8-1 favourite, ridden by Tom Scudamore and trained by David Pipe, came off the last jump behind but edged past the 2015 champion.
Highland Lodge, under Henry Brooke, was bidding to become the first back-to-back winner of the race.
The 2016 Grand National runner-up, The Last Samuri, finished third.
Elsewhere, the Willie Mullins-trained Un De Sceaux held off Sire De Grugy to claim the Betfair Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown.
The eight-year-old looked to have squandered the lead only to rally under jockey Ruby Walsh and deny Sire De Grugy a record-equalling third Tingle Creek victory.
Cornelius Lysaght, BBC horse racing correspondent
It will be one of those races remembered more for the near-miss defeat than the victory.
Of course, Vieux Lion Rouge did well, but the principal memory will be of Highland Lodge and his jockey Henry Brooke in second.
Last year's winner, right up there throughout, looked all set to become the first to be successful in back-to-back stagings - and give his rider a fairytale return from serious injury - before being caught close to the finish.
The first two and third-placed The Last Samuri, gallant under a big weight, are all set to re-oppose in the 2017 Grand National on 8 April.
Another set to be there is Many Clouds, the 2015 winner, who impressed in winning the Listed Chase, also at Aintree on Saturday. | Vieux Lion Rouge overhauled Highland Lodge in the final stages to win a thrilling Betfred Becher Chase on the Grand National course at Aintree. |
16,994,366 | Gambira had been taken from a monastery in Rangoon early on Friday morning, his brother told the BBC.
Officials had said he was merely being questioned and was not charged.
Gambira had been released as part of an amnesty last month, but continued his criticism of the civilian, military-backed government.
The US State Department had expressed concern over his latest detention.
One of the leaders of the All-Burmese Monks Alliance, the 31-year-old was arrested in November 2007, weeks after the monk-led ''saffron revolution'' protests were crushed.
Less than three weeks later, he was jailed for 68 years, including 12 of hard labour.
He was one of 651 people freed on 13 January in what was the most significant release of political prisoners since the country began a series of reforms aimed at encouraging the lifting of sanctions imposed by the European Union and United States.
But after his release, Gambira reportedly began re-opening monasteries that were locked up by the authorities since the protests.
In interviews, he expressed deep scepticism about reforms taking place in Burma, says the BBC's Rachel Harvey in Burma.
An EU official is due to visit Burma on Saturday to offer 150m euros ($199m, £126m) in aid following the series of recent reforms.
Andris Piebalgs, the European Union development commissioner, will meet with President Thein Sein as well as pro-democracy opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is contesting upcoming by-elections. | Burmese monk Shin Gambira, one of the leaders of anti-government protests in 2007, has been released after briefly being detained by the authorities. |
39,026,317 | Jamie Mines was injured at Kendrick Industrial Estate, Swindon, in December.
The Health and Safety Executive is investigating.
The semi-professional player, from Frome, remains in hospital and said the support he has received has given him a "huge lift".
He thanked well-wishers and donors for their "generosity".
Mr Mines, well-known locally as a player for Frome Town, Radstock, Larkhall and Paulton football clubs, is described as a "goal machine".
His friend Ian Kennedy, who set the fund-raising page up, initially put a target of £20,000, but after Mr Mines' second hand was amputated it was raised to £100,000.
The page has received more than 2,500 donations from across the world.
He said: "The support everyone has shown is admirable, humbling and simply amazing.
"We're not stopping here, this is only the start of Jamie's recovery and this is only the start of our show of support and love for him and his family."
Mr Mines was placed in an induced coma and also had the toes on his remaining foot removed.
Due to the accident he missed his first Christmas with his five-month-old twins Isabella and Savannah.
He is recovering in the intensive care unit at Southmead Hospital in Bristol. | A fundraising campaign to help a scaffolder who had to have his leg and hands amputated after suffering an electric shock has topped £100,000. |
39,601,408 | A spokesperson from the Diocese of Canterbury said: "It is hoped he will take up the position in the coming months."
Mr Keirle, who was born and brought up in St Albans, currently serves as Vice Dean of Guernsey and Rector of St Martin's Parish Church.
In a statement he said he looked forward to working with colleagues and the community.
More on the new dean and other Jersey stories.
Born and brought up in St Albans, Mr Keirle previously worked in agricultural research before training at Trinity Theological College in Bristol.
He moved to the Channel Islands in 2003 as Rector of St Martin's Parish Church.
In 2015 he served as Acting Dean of Guernsey during a vacancy period.
As well as his role in the church, Mr Keirle is currently a member of the Channel Islands Air Search crew, said the diocese.
He takes over from the last official Dean, the Very Reverend Bob Key, who resigned in 2016. | The Reverend Mike Keirle has been named as the new Dean of Jersey. |
40,573,460 | Police said she was approached by a man riding a bike as she walked southwards on Kirk Road between midnight and 01:00.
He got off the bike and physically and sexually assaulted her. He then left in an unknown direction.
Detectives said the "frightening ordeal" had left the victim badly shaken. They appealed for anyone who with information to contact them.
The suspect is described as a white man with a slim build. He is in his late 20s to early 30s and may possibly have ginger hair and a ginger beard.
He was riding a blue/black bike with white markings.
Det Con Lee McCall of Livingston CID said: "We're eager to trace this man as soon as possible and I would ask anyone who was in the Kirk Road area around this time and saw anything suspicious to contact us.
"Likewise, anyone who may recognise the description of the man is urged to come forward immediately." | A 44-year-old woman has been sexually assaulted in Bathgate in West Lothian. |
38,531,165 | The 32-year-old utility player has signed a contract until the summer of 2018.
The Bluebirds have also completed a deal to sign striker Ibrahim Meite, 20, from non-league Harrow Borough.
However, forward Lex Immers will leave Cardiff after it was mutually agreed to terminate his contract seven months after he joined them permanently.
Immers joins Kieran Richardson and Marouane Chamakh in leaving Cardiff City Stadium.
The Dutchman has signed a one-and-a-half-year contract with Belgian side Club Brugge with the option of an extra year.
Cardiff's Tom Adeyemi will remain at Rotherham for the remainder of the season as part of the Halford deal.
Boss Neil Warnock managed Halford during his spell in charge of Rotherham last season.
"Greg is a really good utility player - he played five or six positions for me last year," Warnock told BBC Wales Sport.
"I felt he gives us so many options really. Wherever he plays he is super and I know he can play here, there and everywhere.
"I felt against Brentford we were short with having to put a midfield player in defence and I thought 'that isn't going to happen again'."
Warnock described Meite, the non-league striker who had a loan spell with Leicester City earlier this season, as an "exciting prospect" and said he had signed him on a "hunch".
Immers' departure, meanwhile, is an agreement Warnock says "suited all parties".
"He has not really been in my plans since I have been here, and he has a lot on his plate as he is having a little baby," he added.
"He was one of our higher earners and I am trying to thin it down and make the squad more sustainable.
"I can take my time now, looking at the situation with the rest of the squad."
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page or visit our Premier League tracker here. | Cardiff City have signed Greg Halford from fellow Championship club Rotherham for an undisclosed fee. |
21,491,904 | The final episodes of series two of the political drama, which has attracted a cult following worldwide, were aired on BBC Four earlier this month.
"Strong characters coupled with delicately woven personal and political storylines have kept our audiences hooked on a Saturday night.
"The final season will be equally as engrossing," said Richard Klein, controller of BBC Four.
The third series, which takes place some two-and-a-half years on from the season two finale, is currently being shown in Denmark - and a British character is understood to be in the cast .
Speaking to the Sunday Politics Show earlier in February, actress Sidse Babett Knudsen - who plays prime minister Birgitte Nyborg in the show - confirmed it would be the final series, despite the programme's "unexpected" success.
"It's a bit sad, but it's great to end on a high," she told the BBC's Andrew Kerr.
"It's like finding a treasure," she said, explaining the success of the show, which has followed in the footsteps of other Scandinavian TV hits The Killing and The Bridge.
"Everything that's not from America is exotic, TV-wise. I think you become very loyal if you feel that you are part of discovering something."
The opening two episodes of the current series drew more than a million viewers to BBC Four when it was broadcast in January.
"We are so thrilled that BBC Four is on board for season three," said Camilla Hammerich, creative producer of Borgen.
"And amazed at how the UK viewers have taken the series into their hearts."
The third series will be shown in the UK next year. | Hit Danish drama Borgen is to return to the BBC for a third and final series. |
41,024,697 | Lithium is naturally found in tap water, although the amount varies.
The findings, based on a study of 800,000 people, are not clear-cut. The highest levels cut risk, but moderate levels were worse than low ones.
Experts said it was an intriguing and encouraging study that hinted at a way of preventing the disease.
The study, at the University of Copenhagen, looked at the medical records of 73,731 Danish people with dementia and 733,653 without the disease.
Tap water was then tested in 151 areas of the country.
The results, published in JAMA Psychiatry, showed moderate lithium levels (between 5.1 and 10 micrograms per litre) increased the risk of dementia by 22% compared with low levels (below five micrograms per litre).
However, those drinking water with the highest lithium levels (above 15 micrograms per litre) had a 17% reduction in risk.
The researchers said: "This is the first study, to our knowledge, to investigate the association between lithium in drinking water and the incidence of dementia.
"Higher long-term lithium exposure from drinking water may be associated with a lower incidence of dementia."
Lithium is known to have an effect on the brain and is used as a treatment in bipolar disorder.
However, the lithium in tap water is at much lower levels than is used medicinally.
Experiments have shown the element alters a wide range of biological processes in the brain.
This broad impact could explain the mixed pattern thrown up by the different doses, as only certain dosing sweet-spots change brain activity in a beneficial way.
Prof Simon Lovestone, from the department of psychiatry at the University of Oxford, said: "This is a really intriguing study.
"In neurons in a dish and in mouse and fruit-fly models of Alzheimer's disease, lithium has been shown to be protective.
"Not only that, but lithium is used to treat people with bipolar disorder and some studies have suggested that people on lithium for this reason, often for life, might also be protected from Alzheimer's."
He said there should now be studies to see if regular, small doses of lithium could prevent the onset of dementia.
At the moment, there is no drug that can stop, reverse or even slow the progression of the disease.
Dr David Reynolds, from the charity Alzheimer's Research UK, said: "It is potentially exciting that low doses of a drug already available in the clinic could help limit the number of people who develop dementia.
"[Our analysis] suggests that a treatment that could delay dementia by just five years would mean that 666,000 fewer people develop dementia by 2050 [in the UK]."
The problem with this style of study - which looks for patterns in large amounts of data - is it cannot prove cause-and-effect.
Prof Tara Spires-Jones, from the Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, at the University of Edinburgh, said: "This association does not necessarily mean that the lithium itself reduces dementia risk.
"There could be other environmental factors in the area that could be influencing dementia risk.
"Nonetheless, this is an interesting result that will prompt more research into whether lithium levels in the diet or drinking water may modify risk of dementia."
Follow James on Twitter. | People with higher levels of lithium in their drinking water appear to have a lower risk of developing dementia, say researchers in Denmark. |
35,734,781 | Conroy, who had pancreatic cancer, died at his home in Beaufort, South Carolina, surrounded by family and friends, his wife and publisher said.
His works drew from his own experiences of life in South Carolina.
He is recognised as a leading figure of the 20th Century's literature of the American South.
Several of Conroy's novels were made into films.
"The water is wide but he has now crossed over," his wife, Cassandra King, said in a statement issued via his publisher.
She said Conroy died on Friday evening.
In a tweet, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley wrote: "South Carolina lost a beloved son tonight. Pat Conroy will be missed. We can find comfort knowing his words and love for SC will live on." | US novelist Pat Conroy - whose best-selling novels include Prince of Tides and Water is Wide - has died aged 70. |
32,012,567 | In an interview with Australia's 60 Minutes, John Bilardi described his son as a "loner" who had a "death wish".
An emotional Mr Bilardi also said he blamed himself for his son's actions.
Unconfirmed reports say that Bilardi died earlier this month in Iraq.
Mr Bilardi said his son was a "prize" for IS.
"He was a trophy that they paraded online. They gloated about how they had recruited this young boy who didn't even have a Muslim background.
"They used him for their own, what cause? All I see that they're murdering people, including my son. They murdered him."
The programme described how Bilardi's parents went through a "bitter divorce" when he was a young boy.
Mr Bilardi lost contact with Bilardi and his five siblings following the divorce, but began to see his son again after Bilardi's mother died in 2013.
"He just had this smile on his face, he was softly spoken, you could see the shyness in him," Mr Bilardi said.
"The first thing that came out was 'Dad, I've converted to Muslim' ... I literally fell back in my seat."
Mr Bilardi revealed that his son sent him a message when he arrived in Syria.
Bilardi said he was "happy" to be there and had travelled to the country "with the intention of supporting the people of this land".
Friends of Bilardi told the programme that he was "bullied quite a lot". They said he spoke openly at school about his intention to "sacrifice his life for Islam".
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop called Bilardi's reported suicide attack a "tragic example of a young Australian being lured to a senseless and violent death".
Mr Bilardi said he would create a memorial for his son, who he described as an "intelligent" boy who could have had a "bright career".
"For Jake my son - not the jihadist, not the terrorist," he said.
It is a criminal offence in Australia for citizens to set foot in the IS strongholds of Mosul and Raqqa without a legitimate reason such as a visit to family.
Any Australian who travels to the city could face 10 years in prison.
But Australia estimates that around 90 of its citizens have already travelled to Iraq or Syria to fight with IS and 20 have been killed in the conflict. | The father of Australian teenager Jake Bilardi, who is reported to have carried out a suicide attack after joining the Islamic State (IS), has said his son was a "trophy" for the terror group. |
14,698,071 | He accepted a glass of fruit juice from a five-year-old girl.
His move came a day after MPs expressed support for proposed changes to anti-corruption legislation.
After nearly nine hours of debate, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee told parliament the "sense of the House" was behind Anna Hazare's key demands.
However, an expected vote on the proposals did not take place.
Mr Hazare, 74, had vowed not to stop until a tougher bill was passed, but doctors have warned that his health is deteriorating rapidly.
He has so far lost 7kg (15lbs) in weight and has refused medical advice to be put on an intravenous drip to help him rehydrate.
Opening Saturday's debate in Delhi on the proposed amendments, Mr Mukherjee said India was "at a crossroads", with the focus squarely on the country's parliamentary democracy.
Mr Mukherjee said that while there was support for Mr Hazare's proposals, a solution would have to be found within the Indian constitution.
Meanwhile, governing Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi said he had "serious doubts" that a single bill would end corruption.
Prison vigil for corruption crusader
Biswas: Arrest complicates debate
Mr Gandhi told MPs that the problem could not "just be wished away" and thanked Mr Hazare for "helping people to articulate this sentiment".
"There are no simple solutions to eradicating corruption. But I have serious doubts that a single bill will end corruption. What we require is a set of effective laws," he said in a rare speech.
In April, Mr Hazare called off a hunger strike after four days when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he could help draft legislation to create a Citizens' Ombudsman, or Jan Lokpal, an independent body with the power to investigate politicians and civil servants suspected of corruption.
The final version of the bill was presented in early August, but Mr Hazare and other activists rejected it because the prime minister and senior judges would be exempt from scrutiny.
This week, the government appeared to agree to the demand that the prime minister would be brought under the ombudsman's jurisdiction.
Mr Hazare has also said parliament should come to an agreement on three more of his proposals:
His campaign for the strengthening of the anti-corruption legislation proposed by the government has received widespread support, with tens of thousands of people attending protests across the country.
India has recently been hit by a string of high-profile corruption scandals including a telecoms bribery scam that may have cost the government $39bn (£23bn), alleged financial malpractice in connection with the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games and allegations that homes for war widows were diverted to civil servants.
Critics of the government say the scandals point to a pervasive culture of corruption in Mr Singh's administration.
A recent survey said corruption in Asia's third largest economy had cost billions of dollars and threatened to derail growth. | Indian anti-corruption campaigner Anna Hazare has ended a high-profile hunger strike in Delhi after 12 days. |
40,297,599 | The European police force said 718 jihadist terror suspects were arrested, up from 687 in 2015 and 395 in 2014.
However, the number of jihadist attacks fell from 17 in 2015 to 13 in 2016, of which six were linked to so-called Islamic State (IS), a report said.
The report also noted a rise in violent assaults by right-wing groups.
In its annual EU Terrorism Situation and Trend Report, Europol said that in 2016 there was a total of 142 "failed, foiled and completed attacks" reported by eight member states that included attacks by jihadists, nationalists and other groups.
It said 142 people died in terrorist attacks and 379 people were injured, and that nearly all fatalities and most of the injuries were caused by jihadists.
The EU's security commissioner, Julian King, said the figures reinforced the need for closer co-operation in intelligence sharing.
"Terrorists do not respect or recognise borders," he said.
Source: EU Terrorism Situation and Trend Report
The 62-page report also said that women were playing an increasing role in jihadist attacks.
"Female militant jihadists in the West perceive fewer obstacles to playing an operative role in a terrorist attack than men, and successful or prevented attacks carried out by women in Western countries may act as an inspiration to others," it said.
The report noted that the largest number of attacks last year were carried out by "ethno-nationalist and separatist extremists".
Attacks by left-wing extremists have been rising since 2014, the report said, reaching a total of 27 in 2016 of which 16 were reported by Italy. | The number of people arrested on suspicion of Islamist terrorism in the EU rose last year for the third year in a row, Europol says. |
29,661,268 | India's board said it was "shocked and disappointed" after being told by the West Indies board that its players would be leaving after Friday's one-day game because of a pay dispute.
The West Indies board initially denied making a decision to end the tour but later confirmed the news.
India will instead play Sri Lanka in a five-match one-day series in November.
India led West Indies 2-1 in the ODI series after their 59-run win in the fourth match in Dharamsala on Friday.
The teams were scheduled to play one more ODI, a one-off Twenty20 international and three Tests.
Captain Dwayne Bravo said after Friday's game that the tour had ended and all-rounder Darren Sammy later tweeted: "Honey I'm coming home."
The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) released a statement on Facebook saying that Bravo had informed them "the players have taken a decision to withdraw their services for the remainder of the tour of India".
The WICB offered to field a replacement team for the remainder of the tour but said that "was not considered acceptable" by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
The WICB apologised to West Indies fans, cricket fans and the BCCI for this "most regrettable situation".
The confusion started on Friday morning when the BCCI released a statement saying that the WICB had called off the tour.
"The withdrawal gives little thought to the future of the game, the players and the long-standing relations between the BCCI and the WICB," the BCCI said.
However, three hours later the WICB released a statement denying the BCCI's claim.
A further statement was then issued by the BCCI documenting a full timeline of the WICB's withdrawal from the tour.
All of this took place whilst the fourth ODI in Dharamsala was ongoing.
After the match, Bravo said: "Not only has today been tough, but the whole tour has been tough for us.
"Everyone has stuck together despite what's going on. We're looking forward to playing for the West Indies again soon."
The dispute between the WICB and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) concerns the signing of a new agreement covering pay and conditions.
It was rejected by senior players, including Bravo, who demanded WIPA chief Wavell Hinds, a former Test opener, resign.
West Indies went ahead and played Friday's ODI after team manager Richie Richardson reportedly confirmed by email to the BCCI their intention to withdraw from the tour.
Former West Indies fast bowler Michael Holding said it was a "very disappointing scenario".
He told Sky Sports: "Unfortunately it's come to the point where the players decided they were standing together, and they are totally dissatisfied with the way they have been treated.
"I have never seen anything like this happen in the past and I do not understand why the WICB have taken this stance."
West Indies were the dominant force in world cricket from the mid-1970s until the early-1990s, winning the first two World Cups, but have slumped to eighth in the Test and one-day rankings.
In 2009, the WIPA and WICB were involved in a similar dispute when 13 leading players, including then captain Chris Gayle, went on strike and missed a two-Test series at home to Bangladesh. Bangladesh won both Tests to record only their second series win in history.
The latest impasse comes less than four months before the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. | West Indies have pulled out of their India tour after a day of confusion and conflicting statements from both sides. |
40,216,401 | She was one of a handful of opposition candidates who picked up SNP seats in Glasgow and the west of Scotland.
As well as East Dunbartonshire, four other seats in and around Scotland's biggest city saw the SNP lose ground.
However, Mhairi Black, who was Britain's youngest MP when elected in 2015, was voted back in, albeit with a smaller majority.
Miss Swinson regained her former seat from high profile MP John Nicholson after overturning the majority of about 2,200 he picked up in 2015 - turning that into a 5,339 majority with a 16% swing.
Former BBC TV presenter Mr Nicolson was appointed as the SNP's spokesman on culture, media and sport, and sat on the Culture, Media and Sport Committee in Westminster.
Former Women and Equalities minister Ms Swinson said: "I recognise all of those who put party allegiance to one side to send a clear message that East Dunbartonshire does not want another divisive independence referendum.
"Nicola Sturgeon, I hope you're listening."
Meanwhile, Labour staged a fight back in its former Glasgow heartland taking an unexpected seat from the SNP.
Majorities were also dramatically cut in the city's constituencies as Paul Sweeney, 28, celebrated winning Glasgow North East for Scottish Labour.
The SNP's David Linden held off a strong challenge from Labour's Kate Watson in Glasgow East.
SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon arrived late in the night to congratulate the other re-elected MPs - Carol Monaghan, Alison Thewliss, Stuart McDonald, Patrick Grady and Chris Stephens - but the celebrations were just as jubilant among Labour activists.
Labour recently lost control of Glasgow City Council to the SNP and were wiped out in the city in the 2015 general election so candidates had gone into the snap election saying they had "nothing to lose".
Mr Sweeney, a Scottish Enterprise worker, defeated Ann McLaughlin as the SNP vote fell.
The Tories had returned eight seats in May's council elections but there were no further shocks despite a rise in the party's share of the vote across Glasgow.
The first result in Scotland went to Labour as the party won Rutherglen and Hamilton West.
Gerard Killen claimed the seat for Jeremy Corbyn's party with 19,101 votes, defeating the SNP's Margaret Ferrier, who won the constituency in 2015 but who polled 18,836 votes this time round.
Patrick Harvie was aiming to become the first Scottish Green MP, but failed to make an impact in the Glasgow North seat.
The party stood just three candidates in Scotland's 59 seats.
The SNP also lost out in East Renfrewshire, this time to the Tories.
Paul Masterton took the constituency - which 20 years ago had been the safest Tory seat in Scotland - from the SNP's Kirsten Oswald.
In Paisley and Renfrewshire South, the SNP's Mhairi Black was re-elected with 16,964 votes - although the party's support in the seat fell by 10%.
Ms Black became the youngest MP when she won the seat in 2015 at the age of 20, ousting then Labour shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander.
Gavin Newlands held the neighbouring Paisley and Renfrewshire North seat for the SNP.
Ms Black denied reports she had become disillusioned with the House of Commons and said: "If anybody was to be told they have a job for another five years, potentially, that's good news.
"And although I make no secret of the fact that I find Westminster archaic, I still think that so long as it's our political institute we have to get involved in it."
"So I'm glad to be re-elected again to go back down and continue to batter in to whoever's in government, to tell them that austerity is not working, it's not benefiting people's lives whatsoever." | Former Liberal Democrat minister Jo Swinson was swept back to Westminster after ousting a key SNP MP. |
33,047,944 | This phase of the £3.9m scheme involves a 3ft (1m) diameter pipe being installed under Hambledon to divert flood water.
The project is designed to prevent a repeat of 2013/14 floods when the village was inundated for more than 40 days
Hampshire County Council said the scheme would benefit residents.
Work will also see floodwater culverts created in East Street, West Street and parts of Green Lane, and road resurfacing and re-shaping.
Neil Mason, of Manor Farm, whose property was effected by the flooding, told BBC Solent although the work would cause an inconvenience for residents, it was for the "greater good".
Preliminary sewer work starts today and the main work is due to start on 22 June when the B2150 Hambledon Road will be closed south of the Cams Hill junction
Hampshire County Council is funding around £2.5m of the scheme with £1.4m from the government.
Sean Woodward, of Hampshire Councty Council, said the project was designed to "protect people and property".
The first phase involved improving and widening ditches downstream of the village and installing larger pipes under properties.
The works are due to be complete in Spring 2016. | The main road through a Hampshire village could be closed for more than a year for major flood alleviation work. |
40,713,748 | The 36-year-old said he was unaware his mother had applied for him to get Italian citizenship when he was 25.
But he said he would not be resigning as senator until he had legal advice.
Under Australia's constitution, a person cannot run for federal office if they hold dual or plural citizenship.
Earlier this month, two senators from the Australian Greens party were forced to resign for holding dual citizenship.
In a statement posted on Twitter on Tuesday, Mr Canavan said: "In 2006, my mother lodged documents with the Italian consulate in Brisbane to become an Italian citizen.
"In doing so, it would appear that she made an application for me to become an Italian citizen as well. I was 25 years old at the time."
Mr Canavan, who is a member of the Liberal National Party, said his mother raised "the possibility" that he was an Italian citizen last week, although he had not signed the application.
The politician - who was born in Australia and says he has never been to Italy - said that "given uncertainty raised by this matter" he was resigning as minister.
But he stressed that he was not quitting as senator because he had not yet obtained "definitive legal advice as to whether my registration as an Italian citizen, without my knowledge or consent, was valid under Italian law".
The Section 44 (Disqualification) states that any person who "is under any acknowledgment of allegiance, obedience, or adherence to a foreign power, or is a subject or a citizen or entitled to the rights or privileges of a subject or a citizen of a foreign power... shall be incapable of being chosen or of sitting as a senator or a member of the House of Representatives".
This is interpreted by the High Court of Australia as meaning that persons with dual citizenship are not permitted to run for office.
Yes. Dual nationals cannot be elected to parliament in Armenia, Egypt or the Philippines.
In Israel, a person must renounce his or her other citizenship to be sworn is as a member of Knesset (parliament).
In New Zealand, serving lawmakers run the risk of losing their seat if they renew non-New Zealand passports.
In the US, only citizens born on American soil can become president or vice-president. | Matthew Canavan has quit as Australia's Minister for Resources and Northern Australia in a row over dual citizenship - the country's third politician to do so in recent weeks. |
34,260,615 | The former Reds player was appointed boss in 2011 and became the club's most successful manager.
Breslin guided the Solitude team to eight trophies during his reign, including two Premiership titles.
Cliftonville have asked first-team coach Gerard Lyttle to take over as temporary manager.
The Reds started the season in fine form by winning their opening four league games before a draw with Warrenpoint Town.
Defeat to champions Crusaders in the north Belfast derby was followed by the weekend humbling at the Showgrounds, although Cliftonville played most of the game with 10 men after Peter Burke's dismissal.
Despite their two recent defeat, the Reds still lie third in the Premiership standings just five points behind pacesetters Linfield.
After Saturday's thumping at Ballymena, Breslin did not make himself available to talk to the media and that immediately led to suggestions that he was considering his position.
Cliftonville officials are understood to have made strenuous efforts since then to convince Breslin to stay on but these ultimately proved fruitless.
Breslin is believed to have met the players on Monday night to inform them of his decision.
A brief Cliftonville statement said that the club was looking at ways to ensure that Breslin would maintain a role at Solitude and it is understood that he will be offered a place on the club's board.
"We thank him for his magnificent contribution in taking Cliftonville FC to new heights," added the Cliftonville statement.
Cliftonville are chasing a fourth straight League Cup success while back-to-back Premiership triumphs came in 2013 and 2014. | Cliftonville have been hit by the shock resignation of manager Tommy Breslin in the wake of Saturday's 6-1 hammering at Ballymena United. |
40,527,359 | "It's an honour to be with you," Mr Trump told Mr Putin, who responded: "I'm delighted to meet you personally."
Both sides listed a wide range of topics discussed, including Russia's alleged meddling in the US election.
Climate change and trade are set to dominate the two-day G20 meeting.
Violent clashes between protesters and police have taken place in the streets outside the venue, with dozens left injured.
A huge police operation is trying to keep demonstrators - who are protesting against the presence of Mr Trump and Mr Putin, climate change and global wealth inequalities - well away from the summit venue, and water cannon have been deployed.
Earlier, US First Lady Melania Trump was unable to leave her hotel in Hamburg because of the protests.
"Putin and I have been discussing various things, and I think it's going very well," Mr Trump told reporters while sitting alongside Mr Putin at the start of the talks, which were open to the media.
"We've had some very, very good talks. We're going to have a talk now and obviously that will continue. We look forward to a lot of very positive things happening for Russia, for the United States and for everybody concerned."
Mr Putin, via a translator, said that while they had spoken by phone, a phone conversation was never as good as meeting face to face.
Both men ignored shouted questions from reporters as the meeting went into private session.
Speaking afterwards, Mr Putin said: "I've had a very long conversation with the US president. We had a lot of issues to discuss, including Ukraine, Syria, and other problems, also some bilateral issues.
"We have again returned to the fight against terror and to cyber security."
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson largely confirmed these were the topics covered, saying the leaders connected quickly and had positive chemistry.
But the two sides seem unable to agree on the exact outcome of talks over the Russian hacking allegations.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Mr Trump accepted Mr Putin's assertions that they were not true.
Mr Tillerson, meanwhile, said the two men had had a "robust" discussion on the issue during the two hour and 15 minute meeting, and that Mr Trump had pressed the Russian leader on several occasions.
However, he said it was not clear whether the two countries would ever come to an agreement on what happened.
"I think the president is rightly focused on how do we move forward from something that may be an intractable disagreement at this point," Mr Tillerson said, according to the Associated Press news agency.
Mr Tillerson also said they had discussed Syria and its future, and shared "commonalities on what outcome should be", although they had different ideas on how to get there.
They have, however, agreed to declare a ceasefire in south-west Syria from Sunday, Mr Lavrov said.
Earlier, a brief video clip posted on the German government's Facebook page showed Mr Trump and Mr Putin meeting for the first time and shaking hands, with Mr Trump patting Mr Putin's arm as they smiled in the company of other leaders.
The words were warm enough, but the body language was restrained as this meeting began. Neither man was smiling much as both said they hoped for positive results from their encounter. Their handshake, when it finally came, was brief and businesslike.
But they clearly had plenty to talk about, as their meeting went on well over the time allocated. Russia sees that alone as a success, proof that Vladimir Putin is a global leader to be reckoned with. No-one here is expecting any big deals though, like lifting sanctions for example.
The Kremlin has stressed all along that its main aim is to establish a "working dialogue" with Donald Trump, and perhaps begin the slow process of restoring relations with the US, which are at their lowest point in many years.
The two men staked out opposing views on major international issues in the run-up to the summit:
The G20 (Group of Twenty) is a summit for 19 countries, both developed and developing, plus the EU.
In her summit opening statement, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said: "We are all aware of the great global challenges.
"We know that time is short and therefore solutions very often can only be found if we are ready to compromise and work together without bending over backwards too much because, of course, we can express different views on some issues."
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has urged G20 leaders to impress upon Mr Trump that he should act as a role model in addressing climate change.
"We'll tell him it's important to take a lead role in tackling climate change and creating good jobs," he told German tabloid Bild, according to Reuters news agency.
Mrs Merkel has said the G20 will focus on the Paris climate deal but, as the G20 host, she will work to find compromises.
Mrs Merkel and other EU leaders have also expressed their commitment to an open international trading system, while the Trump administration pursues protectionism under the "America First" motto.
On Friday, the US first lady had been due to take part in an excursion with other leaders' spouses, but her spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said: "The Hamburg police could not give us clearance to leave."
Mrs Trump herself tweeted concern for those injured in the protests. | Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin have held their first face-to-face talks, on the sidelines of the G20 summit in the German city of Hamburg. |
33,282,857 | The 39-year-old from Gosport, is hoping to swim between Menorca to Mallorca, then Mallorca to Ibiza and finally from Ibiza to mainland Spain.
Ms Wardley said: "These will be the longest non-stop swims I've ever faced."
She is expected swim the route in three stages between September and December.
Previous swims include completing a solo 60-mile (96.6km) non-stop route around the Isle of Wight in 2013.
She was the first person in 30 years to make the swim which was the culmination of her Five Island Swim Challenge.
Ms Wardley has also swum the English Channel and the Straits of Gibraltar.
To date she has raised in more than £65,000 for charities including the Samaritans, Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust and Sail Africa, which offers sailing courses for young people in South Africa. | Long-distance swimmer Anna Wardley, from Hampshire, has revealed plans to swim 215km (133 miles) between the Balearic Islands for charity. |
36,361,374 | The drug has been prescribed to at least 17,000 service personnel at least once between April 2007 and March 2015.
The MPs criticised the MoD over the way it issued the controversial drug, which can cause severe side-effects, including depression and anxiety.
The MoD said the "vast majority of deployed personnel already receive alternatives to Lariam".
Lariam - the brand name for mefloquine - is prescribed to civilians as well as troops.
While it is not the main anti-malarial drug used by the armed forces, critics argue its side-effects can be more detrimental to those serving in challenging and dangerous countries.
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease which causes fever, headaches, vomiting and diarrhoea and can be fatal.
In 2015, it killed about 438,000 people and there were 214m cases of the disease, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa, according to World Health Organization estimates.
After a six-month inquiry, the defence select committee found the potential side-effects were clearly highlighted by manufacturers Roche, but there was "strong anecdotal evidence" that the stringent conditions laid down for prescription were often disregarded.
Committee chairman Dr Julian Lewis said: "It seems quite clear that not only is the MoD unable to follow the manufacturer's guidelines for prescribing the drug in all instances, but a number of troops discard their Lariam rather than risk its potentially dangerous side-effects.
"It is our firm conclusion that there is neither the need, nor any justification for continuing to issue this medication to service personnel unless they can be individually assessed, in accordance with the manufacturers' requirements.
"And most of the time that is simply impossible, when a sudden, mass deployment of hundreds of troops is necessary."
The drug's use had had " absolutely devastating psychological effects" in a small minority of cases," he told the BBC's Today Programme, and: "In a larger minority of cases there are disturbed nights, damaged sleep, psychological ideas that are unsettling and dangerous."
"In reality the whole experience has been deeply unpleasant. So much so that phrases like 'mad Monday' or 'crazy Tuesday' are used amongst the armed forces when this stuff has been doled out in the past."
The inquiry came after BBC Radio 4's Today programme revealed that a senior military medic had called on ministers to prescribe an alternative drug until it was clear that Lariam was safe.
Maj Mick Wallace took Lariam during his deployment in Kenya in 1998, and he says he has been severely depressed ever since:
"When I came back my wife said I wasn't the same man. I was short-tempered, anxious at times. I just didn't feel right and it's still going on.
"I've had several courses of anti-depressants and all they do is stick a plaster over it and as soon as I stop taking them, I go downhill again.
"I've never attempted suicide but it's been at the back of my mind.
"Recently I went into my barn which I use as a workshop and I had to leave straightaway because I kept thinking about hanging myself.
"So many men and woman have already been affected. I think the government would be foolish not to take up the recommendations but this should have happened a long time ago."
According to MoD figures, a minimum of 17,368 armed forces personnel were prescribed Lariam at least once between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2015.
Over the same time period, approximately 104,000 personnel were given a different anti-malarial drug, such as Malarone and Doxycycline.
As at August 2015, mefloquine constituted only 1.2% of all anti-malaria tablets held and, in terms of doses for a six-month deployment, only 14% of the stock, the MoD said.
It is not clear how many service personnel have suffered after taking Lariam but according to retired Lt Col Andrew Marriott, who gave evidence to the inquiry, between 25% and 35% of personnel who had been prescribed Lariam on deployment experienced side-effects.
Some of those affected are contemplating legal action against the MoD.
Philippa Tuckman, from Hilary Meredith Solicitors, said more than 450 personnel had come forward since late last year, saying they had been affected.
Roche said it agreed with the defence committee's report and it would continue to work with the MoD "to ensure they have all the relevant information to ensure Lariam is prescribed appropriately".
The MoD said it would consider the report's recommendations and respond in due course.
"The vast majority of deployed personnel already receive alternatives to Lariam and, where it is used, we require it to be prescribed after an individual risk assessment," a spokeswoman said.
"We have a duty to protect our personnel from malaria and we welcome the committee's conclusion that, in some cases, Lariam will be the most effective way of doing that."
Malaria is a serious illness and can be fatal. Drugs can reduce the risk of malaria by about 90%.
The MoD says Lariam is an important anti-malarial tablet within its portfolio, but it is not the only one.
The exact choice of drug offered to military personnel depends on "a number of factors", including the region the individual is deploying to, their health and any past history of side-effects.
There is no single anti-malarial that is effective against all the different possible strains of infection.
Arguably, all drugs can have unwanted effects, but soldiers have been reporting some particularly nasty ones with Lariam - depression, nightmares, hallucinations and suicidal thoughts.
The MoD says it only provides soldiers with Lariam when it is necessary and after an individual risk assessment, in line with advice given by the Advisory Committee on Malaria Prevention.
It says Lariam is not a "first-line drug" and is used primarily when other drugs would either not be effective or appropriate. | Anti-malarial drug Lariam should be the "drug of last resort" for UK troops, MPs on the defence committee have said. |
38,568,957 | Four people were held by a man with a firearm on Sunday evening inside the South Tyneside Coral bookmakers, police said.
The last person was released from the shop on Grange Road, Jarrow, at about 20:45 GMT, after several hours.
Alistair Gallow, 39, of Percy Street, has been charged with nine offences including false imprisonment and possessing a firearm.
He has been remanded in custody by South Tyneside magistrates to appear at crown court next month. | A man has been charged in connection with a siege at a bookmakers. |
34,331,748 | The 18-year-old reached 91 not out on the first day of the final game of the season against Gloucestershire.
Donald could now reach three figures on the first anniversary of his senior debut, after helping his team to run up 338-4 at Bristol.
"That would be a massive bonus (to get the record)," Donald said.
"But there are are still nine more runs to get first, so I'll worry about them and then we can talk about all that.
"Hopefully I'll sleep otherwise it'll be a very long night, but I'll be fine."
Matthew Maynard is the previous record holder, hitting a century on his debut aged 19 against Yorkshire in Swansea in 1985.
"I'm pleased so far but first and foremost it's a good day for the team with everyone getting starts and getting a few runs," added Donald.
"It's a good batting wicket and I'm feeling nice so hopefully we can go on.
"I was aware of my career-best but more aware of the big three figures hopefully."
The innings of 81 by opener James Kettleborough, who joined the club this season from Northants, was also his first-class best.
He has returned for a second spell in the Championship side at the tail-end of the season.
"I had the career-best at the back of my mind, mainly because I've got to get a round in!" said the 22 year-old batsman.
"I was aware of it so it was nice to go past it. It's been an incredibly frustrating season personally, so I'm grateful to get the opportunity and really pleased to get a couple of scores at the back-end of the season."
"A few of the lads were saying we haven't had too many days like today so hopefully we can make it count and take control of this game."
Should Donald get the Championship record he would still be outside the county's first-class record for the youngest to three figures.
That record is held by Mike Llewellyn aged 18 against Cambridge University at St Helens in 1972. | Teenager Aneurin Donald is in with a chance of becoming Glamorgan's youngest ever century-maker in the Championship. |
29,065,084 | The transport union said a ballot of its Scottish members had seen them "narrowly" record a majority in favour of independence.
The result came as Labour leader Ed Miliband was campaigning in Scotland for a "No" vote.
The RMT was disaffiliated from Labour in 2004 after it allowed its branches to affiliate to other parties.
It is understood RMT members in Scotland voted in favour of independence by a margin of 1,051 to 968. A further 365 voters were undecided.
The RMT is the largest of Scotland's rail unions, and also represents many offshore oil and gas workers.
A spokesman for the union said: "RMT has conducted a referendum ballot of our members in Scotland and they have narrowly recorded a majority in support of the 'Yes' position.
"That ballot result has been reported to the union's executive and we will be sending out a formal letter to our members in Scotland in due course."
Welcoming the result, Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon described it as a "humiliation" for the Labour leader.
She said: "This is very welcome and hugely significant backing for a 'Yes' vote from members of a major trade union - and it is a humiliation for Ed Miliband.
"Coming on the same day as his latest visit to Scotland, it completely demolishes his claims to be the authentic voice of working class, Labour-minded voters across Scotland.
"Labour voters are already moving to a 'Yes' vote in their hundreds of thousands, and it is endorsements like this which will persuade even more of them to back independence, as we look to securing a majority of Labour supporters voting 'Yes' on 18 September".
A spokesman for Scottish Labour said: "Six trade unions, representing 140,000 people across the public and private sector in Scotland, are in favour of a 'No' vote on 18 September.
"The vast majority of trade unionists in Scotland agree that we are stronger together and want to side with the politics of unity and solidarity, and not the politics of division.
"Even this ballot did not show a majority in favour of independence - 59% of people who voted didn't support a 'Yes' vote."
The Prison Officers Association Scotland has also previously voted in favour of independence. | The RMT has become the first major industrial trade union to come out in favour of Scottish independence. |
29,689,929 | Nimbus's Mum couldn't look after her when she was born, so zookeeper Jamie and his family stepped in to help.
She had to be bottle-fed by hand and lived in their bathroom until she was big enough to move into her new enclosure.
Martin has been to visit Nimbus in her new home and meet the family. | A baby leopard called Nimbus has been raised by a family in their bathroom. |
38,817,425 | 5 February 2017 Last updated at 09:27 GMT
The number of European nursing staff registering in the UK has fallen by 90% since the Brexit referendum, figures from the Nursing and Midwifery Council show.
Inside Out met European nurses across London to find out what they think.
Watch the full report on BBC Inside Out London on Monday 6 February at 19:30 GMT on BBC One. | The NHS could not cope without EU nurses and the government must offer clarity over their working rights, the Royal College of Nursing says. |
32,586,779 | Allegations of unethical treatment and underpayment will be investigated by the state government of Victoria.
Victoria will also push for a national inquiry into what it has described as "a national shame".
Claims Australia has an underclass of foreign workers treated like "slave labour" were made by ABC TV on Monday.
The report by ABC's Four Corners programme detailed widespread abuses of Australia's 417 visa.
The visa is for people aged 18 to 30 years of age who want a working holiday of up to 12 months in Australia.
The investigation uncovered abuses of the popular visa, including what were described as "slave-like conditions" at farms and factories across Australia.
"No employee should ever be exploited, harassed or deprived of their basic liberties", said Victoria's Minister for Industrial Relations Natalie Hutchins.
"This is not just about the underpayment of wages; this is about creating an underclass of foreign workers," said Ms Hutchins in a statement.
"It's clear that Victoria needs a better system in place when it comes to regulating labour hire practices," she said.
The food being picked and processed by exploited workers was reportedly sold to consumers across the country by major supermarket chains and fast food outlets.
Queensland MP Keith Pitt last month called for an investigation of exploitation of foreign workers in the horticultural sector.
He said many farmers were at risk of prosecution because they were using labour hire companies that underpaid backpacker workers.
Migrant workers are essential to Australia's agriculture sector, according to the National Farmers' Federation (NFF).
"Without them, there would be a chronic labour shortage at peak harvest times of the year," said NFF President Brent Finlay.
But he said all farmers had a responsibility to adopt employment practices and use labour contractors that did not exploit workers.
"And it's not just farmers, this is a whole of supply chain issue," he said. | An Australian government inquiry is to investigate labour exploitation following revelations of widespread abuse of foreign workers. |
32,177,858 | The Portuguese said he understood the stance of Reds boss Brendan Rodgers, who said Sterling would not be sold.
But Mourinho said: "I don't like players that don't want to play for me and my club, clearly."
Chelsea are among the clubs linked with the England forward, 20, after he rejected a £100,000-a-week contract.
Mourinho said striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was sold to Barcelona when he was Inter Milan boss after asking to join the Spanish club.
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"Every player has a price. It doesn't matter which player," said Mourinho. "If you ask me now, for example, Eden Hazard, we can speak about him because he's signed a new contract.
"Do I want him to leave Chelsea? No. If he wants to leave, if he doesn't want to work with me, if he doesn't want to play for Chelsea, does Eden Hazard have a price? I think he has a price."
Sterling has two years left on a contract worth £35,000 a week and Mourinho added: "I also understand the philosophy of managers and clubs who want to keep the players at any price, who want just to say, 'there is no price to sell - the player stays, whatever'.
"My philosophy is not better than that - it's just different. Either way, when a player has a contract with a club, the club, the manager and the board have the power to decide what to do."
Mourinho admitted he faces a difficult decision over Petr Cech after the long-serving goalkeeper said he did not want to remain second choice behind Thibaut Courtois at Stamford Bridge.
"Chelsea gave him a lot, but for what he is giving to the club still, he deserves a special perspective," he said.
"I think he won the right to be part of a discussion and a decision." | Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says "every player has a price" after being asked about Raheem Sterling's contract wrangle at Liverpool. |
30,809,491 | The freak weather ripped the guttering and tiles from roofs in Park Bottom, Illogan, in Cornwall and left them in a nearby field on Tuesday night.
Stunned residents described a "massive whirling noise" as windows were blown in and debris smashed into cars.
Weather experts said it was "plausible" that a tornado was whipped up during a severe storm.
The freak weather struck at abut 21:15 GMT, said John Budd, whose 6ft (1.8m) by 8ft (2.4m) wooden summerhouse was ripped from his garden.
"All of a sudden there was a loud roaring noise and then a bang," he said.
"I thought a plane had come down."
Mr Budd's summerhouse roof had been blown four houses down the street and landed in Trev Harris's garden after striking his conservatory and roof.
Roof slates were piled on the ground outside.
A large trampoline had also been catapulted four houses down the street.
Mr Harris said: "I said to my wife we have a shed-load of material in the garden and then I realised it was a shed."
Neighbour Dave Crabtree said: "There was an almighty sound of the wind whistling. The window was vibrating and all the glass shattered into the living room.
"It went everywhere. It missed my wife Lynne by an inch or two."
BBC weatherman Kevin Thomas said: "It sounds like a tornado; the clues are the roaring sound and the localisation of the damage and the fact that weighty objects have been picked up."
A lightning strike blasted a hole in the roof of a house in Hayle during the storm.
Snow caused hazardous driving conditions in Cornwall, especially around Launceston, and the A3074 near Lelant was closed after high winds brought down trees and power cables. | A suspected tornado threw a summerhouse roof some 300ft (90m) through the air and left a trail of destruction. |
24,475,967 | The Spaniard used the pair's record at Ferrari from 2007-09 as evidence.
"In terms of speed, Felipe is not any slower. When they were together, Felipe was as quick as him in a way," he said.
It will be great if Webber can say 'bye-bye' to F1 with a win
"So if we have a competitive car we will enjoy the season and do very good things. If not, it will be very similar to this year."
Raikkonen won the 2007 world championship with Massa in fourth place.
The following year, the Brazilian finished second - one place above the Finn - before Raikkonen finished sixth - five positions ahead of his team-mate - in their final year together.
Ferrari have signed Raikkonen because they feel he will be more consistent than Massa.
While sometimes qualifying close to Alonso, and occasionally ahead of him, Massa has had an up-and-down time in races during the last four years.
This weekend, meanwhile, Alonso can break the Formula 1 record for most career points.
With at least a sixth-place finish, Alonso - who currently has 1,559 points - will overtake Michael Schumacher's 1,566.
The 32-year-old Spaniard admitted the change in the points system in 2010 - to more than double the number of points awarded for top-six finishes, and to extend points down to 10th place - had somewhat skewed the equation.
But he still said he would be pleased to break the record, not least because it would be hard for him to break the record for wins (he has 32 and Schumacher 91) and titles (Alonso has two and Schumacher seven).
"It's important, as there are a few records I can achieve in F1," Alonso said. "Not the number of titles, as Schumacher has so many, not the number of wins, because of Schumacher too.
"But getting the most points in history will be very nice to have.
"It would be very nice to achieve that record here in Japan, to have something to celebrate, but first let's get those points before we talk too much about this record.
"Of course the points system changed, and that helped the new generation, but when the next driver passes me no-one will mention the points system, so I'm happy to have it."
Alonso admitted it was "almost impossible" for him to win the drivers' title this year - he is 77 points behind Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel with only 125 still available in the remaining five races.
He said his target for the rest of the year was to secure second-place overall and try to ensure Ferrari finished in the runners-up spot in the constructors' championship.
Alonso also wants his friend Mark Webber, Vettel's team-mate, to win a race before he leaves F1 at the end of the season to join Porsche in endurance racing.
"He decided to retire and then comes also some bad luck," Alonso said. "It's a shame for him. I wish him luck for the five remaining races.
"It will be great if he can say 'bye-bye' to F1 with a win at least and celebrate that weekend." | Fernando Alonso believes his new team-mate at Ferrari next season, Kimi Raikkonen, is no faster than his current partner Felipe Massa. |
36,853,841 | The 1975 drama, featuring a young Alison Steadman, was written by then-school teacher Bleasdale in four days for a BBC Two new writers strand.
The Alan Bleasdale At The BBC collection also includes the rarely-shown The Muscle Market and his best known work Boys From The Blackstuff.
It is available from the BBC Store.
Early To Bed - which also starred Doctor Who and EastEnders actor David Warwick - tells the story of a married woman who starts an affair with her young neighbour.
The Muscle Market, which has not been broadcast since it was first shown in 1981, sees Pete Postlethwaite as a crooked business owner.
The 1980 play The Blackstuff, and its Boys From The Blackstuff spin-off, were critically-acclaimed portrayals of Margaret Thatcher's Britain and featured Bernard Hill as the troubled Yosser Hughes.
The series famously saw the unemployed Hughes develop the increasingly desperate catchphrase of "Gizza job" as he searched for work, asking everyone he met including his professional footballer lookalike, Graeme Souness.
The controversial 1986 drama The Monocled Mutineer, which starred Paul McGann and told the story of a World War One mutiny, is also included.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram, or email [email protected]. | Alan Bleasdale's rarely-seen first television work, Early To Bed, has been released by the BBC in a collection celebrating his screenwriting. |
24,063,954 | The bill - which does not include staff costs - is slightly up on last year.
It represents a saving of £10.9m on 2008-09, the year before the expenses scandal and the creation of IPSA, the watchdog said in an annual report.
IPSA says it has saved taxpayers £35m in expenses payments in total, although it cost £6m to set up.
When staff costs are added in the expenses bill for the 12-month period is £98m, 7% higher than last year.
The biggest claimer in the period covered by the report was North Antrim DUP MP Ian Paisley Jr, who received £100,204 in constituency, accommodation and travel expenses.
Conservative MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham, Daniel Kawczynski, claimed the most on accommodation - £26,982 - followed by Rochdale Labour MP Simon Danczuk who claimed £26,939.
The DUP's Jim Shannon claimed the most on staff costs - £157,648 - followed by Labour MP and shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna, who claimed £155,434.
Alistair Carmichael, Lib Dem MP for Orkney and Shetland, claimed the highest travel expenses, £45,047, followed by Ian Paisley Jr £45,039.
One MP - Conservative Zac Goldsmith of Richmond Park - made no claim, while Conservative MP and business minister Michael Fallon received just £38.74 and Conservative MP for Windsor Adam Afriyie £604.20.
The report also details how much MPs pay to family members - mostly their spouses or children - to work as office managers, secretaries, caseworkers or Parliamentary assistants.
It shows that 155 MPs employ someone with the same family name in their office. Typical pay for an office manager ranges between £25,000 and £39,999 a year, although some MPs pay more than that.
Conservative backbencher Peter Bone pays his wife Jeanette - a cult figure in the Commons thanks to her husband's humorous references to "Mrs Bone" in his speeches - between £45,000 and £49,999 to be his office manager.
Fellow Tory backbencher Christopher Chope pays wife Christine a similar amount to be his secretary.
The report reveals that 19 MPs claimed a total of £13,163 for bonuses to their staff - the highest amount claimed was by Conservative MP Brooks Newmark who shared £1,800 between three members of his Parliamentary team.
There has also been a big increase in the amount MPs spend on security, which has gone up from £36,948 in 2010-11 to £129,829 in 2012-13.
Eight MPs still owe capital gains repayments to IPSA on house sales, adding up to a total of £96,295.
More than half of that total is down to Conservative MP Stewart Jackson, who is embroiled in a legal dispute with the watchdog over the £54,000 it says he owes them.
The MP claims the watchdog overestimated the capital gain he made on his family home in his Peterborough constituency.
IPSA banned the use of Commons expenses to pay mortgage interest in May 2010. However, transitional arrangements were put in place permitting MPs elected before 2010 to keep claiming the money up to last August - as long as they agreed to return any potential capital gain. | MPs claimed a total of £23m in personal expenses in the year to April, says the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA). |
19,528,417 | A number of children are among the dead. There were no reports of casualties among Isaf troops.
The police said the attacker was a boy, 14, on a motorbike, who detonated a bomb near an entrance to the HQ.
Kabul security has been tightened as supporters of an anti-Taliban warlord mark 11 years since his assassination.
Ahmad Shah Massoud - a hero of the 1980s war against Soviet occupiers, and later of opposition to the Taliban - was killed by al-Qaeda suicide bombers on 9 September 2001.
Following Saturday's explosion, the Isaf HQ, home to some 2,500 personnel, was placed "on lockdown", the Isaf spokeswoman said.
Child street hawkers are believed to have been caught in the blast and witnesses quoted by Reuters said small bodies could be seen being carried to ambulances.
A police official speaking on condition of anonymity told AFP news agency: "Most of the victims are young children who gather around Isaf to sell small items to soldiers leaving or getting into the base."
The US embassy, the Italian embassy and the presidential palace are also located near the site of the attack.
The Taliban have claimed they were behind the attack, but say it was carried out by a man in his 20s, targeting a building used by the CIA to train Afghan spies.
But the BBC Jonathan Beale, in Kabul, says there is also speculation that it could have been the work of another insurgent group - the Haqqani network - which carried out a series of coordinated attacks in the city earlier this year.
Scores of dignitaries were attending commemorations of Massoud's death in Kabul on Saturday, which is a national public holiday in his honour. | A teenage suicide bomber has killed at least six people near the headquarter of the Nato-led international coalition (Isaf) in Kabul. |
13,359,030 | It is an issue that has long concerned Western leaders who provide Pakistan with billions of dollars of aid each year and expect, in return, full co-operation in the US war on terror.
In July last year, British Prime Minister David Cameron said that he could not tolerate a situation in which Pakistan was able to "look both ways" so that it could promote the export of terror.
And just last month, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm Mike Mullen went on Pakistani television and openly accused Pakistan's main intelligence agency, the ISI, of having links with a powerful tribal group believed to facilitate the movement of Taliban fighters from Pakistan into Afghanistan.
The ISI, Adm Mullen said, had a "long-standing relationship" with the Haqqani network.
The fact that such senior political and military leaders are openly voicing their suspicions about Pakistan reflects their frustration that a decade into the US war on terror, the Taliban movement in Afghanistan is strong and growing stronger.
The biggest question just now is whether Pakistan knew Osama Bin Laden was living in its country.
Many Pakistanis familiar with the way the security establishment works think it is very likely the ISI did know.
"There is no way he could come here without the ISI's knowledge," said retired Brig Shaukat Qadir.
"You see this particular house had been raided... This house has been under suspicion all along."
Others insist that the ISI did not know and argue that its track record of catching militants proves it has no desire to hide them.
Assad Munir, another retired brigadier, was working for military intelligence and the ISI before and after 9/11.
He was based in north-west Pakistan and led the search for al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders.
"We got hold of the maximum people, who went to Guantanamo. I think we got hold of more than 260 people between 2001 and 2003," he said.
"We have the record. I don't think anyone else can match it."
It is a complicated situation and outsiders are often baffled by Pakistan's aggressive attitude towards some militants, and apparent tolerance of others.
Jihadis, after all, are causing havoc in Pakistan. With an average of more than one suicide bombing every week, 35,000 Pakistanis have died since 9/11.
The key to understanding Pakistani policy is to appreciate the distinctions between different types of militant groups.
Some, such as the Pakistan Taliban, are attacking targets within Pakistan - including security force personnel. The Pakistan army is consequently fighting the Pakistan Taliban hard. It has lost thousands of men in doing so.
But other Pakistani-based groups are focused on the war in Afghanistan. Pakistan has long been preparing for an American defeat in Afghanistan and wants to have a good relationship with whatever government takes over once the Americans have left.
For Islamabad, there is a lot at stake.
Pakistan used to think of Afghanistan as a place that gave it strategic depth. A friendly government in Kabul allowed it to concentrate its military forces on the border with India.
Islamabad is highly concerned that Delhi, which has given more than $1bn of aid to Kabul in recent years, is getting a foothold in Afghanistan. Countering Indian influence in Afghanistan is a top Pakistani priority.
Since the post-Hamid Karzai government will almost certainly include elements of the Taliban, Pakistan has an interest in maintaining good relations with the Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar.
Mullah Omar has repeatedly said he does not want his part of the Taliban to attack targets inside Pakistan.
Furthermore, if Pakistan allows Punjabi militants, for example, to fight in Afghanistan then it means they cannot cause any problems at home.
You can hear the full report on Assignment on BBC World Service Radio on Thursday, 12 May 2011 at 0905BST or on Crossing Continents on BBC Radio 4 at 1100BST . You can also listen via the BBC iPlayer or by downloading the free Crossing Continents podcast or Assignment podcast.
BBC Crossing Continents
BBC World Service - Assignment
But it is not just Afghanistan. There have even been cases of groups thought to have close links with the ISI launching attacks in India itself.
For example, the deaths of more than 170 people in Mumbai in November 2008 were blamed on the Pakistan-based militant group, Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Under huge international pressure, the Pakistani authorities put the founder of the organisation, Hafiz Saeed, under house arrest, but a few months later released him.
Other members of the group were taken into custody in Pakistan but none of their trials have been processed.
Abbas Nasir, a former editor of the Dawn newspaper, says there are elements of the state that want some militants to be set free.
"People have been killed, the murderers have been arrested, and then released without charge at the behest and the instigation of the security services," he said.
"They perceive India as the biggest enemy that they have. And think they need the jihad, the international jihad forces, to protect them and to reinforce their foreign policy, be it in Afghanistan or Kashmir."
The state's lack of determination to ensure the conviction of some jihadis has also been apparent in the investigation into the murder of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
Despite strong evidence that the Taliban carried out the assassination, and the arrest of five suspects, their trials have been delayed on various pretexts.
Jihadis involved in less well-known cases also escape justice but for different reasons.
Fearing reprisals, eyewitnesses and judges are reluctant to give evidence against or to convict jihadis.
In addition, the legal system is stacked in favour of militants. For example, possession of any amount of explosives - including suicide vests - is a bailable offence.
Many police officers have stories about jihadis being let off.
Senior superintendent of police Akbar Nasir Khan, for example, once arrested a man for attacking a politician's house in Peshawar with a rocket launcher.
He arrested him, seized various weapons, and found eyewitnesses who had seen the accused with the rocket launcher.
But three months after the case went to court, the man turned up in Akbar Nasir Khan's office and suggested they have cup of tea.
The court had released him on bail on the grounds that he was not a threat to public security.
The failings of the judicial system mean that, increasingly, for street level militants, it is a case of impunity or death.
Some police officers are so frustrated by the failure of the courts to convict jihadis that they say that rather than arrest suspects they now kill them.
One police officer in Karachi told me he had killed 22 militants.
"They always say the same thing", he said, putting his finger on the middle of his forehead.
"They say don't break my body. Make it quick." | The presence of Osama Bin Laden on Pakistani soil has once again raised questions about the links between the country's security establishment and jihadi militants. |
40,402,371 | Mr Holliday said there was an opportunity "to come back with some serious suggestions".
Last week's Queen's Speech appeared to water down commitments to a price cap.
Instead it said ministers were "considering the best way" to protect those on the poorest-value tariffs.
Before the election, the government had proposed intervening in the energy market to help millions of domestic gas and electricity customers by cutting around £100 off their energy bills.
Last year, a landmark investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority concluded that many households on standard variable tariffs were paying too much for their energy.
It calculated consumers were overpaying by up to £1.2bn a year and recommended a price cap for households using pre-payment meters.
Several large suppliers have questioned the findings. But they have come under increasing political pressure for their treatment of loyal customers on standard tariffs.
Mr Holliday, a former chief executive of National Grid, said the energy industry's reaction to the idea of a price cap was mixed.
He was speaking at the launch of the Energy Institute's annual barometer, which gathers the views of industry members.
The survey, completed by 466 members across the energy sector, indicates that that some see merits in a price cap to tackle affordability and poverty.
But most respondents were against a cap. "There were lots of people identifying the negative impact on investment, decarbonisation and on competition in the supply industry" said Mr Holliday.
"When you looked across the whole of the participants here... more than half were not in favour of a price cap," he added.
The Energy Institute's barometer for 2017 also identified Brexit as a "material concern" to the energy sector.
Members of the institute were concerned about uncertainty around energy policy, the availability of skilled labour, future trading arrangements, energy costs, security of supply and investment.
"The stakes are high for the UK's energy economy", said Mr Holliday.
"Sound policy making should not be drowned out by Brexit or other political upheavals."
A majority of those who responded to the survey want to keep most EU directives enshrined in UK law.
But a majority also want to see the UK abandon EU state aid rules and opinion is divided on British involvement in the EU emissions trading system.
As part of its Brexit plans, the government has confirmed that the UK will also leave Euratom, the European nuclear treaty covering the safety and the transport of nuclear material.
Energy professionals believe this move will negatively affect most aspects of the nuclear sector, including the cost and deliverability of new nuclear plants such as Hinkley Point C.
A majority also view President's Trump's decision to withdraw the US from the Paris climate Agreement as a "material concern", although one that can overcome by action at a state and federal level. | Energy suppliers have a "window of opportunity" to address government proposals for a cap on energy prices, according to Steve Holliday, the vice president of the Energy Institute. |
34,279,955 | The comic has previously described working at Merrill Lynch's offices on the 54th floor of the South Tower when the first plane struck the North Tower.
However Rannazzisi, who stars in FXX show The League, told the New York Times, it was a fabrication.
"This was inexcusable. I am truly, truly sorry," he said.
Rannazzisi had claimed in several interviews over the years that he had fled to the street just minutes before a second plane hit his building.
He said he had decided that life was too precious to waste opportunities, so left his desk job to pursue a career as an entertainer.
The comedian was confronted by the newspaper ahead of his own one-hour special due to be broadcast this weekend on Comedy Central and admitted that it was all a lie.
In a series of tweets, Rannazzisi apologised saying: "For many years, more than anything, I have wished that with silence, I could somehow erase a story told by an immature young man. It only made me more ashamed.
"How could I tell my children to be honest when I hadn't come clean about this?"
Alongside his TV work, Rannazzisi also has a commercial endorsement with Buffalo Wild Wings, which gave a statement to the NY Times saying it was "re-evaluating our relationship with Steve pending a review of all the facts".
Saturday Night Live comic Pete Davidson, who lost his firefighter father on 11 September posted and later deleted a tweet which read: "It's ok @SteveRannazzisi people make mistakes ... Can't wait to meet my dad for lunch later."
He later tweeted: "We all sometimes lie and exaggerate a story to seem cooler ...Unfortunately this is a very touchy topic n very near n dear 2 peoples hearts. Its years later but he apologized n owned up 2 it like a man."
Comedy Central has not yet commented on Ranazzasisi's future with the network.
The comedian blamed his fabrication on "an early taste of having a public persona".
He added, "It is to the victims of 9/11 and to the people that love them - and the people that love me - that I ask for forgiveness.
"It was profoundly disrespectful to those who perished and those who lost loved ones. The stupidity and guilt I have felt for many years has not abated." | American comedian Steve Rannazzisi has admitted lying over escaping from the twin towers during the terror attacks on New York on 2001. |
35,690,252 | The Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions (ASVA), which compiled the data, said visits to 260 of its member sites rose for the second year.
Edinburgh Castle came out top on the list - which included both free and paid-for sights - with more than 1.5m visitors, a rise of 5.9%.
But numbers at the city's zoo saw the biggest fall, dropping by 5.7%.
Although Edinburgh Zoo was the second most popular paid-for attraction, visitors were down from 671,941 in 2014 to 633,500 in 2015.
The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art saw the biggest rise in footfall, going up 40.6% from 320,605 visitors in 2014 to 457,655 in 2015.
The organisation's annual "Visitor Trends Report" found that more than 27 million visits were made to their sites in Scotland in 2015, a rise of 3.4% on 2014 figures.
The increase came on top of a 6% rise in 2014, suggesting that visitor attractions in Scotland are currently enjoying a period of sustained growth.
Sectors which fared particularly well in 2015 included gardens (+7.5%), museums and galleries (+2.7%), castles and heritage sites (+5.1%), and boat trips/marine-related attractions (+11.9%).
The National Museum of Scotland, which had ten galleries closed for refurbishment, had a 4.4% reduction, from 1,639,574 visitors in 2014 to 1,567,31 last year.
And visitor numbers at Gretna Green's Famous Blacksmith's Shop dropped 0.9%.
Douglas Walker, Chair of ASVA said: "After a number of challenging years for the sector, it is clear that visitor attractions are entering what we hope will be a period of sustained growth.
"The attractions which have done particularly well in 2015 are those that have invested in their visitor offer by developing innovative new products and services, as well as launching creative events and exhibitions programmes, all of which are vital for keeping visitors coming back time and again." | Scotland's key tourist attractions enjoyed a boost in visitor numbers last year, according to industry leaders. |
35,807,972 | The British number one, playing his first ATP tournament since becoming a father last month, was beaten 6-4 4-6 7-6 (7-3) in the third round.
The Scot, 28, was well short of his best, squandering a 4-1 third-set lead before losing the decisive tie-break.
Johanna Konta progressed in the women's draw by beating Denisa Allertova.
Konta, seeded 25, was a 6-4 6-1 winner over her Czech rival, who had beaten Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber in the previous round.
The Briton, 24, broke Allertova's serve in the fifth game of the opening set before taking full control in a dominant display.
"I fought the hardest I could fight and took some opportunities when I got them," said Konta.
She will next face Czech Karolina Pliskova, who defeated Ana Ivanovic 6-2 6-0.
The world number two said he struggled with his serve in windy conditions: "I didn't serve one ace in two hours and 45 minutes of a match.
"I have the capability of serving over 130 miles an hour and I was at probably 100, 105 miles an hour average first serve speed which was way too low.
"I just struggle in these conditions. I don't know why it is. The reason why I'm not going for my serve is I feel that when I do, I miss it.
"It's a slight mentality thing, but I seem to do it here every single year. It's frustrating because I don't serve at that speed the rest of the year."
BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller:
"Close followers of Murray's desert fortunes have seen similar performances in the past, but, from 4-1 up in the deciding set, the world number two knows he should have comfortably sewn things up.
"The drop shot, with which Murray has thrilled and frustrated in equal measure over the years, was overused in the closing stages - a sign of Murray's lack of confidence from the back of the court in these unique conditions.
"The ball flies through the desert air and can bounce up quite high - different conditions to Miami, where Murray will be heading for his next challenge." | Andy Murray made an early exit from the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells with a surprise loss to Argentine world number 53 Federico Delbonis. |
33,096,263 | An international team looked for evidence of current or past infection in more than 800 dromedary camels.
They found that more than 90% of animals became infected by the age of two and virus shedding was more common in calves than in adults.
The scientists argue that changes in animal husbandry may reduce the occurrence of human Mers infections.
The study is published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.
The first reports of human Mers coronavirus infection emerged in June 2012, although cases are likely to have occurred before then.
More than 1,100 cases have been recorded and more than 400 people have died. Infections have been seen in 25 countries across Europe, Asia and Africa, but Saudi Arabia has experienced the biggest burden.
Because of its devastating effects in humans scientists have been searching for the source of the virus, to try to identify ways in which human infections can be prevented.
Speaking to BBC's Science in Action, Dr Müller who was involved in the earlier ground-breaking research looking for the origins or Mers said, "We could identify, in South Africa, bats that were carrying ancestral viruses: viruses that are [evolutionary] older than the Mers virus that we are seeing today".
But, whilst related, these bat viruses were distinct from the Mers virus cropping up in humans. There had to be another source.
Following a brainstorming meeting between the Bonn scientists and colleagues based at the Erasmus Medical College in the Netherlands, the researchers focussed their efforts on animals that had close contact with humans living in the Middle East: horses, cattle, sheep, goats and dromedary camels.
The finding from their initial work was clear. Dromedary camels living in the Middle East had antibodies that recognised Mers virus protein - a strong sign of past infection. None of the other animals tested contained these.
To gain further insight into the origins of this emerging human infection and the link to camels, the team then looked at samples obtained from dromedary camels living in other countries.
The presence of Mers-reactive antibodies alone is not sufficient evidence - some antibodies can occasionally recognise several viruses belonging to the same families. So, rather than rely on the presence of antibodies alone, the team decided to look for the presence of neutralising antibodies - the antibodies that are able to stop a virus from infecting a cell - as these tend to be far more specific.
"What we could see is that dromedary camels, not only in the Arabian Peninsula but also in Africa where most of the camels are bred then exported to the Arabian Peninsula, have really high levels of neutralising antibodies, which means that they must have been infected with Mers, or a very similar virus," Dr Müller said.
"And we could see that, even in [samples obtained in] 1983, camels in Sudan and Somalia had neutralising antibodies."
Clearly, Mers infection of camels in Africa and the Middle East was rife and this data highlighted that camels had been infected for decades. The buoyant international camel trade running between the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula would have provided ample opportunity for the virus to spread.
This past work provided a powerful argument that Mers virus was circulating in camels but it still wasn't clear whether particular groups of animals posed the biggest risks to humans. Knowing this might help in the development of measures aimed at reducing human infections.
In the current study published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, an international team drawn from Bonn, Hong Kong and Dubai, looked at more than 900 camels living in Dubai for signs of both past and current Mers infection, in order to answer this camel conundrum.
The camels were being farmed for their milk and meat and for racing.
Blood, nose swabs or saliva samples were tested for the presence of Mers antibodies or for the presence of virus itself.
The vast majority of samples from animals aged more than two years contained Mers antibodies, showing that the virus is a common camel juvenile infection.
Crucially, active virus infection was observed far more frequently in animals less than four years old, with approximately 30% of camels aged less than one, shedding lots of virus.
So, it's these very young animals that pose the greatest threat to humans.
How the virus spreads to humans is still unknown.
It might be through direct contact with body fluids from infected camels. Juvenile camels are very wary of humans and will normally avoid contact with them. However, when the juveniles are separated from their mothers - usually at or before the age of two - they are brought into contact with humans and this provides the perfect opportunity to pass on any virus that they are shedding.
Alternatively, infection might also occur through drinking unpasteurised milk; possibly contaminated by transfer of virus present in the saliva of an infected calf onto the mother's teat during suckling.
Commenting on the infection risk, Dr Müller said "When it comes to being infected, I think you really need close contact and in particular behaviour like kissing camels, drinking raw milk, touching the nostrils and then touching your eyes. That's the way to get infected.
"It's not airborne, that's for sure, and you need quite a dose."
The authors of the latest study argue that simple changes in animal husbandry, like delaying the age that calves are taken away from their mothers, is likely to reduce the chance of human infection. | Camels aged less than four years might be a major source of Mers, according to new research. |
22,874,192 | The black hole lies at the centre of the Sculptor galaxy, a so-called starburst galaxy where stars are being born at a prodigious rate.
But the X-ray light corresponding to a black hole's snack has dimmed markedly.
The find, to appear in Astrophysical Journal, has mystified astronomers because star formation and black hole activity tend to go hand-in-hand.
The Sculptor galaxy - also known as NGC 253 - hosts a central black hole with a mass some five million times that of our Sun - a quarter again as plump as the black hole at the centre of our own Milky Way galaxy.
In 2003, researchers using the Chandra space telescope caught sight of the X-rays that correspond to matter spiralling down into the black hole and heating up to millions of degrees.
Source: BBC Science
Could you survive falling into one?
But as of mid-2012, the X-ray sky has a new observer: a space telescope called the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array or Nustar, already a successful black-hole hunter.
Nustar can spot even higher-energy X-rays than Chandra, and in late 2012, both telescopes were trained on NGC 253 - with the surprise finding that the X-ray emission seems to have stopped.
"Black holes feed off surrounding accretion disks of material. When they run out of this fuel, they go dormant," said Ann Hornschemeier of Nasa's Goddard Space Flight Center, a co-author on the new study.
"NGC 253 is somewhat unusual because the giant black hole is asleep in the midst of tremendous star-forming activity all around it."
The subtle interplay between black hole activity and the birth rate of new stars remains somewhat mysterious, but Bret Lehmer of Nasa's Goddard Space Flight Center, lead author on the paper, said that the Sculptor galaxy could shed new light on these dark galactic corners.
"Periodic observations with both Chandra and Nustar should tell us unambiguously if the black hole wakes up again. If this happens in the next few years, we hope to be watching," he said. | A black hole 11 million light-years away has gone dormant, a decade after being spotted consuming cosmic debris. |
37,512,508 | The first study of its kind in NI charts theft, fraud and the misuse of money among crimes committed.
It found that the emotional impact can be devastating, as often the crime is committed by people the victims know including family and friends.
Some 1,025 people, aged 60 and over, took part in the survey.
The report, entitled The Unsettling Truth, found some 7% of those surveyed had experienced abuse. That equates to more than 25,000 men and women, if extrapolated against the total population in Northern Ireland.
According to the testimonies of those polled, there are many different types of financial abuse, ranging from charitable contributions and buying goods, to issues relating to inheritance and coercion.
The survey indicated that incidents were highest in Ards and North Down (32%) and lowest in Causeway Coast and Glens (9%) with Belfast about average at 21%.
The Commissioner for Older People, Eddie Lynch, said he was both shocked and saddened by the findings.
"Aside from the financial loss itself, this crime affects the emotional wellbeing of older people, bringing with it feelings of betrayal, embarrassment and fear," he told BBC News NI.
Questions did not cover phone scams or junk mail, instead focusing on:
Mr Lynch said he had commissioned the report after realising there was widespread confusion around the scale of the problem among professionals, academics and others working in the field.
It is hoped that by increasing awareness of the problem, more people will have the confidence to report it.
Currently, there are about 400,000 elderly people in Northern Ireland, but that figure is estimated to rise to 507,000 by 2026. | One in five older people in Northern Ireland is affected by financial abuse, according to a report by the Commissioner for Older People. |
36,043,843 | The Unison union claims employers Cordia - a body of Glasgow City Council - are refusing to discuss the issues surrounding the strike.
It is over additional payments for tasks which the janitors say are "dirty, unpleasant, involve regularly working outside or heavy lifting".
Janitors first walked out in March and are set for further action on 20 April.
Cordia said they had given Unison three opportunities to outline their issues and that the matter was considered by a committee before being rejected.
A spokesman for the facilities company said: "Cordia has completely exhausted all internal processes after negotiations with Unison and is not required to convene a meeting to further negotiate when at this stage there is no possibility of a settlement."
But Unison said janitors were entitled to the Working Context and Demands Payment which ranges from about £500 to more than £1,000.
Sam Macartney, Unison branch officer, said: "We want justice for jannies in Glasgow.
"The city's parents, carers and the wider public will be rightly astonished that the employer is refusing to even meet these hard-working janitors and their trade union."
Industrial action over the payment began on 19 January when janitors began boycotting a number of duties.
Unison said Cordia were using "spurious arguments" to justify not awarding the payment. | Over 100 primary school janitors in Glasgow are set for another three-day strike over a pay dispute. |
38,737,571 | Ogilvie has yet to make a first-team appearance for the Premier League side, but played 24 times in a loan spell at the Lamex Stadium last campaign.
"I think everybody knows I really enjoyed my time at the club last year so I am delighted to be back," said the 20-year-old left-back.
"I'm grateful for the opportunity the manager has given me."
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page or visit our Premier League tracker here. | Stevenage have re-signed defender Connor Ogilvie on loan from Tottenham Hotspur until the end of the season. |
38,035,329 | Both teams had chances in a tight first half, with the best opportunity for the hosts side falling to Junior Brown, who fired over after goalkeeper Jak Alnwick blocked an effort from Vale old boy AJ Leitch-Smith.
Ivan Toney also flicked a low cross from Louis Dodds just wide as Shrewsbury pushed for a breakthrough.
Vale's best effort saw a 20-yard drive from Sam Kelly turned away by home keeper Jayson Leutwiler, while Alex Jones drilled a shot on the turn over the bar and Kjell Knops headed a Ryan Taylor corner wide at the far post.
Defences continued to hold the upper hand in the second half as deadlock ensued.
Skipper Adam El-Abd came closest for Shrewsbury when his close-range effort from Brown's inviting left-wing cross was well kept out by Alnwick.
Vale then almost snatched victory through a long-range shot from top-scorer Jones which flew narrowly wide.
Report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Shrewsbury Town 0, Port Vale 0.
Second Half ends, Shrewsbury Town 0, Port Vale 0.
Alex Jones (Port Vale) is shown the yellow card.
Attempt missed. Ivan Toney (Shrewsbury Town) header from the centre of the box misses to the right.
Hand ball by Dan Turner (Port Vale).
Junior Brown (Shrewsbury Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Sebastien Amoros (Port Vale).
Corner, Port Vale. Conceded by Adam El-Abd.
Attempt blocked. Rigino Cicilia (Port Vale) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Foul by Ian Black (Shrewsbury Town).
Dan Turner (Port Vale) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Port Vale. Dan Turner replaces Sam Kelly.
Corner, Port Vale. Conceded by Ryan McGivern.
Attempt blocked. Anthony de Freitas (Port Vale) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Foul by Ryan McGivern (Shrewsbury Town).
Kjell Knops (Port Vale) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution, Shrewsbury Town. Dominic Smith replaces Jack Grimmer because of an injury.
Substitution, Shrewsbury Town. Ethan Jones replaces A-Jay Leitch-Smith.
Attempt missed. Anthony de Freitas (Port Vale) right footed shot from outside the box is too high.
Corner, Port Vale. Conceded by Ryan McGivern.
Kjell Knops (Port Vale) hits the bar with a right footed shot from a difficult angle and long range on the left.
Corner, Port Vale. Conceded by Ryan McGivern.
Foul by Ian Black (Shrewsbury Town).
Paulo Tavares (Port Vale) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Adam El-Abd (Shrewsbury Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Rigino Cicilia (Port Vale).
Substitution, Port Vale. Paulo Tavares replaces Kiko.
Gary Deegan (Shrewsbury Town) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Gary Deegan (Shrewsbury Town).
Alex Jones (Port Vale) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Ryan McGivern (Shrewsbury Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Sebastien Amoros (Port Vale).
Nathan Smith (Port Vale) hits the left post with a right footed shot from outside the box.
Attempt saved. Adam El-Abd (Shrewsbury Town) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Corner, Shrewsbury Town. Conceded by Kiko.
Adam El-Abd (Shrewsbury Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Sam Kelly (Port Vale).
Ryan McGivern (Shrewsbury Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Alex Jones (Port Vale).
Substitution, Port Vale. Rigino Cicilia replaces Sam Hart. | League One's bottom club Shrewsbury picked up a point from a goalless draw at home to Port Vale. |
32,719,823 | Jurors returned a verdict of unlawful killing of Bobby and Christi Shepherd, who were aged six and seven.
The children had been overcome by fumes from a faulty hot water boiler at their hotel in October 2006.
Their mother said she would always blame the company for their deaths.
Speaking after the verdict, Sharon Wood said: "It's clear Thomas Cook should and could have identified that lethal boiler.
"There will never be true justice for the deaths of my two innocent children. [The verdict] has brought this tragedy to a respectful end.
"Rest in peace our beautiful angels."
Thomas Cook pointed out an investigation by the Greek authorities had cleared its employees of any wrongdoing.
The children, from Horbury near Wakefield, were on holiday at the Louis Corcyra Beach Hotel with their father, Neil, and his now wife, Ruth, when they died.
They were found by a chambermaid in a bungalow at the hotel.
Their father and stepmother had also become ill and were in a coma when they were found but recovered in hospital.
The inquest heard the faulty hot water boiler had been housed in an outbuilding attached to the side of the bungalow where the family were staying.
The children's father, Neil Shepherd, said Thomas Cook had "hidden behind a wall of silence".
"Thomas Cook failed our family. That boiler room should have been checked," he said.
Thomas Cook said in a statement it had been "shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic loss" of the children but there had been a thorough investigation by the Greek authorities which had cleared its employees of any wrongdoing.
It continued: "Thomas Cook recognises that the pain caused by this terrible accident will never go away and must be still very hard for friends and family to bear.
"The systems which were in place in 2006, which were intended to prevent such a tragedy, have since been thoroughly revised and address the criticisms made by the jury.
"The health and safety of our customers is of paramount importance and we continuously review and strive to improve all our procedures."
West Yorkshire Coroner David Hinchcliff said he would make a series of recommendations to the holiday industry at a later date.
A criminal trial was held in Greece in 2010 and three people, including the manager of the Louis Corcyra Beach Hotel and two members of staff, were found guilty of manslaughter by negligence and sentenced to seven years.
Eight other people were cleared, including two Thomas Cook travel reps.
Nine years is a long time to wait for an inquest, but since Christi and Bobby Shepherd died, there has been a criminal trial and a lengthy legal process in Greece.
The manager of the hotel was found guilty of manslaughter by negligence and sentenced to seven years. Two other hotel workers were convicted too but, as far as the family is aware, none of them actually went to prison because of the Greek appeals process.
Two Thomas Cook holiday reps were cleared at trial in Greece. And it's the holiday company who the children's parents still feel bitter towards. Could Thomas Cook have averted this tragedy? Rulings so far favour the travel company. After its staff were cleared at trial the firm was awarded £1m in compensation from the hotel involved. The family say they received a much smaller sum from the hotel.
But relationships between the family and Thomas Cook are not good. They were further soured when executives from the company refused to answer some questions during the inquest - as was their legal right to do so. The officials expressed deep sorrow for the family but insisted there was no wrongdoing by the company.
So what happens now? West Yorkshire Police has already investigated the deaths and passed the details on to the CPS. It concluded there was insufficient evidence to prosecute anyone in the UK in relation to the case.
There's a strong possibility this will be the last time these events ever have such a high public profile. The parents of Bobby and Christi say they hope this is the last time they have to go through the painful details but, above all, they hope all the publicity will prevent this happening to another family. | Holiday firm Thomas Cook "breached its duty of care" in the case of two children who died from carbon monoxide poisoning while on holiday in Corfu, an inquest jury has concluded. |
34,495,175 | He first entered the UK singles charts in 1982 with the song I Won't Let You Down - recorded with his band Ph.D.
He went on to achieve international success with I Should Have Known Better and Hi-Ho Silver, the theme tune for ITV series Boon.
His family said they were "deeply shocked by his sudden death".
He passed away at his home in London.
A family spokesman added: "He was a devoted family man who loved his wife Chrissy and his children Sara and Lawrence, and the music that he continued to make.
"He dedicated a lot of time over recent years to the Cash for Kids charity appeal in Scotland with his friend Sir Tom Hunter and was still active and well respected on the music scene.
"He'll be much missed by all who knew him and everyone who loved his music and his unique voice and style."
Born in Glasgow's East End, Diamond was influenced by the voices of Ray Charles and Otis Redding and joined his first band at the age of 14.
After moving to London he formed the band Bandit and his haunting voice was brought to the attention of the father of British blues Alexis Korner, who invited him to work with him.
He later went to Los Angeles where he worked with Eddie Kramer, the legendary producer of Jimi Hendrix.
On his return to London he formed the band Ph.D with Tony Hymas and Simon Phillips. Their first single I Won't Let You Down went on to sell millions.
When Ph.D went their separate ways, Diamond signed to A&M Records.
His single I Should Have Known Better went straight to number one and was nominated for an Ivor Novello award. His next single Hi Ho Silver was another top 10 hit.
At the Edinburgh Festival in 1993, the Scotsman newspaper described Diamond as "Scotland's answer to Ray Charles".
In the late 90s, he teamed up with saxophonist Chris "Snake" Davis from soul outfit M People. They performed together and later worked on Diamond's album Souled and Healed which was released in 2005.
In 2011, he released an album of soul covers featuring Scottish musicians including Wet Wet Wet drummer Tommy Cunningham and Greg Kane of Hue & Cry. | Glasgow-born singer-songwriter Jim Diamond, who had hits including I Should Have Known Better, has died aged 64. |
40,441,898 | Police Scotland confirmed earlier today that the man who died was Keith Johnston from Dounby.
The death is being investigated by Police Scotland, the Health and Safety Executive, and an internal inquiry.
The council's chief executive paid tribute to Mr Johnston.
Alistair Buchan said: "On behalf of everyone at the Council, I offer our condolences to all those affected by Keith's death.
"Our thoughts are with his family, friends and workmates at this sad and very difficult time.
"Keith was a much-valued member of staff and a highly-skilled and experienced member of our roads team. He will be deeply missed by his colleagues."
The accident happened on the A986 Dounby to Twatt road near Birsay. It is understood the vehicle involved was a council-owned lorry involved in the road maintenance operation. | The flag over the Orkney Islands Council offices in Kirkwall is flying at half-mast after a member of the council's roads team was killed on Wednesday. |
35,138,671 | Some 98% of voters support changing the constitution to allow him to run again in 2017 after his second term ends, the National Electoral Commission said.
Mr Kagame, 58, could remain in power until 2034 if the changes are passed.
The vote took place despite criticism of such an amendment by the US and other Western donors.
Rwanda's electoral commission said 21 out of 30 districts had published results so far, covering about 70% of voters.
Full results are due to be released later on Saturday.
Mr Kagame has not said if he will run again, but he is widely expected to.
Asked at the polling station if he would stay on, he said: "What is happening is the people's choice. Ask people why they want me."
Paul Kagame: Visionary or tyrant?
Third terms and the arrogance of power
However, the US has said Mr Kagame should step down in 2017 to allow a new generation of leaders to emerge.
Rights groups accuse the government of stifling the media and political opposition.
The small opposition Democratic Green Party claimed it had been prevented from campaigning against the change.
Mr Kagame has been president since 2000 but has held power since 1994, when his rebel force entered the capital Kigali to end the country's genocide.
The debate over extending presidential terms has led to instability in other African countries such as Burundi and Congo Republic, but has not caused unrest in Rwanda. | Rwandans have voted overwhelmingly to allow President Paul Kagame to extend his term in office, initial referendum results show. |
34,186,569 | In June, his family failed to overturn a government decision not to hold a public inquiry into his killing.
A lawyer for the Northern Ireland Secretary told Belfast's High Court that as the challenge had failed, the family should pay the full costs.
But the judge rejected the application.
Sources have said that the bill would have been in the region of at least £150,000.
Mr Justice Stephens said Mr Finucane's family had succeeded in establishing that investigations into his killing had not been in compliance with Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
One of Pat Finucane's sons, John, criticised the government for trying to make the family pay the legal bill.
"I think it was a very vindictive application," he said.
"The only way that that could be viewed is something that is quite mean, petty, and I think designed to stymie any decision by our family to go for an appeal."
Mr Finucane was a high-profile lawyer in Belfast who had represented clients including convicted IRA members, some of whom had taken part in hunger strikes at the Maze prison.
He was shot dead by loyalists in 1989 and his family have campaigned for an independent inquiry to examine UK state collusion in the murder.
Three years ago, Prime Minister David Cameron apologised to the Finucane family.
He agreed to a review of the case by Sir Desmond de Silva QC, but stopped short of a public inquiry.
In December 2012, a report by Sir Desmond said there was collusion in the murder of Mr Finucane.
It said the state had facilitated the killing, and made relentless efforts to stop the killers being caught.
Mr Finucane's family have said they will continue to campaign for a full public inquiry into his killing. | The government has failed in an attempt to make the family of murdered solicitor Pat Finucane pay the costs of a legal challenge against the prime minister. |
34,699,883 | Crowds allegedly threw bottles, chairs and a suspected petrol bomb as officers tried to shut down the event on Whitgift Street, Lambeth on 31 October.
Lesley Wheeler, 28, of New Malden has been charged with assault and Tony Amato, 42, of Caterham, with possession of an offensive weapon.
They will appear at Camberwell Green Magistrates' Court later this month.
The Met said 14 officers received minor injuries when they arrived to close the event shortly before 07:00 GMT on Sunday.
They described being attacked with missiles and said criminal damage was caused to cars and private property.
An event - called Scumoween: A Nightmare On Scum Street - had been advertised on Facebook to take place in the same area from 20:00 on Saturday until 06:00 on Monday.
Crowds first gathered on Black Prince Road at Albert Embankment, across the river from Westminster, before dispersing down Lambeth Road on to Lambeth High Street and nearby Whitgift Street. | Two people have been charged following clashes with police during an illegal rave in south London. |
36,505,209 | Media playback is not supported on this device
It will be the neighbours' second match of the tournament with Wales facing Slovakia and England taking on Russia on Saturday.
The two home nations meet in Lens on Thursday, 16 June.
"I think we've got a lot more passion and pride about us than them. We'll definitely show that on the day," said the Real Madrid forward.
Wales' first major tournament for 58 years begins in Bordeaux on Saturday against the first of their Group B rivals.
But Bale already has his sights on England.
"They big themselves up before they've done anything, so we're going to go there and we believe we can beat them," said Bale.
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"For me it is probably the stand-out game in the group stages, but there is no pressure on us because they believe they can beat us.
"I had a chuckle when England came out, I'm not going to lie.
"It's an amazing game to be involved in and it's like any derby - you never want to lose to the enemy.
"Even in the recent [rugby] World Cup when we won - I remember those. England don't get that, do they?"
Bale's English grandmother meant he was qualified to play for the Three Lions, but he did not pursue that option.
The Cardiff-born player said: "I don't know what it is, but if you're Welsh, we feel more pride and passion than anyone else.
"Look at the national anthem - everyone sings, the whole stadium. I remember the Belgium game, we were all tired, and the whole stadium just started singing it.
"I don't think any other nation would do that. Being Welsh just brings it out of you.
"It's like when I was young and being in a pub with my parents, everyone watching rugby or football on the television. Everyone was together, singing. It's the way we are brought up."
Bale says the death of Gary Speed, manager Chris Coleman's predecessor, as well as 58 years without appearing at a tournament has left him and his team-mates more appreciative of international football.
"What happened made us come together, stronger," said Bale.
"We've had to go deep to bring our emotions out, bring it on to the field.
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"In this campaign you've seen it. After every game we are all in huddles.
"We've been through so much to be here now, and it's definitely a shame that we've had so many great players - Ryan Giggs being one of them - who never experienced a major tournament.
"I think we appreciate it more than other countries - and we just have to give it a go."
Bale became the youngest Wales goalscorer in October 2006 when he netted in their 5-1 defeat by Slovakia, aged 17 years and 83 days.
"There was difficult times for a while, but we were all young and building for the future," said Bale.
"We've had a style of play which has taken time to embed.
"I don't think we stopped believing, but we had to get more experience, grow together."
Who do you think should start at Euro 2016? Step into Chris Coleman’s shoes and pick your XI - and then share it with your friends using our brand new team selector. | Gareth Bale says Wales will demonstrate more pride and passion than England when they meet at Euro 2016. |
36,722,866 | Brendon Mason, 23, of Glenfield, Leicestershire, was discovered near Abbey Park's lake in the city at 08:10 BST on Tuesday. He died later in hospital.
A post-mortem examination revealed he died as a result of a head injury.
A 27-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the death and bailed, Leicestershire Police said.
Updates on this story and more from Leicestershire
The force has reopened the park, but two areas within the park remain cordoned off.
Det Ch Insp Mick Graham said: "Brendon was seen in Tournament Road, Glenfield, between 16.25 BST and 17:00 BST on Monday afternoon, before heading off towards a bus stop near to a supermarket in Dominion Road.
"We are working to piece together Brendon's movements... and want to hear from anyone who remembers seeing him, or a man matching his description."
Mr Mason had short blonde hair and was about 5ft 7ins tall, officers said.
He was last seen wearing grey canvas tracksuit bottoms and a navy blue Adidas tracksuit top. He also was carrying a black Puma backpack.
The force said detectives were trawling CCTV footage and following a number of lines of enquiry as part of the investigation. | Police have launched a murder inquiry after a man was found injured near a boating lake. |
36,343,542 | Orion is the next-generation vehicle that the US space agency (Nasa) will use to send astronauts beyond Earth, to destinations like asteroids and Mars.
But it needs a "service module" to provide propulsion, power, temperature control, and to carry water and air.
That job will be done by the unit now being built by Airbus in Germany.
It is an immense piece of hardware in the shape of a 4m-wide cylinder. In flight configuration, it will weigh some 13 tonnes.
"What you see at the moment is just the primary structure, but over the coming months the empty space within it will be packed," said Philippe Deloo, the top European Space Agency (Esa) official overseeing the project.
"What needs to go in is the propulsion system, the power system, the thermal system, and the consumables storage - the items that deliver water and gas to the [Orion capsule]. All have to be integrated and verified to complete the vehicle."
This is the first time the Americans have gone overseas for a critical element of one of their astronaut transportation systems.
The key parts for Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and the space shuttles were all US-made.
"[Europe's] position on 'the critical path' has never been done before, and to be frank: we do not fly without the service module," stressed Jim Free, a Nasa deputy associate administrator.
Mr Free attended a ceremony in Bremen on Thursday to kick off the latest construction phase. He was joined on the American side by representatives of the Orion capsule's prime contractor, Lockheed Martin.
Airbus is hopeful of getting the completed module out the door by early 2017 - a timeline the company acknowledges will be challenging.
An indication of just how much pressure everyone is under can be seen in the fact that final assembly is proceeding even before the module has had its so-called Critical Design Review.
The CDR is usually the moment when all the final drawings are signed off; no further changes can be introduced.
But Bart Reijnen, who leads the service module project at Airbus, says he is very comfortable with the current state of affairs.
"It's true you don't see this on all space programmes, but it's something we do knowing the risk we are taking, managing that risk, and burning it down in the coming days and weeks.
"We have concluded it's a viable way or we wouldn't have done it, but it doesn't allow certainly for any big contingencies in the current schedule," he told BBC News.
Orion has already flown once, in 2014, making a quick sweep around Earth. For that unmanned sortie, it used a dummy service module.
That will not be the case for the next outing, in 2018, when the capsule (still without a crew) will be mated to its European aft section for a three-week loop behind the Moon.
Known as Exploration Mission 1 (EM1), the venture will also witness the debut of Nasa's new "monster rocket", the Space Launch System (SLS).
This Goliath will have the muscle to hurl the mission in the direction of the Moon, but it will be the task of the European service module to maintain the correct trajectory and to make the essential engine burns required to bring the capsule safely back to Earth.
For the moment, Europe is formally committed to making just the one module. But Esa member states will be asked in December to put the funds behind a second unit. The current, first unit was priced with Airbus at 390m euros; a second module would be used on Orion's first manned outing, EM2, a mission scheduled for "no later than April 2023".
It would be a major surprise if the member states rejected the proposal. For one thing, the first module has been given "free" to Nasa as an in-kind payment to cover Esa's costs at the space station. If Europe does not offer another module, it will have to cover those ongoing costs in some other way.
But, more than all that, Orion and the SLS are regarded by many as the future of human exploration beyond Earth, and Europe wants to be - as Esa boss Jan Woerner put it - "part of that game".
"I hope we can convince the member states as well as Nasa that we should go beyond this first flight model, for a second and maybe even more, and through that having a barter element for European astronauts flying on the SLS system," the director general added.
If European participation does become routine - and Nasa is talking about one or two flights per year eventually - then an industrial role in the service module will likely have to be found for the United Kingdom. It only recently joined Esa's human spaceflight programme, and has no components in the first vehicle.
But it is entitled to some sort of manufacturing return on its Esa investment.
Agency and Airbus officials said on Thursday they were already looking at how that "juste retour" could be fulfilled in the future. | European industry has begun assembling the "back end" of the Orion crewship that is due to make an important 2018 demonstration flight around the Moon. |
40,973,907 | Costa, 28, remains in his native Brazil after being sent a text in June by boss Antonio Conte telling him he would not be part of the squad this year.
The Blues signed Costa from Atletico for a reported £32m in July 2014.
"When I came to Chelsea they paid a lot less compared to what's being offered to them," Costa told ESPN Brasil.
He added that if Atletico do not make a "big effort" to sign him then he "can't keep on wanting" to play for Diego Simeone's side.
"I know that this [big effort] will happen, but if it's to pay the amount that Chelsea want it won't be possible," he said.
More to follow. | Diego Costa says Chelsea are demanding a fee Atletico Madrid "can't get near" for the Spain striker to complete his desired move back to his former club. |
36,983,933 | Former Blackburn chief executive John Williams will replace Peace, who has been chairman for 14 years.
"My immediate priorities will be to maintain the club's stable structure, respecting its well-run nature and its heritage," said Lai.
"I have no intention of changing the club's ethos."
He added: "I believe that we have a competitive team, with the right management and coaching staff in place."
Williams said his "immediate focus is on our activity in the transfer window" a day after the club pulled out of a move for West Ham striker Diafra Sakho.
"(Manager) Tony Pulis and (technical director) Nick Hammond have told the board we are two or three players short," he said.
"Realistic targets have been identified and there are funds available.
"We need to get them over the line to ensure Tony has a competitive squad for what is going to be a challenging and demanding campaign."
Lai, 42, oversaw the growth of landscaping company Palm in his home country before retiring in May 2014 to focus on private investment.
Palm, which was valued at £1.8bn on the Chinese stock exchange, has contributed to the takeover.
The deal was agreed in June and is dependent on approval from the Financial Conduct Authority and the Premier League.
West Brom came close to being sold to a Chinese consortium last summer before Peace, who owned 88% of the club, broke off negotiations.
It had been reported that Peace was looking for about £150m for his stake in the club, which recorded pre-tax profits of £7.6m in April.
He first invited offers of investment in June 2008.
"I believe this deal will enable Albion to build on the strong, sustainable foundations that have been the cornerstone of the club's progress," said Peace.
"The club can look to the future with excitement about the opportunities ahead."
Fellow Midlands clubs Aston Villa and Wolves have also been taken over by Chinese investors this summer. | West Brom chairman Jeremy Peace has agreed a deal to sell the club to a Chinese investment group led by entrepreneur Guochuan Lai. |
32,076,070 | The indigenous Aymara women have centuries of experience of knitting and weaving distinctive woollen hats, sweaters and blankets.
Now, they are applying their expertise to a hi-tech medical product - which is used to seal up a "hole in the heart" which some babies are born with.
"We are very happy, we are doing something for someone so they can live," says knitter Daniela Mendoza, who weaves the tiny device in a special "clean room".
It takes her about two hours to make the Nit Occlud device which was designed by cardiologist Franz Freudenthal. He set up his clinic in La Paz to help children born with heart problems and so far he has saved hundreds of lives.
The device, known as an occluder, looks similar to a top hat and is used to block the hole in the patient's heart.
Most standard occluders are made on an industrial scale - but Freduenthal's version is so small and intricate that it's technically tricky to mass produce.
So he enlisted an army of Bolivia's traditional craft knitters to make them by hand.
In the early days he tested the first prototypes on sheep with heart problems. He's since successfully used them on hundreds of children and now exports his new inventions all over the world.
"The most important thing is that we try to get really really simple solutions for complex problems," Dr Freudenthal told the BBC.
Bolivia is the poorest country in south America and lacks enough specialist hospitals and cardiac doctors to treat children born with heart problems. So cheap innovations are welcome.
Freudenthal's devices are made by weaving a single strand of a super-elastic metal used in military industries.
Known as nitinol, a nickel-titanium alloy, it can memorise its own shape and can be folded up inside a slim catheter which a cardiologist inserts into the the groin. The device remains folded as it travels through blood vessels - and is only expanded when it reaches the right place in the heart.
Recovering its original shape, it then blocks the hole or ductus that causes the heart problems. It can stay there without the need to be changed.
Dr Freudenthal has earned international praise and awards for his combination of traditional craft techniques and high technology to fix hearts.
This minimally invasive approach also helps to avoid cultural barriers to treatment: manipulating a heart is considered an act of desecration on the human soul by some indigenous communities in Bolivia.
"By not operating with an open heart" says Dr Freudenthal, "We are also respecting the will of many patients who would not want their children to be operated otherwise."
People who live with congenital heart problems struggle to gain weight and are easily fatigued, as their hearts have to work three times harder than a healthy one to pump blood around the body.
The problem the device aims to fix is a hole in the heart - which is also known as a patent ductus arteriosus or PDA.
Before birth a baby gets oxygen from its mother. A blood vessel which is called the ductus arteroiosus allows blood to bypass the lungs closes up on its own soon after birth.
But if it fails to close naturally then there is irregular blood flow in the heart. This can lead to symptoms of breathlessness and a failure to thrive - although there are often no symptoms if the problem is mild.
Due to the high altitude and lack of oxygen in La Paz - 4,000 metres above sea level - Freudenthal says that these kind of problems are 10 times more frequent here than in other countries.
Six-year-old Cinthia was operated on three years ago.
The blood that was supposed to supply her whole body with oxygen and nutrients used to escape through the ductus before it was stopped by one of Freudenthal's devices.
Her mother Victoria Hilari recalls "She couldn't even walk one block. She used to tell me she was too tired. She used to get purple when crying, she almost fainted."
"That's how I realised she had a problem, but I didn't know what to do.
"Now she can run and she's even passing physical education at school."
Bolivia has one of the highest children mortality rates in the world.
At least for the patients at Dr Freudenthal's clinic, the answer to their problem is in the hands of a group of skilled women with the power of fixing hearts - weaving to save lives. | Traditional craft skills are helping to save the lives of children born with heart defects in Bolivia. |
40,645,134 | Recent reports suggest that stadium construction is behind schedule while Cameroon also faces economic problems.
"Despite security concerns, social and economic crises, the government and President Paul Biya are totally engaged to do everything for the Nations Cup to go ahead," said Ismael Bidoung.
Cameroon won this year's Nations Cup.
In the wake of concerns aired about Cameroon's readiness, North African nations Algeria and Morocco have recently put themselves forward as back-up options for the finals.
Bidoung said that group games will take place in five cities, with Limbe having been added to the four venues mentioned in Cameroon's original bid: Bafoussam, Douala, Garoua and the capital Yaounde.
However, more venues are needed for the teams' training - some of which were already used when Cameroon hosted the Women's Africa Cup of Nations last year.
"Of the 32 stadia required for the 2019 Nations Cup, the 11 that served for the 2016 Women Africa Cup of Nations are ready and functional," said Bidoung.
"For the 21 other stadia, 14 are under rehabilitation and 7 are still to be constructed."
The stadiums in Yaounde (the 60,000-capacity Japoma) and in Douala (50,000) are those that require the most reconstruction work.
Italian firm Piccini is working on the Olembe stadium in Yaounde and has reassured Cameroonians that it will deliver the venue three months before the finals begin.
It added that 80% of the material will be precast in Italy before being shipped to Cameroon.
"The stadium will be ready for Caf inspection in September 2017, but you must be aware that work will still be going on in the complex afterwards," said Marc Debandt, the director for the Olembe project.
"The commercial centre and hotel will be completed afterwards."
One former Cameroon international, Patrick Mboma, is fearful about the slow pace of work across his nation.
"For the past two years I have been sending out a distress signal," he said on Twitter.
"Cameroon is not advancing for the 2019 Nations Cup. Let's avoid humiliation. This is a dream that must not be shattered."
Cameroon has won the Nations Cup five times, four more than it has hosted the event - with its sole staging coming back in 1972, when Congo took the title. | Cameroon's Sports Minister has said that the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations will go ahead in the country despite concerns over the pace of preparations. |
38,329,848 | IGas Energy is drilling in search of fossil fuels around Chester after being granted a petroleum exploration and development licence (PEDL) in 2008.
The licence has since been extended by the government until 2018.
Benjamin Dean from Cheshire was granted permission to seek a judicial review of this extension.
Government figures reveal only five wells of 13 had so far been drilled to explore for hydro carbons between 2008 and 2014.
The PEDL was amended in 2013 to extend it by three years, and then given a second extension earlier this year by the then Business Secretary Amber Rudd, until 2018.
Mr Dean, a parish councillor, is trying to stop the remaining wells being completed and said the extension was "unlawful".
He argues the government "exceeded its powers" when it altered the PEDL.
David Woolfe QC told London's High Court: "[Mr Dean] submits that the defendant had no power to amend the licence in that way by a deed of variation... in particular extending a key deadline... because there was no power within the Petroleum Act or the regulations to do so."
Eric Metcalfe, for the secretary of state, argued that arrangements between the government and the company over the drilling licence were "purely contractual" and not governed by public law.
However, Mrs Justice Lang granted Mr Dean permission to mount a full High Court challenge and placed a £5,000 cap on legal costs Mr Dean will have to pay personally if he loses his challenge.
She said: "Mr Dean's objective is to protect the environment by preventing the extension of the drilling rights, not only on the basis that the exploration could potentially lead to fracking, but harm from the drilling itself," she said.
A full hearing will be held next year. | An environmental campaigner has won the right to mount a High Court challenge against a fracking licence which he claims is "unlawful". |
38,031,492 | The Great British Public Toilet Map has charted the number of publicly accessible toilets across the UK to coincide with World Toilet day.
Flintshire came bottom of the survey, along with five other councils.
Critics argued this is a "public health issue," but the council said it promotes toilets in places like libraries.
The survey said that Darlington, Melton, North Kesteven, Redditch and South Ribble also have just four public toilets each.
In January, Flintshire council proposed closing or offloading the facilities in a bid to save up to £94,000.
The Welsh Government recently tabled plans to ensure every Welsh local authority has a "public toilet strategy".
Gail Ramster at the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, who created the toilet map, said: "Our public toilet analysis can help campaigners to reveal whether their council is underperforming compared to others with similar demographics, geography and industry."
A spokesman from Crohn's and Colitis UK said reducing access to toilets for those in need was "having a major impact on people with incontinence, and is a public health issue".
In response, a Flintshire council spokesman said that a review of its public toilets earlier in the year showed they "regularly attract antisocial behaviour" which deterred people from using them.
"It was therefore proposed that the council should promote the use of its existing toilet facilities within other publically accessible council buildings e.g. libraries, leisure centres and Flintshire Connects Centres," he said.
The data analysis, supported by the Open Data Institute, draws upon data collected by crowdsourcing, open data from councils on toilet provision and FOI requests. | There are just four public toilets in Flintshire, a survey has revealed - one for roughly every 38,000 residents. |
19,279,491 | Sasha Constable is admiring the carvings of the Apsara nymphs on the walls of Cambodia's most famous ancient temple, Angkor Wat. Every year, millions of visitors do much the same. The bas reliefs at this 900-year-old monument are remarkably well-preserved.
But Sasha is no tourist - she is a sculptor herself and a member of one of Britain's most famous artistic families. Her father Richard is a well-known painter - and she can trace a direct line back to John Constable.
Sasha has carried on the traditions of the dynasty, while taking a distinct path of her own.
Since 2000 she has been based in Cambodia. As well as creating her own work, she has contributed to the country's artistic revival as a teacher and curator.
As much as anyone, Sasha has helped to raise the international profile of Cambodian art, helping young artists to make a living from their passion.
"Cambodian artists are being profiled more and more," she says.
"Now some are exhibiting abroad and their work is being exposed to a different audience. That means the prices go up, which is good for them. It's one of the last countries in this region where art has suddenly become more and more interesting to people."
Now, after everything that Sasha has offered Cambodia, the country is giving something back. Perhaps the greatest prize she could have imagined: a commission to recreate some of the lost carvings at Angkor Wat.
"It's a huge privilege. It was a really interesting, challenging project - but really just a privilege."
Joining Sasha at Angkor, sweltering in the afternoon sun, is Cheam Phally of the World Monuments Fund.
She was the architect in charge of restoring one of the temple's best-known features - a long, bas relief gallery known as "the churning of the sea of milk", displaying scenes from the Hindu epic, the Ramayana.
But something was missing from the restoration. The Apsara figures which once decorated the gallery's roof were gone - victims of the passage of time or, perhaps, looters.
Sitting on the grass in front of the gallery, Cheam Phally points to what look like some lumps of rock among a number of larger slabs.
"These are fragments of the Apsaras, the lower halves," she says, picking one up, then placing it in a hole in one of the slabs.
"It would have gone in the roof stone like this."
The WMF's commission was for Sasha to recreate the Apsaras, with the aim of placing them on the roof of the restored gallery.
"We wanted to bring the sculptures back to the public - and to rebuild them we needed someone who understood Khmer art. Sasha has a deep understanding."
The British artist enlisted local sculptor Chhay Saron to join her in researching - and making - the pieces.
He has a remarkable story of his own - a former soldier and landmine survivor who retrained as a sculptor, and now employs other disabled people in his workshop within the Angkor temple complex.
"As a Khmer person, when I see an Apsara sculpture I feel so happy," he says. "A lot of the ancient Apsara sculptures have been damaged - that's why I'm so pleased to have been given this assignment."
Now, after months of work, the two have completed their sculptures. At her workshop, Sasha proudly unveils one of the finished pieces, pointing out how the design will allow the light to pass through.
"We were asked to make each sculpture different, as they would have been in the day. Some have different levels of detail - this one is a little bit plainer, but still has motifs around the edge."
"They're a lot more delicate than many of the sculptures at Angkor. It should give the public an image of what Angkor would have looked like in the original day."
Just down the road, Chhay Saron has finished his two pieces - and he can hardly wait for them to take their place at Angkor Wat.
"When people come by to look at my carvings they haven't seen the likes before, because the originals were damaged and destroyed. They always ask where they're going to end up - and I tell them they will be on top of Angkor Wat."
"Future generations will be able to see this and understand that there were sculptures like this in the Angkor temples. I'm very proud."
The finished work is in keeping with the legacy of Angkor - and represents a proud moment in the illustrious history of the Constable family. One suspects that great, great, great grandfather John would have approved. | "Look at that one - she's got really big lips". |
35,695,594 | Met Office statistics show that an average of 760mm (2.5ft) of rain fell across the country in December, January and February.
This resulted in a spate of floods which inundated homes and caused chaos on the roads and railways.
December was the wettest month recorded while January and February saw much higher rainfalls than normal. Argyll was the wettest area.
It had 1,055.7mm (3.5ft) of rain over the three months.
"It's been a truly remarkable winter in Scotland," said a Met Office spokeswoman.
"Winter was the second-wettest across the UK as a whole and it turned out to be the warmest on record for England and Wales.
"But Scotland endured the worst rain it has ever seen - and these records go back to 1910."
Scotland's two wettest winters have happened in the last three years. The rainfall total of 756mm (2.5ft) for 2015/16 exceeded the previous record for winter 2013 /14 of 744mm (2ft).
More than 100 homes were evacuated in Hawick, Roxburghshire, on 5 December as torrential rain swept in ahead of Storm Desmond.
Tayside and Perthshire also endured flooding events, with the River Tay peaking at levels not seen for a decade.
In the new year, Storm Frank resulted in bridge pillars on the West Coast Rail Line being almost washed away. The damage took almost two months to repair.
February's rainfall total of 147.2mm (6in) was 13% up on normal. January's figure of 257.5mm (10in) showed a rise of 45% of the average for the month while December's 351.4mm (14in) was more than double the amount usually experienced that month.
The Met Office spokeswoman added: "While the three-month period was remarkable for its rainfall, it must be remembered that it followed on from a very wet November as well.
"Winter also brought less sunshine in each of the three months we call winter. In January, Scotland got just 63% of the sunshine hours it would normally expect."
The coldest temperature of winter was Minus 14.1 Celsius (6.6F) recorded at Braemar, Aberdeenshire, on the morning of 14 February.
There is also a risk of snow and wintry conditions at Easter. | This winter was the wettest recorded in Scotland since records began in 1910. |
38,608,221 | Officials said that under the rules, it could provide detailed information about their installations.
The information did not include the names of claimants.
However, it did involve location, technology type, installation capacity, accreditation date and subsidy.
Those involved in the scheme were told that by signing up to it, they were consenting to the publication of the information.
Economy Minister Simon Hamilton has written to political parties asking if they would support the publication of the names of those who took up the RHI scheme.
In a letter to Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt, Mr Hamilton said he was "of the view" that recipients' details should be published in "order to be as open and transparent as possible about how public money is being spent".
He said a balance would need to be struck between the "significant public interest" and the departments' obligations to protect participants confidentiality and privacy under data protection legislation and the scheme's own privacy policy.
He asked for a response by Tuesday 10 January.
Mr Nesbitt said he was "surprised" to be asked the question given that the UUP had consistently said the names should be published.
The Department for the Economy is currently taking legal advice about whether it can publish a list of the participants.
The RHI scandal has been centre stage in politics in Northern Ireland over the past month, with the resignation of Martin McGuinness as deputy first minister bringing the issue to a head.
Former First Minister Arlene Foster set up the RHI scheme in 2012 when she was enterprise minister in an attempt by the Northern Ireland Executive to encourage production of heat from renewable sources rather than fossil fuels.
But flaws in setting the scheme's subsidy rate left it open to abuse as claimants could earn more cash the more fuel they burned, with the overspend estimated to be about £490m.
The BBC asked the department for information about the scheme's participants on 17 December and, almost a month later, it declined to provide it.
If the information and a list of the participants were to be published, it would allow the identification of those who got into the scheme during the spike in applications in November 2015 - just before the subsidy level was dramatically reduced.
Almost 900 applications were received in the months leading up to the change, as officials moved to cut the subsidy level.
Former Department for Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) minister Jonathan Bell, who was in charge of the department at the time, alleged that DUP special advisers had tried to delay the changes.
That has been denied by the former first minister Arlene Foster and by the advisers named.
Mr Bell, a member of the DUP, has been suspended by the party. | The Department for the Economy has declined to disclose information about participants of the botched RHI scheme, despite telling boiler owners it would be "freely available" to the public. |
40,360,792 | Infrastructure and Economy Secretary Ken Skates has asked for reports making recommendations to tackle the problem.
It follows tailbacks in Denbighshire on Friday when an overturned tractor closed the A55 in both directions.
The road could not be cleaned to the required standard so it did not fully reopen until early on Tuesday after it had been resurfaced.
In a separate incident, the A5 had to be closed at Chirk after a crash on the Ceiriog viaduct on Monday.
The southbound carriageway has reopened, but northbound will stay closed until at least Friday until temporary barriers can be fitted.
However, there is a delay on getting specialists to carry out the work as Mr Skates said they were "currently involved in other projects including installing barriers in London following recent incidents there".
Officials will look at the response to damage on roads, how it can be improved and any costs involved.
"I am aware that there has been criticism in the press and on social media as some of the delays caused by these incidents were severe. There are clearly lessons to be learnt," said Mr Skates. | Ways to speed up surface repairs on major roads and motorways are being looked at in a bid to cut disruption. |
34,073,939 | Media playback is unsupported on your device
27 August 2015 Last updated at 12:39 BST
The citizen journalism website LiveLeak has done so.
Speaking on Newsnight, the co-founder of the site, Hayden Hewitt, defended the move in a heated debate with Michael Wolff, author of The Man Who Owns the News.
The discussion was chaired by presenter James O'Brien. | Is it right to show graphic footage of the shooting of two journalists at a TV station in Virginia? |
36,919,173 | Hisham Geneina was fired in March by President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi after estimating corruption had cost Egypt $67.6bn (£51.3bn) over four years.
He was sentenced to a year in jail and fined $2,200 but told he could avoid prison if he paid an additional $1,100, judicial sources said.
His lawyer said he would appeal.
Lawyer Ali Taha said prosecutors had failed to prove their accusations and said the case for the defence had not been examined. Reporters were not allowed to attend the sentencing at a Cairo court.
Geneina, a former judge, denied the charges and said they were politically motivated.
After firing Geneina, President Sisi appointed a fact-finding commission that concluded the auditor had over-estimated the scale of corruption. and thus misled the public.
The case was based on comments Geneina made to two Egyptian newspapers last December when he was still head of the Accountability State Authority (ASA).
The daily al-Youm al-Sabea quoted him as saying in an interview that endemic corruption had cost Egypt some 600bn Egyptian pounds ($67.6bn) in 2015 alone, mostly in corrupt land deals.
Geneina later said that he had been misquoted and that the figure covered four years, a claim supported by a separate interview with another newspaper.
He also noted that it was based on a study commissioned by the Egyptian planning ministry and carried out with the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
President Sisi has made fighting corruption a top priority since coming to power after leading the military's overthrow of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in 2013. | Egypt's former top auditor, who was sacked after alleging government corruption, has been given a prison sentence for spreading "false news". |
34,859,251 | The Marble Arch Caves Unesco global geopark is the second site in Northern Ireland to be designated by the body.
The first was the Giant's Causeway world heritage site in County Antrim.
The new branding is expected to increase tourism to the area that straddles the Irish border.
It covers parts of County Fermanagh on the northern side of the border and County Cavan in the Republic of Ireland.
A geopark is a region of outstanding geology that supports sustainable tourism to benefit local communities and the regional economy.
The Marble Arch Caves global geopark was established in 2001.
It is home to a variety of natural landscapes and historic sites, including prehistoric tombs, Iron Age forts, early Christian monasteries and plantation castles.
Richard Watson, the manager of the Marble Arch Caves Unesco global geopark said it is a significant announcement that would help to make the area a "must see" destination for visitors.
"It puts global geoparks like ourselves on a similar international standing as places like the Taj Mahal or the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, or even the Grand Canyon."
He said that while the status does not offer any extra statutory protection, it does place some responsibility on governments to help to promote their geoparks and to help the management agencies that look after them to develop them.
Enterprise Minister Jonathan Bell said the designation would "act as a catalyst" for for increasing tourism revenue.
"Here in Northern Ireland we are fortunate to have some of the most diverse rocks and landscapes on earth," he said.
"It is these foundations that have given rise to our most iconic tourist attractions." | An area of spectacular landscape that includes the Marble Arch Caves in County Fermanagh has been recognised by Unesco, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation. |
33,219,010 | Two thirds of the fin whale's carcass, measuring 10m (33ft), was found on RSPB land near Harwich.
It was dragged in on the front of a cargo vessel but experts believe it may have been hit by another ship.
The decision has been taken between scientists and landowners to leave the remains in place as it is not considered a public health hazard.
The body was found last week on private land with no public access, said Rick Vonk, site manager of the RSPB Stour Estuary site.
"We're scratching our heads as to how this happened," he told the BBC.
"Fin whales are a very northerly species. We don't know what it was doing to get hit, presumably by a container vessel.
"It's unfortunate this has happened - we like to see live whales rather than dead ones," he added.
Source: WWF
Rob Deaville, project manager of the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP), was called out to examine the whale.
"Leaving it in place was the most pragmatic decision in this case, as trying to remove it would damage the local habitat," he said.
Mr Deaville said fin whales were prone to ship strikes, but his project had only been involved in two other cases of fin whales brought into harbour on the front of vessels over the last 25 years.
He said there are about 600 strandings in the UK each year, of which two or three are fin whales. | A dead whale thought to have been hit by a ship is to be left to decompose off the Essex coast, experts have said. |
34,324,218 | Lee Walls was at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final with Carl Brown, 18, who was one of 96 victims of the stadium disaster.
Mr Walls described waving at his friend inside the ground, but "within a matter of seconds he disappeared".
The new inquests also heard about the final movements of Ian Whelan, 19.
Mr Brown, from Leigh, Greater Manchester, was a student hoping to take up a place at Manchester University when he went to the 15 April match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.
Mr Whelan lived in Warrington, Cheshire, and worked for British Nuclear Fuels.
In his statement about what he saw that day, Mr Walls described seeing a large group of Liverpool fans outside the ground ahead of the scheduled 15:00 BST kick-off.
He described being "literally carried along with the crowd" as he and Carl Brown moved towards the turnstiles at the Leppings Lane end of the Sheffield ground.
They then went down a tunnel leading into the fenced enclosures on the terraces, known as pens.
Mr Walls continued: "As we got out of the tunnel, we got pushed to the right. Carl was carried further to the right. I looked at Carl and he waved but within a matter of seconds he disappeared.
"I don't know if he got pushed right over or if he fell. I was carried towards the centre of pen three, then back towards the left-hand side."
The court heard how Mr Walls' statement went on to describe how the pressure in the crowd built up and he lost consciousness.
Christina Lambert QC, representing the coroner, said there was "no evidence" about what happened to Mr Brown after he was separated from his friend, or how he got out of the pen.
BBC News: Profiles of all those who died
It is believed Liverpool fan Gerard Cosgrove helped give first aid to Mr Brown, along with another supporter.
Asked if he saw any signs of life in the casualty, Mr Cosgrove said: "Not that I'm aware of, no."
The inquests continue. | A Liverpool fan has described being "carried along" by the pressure of the crowd outside Hillsborough, before seeing his friend disappear in the terrace crush. |
37,418,859 | The base level of the salary cap for this season is £6.5m but this will rise to £7m from 2017-18 to 2019-20.
Cohen says shareholder-owned Tigers may struggle to spend the full cap, while others can rely on "sugar daddies".
He added: "I know the club's chairman voted for [the cap] but personally I think the balance is wrong."
Cohen told BBC Radio Leicester: "We've had an increase in players' wages. That's come at the expense of facilities and putting resources into the community game for most clubs. I don't think players' wages needed to go up as high as they have done.
"Personally I would not have implemented the extra half million for next year, although the decision to then peg it for three years is very sensible."
Cohen admits Leicester's spending power in future will rely on how far money from the Rugby Football Union will go.
A new eight-year deal worth more than £225m was agreed between the RFU and Premiership clubs - with clubs earning more for releasing players for international duty, as well as meeting the English-qualified players target and academy standards.
"At this moment in time we are funding right up to the extent of the cap," Cohen continued.
"The cap goes up half a million pounds next year but we will have to see what sort of central revenue goes along with that.
"We are at the edges of what we can generate in terms of our own internal revenue and we don't have a 'sugar daddy' owner simply to sink millions in if there is a shortfall." | An increased salary cap risks creating an unbalanced Premiership competition that alienates the grass roots, says Leicester chief executive Simon Cohen. |
35,899,285 | The family of David Dixon, 50, who lived in Brussels with his partner and young son, said it was "the most terrible news".
Mr Dixon had contacted his family after the airport blasts but was missing after the later Metro station blast.
The UK government said seven Britons had been injured in Tuesday's attacks.
Three were still being treated in hospital, the Foreign Office said.
Meanwhile, Belgian officials have named the second suicide bomber in Tuesday's attack at Brussels airport as Najim Zaachraoui, and said that his DNA had been found at sites of the November Paris attacks.
Twelve suspects have been arrested in three European countries as police step up efforts to prevent further attacks after the Brussels blasts, which claimed 31 lives and injured about 270 people.
The family of Mr Dixon, who was originally from Hartlepool and had also lived in Nottingham, said they had received "the most terrible and devastating news about our beloved David".
In a statement, they said: "At this most painful time our family would gratefully appreciate it if we could be left alone to grieve in private."
A statement from the UK Foreign Office said: "We can confirm David Dixon lost his life in the attacks which took place in Brussels on Tuesday 22 March 2016.
"Our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time and our embassy staff are continuing to support them."
Mr Dixon had lived in Brussels for about 10 years with his partner, Charlotte Sutcliffe.
Why have jihadists targeted Belgium?
Why Brussels warning signs were missed
From Paris to Brussels: Why the attacks are linked
What we know so far
Victims and survivors
Mr Dixon was working as an IT contractor for securities settlement group Euroclear, which has an office a few Metro stops away from Maelbeek Metro station, the site of the third explosion on Tuesday.
Twin blasts had hit Zaventem airport an hour earlier at about 07:00 GMT.
Tim Howell, CEO of Euroclear, said: "David was a valued colleague and will be sorely missed."
He said "deepest condolences" went out to his partner, son and family.
Mr Dixon's friend Simon Hartley-Jones previously described the father-of-one as "a lovely guy" and "an amazing man who deeply, deeply loves his son".
Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted: "I am deeply saddened to hear David Dixon was killed in the Brussels attacks. My thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family."
Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond tweeted: "Saddened by the dreadful news of David Dixon's death following the #BrusselsAttacks. My thoughts & condolences are with his family."
Mark Beamish, from Birmingham, was among those injured in the explosion at the Maelbeek Metro station.
Mr Beamish, 35, told the BBC he had "no memory" of the explosion itself, which left him with cuts to his head and burns to his hands.
"I was travelling with a friend so I remember shaking his hand goodbye as I stepped off the train," said the European Parliament worker.
"And that's the last thing I remember. I don't remember a blast. I don't remember any sound or vision.
"I have one static image of me crouching on some stairs covered in dust."
Brahim el-Bakraoui is one of three men believed to have been involved in the bombings at Zaventem airport that killed 11 people.
The Belgian prosecutor said another suicide bomber had been the wanted jihadist Najim Laachraoui, whose DNA was found on explosives linked to the attacks in Paris last November.
A third man, who has not yet been identified and is on the run, is said to have fled the scene without detonating his explosive device.
Bakraoui's brother, Khalid, struck at Maelbeek metro station, where 20 people died.
So far nine suspects have been arrested in Brussels, two reportedly in Germany and one in Paris as investigations continue into the attacks.
In Brussels, six people were arrested in connection with the attacks on Thursday, according to Belgian prosecutors, who later said three of them had been released. Three more were held on Friday.
In France, a man alleged to be in the "advanced stage" of plotting an attack was arrested in Paris's north-western Argenteuil suburb on Thursday.
And in Germany two suspected jihadists were detained in Dusseldorf and Giessen areas on Wednesday and Thursday - both with suspected links to one of the Brussels bombers, Der Spiegel reports, and one with suspicious text messages on his mobile phone referencing Brussels.
The Brussels bombings have been linked to last November's Paris attacks, when 130 died after militants opened fire and detonated bombs in a number of locations in the French capital.
The so-called Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the attacks in Brussels and Paris. | A Briton who has been missing in Brussels since Tuesday died in the bomb attacks in the Belgian capital, the Foreign Office has confirmed. |
37,860,905 | I, Daniel Blake - a recently released film directed by Ken Loach - includes a scene where an impoverished female character shoplifts a packet of tampons.
Scots scriptwriter Paul Laverty wrote the scene after meeting UK females who struggled to afford essential hygiene products.
A campaign has been launched by Scottish Labour MSP Monica Lennon calling for the Scottish government to provide free female sanitary products "for anyone who needs them".
Not having access to enough products to manage menstrual bleeding effectively is "associated with health risks including toxic shock syndrome", according to Ms Lennon.
Supporters of the campaign, including Mr Laverty, would like to see the products made available free of charge in places such as hospitals, schools and homeless shelters.
A similar proposal has already been approved in New York City.
Is this really a problem in Scotland?
The Trussell Trust said of the 133,000 people who used Scotland's food banks in the last financial year, "thousands" received feminine hygiene products.
The charity's Scotland network manager, Ewan Gurr, said Scots were relying on food banks for essential toiletries after finding themselves in "difficult financial circumstances" - often due to benefit sanctions, delayed wages or low incomes.
The charity worker said some women had even resorted to using toilet roll, socks or newspaper because they were unable to afford female sanitary products.
Reverend Jane Howitt is the minister of Glasgow's St Rollox church - it runs two food banks: one for destitute asylum seekers; another for anyone else in a crisis situation.
On a weekly basis, both services issue feminine hygiene products to women and girls living in the Sighthill area of Glasgow.
The items are discreetly dispensed in "hygiene packs", which include other essentials such as soap, toothpaste and toilet paper.
To ensure a "low-key" service, one female volunteer is responsible for issuing the products at both food banks.
Ms Howitt said: "She is good at chatting to [service users] and finding out what they need - so that they don't have to feel embarrassed about asking."
The minister said church-run food banks all over Scotland were dispatching tampons and sanitary towels - in places such as Falkirk, Blantyre, Edinburgh and West Linton.
She said food banks did not always dispense feminine hygiene products, but were now "plugging a gap" left by the government by providing such essentials.
Ms Howitt said: "If you look at the prices - you'd need to spend between £4 and £6 a month.
"If you've got nothing, that's a challenge - especially when there is more than one female in a family."
The minister said she knew of some girls in Scotland who were forced to take days off school due to not having access to sanitary products.
So what's the proposal?
Ms Lennon has suggested that free female sanitary products should be made available from dispensers installed in public places - such as in female toilets at schools and health centres.
She said she believed this would be the most effective way of ensuring the products were quickly and easily accessible.
However, the MSP could not confirm what the approximate cost to the taxpayer would be - or from which section of the welfare budget the project would be funded.
She told the BBC that her first priority was committing the Scottish government to conduct research into the issue of affordability of feminine hygiene products in Scotland.
The politician added: "We have growing indications that access and affordability is patchy, and not all women have access when they need them."
Supporters of the campaign for free hygiene products were also considering other proposals.
Ewan Gurr, of the Trussell Trust, said: "I would like to see [disadvantaged] women [of menstruating age] receive government support equivalent to that provided to young families in the form of "healthy start" vouchers - which can be used to buy milk, formula, fruit and vegetables."
How has the government responded?
The Scottish government has neither committed to providing free female sanitary products, nor commissioned an assessment of the affordability of women's sanitary products.
However, it has participated in ongoing discussions with charities, including the Trussell Trust, regarding the affordability of feminine hygiene products and the health challenges that can arise when women and girls do not have access to these.
A Scottish government spokesman said: "We have made significant investment in a range of other services to support people on low income or facing acute income crisis and tackle the underlying causes of poverty." | An MSP is calling for the Scottish government to provide free feminine hygiene products - saying it is a matter of "dignity" for women who cannot afford to pay. |
37,863,003 | Last night I sat on the same table as the foreign secretary at the Spectator Parliamentarian of the Year Awards. He was given a gong for "comeback of the year" after his failed leadership bid propelled him into King Charles Street.
Mr Johnson gave a typically self-deprecatory speech, saying he hoped he would last longer than Lord Heseltine's mother's dog, Kim, which survived partial strangulation by the Tory peer only later to be put down.
He spoke about the need to press on with Brexit, which he described as taking "the machete of freedom to the brambles of EU legislation".
He told a funny story about how he had recently caused confusion at a dinner with EU colleagues in Bratislava: he said Brexit Britain would support the EU from the outside, like a flying buttress; the interpreters translated this as a "flying bucket".
And of course, there was the inevitable verbal slip when he promised that Brexit would be a "titantic success", a classicist's reference to the mythological giants rather than the ill-fated ship.
Then the prime minister got to her feet. I shall pass over her venomous assault on Sir Craig Oliver, David Cameron's former communications chief, except to note that several senior Tories were stunned by her lack of grace.
One - almost speechless - said it was the most unprimeministerial thing they had ever heard.
But it was what Mrs May said about Boris Johnson that struck me most. Picking up on his reference to Lady Heseltine's aggressive Alsatian, the prime minister looked directly at her foreign secretary - I was directly in the eye line - and said: "Boris, the dog was put down... (pause)... when its master decided it wasn't needed any more."
It was a funny line. And we laughed. But it also struck me what a barbed line it was too. It was a warning as much as a joke, a threat of political euthanasia for a colleague if he stepped out of line.
I also noted that this was, yet another, occasion when the prime minister had chosen to mock her foreign secretary in public. At the start of her conference speech last month, before the serried ranks of Tory faithful, Mrs May said there were many questions hanging in the air, including: "Can Boris Johnson stay on message for a full four days?... (pause)... just about."
Now every government has a court jester and Boris Johnson will never be able to escape that title. But his role in this government is crucial. He is there to convince the international community that Britain is not turning its back on the world post Brexit, that Britain has a positive role to play in global affairs.
And to do that he needs to be taken seriously. Many foreign politicians and diplomats that I speak to tell me they are pleasantly surprised when they meet the foreign secretary for the first time.
They talk of the man behind the caricature - the cultured, over-educated intellectual who often speaks a bit of their language and who can be thoughtful when he is not gripped by banter.
The problem is that many others - who have not met the foreign secretary in person - often still see him as a kind of upmarket Nigel Farage, a Eurosceptic clown with clout.
So to do his job, Britain's diplomat-in-chief needs of every bit of credibility he can lay his hands on. He is already the butt of many jokes. The last thing he needs is his prime minister adding to the mirth. | Theresa May is going to have to start taking Boris Johnson seriously if she wants the world to do likewise. |
39,936,621 | The 25-year-old was left without a club when Notts County folded in April, a day before the start of the Women's Super League Spring Series.
The former Doncaster Rovers Belles player is now looking forward to helping Liverpool maintain their unbeaten start after four games.
"Hopefully I am able to make the squad even stronger," said Turner.
"This is a fantastic move for me and I'm really excited to join up with the squad.
"Liverpool Ladies are a team with big ambitions and I am confident that we can have a successful end to the Spring Series before the full season starts in September."
Turner made her debut for England at the 2015 Cyprus Cup after Casey Stoney withdrew through injury and has collected three caps since.
Liverpool manager Scott Rogers added: "Amy is a versatile defender who is equally comfortable at full-back or as a central defender so this is another great signing for the club."
Liverpool are top of the Spring Series table, three points ahead of Manchester City after three wins and a draw. Their next game is at home to Sunderland on Wednesday (19:00 BST kick-off). | Liverpool Ladies have signed England defender Amy Turner after her departure from Notts County Ladies. |
35,831,162 | Captain Rory Best has shaken off a calf muscle injury and will start.
Coach Joe Schmidt said that Van der Flier took a "bang" in training on Monday after "shipping a couple of knocks" in the England and Italy games.
"Josh would probably be fit to play but he is just carrying a few knocks," said the Ireland coach.
"Conversely, Tommy has trained incredibly well.
"He hasn't had the luckiest of preparations with us in previous times," said Schmidt of O'Donnell who will be winning his 12th cap on Saturday.
O'Donnell missed out on last Autumn's World Cup in heartbreaking fashion after sustaining a dislocated hip in the warm-up game against Wales in August.
However, the Munster flanker, 28, battled back to feature in Ireland's opening Six Nations games against Wales and France.
Best, 33, was reported to have a tight calf on Tuesday but the hooker was able to resume training on Thursday.
An Ireland win will move the holders above Scotland in the table and ensure they finish no lower than fourth.
If results go to form with Wales seeing off the Italians and new champions England completing the Grand Slam at the Stade de France, a home win at the Aviva Stadium will leave Ireland third in the table.
In the first season following Paul O'Connell's retirement, Schmidt insisted that he would be happy with a top-three finish after a campaign where they missed several influential players including Iain Henderson, Peter O'Mahony and Tommy Bowe.
Sean O'Brien, Mike McCarthy and Dave Kearney missed the last three games of Ireland's tournament after being injured in the defeat by France while Jared Payne, Rob Kearney, Simon Zebo and Keith Earls have also been ruled out for stages of the campaign.
"If we can get that top-half finish I'd be very happy that we've worked our way through a pretty challenging time," added Schmidt.
"Hopefully that could give us a little bit of a platform into what is an incredibly tough second half of the year."
Ireland face a three-Test tour to South Africa in June before facing New Zealand twice and Australia in the autumn in an unforgiving close to 2016.
Simon Zebo's impressive attacking display in last weekend's nine-try 58-15 win over Italy meant that his retention at full-back was not in any doubt with Rob Kearney again ruled out by injury.
Eoin Reddan and Cian Healy, who both missed the Italy game because of knocks, return to the bench in place of Connacht pair Kieran Marmion and Finlay Bealham after resuming training this week.
Ireland: S Zebo, A Trimble, J Payne, R Henshaw, K Earls, J Sexton, C Murray; J McGrath, R Best (capt), M Ross; D Ryan, D Toner; CJ Stander, T O'Donnell, J Heaslip.
Replacements: R Strauss, C Healy, N White, U Dillane, R Ruddock, E Reddan, I Madigan, F McFadden. | Flanker Tommy O'Donnell replaces Josh van der Flier in Ireland's only change from the win over Italy for Saturday's Six Nations game against Scotland. |
36,169,123 | Broudie Jackson Canter (BJC) Solicitors said Theresa May should send a team in to examine the force "root and branch".
The force has been criticised after the Hillsborough inquests concluded the 96 victims were unlawfully killed and there were police failings.
Mrs May said she would help the force "confront the mistakes of the past".
A statement from BJC said the families were "appalled to see the shambles in South Yorkshire Police" following the conclusion of the Hillsborough inquests on Tuesday and said a team from Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) should be sent in to "speak to the rank and file and see what they think is wrong in the force and what needs to be done".
"We believe there needs to be a rigorous and continuing examination of the ethical behaviour of the force at every level.
"The force's motto is 'Justice with Courage' - sadly they have shown neither."
The secretary of state has the power to direct a police authority to apply remedial measures.
A team from HMIC would first examine the force and decide what action needed to be taken.
South Yorkshire Police's Police and Crime Commissioner Alan Billings said: "I spoke with the home secretary yesterday... She is going to be helpful to [the force] - and that may involve the College of Policing and other bodies which are being referred to."
Mrs May said: "I understand entirely the families' disappointment in South Yorkshire Police's response. As I told the House on Wednesday, the force must recognise the truth and be willing to accept it.
"The decision to hire and fire a chief officer is a matter for the Police and Crime Commissioner, in order to ensure direct accountability to the communities served by the force.
"The current PCC, Alan Billings, has taken a decision to suspend the chief constable and I understand that a process is under way to find temporary leadership while his replacement is found.
"I stand ready to support that process, and to help South Yorkshire Police confront the mistakes of the past and regain the confidence of their community."
Former Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police Sir Peter Fahy said there should be "greater national oversight" when filling the top job within forces.
Sir Peter said: "Under the system of police and crime commissioners, it's solely down to the police and crime commissioner to make that (chief constable) selection.
"I personally think there should be greater national oversight and more movement between police forces.
"How can a local person perhaps see what is the talent across 43 police forces and beyond? That's part of the difficulty.
"What you need is more movement between police forces so that you do get fresh blood in, so you don't get the sort of entrenched view and overall there's been less movement between forces."
The call for an official examination of South Yorkshire Police is the latest development in a torrid week for the force.
Following the inquests, Chief Constable David Crompton was suspended on Wednesday after what South Yorkshire's Police and Crime Commissioner Dr Alan Billings called an "erosion of trust" in the force.
On Thursday Hillsborough families expressed anger after a private message to retired officers of the force telling them to be proud of their work was made public in error.
Later the same day it was announced hundreds of Hillsborough victims had taken out a civil action against South Yorkshire Police and West Midlands Police over their conduct on the day of the disaster and the aftermath. | Lawyers for 20 families of the victims of the Hillsborough disaster have asked the home secretary to apply remedial measures to South Yorkshire Police. |
40,657,249 | The consultation period was extended by two weeks in July after seven days was deemed not long enough, but it will now be further extended to 4 August.
At least 80 people are believed to be dead after the blaze on 14 June.
A spokesman said the inquiry chair "took this decision in response to feedback from local residents and survivors of the fire".
The inquiry, ordered by Prime Minister Theresa May on 15 June, will look into what happened at the west London tower fire and make recommendations to prevent a similar tragedy happening again.
Retired judge Sir Martin Moore-Bick, who is leading the probe, announced the extension at a meeting with residents and interested parties on Wednesday.
He has also written to groups representing those affected by the fire.
Sir Martin said he would make his recommendations to Mrs May shortly after the deadline.
The retired judge's appointment has been criticised, with some residents and MPs calling for him to stand down.
Sir Martin faced a meeting of "frustration, anger and confusion" in July when he tried to reassure people he was the right person for the job.
Meanwhile, Kensington's Labour MP Emma Dent Coad has said he lacked "credibility".
But the justice secretary encouraged people to give Sir Martin a chance, saying, "I'm very confident we will get some terms of reference that will get to the truth".
Sir Martin has previously said an interim report into the disaster could be produced within a year but admitted the inquiry would be "challenging".
"I would hope to be able to answer the basic factual questions, such as how did the fire start, how did it spread, how was it able to engulf the building in such speed and also questions such as what internal precautions there were, what steps were available for alerting residents and allowing them to escape".
Grenfell Legal Support says it is calling for diversity on the panel and for residents to be involved in the inquiry.
Co-founder Khatija Sacranie added there was "reluctance" to address gentrification issues and an "underlying disregard of certain communities that led to the disaster".
"The expansion in timeframe won't assist if the approach remains one of 'us' and 'them'," she said.
Meanwhile, at an inquest on Wednesday, three members of the same family were named among the victims of the blaze.
Bassem Choukair, 40, Mierna Choukair, 13, and Nadia Choucair, 33 were found on the 22nd floor of Grenfell Tower.
Gary Maunders, 57, was also named by the coroner and was found on the 23rd floor.
The provisional cause of death for the four was given as being "consistent with the effects of fire", and the victims were identified by their dental records.
All four inquests were adjourned at Westminster Coroner's Court.
Some 39 victims have now been identified with the coroner saying there were "many more" to come. | Grenfell Tower survivors have been given an extra week to say what the public inquiry should focus on. |
35,238,632 | Media playback is not supported on this device
The British cyclist, 30, has been training on both road and track this winter before a busy year.
"If I don't win any of them it is not a failure because they are the biggest things you can do in cycling," Cavendish told BBC Sport.
"If I won one I'd be happy but I'll try to win all three."
Cavendish, who will ride for Team Dimension Data-Qhubeka, was speaking in Manchester, where he has been training at the Velodrome.
"I've been mixing road and track," he added. "I've been doing more specific track stuff.
"I don't know how that is going to affect my road racing. I could be flying, I could be catastrophic, I could be indifferent. I don't really know - we will have to see when I get racing."
Cavendish, who is hoping to earn a place in the omnium for Great Britain at the Rio Olympics, will compete at the next round of the Track World Cup in Hong Kong on 16-17 January.
"If I don't do anything in Hong Kong you won't be talking to me about the Olympics," added Cavendish.
The Manxman has not won an Olympic medal and faces competition from Ed Clancy and Jon Dibben for the omnium place.
British track coach Heiko Salzwedel told the Times: "Cavendish has to deliver in Hong Kong, full stop. I can't think of sentiment.
"We have a luxury problem. Three world-class omnium riders fighting for one spot. It's probably easier to win the Olympics than win selection."
The Tour de France starts on 2 July with a flat stage that will suit the sprinters, and Cavendish is hoping to win that stage to claim the yellow jersey.
The Olympics start in Rio on 5 August, and the World Road Championships take place in Doha, Qatar in October.
BBC Sport's Matt Slater:
If everything goes to plan, Mark Cavendish's 2016 could go down as one of greatest and most colourful stories in British sporting history: yellow in France (even for just a day), gold in Rio, a rainbow in Doha.
But like one of those Choose Your Own Adventure stories, there are dozens of potential endings for the British star.
Failure in the omnium in Hong Kong next week and the Olympic plot line is over. Success and it rolls on until London in March, when another make-or-break moment arrives. And that is before we think about his road campaign.
It is going to be like that all year. It should be a rollicking good read. | Mark Cavendish is targeting the yellow jersey in the Tour de France, an Olympic medal and victory in the World Road Championships in 2016. |
36,467,470 | The London Housing Trust is accused of providing shabby accommodation and offering poor or no support services.
An investigation found drugs were taken by some residents and food given by food banks was taken by staff.
The trust, which runs 40 hostels across south London, said it was unaware of the claims and a new regime was now in place.
In a joint investigation between BBC London and the Bureau for Investigative Journalism, it found that the accommodation was damp and had mildew.
Residents said they were wrongfully charged for utility bills and promised support services such as a 24-hour concierge which did not materialise.
The investigation also found the trust claimed it was as a charity yet it is not registered as one.
Stephen Dellar, who was the trust's director and financial director, owned properties he was renting to London Housing Trust (LHT) and was also providing services to the trust through two separate companies of his.
The housing association regulator and Croydon Council have both launched their own investigations.
Mr Dellar has not commented on the allegations.
A whistleblower who works as a support worker at the trust's headquarters said he had been told to put previous residents' names on bills without their knowledge.
He said the trust would tell British Gas: "We're a housing association. That client has moved on, you can't cut us off."
The support worker also raised concerns that a women's refuge in Croydon did not have staff available 24 hours a day.
One resident, who did not want to be named but has been living there for a month, said: "Three weeks, a month in. Never heard from no-one - never saw anyone. They would pop round and spend five minutes and go.
"There is no support and if I don't get it, everything goes downhill."
The whistleblower agrees. He said: "I don't believe in one 24-hour period it's actually been staffed since it opened in late December.
"It's a massive let down. It's a complete failure by London Housing Trust."
He said as a result, conditions in the refuge were allowed to deteriorate badly, culminating in some instances of substance abuse.
"I've met most of the women in that house. So generally, cocaine, heroine, cannabis and alcohol would be the main drugs in there.
"You may also find some the synthetic drugs, the legal highs such as Spice being used as well "
The trust said it was not aware of staff helping themselves to food crates and that their rent rates were independently audited and approved by the local authority.
It said the women's refuge in Croydon was staffed 24 hours on a shift pattern and it has the payroll records to prove it.
It admitted providing tenants' names to British Gas but dispute that this was unlawful and said residents had always been liable for their own bills.
A new regime is now in place with pre-pay meters. | A founder of a housing association has resigned as a trustee over claims of widespread malpractice. |
30,832,524 | Nearly 10,500 people visited the Trussell Trust's 48 food banks for the first time in the charity's history.
The data also reveals a third of users cited low income - and not welfare benefit delays - for their predicament.
The figure is a 13% increase from the 9,263 people who used a Trussell Trust food bank in December 2013.
In December 2014, 10,489 people visiting Scottish food banks were given a three day supply of nutritionally balanced food by the charity - a third of them children.
The charity underlined that the final figure for December visits is likely to be even higher as food bank staff continue to input data into their system.
Ewan Gurr, the charity's network manager for Scotland, said he was concerned that many low income families were forced to face hunger in the run-up to Christmas due to financial difficulties.
He said: "Every day we are hearing working people describe the devastating reality of sustaining their families with static incomes and unstable employment against consistently rising costs of essentials like food and rent.
"In the most harrowing accounts, we hear from the families choosing whether to prioritise heating their homes or feeding their families and parents losing weight because they overlook their own health and wellbeing to feed their children."
The Trust, which partners with churches and communities, currently operates more than 1,200 food distribution centres across the UK.
The number of people using their Scotland-based food banks increased by 398% between 2012/13 and 2013/14.
However, Northern Ireland and the North East of England have seen even larger increases during the same timeframe (489% and 463% respectively).
The Trust's figures also reveal Dundee had the highest number of adults (3,750) using food banks in the last year, while south east Glasgow had the highest number of children (1,975).
A scoping study funded by the Scottish government in 2013 to provide insight into the extent of food aid provision in Scotland, reported that Trussell Trust's data is a good indicator of general provision and demand trends and reasons for demand experienced by other providers of food parcels.
The study recognised that there are many non-Trust food banks - they account for only 20% of all food centres in Glasgow - but that there is no definitive list of Scottish food banks.
Mr Gurr said: "We must accept that the rising need for emergency food in Scotland is unacceptable and the long-term reduction of food poverty must be a priority for policy makers across the spectrum."
The Scottish government blamed welfare changes and other policies introduced by the UK government.
Alex Neil, the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Communities and Pensioners' Rights, said many people in work rely on benefits.
He added: "The massive increase in food banks is primarily due to the low wage economy we are living in and the benefits changes that have been introduced by Westminster.
"What we need is a living wage across the country, and a benefits system that keeps people out of poverty instead of putting people into poverty."
But the UK government insisted it was working to reduce poverty.
A spokesman for the Department for Work and Pensions said: "The UK Government spends £94bn a year on working age benefits to provide a safety net to support millions of people who are unemployed or on low incomes so they can meet their basic needs.
"Reforms to welfare are designed to bring fairness back to the system and help people into work - 52,000 more people are now in jobs in Scotland compared to this time last year, giving more people the peace of mind and security that comes with a steady income."
For the first time in 2014, 3,005 people (28%) said they used a Scottish food bank due to low income in December, closely followed by 2,527 (24%) because of a benefit delay, and 1,555 (15%) due to a benefit change.
The Clyde, Avon and Nethan food bank reported that 77% of people given a food package in December cited low income as the main contributing factor.
Many users visiting the food banks at Airdrie and Lochaber also blamed low incomes (50% and 48% respectively).
However, this compared to 5% at the Alness and Invergordon food bank, where 74% attributed the need for food parcels to changes in their benefits.
But while the charity has attributed the rise in low income-related need for food banks, at a time of year when costs such as heating are higher, a government document published last month suggested low income families may face increasing financial difficulties in the future.
According to the report, approximately 820,000 people were living in relative poverty in 2013 - an increase of 110,000 from the previous year.
This increase in relative poverty - where someone lives in a household that receives less than 60% of the UK average income - was attributed to a continued fall in incomes.
The report concluded: "Low wage growth (particularly for those in less skilled employment), changes in the labour market, and tightening of eligibility and conditionality under welfare reform have resulted in lower median income." | A record number of adults and children relied upon food banks in Scotland in December, according to new figures obtained by the BBC. |
35,803,805 | The Juventus and Italy goalkeeper, 38, set a new mark when he prevented Torino from scoring in the first four minutes of their game on Sunday.
Sebastiano Rossi previously held the record after going 929 minutes without being beaten for AC Milan in 1994.
Buffon surpassed Dino Zoff's club record as he kept a 10th successive clean sheet in the leaders' last game.
More to follow. | Gianluigi Buffon has broken the Serie A record for the longest time without conceding a goal. |
35,084,432 | Olympic champion Joshua, 26, came into the fight boasting 14 straight knockouts in the first three rounds.
But Whyte, 27, stood up to some huge blows and, perhaps more importantly, managed to land a few of his own.
However, Whyte was wobbled by a hook to the temple before Joshua finished the job with a savage uppercut.
With Whyte dangling on the ropes and seemingly unaware of his surroundings, referee Howard Foster called a halt to proceedings.
Joshua's thrilling victory was greeted by raucous celebrations at the 20,000-capacity O2 Arena, making it abundantly clear that Britain has a new heavyweight hero. And Joshua's emergence could lead to some fascinating heavyweight encounters on these shores over the next few years.
Next up for Watford's Joshua, who also retained his Commonwealth belt at the O2 Arena, could be compatriot and former world title challenger Dereck Chisora, who knocked out Croatian journeyman Jakov Gospic on the same bill.
Britain's former world champion David Haye makes his comeback in January after a three-year injury lay-off, but promoter Eddie Hearn is unlikely to risk his prize asset against such a potentially dangerous opponent any time soon.
The fight all of Britain would like to see is Joshua versus Tyson Fury, who won the WBA, IBF and WBO titles from Ukrainian Wladimir Klitschko in Dusseldorf a fortnight ago. Fury was later stripped of his IBF title.
Fury and Klitschko will fight again next summer and if the Manchester boxer wins again, the clamour for him to fight Joshua will be deafening.
"A world title fight is still far away," Joshua told BBC Radio 5 live.
"Becoming an elite athlete in such a tough sport, it doesn't happen overnight but I've got the desire, ambition and the team around me to do it but I don't want to rush it because when I get there, I want to stay there."
Before Saturday, Whyte was unbeaten in 16 pro fights, with 13 knockouts. He beat Joshua in the amateur ranks in 2009, was full of confidence during the build-up and it was hoped he might at least test his rival's chin.
Whyte did indeed take it to Joshua in the first round, but took plenty of shuddering blows as a result and looked at one point as if he might not last three minutes. But what looked like a momentary buckling of the knees proved to be deceptive.
A flurry of late blows by Joshua caused Whyte to retaliate, the Londoner attempting to punch Joshua while he was being held by the referee. This in turn led to both sets of entourages, plus security, invading the ring. A tense stand-off ensued before the canvas was cleared and the real action resumed.
Joshua continued talking to Whyte at the start of the second, until he was staggered by a huge left hook. But while Joshua was clearly hurt, Whyte was unable to press home his advantage.
By the third Whyte, who had been written off as a pretender by a lot of experts, had earned Joshua's full respect. And when the bell sounded for the start of the fourth - uncharted territory for Joshua - the fight seemed to be in the balance.
Joshua managed to back Whyte up with his jab in the fourth, only for his rival to come back swinging and land with some grazing shots of his own.
However, Whyte was taking in huge gulps of air by the end of the sixth and when he offered to touch gloves at the start of the seventh, it seemed like a sign of resignation.
A left to the temple sent Whyte reeling across the ring, although he did well to compose himself, grab Joshua and tie him up on the inside. However, Whyte was unable to keep Joshua off for long.
Whyte, having retreated to the ropes, was finally finished off by a picture-perfect uppercut. Having tried and failed to make it to his feet, he was given medical attention in the ring but soon helped back to his corner.
"I really enjoyed it - it lived up to the hype. Let's give Dillian Whyte credit for rocking Anthony to his core with that shot and testing him. But Anthony's not the finished article and he'll learn from that fight tonight.
"This is fantastic for British heavyweight boxing. Dillian has a good future. I think Anthony Joshua will be heavyweight champion of the world within 18 months. The right uppercut was a punch that would have knocked King Kong out." | Anthony Joshua came through his first real test as a professional, knocking Dillian Whyte out in the seventh round to win the British heavyweight title. |
35,061,167 | Her annual report, which focuses on women this year, said tackling obesity should be a national priority to avert a "growing health catastrophe".
She said the food industry needed to do more or it should face a sugar tax.
Dame Sally is also calling for better treatment of ovarian cancer and more open discussion on incontinence.
England's top doctor said obesity was so serious it should be a priority for the whole population, but particularly for women because too often it shortened their lives.
In England in 2013, 56.4% of women aged 34-44 and 62% of women aged 45-54 were classified as overweight or obese.
Obesity increases the risk of many diseases including breast cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Dame Sally warned that if the food industry did not clean up its act then new taxes may be the only option.
She told the BBC: "I think it is inevitable that manufacturing has to reformulate and resize, that supermarkets and others need to stop cheap promotions on unhealthy food and putting unhealthy food at the check-out, and limit advertising dramatically.
"I think we're at a tipping point. If industry won't deliver then we'll have to look at a sugar tax."
Elsewhere in the report, the chief medical officer recommended that:
Dame Sally highlighted the fact that women had to look after their physical and mental health during pregnancy for the sake of their children and grandchildren.
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If a woman is obese during pregnancy, research indicates there is an increased chance of miscarriage and premature birth.
A woman's overall health during pregnancy also has an impact on the health of the child in later life, the report said.
A pregnant woman's health affects the conditions inside the womb which in turn can have life-long consequences for the health of the child including the risk of obesity or type 2 diabetes.
Dame Sally said she wanted to "bust the myth" that women should eat for two when pregnant, adding a healthy diet with fruit and vegetables and avoiding alcohol was important.
Prof Nick Finer, from University College London's Institute of Cardiovascular Science, said obesity was now "the most pressing health issue for the nation".
"Estimates of the economic costs of obesity suggest they will bankrupt the NHS.
"Elevating the problem of obesity to a national risk could help to address the current 'laissez faire' attitude to this huge, angry, growing health catastrophe," he said.
The report makes 17 recommendations across a range of women's health issues.
In her report, Dame Sally highlighted the need for early diagnosis and treatment of eating disorders, such as anorexia, bulimia and binge-eating, which are more common in women than men.
She recommended that everyone with an eating disorder should have access to a new and enhanced form of psychological therapy, called CBT-E, which is specifically designed to treat eating disorders.
This should be available to all age groups across the country, she said.
Lorna Garner, from Beat, the charity that supports people with eating disorders, said the recommendation would have "a dramatic and positive impact on a very large proportion of the individuals diagnosed with eating disorders".
It's a one-to-one psychological therapy which focuses on changing the patient's views on body image and helping them to accept their bodies as they are.
The 'E' stands for enhanced because it is tailored to the individual, with the aim of helping them to learn more productive ways of thinking, feeling and behaving.
Keeping patients engaged in the process and preventing any relapses is a key part of the therapy.
Extensive studies have shown that it works for all eating disorders, with a 66% success rate for people with bulimia and binge-eating disorders.
The therapy lasts from five to nine months and can also be used on children over 14 years old.
Therapists can be trained online to deliver CBT-E, which helps patients to be treated quickly.
The report also called for better treatment for ovarian cancer, which kills more women in England than any other gynaecological cancer.
With survival from the cancer among the lowest among developed nations, Dame Sally recommends longer operating times to increase the likelihood that all the cancer is removed during surgery.
Training in specialised surgical skills to remove gynaecological cancers and an audit of treatments are also highlighted in the report.
There should be more awareness of women's problems "below the waist" and more discussion of taboo topics such as urinary and faecal incontinence and the menopause, the report said.
More than five million women suffer from incontinence in the UK, a condition that can seriously affect the quality of their lives.
Bosses should also make it easier for women to discuss their menopausal symptoms without embarrassment, which could help them reduce their sick leave and improve their wellbeing at work.
Dr David Richmond, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said women should be placed at the centre of their care throughout their lives.
He said issues such as maternal obesity, poor diet, lack of physical activity, high levels of alcohol consumption, smoking and poor sexual health "must be addressed... to enable all women to make safe and appropriate lifestyle choices". | Obesity is the biggest threat to women's health and the health of future generations, warns England's chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies. |
20,310,767 | The train will run between the city centre and the suburb of Syokimau, where Kenya has built its first railway station in more than 80 years.
The service is intended to ease traffic congestion in Nairobi, one of the fastest-growing African cities with a population of about three million.
President Mwai Kibaki was the first commuter on the new train.
He travelled back to Nairobi along with his officials, while ordinary passengers were banned for security reasons.
The first paying customers are expected to take the return trip to Syokimau.
The BBC's Wanyama Chebusiri in Nairobi says the new service will be much faster then the existing dilapidated trains and will run on a separate track.
The 16.5-km (10-mile) ride from Syokimau, in the east, to Nairobi is expected to take 15 minutes, while a car journey during rush-hour could take up to two hours, our reporter says.
The new station at Syokimau is modern - it will issue passengers with electronic tickets to swipe at turnstiles and there are also large screens to give train times, he adds.
The journey is the cheapest way of getting to central Nairobi, costing about $2.50 (£1.50).
Mr Kibaki has inaugurated the service, and is expected to be the first passenger to take the ride.
The launch is part of the government's ambitious Vision 2030 initiative to improve much-neglected infrastructure over the next 18 years, our reporter says.
A Chinese company has just built Kenya's first eight-lane highway, linking Nairobi to the densely populated industrial town of Thika, about 40 km away.
It was built at a cost of about 28bn shillings ($330m; £200m).
Although the highway has not been officially launched, motorists are already using it.
The government says its next rail project will be to link Nairobi's city centre to the eastern residential area of Kayole. | A new commuter train has been launched in Kenya's capital, Nairobi - the first of its kind since independence in 1963. |
38,603,187 | He appeared at a court hearing at which the state is appealing against a finding that some of his treatment in prison amounted to "inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment".
Prosecutors had earlier warned that the right-wing extremist was more radical than ever.
Breivik killed 77 people in July 2011.
He murdered 69 people at a summer camp for young centre-left political activists on the island of Utoeya after, earlier in the day, setting off a car bomb in the capital Oslo, killing eight people.
The 37-year-old has been kept in solitary confinement since shortly after his arrest. In 2012, he was sentenced to 21 years in prison. In his three-cell complex, he can play video games, watch TV and exercise.
But he argues that being kept away from other prisoners for 22 to 23 hours a day breaches his human rights.
"I've become more radical. I was radical to start but these past five years I've become much more radical," he said as he gave evidence against the state.
"I'm seriously affected by the isolation, and radicalisation is perhaps the most serious effect of my isolation."
Breivik's lawyer Oystein Storrvik has said the killer is "mentally vulnerable" because of his prison conditions.
In April 2016, a Norwegian court upheld part of his claim, although it dismissed his argument that his right to respect for private and family life was violated by restrictions on contact with other right-wing extremists.
On Tuesday, the Norwegian government, which was also ordered to pay Breivik's legal costs of 330,000 kroner ($38,500; £31,600), began the process of appealing against the court's ruling.
The state says his prison conditions are better than those of most other prisoners to compensate for being kept in solitary confinement.
Prosecutor Fredrik Sejersted rejected the assertion that his human rights were being violated, and said Breivik was "even more convinced in his extreme far-right beliefs".
Reacting to Thursday's hearing, Mr Sejersted told Reuters news agency: "He's saying what is rational for him to say in the circumstances."
A verdict in the case is due in February. | Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik has said that more than five years of prison isolation have further radicalised him. |
26,043,993 | They have proven it over the years, especially on the world business stage, with Chinese companies becoming dominant global players in various sectors.
Now, they are facing their toughest test.
China has set its sights on commercial aeroplane manufacturing - a sector that has arguably more hurdles and stumbling blocks than any other.
"The barriers to entry in commercial aircraft manufacturing are extremely high, and they are not just technological," says Richard Bitzinger, a senior fellow at S Rajaratnam School of International Studies.
The state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) is the one tasked with helping Beijing break into the sector.
Set up in 2008, the firm is betting on its C919 aeroplane - a narrow-body, or single aisle plane that can seat up to 168 passengers - to be its launch pad.
The company is targeting the segment as the market for 100 to 200-seat single-aisle planes is forecast to be worth $20 trillion (£12.8tn) over the next 20 years.
A large part of that growth is expected to come from Asia, and Comac is looking to attract customers with its presence at this week's Singapore Airshow.
However, it is up against stiff competition. The sector is dominated by Airbus's A320 and Boeing's 737, which have received more than 10,000 orders each.
"Comac is up against one of the world's strongest duopolies," says Mr Bitzinger. "Airbus and Boeing produce nearly every 100-seat-and-above passenger jet flown by nearly every airline in the world."
Other firms are also eyeing the sector. Bombardier's much-anticipated C-Series aircraft is seen by many as the most serious potential rival to Airbus and Boeing in the segment.
As that plane gets ready to enter commercial service, it is likely to become even tougher for Comac to break in.
Perhaps an even bigger hurdle is winning the trust of customers that it can build a reliable and safe plane, not least because hundreds of lives are at stake every time a plane is airborne.
Planes are highly complex machines. Thousands of parts need to be fitted and integrated together for them to function properly and any faults can create serious problems.
This is where, analysts say, China's reputation over safety issues may prove to be a stumbling block.
"There is a perception that China doesn't have strict quality control," says Shukor Yusof, an aviation analyst with Standard & Poor's.
"Whether that is justified in this case, we don't know. But when it comes to aeroplane manufacturing, perception is everything."
Shivaji Das, an aviation analyst with consulting firm Frost & Sullivan, adds that previous quality control scandals in other sectors such as baby formula have contributed to such concerns.
Many of the key components for the plane, including its engine, are being supplied by foreign firms.
Its suppliers include GE, Honeywell Aerospace and Rockwell Collins. Comac has also agreed a technical collaboration with Bombardier.
That should help allay some concerns over quality control.
However, analysts say that eventually the parts are being put together at local facilities and Comac's inexperience in doing so may worry some customers.
The fact that Comac has delayed the first test flight of the plane has not helped.
"No-one wants to be a beta tester of a new aircraft, especially from a manufacturer with little or no prior experience," says Mr Bitzinger.
"There are many things that can go wrong with a new plane and as an airline you need to feel assured the manufacturer has the resources and capability to sort it out quickly."
Even Boeing and Airbus - with decades of experience - have faced problems with new models.
Boeing's 787 Dreamliner has had problems with battery fires, while Airbus's A380 saw hairline cracks appear on some of the brackets used to link the wing to the plane.
The one thing going in favour of Comac is that it does not need to rely on global orders, at least not yet.
China is one of the world's fastest growing aviation markets and is likely to see big demand for single-aisle planes over the next two decades.
Comac has already got 400 orders for the C919 - mostly from China - and the number is expected to rise further.
"They are likely to get some sort of a protected access to the domestic market," says Mr Das, of Frost & Sullivan.
He adds that starting out in the domestic market is likely to benefit Comac.
"It's their home turf, so safety and quality concerns are likely to be less of an issue," he says.
"And if the plane performs well over time, with no major problems, you can't rule them out from having a serious shot on the global stage," he adds.
International Airlines Group (IAG), the parent company of British Airways and Iberia, is already talking to Comac about future aeroplane needs.
A turbulence-free take-off in China may well ensure a smooth landing in those markets. | The Chinese have a saying: "Nothing is impossible to a willing mind." |
36,023,699 | An employment tribunal ruled Joe Duffy was unfairly dismissed from Hamilton-based charity People Experiencing Trauma and Loss (Petal).
He has now been awarded almost £40,000 in compensation.
Petal was established by Mr Duffy, 66, and his wife, Kate, after their 19-year-old daughter Amanda was killed following a night out in 1992.
In February, the Crown Office failed in a bid to retry Francis Auld, who stood trial for Amanda's murder but the case was found "not proven" by a jury.
It was hoped a fresh prosecution could take place under Scotland's new double jeopardy laws.
In 2014, Mr Duffy was dismissed from his role as project director with the charity on the grounds of "gross misconduct".
It was claimed that he was guilty of misappropriating Petal funds and property, displaying aggressive behaviour and demonstrating unprofessional conduct towards a charity director.
The charity claimed Mr Duffy profited financially by sourcing water coolers and light bulbs from companies with which he had a financial interest.
Mr Duffy explained that the arrangements through a water cooler business and Speedlamps Ltd were long-standing and were known to members of the charity's management committee.
Employment Judge Shona MacLean concluded: "There was no evidence that the claimant made any profit from providing water coolers to the respondent.
"As regards Speedlamps, Ltd, the claimant was not involved on a day-to-day basis. He was not employed by Speedlamps Ltd. There was no evidence he received any dividend."
It emerged that Mr Duffy has set up another charity but he has received no income from it.
He was not available for comment.
Neil Moore, who is now chief executive of Petal, said he had not personally seen the ruling.
He added:"The judgment is with our legal team and the management committee. We will make a statement when they have had the opportunity to review it." | The father of murdered teenager Amanda Duffy has been cleared of exploiting a charity he set up in her memory. |
37,952,252 | The party is holding a one-day event in Dunfermline to discuss recent political events and policy positions.
Mr Rennie urged members to embrace hope rather than "despair" over Brexit and the election of Donald Trump.
He pledged not to give up on "open and progressive" values in America, Europe or the UK.
The Scottish Lib Dems were holding their autumn conference at the Vine Venue in Dunfermline.
Policy areas scheduled for debate included fracking, the gender pay gap, the local planning system, the coming council elections and Scotland's position in Europe.
Party leader Mr Rennie underlined his "grief" at recent electoral results, such as the UK's vote to leave the European Union and the US choosing Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton as its next president.
He said: "The grief this week has been palpable. Not just the fear of what a President Trump could bring, but the sense of loss of what could have been - the first woman president, committed to expanding healthcare, internationalism, equal rights, tolerance.
"It was the same sense of loss, even of bereavement, that so many people felt after the Brexit vote. The result was the opposite of everything we have worked for over the decades - it made many wonder if they even recognise the country we live in any more.
"So what do we do? How do we respond?
"Of course we could turn our backs, cut the ties, walk away. We could partition the country and hope we live in the best bit. But Liberals are not quitters. I refuse to give up on America, I refuse to give up on Europe, I refuse to give up on the United Kingdom."
Mr Rennie urged members to take inspiration from historical figure Robert the Bruce, "who refused to give up in the face of adversity".
He said: "No matter how disturbed by the results in June and this week, as liberals, our response must be one of hope, not despair. A mile from this venue is the Abbey Church, the final resting place of Robert the Bruce.
"Perhaps we should be inspired by his relationship with that famous spider. If at first you don't succeed, try, try and try again. This is a Robert the Bruce moment for us.
"Just because the progressives have failed on Europe and the United States does not mean that we give up on the USA, EU and UK. We don't give up on people. We must try, try and try again."
by Philip Sim
BBC Scotland political reporter
The Lib Dems gathered in Fife, a mile away from the abbey where the bones of Robert the Bruce are buried. So the theme of the day, inspired by a certain spider, was perseverance.
This extended beyond Willie Rennie's central message of keeping faith in liberal values in the wake of the Brexit vote and the election of Donald Trump.
The party leader also had to ward off a fresh insurrection on the topic of fracking, having overruled a pro-fracking resolution in the wake of the Spring conference.
Mr Rennie persevered - and after a feisty debate, won out.
He also got his way on the topic of Scottish independence, after another lively session.
Before the conference even started, opposition parties had seized on another motion calling for "all options" to be examined to maintain Scotland's place in Europe.
Did this somehow indicate support for independence, they wondered?
Well, here are some clues. At the conference, the Lib Dems were re-using old Better Together lanyards. A Scotland In Union stall was positioned in the middle of the venue, yards from a stall selling old No Thanks t-shirts.
Perhaps this was a message to any lurking pro-independence factions; in any case Mr Rennie left no doubt in his speech. He hit out at the SNP's "obsession" with independence and said he'd oppose it "in all circumstances".
And he again won out comfortably in the final vote, cutting all even slightly controversial passages out of the motion.
Mr Rennie will now be hoping this kind of winning form translates to the electorate at large in May's Council elections. | Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie invoked the spirit of Robert the Bruce by urging members at the party's autumn conference to "try, try again". |
23,004,650 | Chief Minister Peter Harwood said: "A sensible balance needs to be struck between the desire for information and the cost of producing it."
The UK already has a freedom of information law, while Jersey and the Isle of Man are developing legislation.
States members will debate the proposed code at their meeting on 30 July.
Deputy Harwood said the Policy Council had "weighed up the costs and benefits of each approach" and had decided a code of practice represented a "more appropriate way of delivering an effective and efficient policy".
The first guiding principle of the code, if approved, will be to disclose information unless there are reasons to withhold it.
Possible justifications for non-disclosure would include security, legal or external affairs considerations.
The proposals, signed by all 11 members of the Policy Council, also cite as an exception: "Information whose disclosure would harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion, including proceedings of the Policy Council and boards of the departments".
A 2011 report, commissioned by the States and authored by a former senior civil servant at the UK's Ministry of Justice, had recommended islanders be allowed to attend department meetings.
"Confidential communications between departments" are also amongst the list of 15 types of exception, along with "vexatious" or "voluminous" information requests.
The Policy Council said the target for responding to simple requests would be 20 days.
Complaints over a refusal to comply will need to be made to the relevant department's chief officer and then, if necessary, its political board.
A new policy on the use of confidentiality clauses in contracts and agreements will also be debated, as part of the same Policy Council report.
The use of such clauses has been heavily criticised in Guernsey in recent years.
In March, the Scrutiny Committee criticised the Home Department's refusal to reveal how much compensation had been paid to a legal firm, whose offices were illegally raided by police.
In 2011, Guernsey fishermen complained the details of a compensation settlement with UK fishermen were withheld, after a fishing licence regime was deemed unlawful. | Guernsey's Policy Council has drafted a code of practice on access to public information and has come out against introducing a statutory law. |
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