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The facility would prevent jihadists from spreading their extremist ideology to the rest of society, he said. The country's anti-terror law allows security forces to detain people suspected of terrorist activities for a long period without charge. Kenya is battling home-grown militants linked to Islamist group al-Shabab, which is part of al-Qaeda. In 2011, Kenyan troops entered neighbouring Somalia in an effort to stop the jihadists from carrying cross border attacks and kidnapping people. Speaking at the passing-out parade of more than 2,000 prison wardens, Mr Kenyatta said additional money would be provided to meet logistical and operational requirements of the prison service. The country's correctional facilities have previously been described as inhumane, with some of them heavily overpopulated, reports the BBC's Emmanuel Igunza from the capital, Nairobi. At the moment, only death row inmates are kept in separate prison blocks from the rest of the convicts, he says. It is not clear when and where the new prison will be set up. Kenya contributes more than 4,000 troops to the 22,000-strong African Union force that is in Somalia helping the UN-backed government battle al-Shabab. Al-Shabab in Kenya Al-Shabab has staged numerous attacks in Kenya. It killed 147 people at Garissa University, near the border with Somalia, on 2 April 2015. It killed 68 people when it attacked Nairobi's Westgate shopping centre in 2013. There are also regular gun and grenade attacks attributed to the group both in border areas, where many Kenyans are ethnic Somalis, and in Nairobi. Al-Shabab has also set up a recruiting network in Kenya, especially around the port city of Mombasa, which has a large Muslim population.
Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta says he will set up a new special prison for violent extremist offenders.
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Media playback is not supported on this device As of next term, a Football Association panel will review footage each Monday looking for cases and any player found unanimously guilty would be banned. Webb says that the football authorities "need to shift the balance" on diving. "The risk/reward for players to dive is not in the right place," he said. "If a player is thinking 'if I hit the deck I can get away with it and get a penalty and if I get caught I get a yellow card' that is not much of a deterrent. This new measure will be hopefully." The FA says it will act "where there is clear and overwhelming evidence to suggest a match official has been deceived by an act of simulation". But only incidents that result in a player winning a penalty or lead to an opponent being sent off - through either a direct red card or two yellow cards - will be punished. The panel will consist of one former match official, one ex-manager and one ex-player. Webb, who is overseeing the introduction of video refereeing in Major League Soccer, explained that retrospective suspensions for simulation already occur in the US. He told BBC Radio 5 live's Friday Football Social: "On a Monday morning, the disciplinary committee look at all the controversial plays from the weekend. "If they involve simulation then - providing the five-man panel are unanimous - that player will then get suspended. "It works. Players come here knowing that if they dive and got away with it on the day they will pay the price later down the road." Media playback is not supported on this device
Former Premier League referee Howard Webb has backed the introduction of retrospective bans for simulation - saying the reward for diving currently outweighs the risk of punishment.
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The item, aired on BBC One Scotland on 12 October 2016, featured John Shedden sitting on a straw bale. Although aware of the recording, Mr Shedden said he was told it was for a Scottish government information film. Ofcom recognised that he was not a supporter of the SNP and he had not given his "informed consent". The watchdog upheld the complaint from Mr Shedden saying: "We considered that the inclusion of the footage of Mr Shedden in a party political broadcast, for a party which he did not support, without his informed consent, resulted in material facts [ie his political views] being presented in the broadcast in a manner that resulted in unfairness to him." The BBC said that the content of such films was primarily the responsibility of the parties themselves, subject to compliance with the relevant editorial standards. The broadcaster's guidelines state: "No identifiable individual should be featured prominently in a broadcast without that person's consent, which should generally be recorded in writing, and copies of release forms should be made available to the broadcaster on request." The BBC said that from the information provided by the SNP and the programme makers, there had been no written consent from Mr Shedden. The SNP said the film had been made by a "highly professional and reliable" company which it had used for more than a decade to produce party political and election broadcasts. The purpose of the broadcast was to show a "slice of life" featuring a cross section of people from various walks of life. The programme makers said Mr Shedden was contacted by a freelance location finder who wrongly referred to the project as an information programme for the Scottish government, rather than for the SNP. Party officials said the first they became aware that there was an informed consent issue was on 1 November 2016, when an inquiry was received from a journalist. Following an investigation, the SNP released a statement saying: "The film production company accepts it made an error and we understand that they will, rightly, be apologising to Mr Shedden." Ofcom said the SNP arranged with the programme makers, the BBC, and others that Mr Shedden's scene would not to be re-broadcast and would be removed from the BBC iPlayer. The programme makers said they had assumed that on the day of filming Mr Shedden had been aware of the nature of the broadcast. They added that following the incident they had tightened up their procedures and would provide all permissions, contracts and licences to the BBC when submitting political and election broadcasts.
A Scottish National Party political broadcast unfairly featured footage of an East Lothian farmer, regulator Ofcom has ruled.
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Some 74% of adults had bought goods or services online this year, according to a snapshot of the way the internet is used in our daily lives. Almost half had bought clothing, with 64% of 25 to 34-year-olds buying clothes online, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. Internet activity has risen significantly in recent years. The ONS said that 38 million, or 76%, of British adults accessed the internet every day. This total had risen by 21 million since 2006. Internet shopping had grown in popularity, rising from 53% of adults buying goods and services online in 2008 to 74% now, it added. Younger age groups have been regular users of online shopping, notably on smartphones, with nine out of 10 people aged 25 to 34 having shopped online. But the ONS has noted that people of pension age have increased their online shopping activities. Some 40% of those aged 65 and over bought online in 2014. This was more than double the 2008 estimate of 16%. Other financial transactions have also risen in popularity online. Internet banking is used by 53% of British adults in 2014 compared with 30% in 2007. The figures come on the same day as the communications regulator Ofcom said UK adults now spent more time using technology devices than they did sleeping. It said UK adults spent an average of eight hours and 41 minutes a day on media devices, compared with the average night's sleep of eight hours and 21 minutes.
Clothes have been the most popular items bought on the internet this year, according to official figures.
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The 23-year-old twin brothers' deals had been due to expire in 2018. Craig has taken 168 wickets in 55 first-class matches while averaging 24.43 with the bat, hitting seven 50s. Jamie - who, like his brother, is a right-hand bowler and right-hand batsman - has played 95 matches across all three formats, taking 168 wickets. Somerset chief executive Lee Cooper told the club website: "Craig and Jamie are exceptionally talented players and to have secured their long-term futures is a real coup for the club."
Somerset pair Craig and Jamie Overton have both had their contracts with the Division One county extended to the end of the 2020 season.
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Ince, 23, scored 11 goals in 18 games on loan at the Rams last season and has a year to run on his Hull contract. But the loan agreement is understood to have included an option to buy. The Rams' record signing, Wales striker Robert Earnshaw, cost £3.5m from Norwich City in 2007, but Ince is expected to cost less than the £6m which has been reported. Former Derby head coach Steve McClaren confirmed the club wanted the ex-England U-21 international to return to the iPro Stadium in May. And the appointment of new manager Paul Clement has not changed their stance, with new signings Darren Bent and Alex Pearce also having been identified before Clement took over.
Derby County will have to break their record transfer fee to sign Hull City's Tom Ince, BBC Radio Derby reports.
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Doncaster midfielder Tommy Rowe had cancelled out Ryan Lowe's first-half header with an 83rd-minute penalty in an open encounter at Gresty Road, but Crewe still claimed the points thanks to Jones's winner three minutes from time. Crewe skipper Lowe raced in to head home in the 14th minute after strike partner Chris Dagnall delivered a superb cross to the far post. After Lowe's strike, Steve Davis's side enjoyed a double let-off when Jon Guthrie sliced James Coppinger's cross onto the bar and then Rowe failed to finish Frazer Richardson's cross into an empty net. Andy Williams also failed to apply a touch to John Marquis's cross as Doncaster were guilty of spurning their chances. After being under the cosh, Crewe emerged brightly following the restart and Jones blasted inches over before Dagnall's shot was pushed away by visiting keeper Marko Marosi. Yet they needed some brilliant work from Ben Garratt who clawed away Matty Blair's looping header away from the top corner. Marosi was equally impressive when keeping out Dagnall's diving header. Harry Davis was then penalised for a holding offence at a corner and Rowe duly beat Garratt from the spot to draw the teams level and seemingly earn Rovers a point. But Crewe won it when midfielder Jones turned and fired in the winner in the 87th minute. Report supplied by the Press Association. REACTION: Doncaster manager Darren Ferguson speaks to BBC Radio Sheffield Match ends, Crewe Alexandra 2, Doncaster Rovers 1. Second Half ends, Crewe Alexandra 2, Doncaster Rovers 1. Goal! Crewe Alexandra 2, Doncaster Rovers 1. James Jones (Crewe Alexandra) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Chris Dagnall. Attempt missed. Tommy Rowe (Doncaster Rovers) left footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left. Corner, Doncaster Rovers. Conceded by Oliver Turton. Goal! Crewe Alexandra 1, Doncaster Rovers 1. Tommy Rowe (Doncaster Rovers) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom left corner. Penalty Doncaster Rovers. John Marquis draws a foul in the penalty area. Penalty conceded by Jon Guthrie (Crewe Alexandra) after a foul in the penalty area. Corner, Doncaster Rovers. Conceded by Jon Guthrie. Attempt blocked. Harry Middleton (Doncaster Rovers) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Substitution, Crewe Alexandra. Billy Bingham replaces Alex Kiwomya. Substitution, Crewe Alexandra. George Ray replaces George Cooper. Attempt blocked. John Marquis (Doncaster Rovers) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Corner, Doncaster Rovers. Conceded by Ben Garratt. Attempt saved. Tommy Rowe (Doncaster Rovers) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Attempt missed. Tommy Rowe (Doncaster Rovers) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Attempt missed. James Coppinger (Doncaster Rovers) left footed shot from the left side of the box is high and wide to the left. Corner, Doncaster Rovers. Conceded by Oliver Turton. Attempt blocked. Alex Kiwomya (Crewe Alexandra) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Harry Middleton (Doncaster Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Danny Hollands (Crewe Alexandra). Foul by John Marquis (Doncaster Rovers). Oliver Turton (Crewe Alexandra) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Substitution, Doncaster Rovers. Riccardo Calder replaces Frazer Richardson. Substitution, Doncaster Rovers. Harry Middleton replaces Joe Wright. Attempt saved. John Marquis (Doncaster Rovers) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Danny Hollands (Crewe Alexandra) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by John Marquis (Doncaster Rovers). Corner, Crewe Alexandra. Conceded by Marko Marosi. Attempt saved. Chris Dagnall (Crewe Alexandra) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Delay in match Jordan Houghton (Doncaster Rovers) because of an injury. Attempt saved. Matty Blair (Doncaster Rovers) header from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. (Doncaster Rovers) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Danny Hollands (Crewe Alexandra). Corner, Doncaster Rovers. Conceded by Jon Guthrie. Attempt saved. James Coppinger (Doncaster Rovers) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Danny Hollands (Crewe Alexandra) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Tommy Rowe (Doncaster Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Danny Hollands (Crewe Alexandra). Attempt saved. Chris Dagnall (Crewe Alexandra) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
James Jones struck late to earn Crewe their first home success of the campaign as they beat Doncaster in a frantic finish.
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McDonnell, 29, finished powerfully and had 24-year-old Kameda on the canvas in the final round. The judges scored it 116-111, 115-112, 117-110 at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas. The Yorkshireman had won a narrow points decision against Kameda in his second title defence in May. McDonnell, who has now won 27 of his 30 professional contests, told Sky Sports: "Everything went to plan. The fight was easier than the last. I felt in control."
England's Jamie McDonnell retained his WBA bantamweight title with a unanimous points decision in a rematch with Japan's Tomoki Kameda.
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The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service attended the fire at the property on the Heather Road, after receiving a report shortly before 16:00 BST on Tuesday. Ten appliances and almost 50 firefighters were involved in tackling the fire. One man was injured by a vehicle. His injuries are not thought to be serious. The cause of the fire is still unknown. The building contains a shredding machine, waste paper and cardboard. The man has since been released from hospital.
A firefighter has been treated in hospital after working at a recycling plant blaze outside Londonderry.
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On Monday Uber boss Travis Kalanick sent an email to his employees with more information about the probe - and further plans the company has to address the issue. “It’s been a tough 24 hours,” he began, adding that the company was “hurting”. The investigation will be lead by former US attorney general Eric Holder, who served under President Obama between 2009 and 2015, and Tammy Albarran - both partners at law firm Covington and Burling. Arianna Huffington, best known for being the founder of the Huffington Post, will also help carry out the review. Ms Huffington has been on Uber’s board since April last year. Also conducting the review will be Uber’s new head of human resources, Liane Hornsey, and Angela Padilla, Uber’s associate general counsel. Diversity figures After coming into widespread criticism for never having published statistics on diversity at the company, Mr Kalanick said he would deliver figures in the "coming months". He said that of the employees working as engineers, product managers or data scientists, 15.1% are women - a number which he said hadn’t changed significantly in the past year. “As points of reference,” he wrote, “Facebook is at 17%, Google at 18% and Twitter at 10%.” Until now, Uber had been standing firm on not publishing its diversity figures. Most major technology companies make public their EEO-1 - a government filing that breaks down employees by race, religion, gender and other factors. Uber has not specified if it will publish its entire EEO-1, or just post select figures from the company. In her blog post, Susan Fowler cited anecdotal figures of women leaving Uber in droves. Speaking specifically about the site reliability engineering team, which she worked on for a year, she said that by the time she left, “out of over 150 engineers in the SRE teams, only 3% were women”. She now works at San Francisco-based payment firm Stripe. Uber said it would be holding an “all hands" meeting on Tuesday to tell its employees what its “next steps” will be. Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC and on Facebook. If you are an Uber employee, you can reach Dave directly and anonymously on encrypted messaging app Signal using +1 (628) 400-7370.
On Sunday we learned that Uber was going to conduct an investigation into claims of serious sexual harassment, following a scathing blog post from a former employee.
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The 25-year-old left Stamford Bridge for Portugal three years ago. "I am very happy for this opportunity. I just want to say I will give my best to help the team and make the Chelsea fans happy," said Matic. "Matic's performance in his final game, Benfica's O Classico encounter with Porto on Sunday, showed exactly why he's become such a hot property. He was as committed as ever in a man-of-the-match display, showing his ball-winning tenacity along with his customary elegance and technique in bringing the ball forward. "In short, Matic is exactly what Chelsea have needed for some time; a specialist at breaking up play in front of the defence. We should not be too hard on Chelsea for letting him go in the first place, though. His improvement in the last 18 months has been breathtaking - ironically, given Chelsea's competitors in the title race, this was after he became a regular starter for Benfica following Javi Garcia's exit to Manchester City." Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho said: "He has grown as a player in Portugal and has become a fantastic all-round midfielder." The Serbia international was valued at less than £5m in January 2011 when he left Stamford Bridge as a makeweight in the deal that saw defender David Luiz join Chelsea from Benfica. Mourinho quickly identified the defensive midfielder as a key target on his return to Stamford Bridge and the club had no issue with re-signing a player they previously let go. Chelsea will offset the cost of signing Matic with the £16m they will receive from the proposed sale of Kevin De Bruyne to Wolfsburg. Matic joined Chelsea from Slovakian club MFK Kosice on a four-year deal for £1.5m in 2009. He made two substitute appearances in the Premier League and was an unused substitute in Chelsea's 1-0 win over Portsmouth in the FA Cup final in 2010. Matic joined Vitesse Arnhem on loan for the season in August 2010 before moving to Portugal as part of the Luiz transfer in February 2011. As well as Matic and Luiz, Chelsea also signed Brazil midfielder Ramires from Benfica in 2010 for about £17m. Media playback is not supported on this device
Chelsea have completed the £21m signing of Benfica midfielder Nemanja Matic on a five-and-a-half-year deal.
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Mr Parker, who also presented BBC regional news programme South Today for 35 years, has been recognised for his charity and community work in Hampshire and on the Channel Islands. He is chairman of the Friends of Winchester Cathedral, and a trustee. He also chairs the educational charities Elizabeth College Foundation and Gibson Fleming Trust in Guernsey. Mr Parker, from Andover, said he was "absolutely over the moon and thrilled to bits" by the appointment. "It came quite out of the blue and I am very proud," he added. "I am accepting it on behalf of, and sharing it with, all of the dedicated people I work with in charity." Mr Parker is also vice-patron of both the Hampshire and Isle of Wight's Air Ambulance and Smile Support and Care charities, and an ambassador for Leukaemia Busters in Southampton. He is also a former chairman of Winchester's Harestock School governors and Appleshaw Parish Council. In the 1960s Mr Parker led a local radio pilot for schools on the Channel Islands which later contributed to the establishment of the BBC's local radio network in the UK. Brought up in Guernsey, he was the first host of the BBC's Antiques Roadshow, which celebrates its 40th anniversary next year. The 75-year-old was also a presenter of Nationwide, hosted BBC One's 1970s music and arts series Mainstream, and presented and produced BBC Radio 4 programmes. He achieved worldwide prominence when he led the BBC's coverage of the raising of the Mary Rose at Portsmouth in 1982. He was subsequently in charge of BBC South's political programming. He has also won several Royal Television Society awards and is the author of a number of books.
Former presenter of the BBC's Antiques Roadshow Bruce Parker has been appointed MBE in the New Year Honours.
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Temperatures were so hot that members of the public were allowed to remove their jackets for the first time in the event's history. But the first day of the annual racing festival started on a sombre note as Her Majesty led a minute's silence to remember the victims and those affected by recent tragedies. She was joined for a day at the races by senior members of the Royal Family as the temperature rose well above 30C. Prince William went to the races with the Duchess of Cambridge, who wore an Alexander McQueen dress with a bespoke hat. Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall arrived during the Royal Parade, after the Queen, before the start of racing. Former England rugby player Mike Tindall, who is married to the Queen's grand-daughter Zara Tindall, enjoyed a joke with some of the younger royals, including Prince William, Princess Beatrice, and the Duchess of Cambridge. The Princess Royal joined the Cambridges along with the Earl and Countess of Wessex. Prince Andrew was seen enjoying a joke with his sister-in-law the Countess, as Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall chatted to a guest.
One of the highlights of the Royal Family's summer calendar got under way on Tuesday, with the opening of Royal Ascot.
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Pembrokeshire council cancelled the contract after former chief executive Bryn Parry Jones left the council in October. Last week it was instructed to reveal the full cost within 35 days. Coun Jacob Williams published the amount on his website, and the council later confirmed it was correct. He said they had to pay four months' leasing costs after the contract ended.
More than £8,600 was paid by a council to get out of a hire contract for a Porsche its former boss used to drive.
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24 April 2013 Last updated at 17:33 BST The artist behind the stunt, Kurt Perschke, says he wants to make people more aware of all the things to see in the city. It's not the first time the balloon has been out and about though. It's already been to cities in Australia, Spain and Canada. The red balloon will be popping up around in Paris until 28 April.
A big red balloon is bouncing its way around Paris as part of an art exhibition.
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Mr Harris has pleaded not guilty to the new charge. Last week, a jury cleared him of three sexual assault charges but failed to return a verdict on four counts. The 86-year-old will not face a retrial on one of the four counts that the jury could not reach a verdict on. After deliberating for just under a week, the jury found Mr Harris not guilty of indecently assaulting a young autograph hunter on a visit to a Portsmouth radio station with her mother at the end of the 1970s. He was also cleared of groping a blind, disabled woman at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London in 1977, and sexually assaulting a woman in her 40s after filming a TV show in 2004. Judge Alistair McCreath discharged the jury from deliberating on the further four counts Mr Harris was accused of. His retrial will take place on 15 May.
Former TV star Rolf Harris will face a retrial over three alleged sexual assaults and one new charge of indecent assault, a prosecutor at Southwark Crown Court has said.
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The Welsh government is taking over the setting and collection of landfill tax and a replacement for stamp duty, to be called the Welsh Land Transaction Tax. The new tax collection body will be known as the Welsh Revenue Authority or WRA, Finance Minister Jane Hutt said. Stamp duty raises around £168m a year in Wales with landfill tax raising £51m. Ms Hutt said she wanted a "smooth transition to the new taxes in 2018, with as little disruption for taxpayers as possible". "My priority is making sure Welsh taxes - which from 2018 will be a small but significant part of the overall funding available for public services in Wales - are collected safely and securely," she said. "I also want arrangements that will enable taxpayers to comply with their obligations as straightforwardly as possible and these arrangements will need to be value for money." The WRA will work with Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to collect the property tax and with Natural Resources Wales to collect the landfill charges.
A new body is being set up by Welsh ministers to collect taxes from 2018.
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The most powerful Indian is a woman - Sonia Gandhi, chief of the ruling Congress party. India's President is a woman. The speaker of the parliament and the leader of the opposition are women. Mayawati, a Dalit (untouchable) woman rules India's most populous and politically crucial state of Uttar Pradesh. The urbane Sheila Dikshit rules the capital, Delhi. And last week, Mamata Banerjee created history by overthrowing a over three-decade long Communist government in Bengal to take charge of the state. Together, these three formidable women rule directly over a third of India's people. Most of these women are influential politicians in their own right, and Ms Banerjee and Mayawati belong to the fast vanishing tribe of mass leaders. Certainly, many of these women are beneficiaries of family patronage and male mentors. Ms Gandhi took over the party as a privileged dynast. Mayawati and Jayalalitha were anointed successors by their mentors, one a leader of the untouchables, and the other a film-star. Ms Dikshit belongs to a well-connected political family. Only Ms Banerjee has earned her spurs as a rebel who emerged victorious after a decade of gritty street-fighting politics. However, most of these leaders have carved out their own identities and styles of functioning, however controversial they may be. Mayawati, with her penchant for diamonds, flashy birthday celebrations and statues, has managed to steer her Bahujan Samaj Party to become a formidable political force, seeking to give dignity of millions of untouchables. Jayalalitha led much-acclaimed rehabilitation work after the 2005 tsunami hit Tamil Nadu. Ms Dixit has won three consecutive terms in Delhi, thanks to her development work. But Indira Gandhi, the subcontinent's most powerful woman politician ever, was once described as a "dumb-doll" by a group of male Congress figures who thrust her to the political centre-stage, confident that they could control her. Ms Banerjee has been physically attacked by Communist party workers in the past, and described as "that woman" by its leaders. Last month, a Communist MP was forced to apologise after he publicly called her a "loose woman" who was interested in "bigger clients like the USA". Most parties are deeply chauvinist - for all the glib talk of gender equality, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has no female leader of any standing. India also doesn't have a single Muslim female leader, and the matriarchal states of the north-east are all ruled by rather unremarkable men. Women comprise nearly half of India's population, but their lot needs to improve. India's sex ratio remains scandalously skewed. Sex selective abortions, female infanticide and foeticide are rife in northern states. Men remain major beneficiaries of government schemes, a lot of women still die during childbirth - though the record is improving, and more girls drop out of school than boys. The political empowerment of women is a remarkable achievement in this context. Many believe that the presence of so many women in powerful positions in politics is a quirk. I don't agree. Indira Gandhi's ascendancy through the Congress party to become India's most powerful and controversial leader was an an exception in South Asia those days, but things have changed. Female literacy is improving, triggering aspirations in a booming economy. Reservation of seats in village councils and municipalities has been seen as a fillip for women. In many unprogressive northern states like Haryana, spouses and male relatives still keep their female leaders indoors and run proxies, but in large parts of India, the political empowerment of women has been genuine. How much of a real change will Ms Banerjee and her sorority bring for the people of India? It has not been a very inspiring record till now - Ms Mayawati seems to have belied a lot of expectations in the way she runs Uttar Pradesh, and Ms Dixit's record has been marred by shoddy infrastructure work for last year's Commonwealth Games. There is still no evidence that women politicians are less corrupt than their male counterparts. "To suggest that women in power will be less corrupt is fatuous, and contrary to all prevalent evidence," says journalist-writer MJ Akbar. Historian Ramachandra Guha says the rise of women in powerful political roles does not mark a "new age" of gender equality. The reasons for their rise, he says, may be personal (their courage and drive) or historical (the impact of a generations of reformers) or political (universal adult franchise). Whatever the reason is and whatever its consequences, he says, the phenomenon is noteworthy. PS: On second thoughts, is India's neighbour Bangladesh also in a grip of women power? The two most powerful politicians in the country are women and one, Hasina Wazed, is in power. Five of her top ministers are women too!
Is India now living on woman power?
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The strategy aims to ensure England's environment is healthy and that it is a beautiful place to live, work and bring up a family. It aims to bring back birds to a countryside depleted under EU agricultural policy. BBC News has obtained the latest version of the document. Its release has been delayed several times, but a government spokesman told BBC News that it was committed to delivering the strategy “in due course”. The plan has its genesis in the Conservatives’ 2015 manifesto. It promised the first government to leave the natural environment in a better state than they found it. The policy to support that pledge was first expected last summer. Just after Christmas a source told BBC News the document had been agreed by the prime minister and was ready to be published. Now talk is of perhaps publishing in the summer or the autumn. Some rumours suggest it won’t be published at all. The host department Defra has faced radical staffing cuts, and is now recruiting extra bodies to deal with the impact of Brexit on farm policy. Defra is also struggling with a separate but related 25-Year Plan for Farming. Environmentalists who have seen the draft Nature plan, meanwhile, say it is full of good thinking on the framework for environmental management - but lacking in practical solutions. The chapter on woodlands, for instance offers the counter-intuitive conclusion that it’s better to plant woods near cities than in the uplands. But the document then places responsibility for acting on that insight on to landowners rather than ministers. The report says: “Determining woodland planting locations using only timber values and foregone agricultural production suggests that new woodlands ought to be planted on the least productive agricultural land – mainly in the uplands. This policy gives £66m per year benefit. “However considering carbon and recreational benefits, the highest values are closer to where people work and live. This gives £546m per year." The conclusion to this research finding is: “Such analysis provides landowners with better information to inform their decisions." The Woodland Trust is baffled; their conservation director Austin Brady told BBC News: “This analysis should be providing better information for the government – not for landowners!” One clue to the absence of forest policy was given by NFU vice-president Guy Smith, who told Radio 4's Today programme that farmers would strongly resist widespread forestation of agricultural land because it would lead to more food imports, which would result in loss of forests abroad. ClientEarth chief executive James Thornton told BBC News: “To protect nature, we need targets, investment and accountability, not grand promises with zero detail. “We have been waiting for the 25-year plan for over a year. This version is 46 pages of empty words, and now it seems the final plan might not even be published. This is not good enough. “The government must uphold strong and effective laws to protect the environment. This is especially important as the UK is leaving the EU, so the laws and funding that we have depended on to protect nature for many years are under threat.” Green groups are especially frustrated because in many ways the document appears to have accepted many of their ideas for making the most of nature. It embraces the notion that environmental policies can’t be made in a vacuum, talking of joined-up policy on flood prevention, water abstraction, irrigation, wildlife, and soil conservation. Importantly, the paper aspires to incorporate evidence on the value of Nature into the Treasury’s advisory “green book”, so the environment into all government decisions. It also agrees that children should have more contact with the natural world, and supports the £1.5m pocket parks fund to introduce tiny local parks. Yet it doesn’t acknowledge the funding shortfall which is causing many local councils to abandon maintenance in parks. The plan recognises the crisis in soil, as more and more of it is blown or washed away every year. And it accepts the need to tackle pollution to the air and water from fertilisers – though it isn’t clear how either will be done. There are many references to the policy opportunities offered by Brexit, which will allow the UK to make its own rules on waste and resources. And the general tone suggests that ministers will want to simplify environmental rules and prioritise carrots over sticks for businesses that break laws. But Trevor Hutchings from the green group WWF told BBC News: “It is logical for the 25-Year Plan to come out before the Great Repeal Bill so that it’s clear what needs to be achieved and how, including where new legislation is required. “There is a danger that Brexit is seizing-up Whitehall - yet the Plan is largely written. So it should be published." A Defra spokesman said: “We are still committed to publishing the plan and have been engaging on issues with key stakeholders with a view to publishing in due course.” Defra added: "Our ambition is to be the first generation to leave the environment in a better state than we found it, and we are committed to publishing a long-term plan that builds on our long history of wildlife and environmental protection, and sets out a new approach to managing the environment. "We're working closely with a range of environmental and conservation groups and businesses to develop proposals." Its document does mention one asset that’s available to people already – the fledgling website at Exeter University called ORVal, developed to shows people how they can access green space round the country. Follow Roger on Twitter.
A draft 25-year government plan sets out a bold vision for nature in England, but campaigners say it lacks policies.
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The match will be played four days after Michael O'Neill's side host Azerbaijan in a World Cup 2018 Group C qualifier at the National Stadium. Like Northern Ireland, Croatia reached the last 16 at Euro 2016, topping their group with wins over Spain and Turkey, and a draw with the Czech Republic. They were knocked out by eventual winners Portugal in the next round. The game in Lens went to extra-time, with Ricardo Quaresma scoring the only goal of the game. The Croatians drew 1-1 at home to Turkey in their opening World Cup qualifier in September. The other teams in their group are Finland, Iceland, Kosovo and Ukraine. The Croatia squad boasts some of the top players in Europe, including Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric, Barcelona's Ivan Rakitic, Juventus striker Mario Mandzukic and Inter Milan midfielder Ivan Perisic. Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill said: "This will be a great game for us. Croatia are a top-class European team and it's great that we will be playing them at home. "We have not played a home friendly against this quality of opposition for quite some time. "It will no doubt be a real test for us, and it will also provide us with an opportunity to look at some of the players in our squad who have not featured in the team much before now." Prior to the two November fixtures, Northern Ireland host San Marino in Belfast on 8 October, followed by an away game against Germany on 11 October, both World Cup qualifiers.
Northern Ireland will play Croatia in a friendly international at Windsor Park on Tuesday, 15 November (19:45 GMT).
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The US State Department said the $8.6m (£6m) purchase was designed to help Iran meet its obligations under the nuclear deal signed last year. Officials said the heavy water, which can also be used to produce weapons-grade plutonium, would be resold for research purposes. The move has already attracted criticism from US Republicans. Paul Ryan, the speaker of the House of Representatives, said it was "another unprecedented concession to the world's leading state-sponsor of terrorism". Iran nuclear deal - key details Back in business, for now Will Iran get a McDonald's? The heavy water will initially be stored at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee before being resold. Under the nuclear deal, Iran is allowed to use heavy water in its modified Arak nuclear reactor, but must sell any excess supply of both heavy water and enriched uranium on the international market. In a statement, the US Energy Department said the US would not automatically buy Iranian heavy water in the future, saying it was Iran's responsibility to find a way to meet its commitments. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry was due to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif to discuss Iranian concerns that sanctions relief promised under the deal has not materialised. The US has ruled out giving Iran access to the US financial system or direct access to dollars. Iran also remains under other US sanctions over its alleged ballistic missile activity, support for violent organisations and human rights abuses
The US is buying 32 tonnes of heavy water, which is used in some nuclear reactors, from Iran.
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Energy firm Cuadrilla wanted to extract shale gas at Roseacre Wood but the application was unanimously rejected. The county council tweeted that the proposal had been refused because of the "impact on traffic". Cuadrilla said it was "disappointed but not surprised" and would "consider our options including our right to appeal". The application was being considered after fracking was suspended in the UK in 2011. Councillors deferred a decision on a second bid to begin fracking another site at Little Plumpton until Monday, after legal advice. The Little Plumpton bid has been recommended for approval, subject to working hours, noise control and highway matters. Protests were held outside the hearing in Preston, which began on Tuesday. All 15 members voted to refuse the Roseacre Wood application, in line with officers' recommendations. A related application for a monitoring array, to monitor seismic activity and water quality was approved. In a statement Cuadrilla said: "We are committed to the responsible exploration and development of the huge quantity of natural gas locked up in the shale rock deep underneath Lancashire. "If we can unlock this shale gas potential it will help create jobs, generate economic growth, help fuel and heat local businesses and homes, and boost local tax revenues for Lancashire." The council meeting will resume on Monday. This decision is very significant. It is the first test case on whether fracking will be given the go-ahead in Lancashire and it has been turned down because of traffic. Speaker after speaker said the proposal would make local roads too dangerous. Business leaders said the county needed fracking to go ahead for jobs and the local economy, but councillors felt overwhelmingly the application should be turned down. Whether this will have any effect on the Little Plumpton decision on Monday remains to be seen. Friends of the Earth North West campaigner Furqan Naeem said the decision was a "tremendous victory" for people across Lancashire and the UK who campaigned against the application. But he said the "fracking threat still hangs ominously over the community near Preston New Road". He added: "Poll after poll shows people want renewables, not fracking - and the clean energy and long-term jobs they would provide." Fracking - or hydraulic fracturing - is a technique in which water and chemicals are pumped into shale rock at high pressure to extract gas.
An application to start a fracking operation on the Fylde Coast in Lancashire has been rejected by councillors.
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The attackers sprayed bullets into the mosque in the home village of Kano governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. His elderly father was in the mosque, but escaped unhurt, witnesses said. No group has said it carried out the raid. Islamist group Boko Haram has also staged several attacks in Kano, and elsewhere in northern Nigeria. The run-up to elections in oil-rich Nigeria is often marred by violence between rival political groups. Mr Kwankwaso was among five influential governors who defected from President Goodluck Jonathan's People's Democratic Party (PDP) to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in November. Heshimu Suleiman, one of the governor's supporters, said the attack was politically motivated to punish Mr Kwankwaso for defecting, reports the AP news agency. The PDP has not yet commented on the allegation. In December, Nigeria's ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo said it would be "morally flawed" for Mr Jonathan to seek re-election next year. He said Mr Jonathan had failed to tackle Nigeria's many problems, including corruption and an insurgency led by the militant Islamist group Boko Haram. Mr Jonathan defended his record in government, but has not yet declared his candidature.
Gunmen have attacked a mosque in the northern Nigerian state of Kano, killing three worshippers and wounding 12 others, police say.
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As expected, the half-hour question time was dominated by the crisis in the steel industry. And as expected, Mr Cairns defended the UK government's handling of that crisis. He told MPs ministers had been in close dialogue with Tata Steel for many months and the government's action had averted the immediate closure of the Port Talbot plant, Britain's biggest steelworks. "It is due to the government intervention that Tata have agreed to a sales process rather than an immediate closure of its operations in Wales," he added. But Mr Cairns was criticised by Plaid Cymru's parliamentary leader, Hywel Williams, for not attending last month's crucial Tata Steel board meeting in India, at which the decision to sell off its UK assets was taken. Mr Williams asked: "What stopped you? Was it the Cabinet pecking order? Was it indolence? Or was it just plain ignorance?" But Mr Cairns told him: "Surely what the steelworkers want to see is where the government and the opposition work together, where the company and the unions work together in order to secure that long-term future." Shadow Welsh Secretary Nia Griffith demanded assurances that Tata Steel wouldn't syphon off its most profitable lines to its plants abroad. Mr Cairns said a "positive engagement" between the government and Tata had led to the decision to sell off the assets as a whole rather than to dispose of some of the more profitable assets. He also managed to mention the fact that his father was a welder at Port Talbot. Ms Griffith revealed some news of her own in calling for the scrapping of tolls on the Severn Crossings once they revert to public ownership. This is now apparently official Labour policy, with maintenance of the bridges to be paid for, I understand, "from general taxation". Current government policy is to halve them from (approximately) 2018. Mr Cairns is a relative veteran of question time, having been Stephen Crabb's deputy for more than a year. But it was the first appearance at the despatch box for the new junior Minister, Guto Bebb. The Aberconwy MP got to field the most unusual question - from Michael "My Mam's from Aberavon" Fabricant. He wanted to pay tribute to Welsh Tory leader Andrew RT Davies and his former chief of staff, Anthony Pickles, who apparently came up with the idea of bringing the Prince of Wales's regalia - the Welsh "crown jewels" to Wales. Mr Bebb agreed. "I would say that bringing the regalia back to Wales would be the right thing to do and I'm quite certain that my constituent in the castle of Conwy would be delighted to host the regalia." The plan is for the regalia to go on display at a new heritage centre in Llandovery.
So what did we learn from Alun Cairns's Commons debut as secretary of state for Wales?
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The alleged victim, now married with children, told Southwark Crown Court he had said: "It's only a bit of fun", and she added that she had "no experience". Mr Clifford, now 73, denies assaulting the girl, then 17, at his London office in the early 1980s. His defence counsel accused the woman of making it up to get compensation. Giving evidence, the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the jury: "He unzipped his trousers and came towards me", before forcing her to carry out a sexual act. "It felt like it was going on for ages," she said. "I said several times, 'I really don't want to do this and really don't want to miss my train'. "I actually thought he was going to kill me. I had no experience and really didn't know what was going to happen next." She told the court the alleged incident only ended when a delivery person knocked at the door. She said she did not tell anyone until several years ago because it was "not the sort of thing nice girls talked about". "I didn't think I would be believed or that anyone would do anything," she added. "He was so powerful. I'm nobody." She also told jurors Mr Clifford insisted she wore skirts to work and would leave photographs of naked women on his desk for her to see. But Sarah Forshaw QC, defending, said the alleged victim has "always enjoyed money" and had told her daughter she would be "all right financially after this trial". She accused the woman of making up the allegations after reading in the news that Mr Clifford's other victims could get £200,000 in compensation. Mr Clifford was previously charged and given a prison sentence for some allegations investigated by Operation Yewtree, the Met Police investigation set up in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal. In court, the woman repeatedly insisted that she was not lying about the allegations to try to claim damages. Some of the biggest names in show business, including pop mogul Simon Cowell, late reality TV star Jade Goody and boxer Muhammad Ali, were represented by Mr Clifford, of Hersham, Surrey, during his career. The trial continues.
A teenager feared former celebrity publicist Max Clifford was "going to kill her" when he forced her to perform a sex act on him, a court has heard.
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Richard Bernard was found outside his flat in Trocadero Court, in Derby, on Tuesday night. Det Ch Insp Dave Cox, of Derbyshire Police, said police believe the 51-year-old was attacked in his home before he collapsed and died outside. A man and woman arrested in connection with his death have been bailed. Police declined to say what offences they had been arrested on suspicion of. Mr Bernard's mother Nita, sister Claire and brother Andrew said in a statement: "We are devastated to hear the tragic news about Richard." A post mortem examination revealed Mr Bernard died from stab wounds. Witnesses or anyone with information is asked to contact Derbyshire Police.
A man who was stabbed in his home, triggering a murder investigation, has been described by his family as a "very much loved son and brother".
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Similarities between these old strains of the bug and those prevalent today have given scientists unique insights into the spread of the disease. It has revealed, for example, the key role played by the medieval Crusades in moving the pathogen across the globe. The researchers tell Science magazine they hope their study will lead them to the ancient origins of the leprosy. In medieval times, a sufferer of leprosy was likely to be an outcast, secluded from society in quarantined colonies. Then as now, there was a social stigma with having the disease, but it can be cured if caught early. If left untreated, it can leave sufferers deformed and crippled. Leprosy sufferers were often quarantined in living areas called leprosaria. In public, they had to wear bells to warn others of their presence. In the bible it was referred to as an "unclean" disease and by 1225, there were about 19,000 leprosaria colonies in Europe. "The important thing to remember is that leprosaria were religious institutions, showing both a major material investment and adherence to a religious rule of life," explained Prof Monica Green, who specialises in medical history at the Arizona State University, US. "Leprosy was the only disease in medieval Europe that elicited a specific institutional response. In its full-blown form, it was grossly disfiguring and maiming. Stigma might be reserved for persons with the most serious cases. "There was a general decline towards the later middle ages, in part because the segregation provided by leprosaria 'worked' in removing the most seriously affected individuals from open society." Turmoil, crisis and the creation of a state - explore life in the middle ages The scientists in this new study compared the genetics of the disease-causing bacterium Mycobacterium leprae found in five medieval skeletons from Europe with 11 modern strains. The DNA comparison showed that one type of leprosy found in Europe 1,000 years ago is the same as one present in the Middle East now. This strengthened the view that the disease spread during the Crusades, said Johannes Krause, from the University of Tübingen, Germany, one of the authors of the work. This was a period when Christian armies fought for control of what they called the Holy Land. It remains unclear which direction the disease spread, but "lines of evidence suggest an Asian origin of the disease", as the earliest evidence of leprosy comes from a 4,000-year old skeleton found in India. "This skeleton can only tell us it was present in Asia around 4,000 years ago, but we do not know where the origin of the disease is," Prof Krause told BBC News. Another of the medieval strains is similar to one found in the Americas today. This suggests the disease was not something the first American settlers carried with them when they originally migrated from Asia, but is a more recent development that was probably introduced when Europeans colonised the continent, added Prof Krause. "One really surprising finding was that the DNA was so well preserved, better than any ancient DNA I have ever studied," he said. "This opens up the possibility to study the evolution of the disease in much older remains, to understand how it evolved and adapted to humans." Leprosy infections in Europe today are minimal as an estimated 95% of the population have developed immunity, but globally leprosy remains a significant problem with 225,000 new cases recorded annually "The bacterium is still pathogenic, the same way it was 1,000 years ago, but our social conditions have changed and we have much better medical treatment. But at the same time, it's still a very prevalent disease," said Prof Krause. Leprosy was endemic in Europe until it almost disappeared in the 16th Century, explained another member of the research team, Stewart Cole from the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in Switzerland, (EPFL). "It's been proposed that [bubonic plague ("Black Death")] killed off a large part of the European population, including those suffering from leprosy. "One of the interesting things about this paper is that the medieval and current strains are the same, whereas leprosy disappeared fairly rapidly from Europe. "It's clear that leprosy has created a strong selective pressure on the immune system. The European Caucasian populations have acquired resistance to leprosy, they have certain characteristic mutations in genes that make them less susceptible," Prof Cole told BBC News. Helen Donoghue, from University College London, UK, was not part of the team. She said the study of old skeletons was invaluable in understanding the origins and the evolution of disease. "We can understand how people with leprosy lived in the past by traditional archaeological and anthropological methods, such as evidence of stigma by having separate burial sites; looking at movement of people by stable isotope analysis and using historical records for the use of leprosy hospitals and seeing who cared for them. "The beauty of studying the DNA from ancient diseases is that it enables direct comparison of the genetic composition of past and present genomes. "This provides direct calibration of the timescale for changes over time and enables us to look at the evolution of the pathogenic organism in relation to its human host."
The genetic code of leprosy-causing bacteria from 1,000-year-old skeletons has been laid bare.
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The firm blamed a "network connectivity issue" for the latest fault. The two-hour long issue caused delays to more than 90 of its aircrafts, according to the FlightAware website. The airline had to enforce a shorter flight ban on 2 June after incorrect data appeared in its flight planning system. Shares in the firm fell more than 1.5% in morning's trade. The cybersecurity blogger Brian Krebs tweeted that the issue had been caused by a computer router malfunction rather than a cyber attack or sabotage, a fact that was later confirmed by United itself. United is not the only carrier to have suffered such an IT-related setback over the past few months. In April, American Airlines had to ground dozens of its jets after a flight plan tablet app, used by its pilots and co-pilots, stopped working.
A computer fault has forced United Airlines to ground its flights in the US for the second time in recent weeks.
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By comparison, £870m was spent during the nine weeks of last summer's window. Business analyst Deloitte expects gross outlay to rise above £1bn before the window closes on 31 August. A new £5bn three-year television deal, which starts this season, is fuelling "unprecedented" spending amid "unreal" player valuations, football finance expert Rob Wilson told BBC Sport. "There's no questioning the impact of the TV deal," added Sheffield Hallam University's Wilson, who said he had expected spending in the first week of this summer's window to be even higher. Each club can expect to receive between £30m and £50m from the Premier League for 2016-17 as a result of the TV contract, under which Sky are paying £4.2bn and BT £960m for the rights to show live top-flight matches over the next three seasons. Wilson believes that is driving player values through the roof. "We've seen this trend, over the last two or three deals at least, but we never thought the valuations would go up that much. It's unreal," he said. The combined total spent by Premier League clubs over the summer and winter transfer windows last season was £1.045bn - up from £965m for 2014-15. BBC Sport based its own estimate on actual fees announced by clubs and on reported figures when the value of a transfer has been undisclosed. Media playback is not supported on this device Manchester United have been among the biggest spenders, reportedly paying £26m for Borussia Dortmund attacker Henrikh Mkhitaryan and £30m for Villarreal defender Eric Bailly. Neighbours Manchester City bought Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Gundogan for a reported £20m, and also spent an estimated £13.8m on Celta Vigo winger Nolito. Liverpool, one of the biggest gross spenders in 2014-15, paid £34m for Southampton forward Sadio Mane this summer. That deal was announced in late June but clubs can only complete the transfers and register players from 1 July onwards, when the window opens. Champions Leicester have broken their transfer record with a £16m deal for CSKA Moscow striker Ahmed Musa, and have also brought in midfielder Nampalys Mendy from Nice for a reported £13m and German goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler from Hannover 96. Even clubs promoted from the Championship have spent heavily. Middlesbrough can count Denmark international winger Viktor Fischer, signed from Ajax, among their new arrivals, while midfielder Marten de Roon was signed from Atalanta for a reported fee of around £12m. Media playback is not supported on this device In recent seasons, more - and bigger - deals have been completed during the second half of a transfer window, analysts say. "As we go through the window, some other teams respond, such as Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City," Wilson said. "Prices go up quite sharply. With the European Championships finishing, players such as Antoine Griezmann will see their value increase, because of his performances and the valuation of the TV deal." France international Paul Pogba, for example, has been linked strongly with a £100m move to Manchester United, the club he left in 2012. His agent, Mino Raiola, also represents Mkhitaryan and another of United's summer signings, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. It is thought a number of clubs have shown interest in Juventus midfielder Pogba and, if he were to move to the Premier League, the 23-year-old would be likely to command a fee in excess of the world record £85.3m Real Madrid paid to Tottenham Hotspur for Gareth Bale in September 2013.
Premier League clubs have spent an estimated £300m during the first week of the summer transfer window.
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That dismal description comes from the country's own Finance Minister, Alexander Stubb. New figures for the economy's performance in 2015, showed that it managed to avoid a fourth consecutive year of declining economic activity. Even so, it was very lacklustre growth and the longer picture remains pretty bleak. The broadest measure of that, GDP, is still about 7% below the high it reached at the end of 2007, just before the global financial crisis. Most, though not all, eurozone countries have got back to those earlier levels and a bit above. Even one country that was bailed out, Ireland, is among those relatively strong performers. Finland's disappointing performance has also shown up in the unemployment figures, which rose from 6.2% of the workforce in early 2008 to 9.5% in the most recent figures. So who is to blame? The slightly flippant answer is: the late Steve Jobs, founder of Apple. But there is a serious point behind that - well two actually, although it's not the whole story of Finland's economic troubles. In 2014 Mr Stubb, who was the prime minister at the time, told a newspaper that: "Steve Jobs took our jobs." Not literally of course. What he meant was that Apple products had created serious challenges for two very important Finnish industries. One was forestry - in particular, paper. It's a huge industry with a long history in Finland. The country's extensive forests are not just pretty; they are a very valuable commercial resource. But Finland has been affected by what an independent economic research agency in Helsinki (ETLA) called "the reduction of demand for print paper due to the substitution of print media by internet services". It's not just Apple's doing of course, but the company is a key player in that development. Finland's other Apple-related casualty is Nokia, which incidentally began life as a paper producer in the 19th Century. Nokia branched out and eventually became the world's biggest supplier of mobile phone handsets. But it failed to respond to the challenge presented by Apple's iPhone and other smartphones. It's just one company, but a huge one that overshadowed a small economy. According to the ETLA report: "Its direct contribution accounts for 1/3 of the GDP decline and its shedding of employment for 1/5 of the reduction of total employment between 2008 and 2014." The impact is even bigger if you include the wider technology sector of which Nokia is a part. So there you have it. Finland's economic troubles are due to Steve Jobs and the business he created. Well, no. There have been a few other things going on too. Read more: Finland country profile Listen: Business Daily: Finland's long economic winter There has been another external problem, this one supplied by one of Finland's neighbours, Russia. Not for the first time, trouble across the eastern border has made itself felt in the domestic Finnish economy. The collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s hit Finnish exports. So have the more recent problems in Russia, which were the result of lower oil prices and Western sanctions related to the crisis in Ukraine. Russia's trade retaliation against the EU has also hit Finland, as it banned some EU imports. To take one example, for the country's leading dairy business, Valio, that was a serious blow. There are other issues that can't be blamed on bad luck descending from overseas. The population is ageing. That means a lower proportion of the population is working, generating wealth and paying income taxes. There is also an issue with competitiveness. One measure is known as unit labour costs. According to data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, that rose by 25% between 2007 (just before the crisis) and 2014. Wages continued to rise after the crisis while productivity, the amount produced by each worker, declined. The government is seeking to tackle these issues with a range of reforms to business, benefits and employment intended to reduce labour costs. A related issue is the very large share of state spending in Finnish GDP - the largest in the OECD (which is made up mainly of rich countries). That partly reflects increased spending due to higher unemployment and an older population. It also means taxes are relatively high. The government's strategy for addressing competitiveness is sometimes called "internal devaluation", which means in essence taking steps to reduce costs for business. It's an alternative to devaluing the national currency to improve competitiveness, an option that is not available because Finland uses the euro. It was widely recognised that one potential risk of a currency union was the loss of a flexible currency to respond to economic developments that affect different members differently - sometimes called idiosyncratic or asymmetric shocks. So would Finland's economic problems have been any milder if there had been a national currency to devalue? Perhaps. Exchange rates are determined by financial markets, but it is certainly possible that bad news about the economy would have weakened the currency and given something of a boost to competitiveness. The ETLA report suggested things might have been different: "The weakness of growth in Finland can best be explained by a series of exceptional negative shocks in combination with a too weak capacity of the economy to improve its cost competitiveness in the absence of exchange rate flexibility." It's a nuanced report. The conclusions of Tuomas Mallinen, an economist at Helsinki University, are more stark: "The main blame on our economic woes should be placed where it belongs, namely on the euro membership." This view is rejected by the governor of the Bank of Finland, Erkki Liikanen, who sits on the European Central Bank committee that makes monetary policy decisions. He told the Daily Telegraph: "If we had a little weaker Finnish markka (the national currency before the introduction of the euro), I wouldn't believe that Nokia would beat iPhones or that young people would suddenly start to read printed books and newspapers, thus creating demand for the products of Finnish paper mills. Our challenges are based on structural facts. An adjustment of our currency would not make up for those challenges." Finland continues to struggle with a battery of forces that have hit its economy since the international crisis. Still, it's worth recalling that, as the OECD said in a recent assessment, "Finland enjoys a high level of income and well-being" and despite the rise in unemployment "social safety nets keep income inequality low". It's just that if Finland had adjusted better to all the shocks, incomes would probably be quite a bit higher.
Is Finland now officially "the sick man of Europe"?
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It follows a UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) decision to lift the ban on the aircraft if operators met certain safety conditions. They were grounded following a fatal crash off Norway in 2016. The Unite union said the offshore workforce did not have confidence in the helicopters. The crash in April last year killed 13 people, including Iain Stewart from Laurencekirk, Aberdeenshire. The CAA criteria announced in July included: The Super Puma 225 came down near the island of Turoey, near Bergen, while it was returning from an oil field. A report in April into the crash said there was no explanation as to why a detection system did not spot signs of damage to the gearbox.
A union petition calling on offshore operators not to reintroduce Super Puma 225 and L2 helicopters back into service has been launched.
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South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley was nominated as US envoy to the UN and Betsy DeVos as education secretary. Both are former critics of Mr Trump, with Mrs Haley once saying she was "not a fan", and Mrs DeVos branding the Manhattan tycoon an "interloper". Mr Trump's presidential primary rival Ben Carson also hinted he would soon be named for a post. "An announcement is forthcoming about my role in helping to make America great again," Mr Carson wrote on Facebook. Mr Trump tweeted on Tuesday that he was "seriously considering" Mr Carson for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Eye-catching though her political career has been, little is known about Nikki Haley's views on foreign affairs and the United Nations. Diplomats here have been Googling her to find out more. When her nomination was announced I was with a senior diplomat, who had expected President-elect Trump to downgrade the job of UN ambassador so that it was no longer a cabinet-level position. He was heartened that Mr Trump had selected a "political heavyweight", and viewed it as an early indication than the incoming administration will take the UN more seriously than he'd supposed. Certainly, she's no John Bolton, the US ambassador during the Bush administration who famously remarked that it would not make much of a difference if the UN headquarters in New York lost its top 10 floors - where the organisation's most senior figures, including the secretary general, have their offices. Many UN diplomats fear a Trump presidency and there's relief here that he hasn't appointed an outspoken UN-basher. The appointments of Mrs Haley and Mrs DeVos will need to be approved by the Republican-controlled Senate. Mr Trump called Mrs Haley "a proven dealmaker, and we look to be making plenty of deals". "She will be a great leader representing us on the world stage," he added. Mrs Haley said she was "moved" to accept the assignment and would stay on as South Carolina governor, pending her congressional confirmation. During the Republican primaries, she supported Florida Senator Marco Rubio and then Texas Senator Ted Cruz. Mrs Haley also strongly attacked Mr Trump's proposal to ban Muslim immigrants, describing it as "un-American". In response, Mr Trump had called her "very weak on illegal immigration" and said people in South Carolina were "embarrassed" by her. Mrs Haley, 44, is the first minority and female governor of South Carolina. Nikki Haley: From Trump critic to cabinet Can Nikki Haley master foreign policy? Born Nimrata "Nikki" Randhawa to Indian parents, she was raised in a Sikh household and now identifies as a Christian. Mrs Haley was praised by members of both parties in 2015 when she ordered the Confederate battle flag to be removed from the grounds of the state capitol. Mrs DeVos said she was honoured to accept her appointment. But the billionaire Republican donor from Michigan once described Mr Trump as an "interloper" who "does not represent the Republican Party". Mrs DeVos also contributed to Mr Trump's rivals - Carly Fiorina, Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush - during the election race. She previously supported the Common Core education standards that Mr Trump and many conservatives have pilloried. Mr Trump, however, said Mrs DeVos would be "a brilliant and passionate education advocate". Her husband is heir to the Amway fortune, with a wealth estimated by Forbes at $5.1bn (£4.1bn). So far Mr Trump has appointed Jeff Sessions for Attorney General, Mike Pompeo for CIA director, Reince Priebus for Chief of Staff for his top team. More announcements are expected after the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The people around Donald Trump Can Donald Trump get what he wants? The Trump resistance movement Can Trump outlaw gay marriage?
US President-elect Donald Trump has appointed the first two women to his incoming administration.
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Bobby Colleran was struck on Leyfield Road, West Derby, at about 15:25 BST on Friday. Paramedics attended and he received treatment at the scene but he died from his injuries shortly after. In a statement, Bobby's family, from Huyton, said: "Our Bob lit up a room, he was the most loving little boy." They added: "As well as being a cherished son and brother, he was a grandson, nephew, cousin and friend to everyone he met. "He loved life and school, always coming home with achievement awards to put up on the fridge, playing football when it wasn't too cold, but most of all watching his favourite programme, the Lone Ranger. "Now re-united with his Grandad and best mate who he missed so so much." The family also thanked staff at Alder Hey Children's Hospital. Merseyside Police are appealing for witnesses to the collision to contact them.
The family of a six-year-old who died after being hit by a van in Liverpool have paid tribute to their "beautiful baby boy".
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The comedian, a relative newcomer to stage acting, picked up the best actor prize at the Critics' Circle Theatre Awards for his "titanic performance" as anti-hero Troy Maxson. Henry told the BBC the play had been "a massive emotional journey". He said: "Every day was like a therapy session, but with lots of laughter." The play won a Pulitzer Prize in 1987 and is considered one of the great American dramas of the 20th Century. The character of Troy, a former baseball star but now a garbage man in Pittsburgh, has been played by actors such as James Earl Jones, Denzel Washington and Laurence Fishburne. "If I'd thought about that going in I wouldn't have left the house," joked Henry. He won rave reviews when the play toured the UK after opening at the Theatre Royal, Bath, and later transferred to the Duchess Theatre in London. Theatre Critics' Circle chairman Mark Shenton noted Henry's "amazing renaissance" as a stage actor with earlier roles in Othello and The Comedy of Errors. "In Fences, it was a titanic performance in a great production of a really good play," he said. Now in their 25th year, the awards took place at London's Prince of Wales Theatre on Tuesday lunchtime. Lucy Kirkwood's Chimerica, about an American photojournalist who captures a moment in history at China's Tiananmen Square in 1989, scooped three awards. It won five star reviews when it premiered at the Almeida Theatre, and later transferred to the Harold Pinter Theatre. It was named best new play, while Lyndsey Turner won best director and Es Devlin won best designer. Shenton described Chimerica as "a genuinely daring and original piece of theatre making". Playwright Kirkwood said: "I've heard from people who were in Tiananmen Square on that day who've said it's really important that this story is told." Lesley Manville won the award for best actress for her role as Mrs Alving in Henrik Ibsen's Ghosts, at the Almeida, and now at the Trafalgar Studios. "It is a big classic role and I couldn't be more thrilled to have it at this time of my life," she said. The 90-minute play, directed by Richard Eyre, is said to be so intense that audiences sometimes don't know if they should clap at the end. "You can feel the atmosphere in the audience at the curtain call, they are as shaken up and drained as we are," Manville said. There was a double victory for Rory Kinnear, best known on the big screen for his role as M's right-hand man in the James Bond films. He won the prize for best Shakespearean performance, as Iago in Othello at the National Theatre. He also shared the most promising playwright prize for his debut play The Herd, at London's Bush Theatre, about tensions at a family gathering. Phoebe Waller-Bridge was also named winner in the same category for Fleabag, a one-woman show about an angry, sex-obsessed young woman. The prize for best musical went to The Scottsboro Boys at the Young Vic Theatre. The award for most promising newcomer went to Kate O'Flynn in Port at the National Theatre.
Lenny Henry has been honoured by top theatre critics for his latest stage role in August Wilson's classic American drama Fences.
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Michael Davies, 71, had been staying at a hotel with his wife Pat at the holiday resort when he disappeared in the early hours of Wednesday. The couple, from Blaina, Blaenau Gwent, travelled to Sandown on the island by coach, Hampshire Constabulary said. Police confirmed the search is continuing across the island. A spokesman said: "A police helicopter was used last night and the search is continuing today right across the island." Mr Davies, who suffers from high blood pressure, has not been seen since about 01:00 BST on Wednesday. The force said Mr Davies wandered off after dinner at the Hotel Maria in Sandown at 21:30 and CCTV images later show him less than half a mile inland from the seaside hotel. Neighbours of the former miner say he is well-known and well-liked. Gwyneth Knight said: "Everyone here is very upset and worried about what has happened. He's a very kind and friendly man, he'll do anything for you. It's such as shame." Police said the pensioner's family were worried because Mr Davies relies on medication to control his blood pressure, which he would not have access to. He is described as white with cropped white hair and was wearing a blue T-shirt, a blue Reebok jumper, jeans and a baseball cap.
A police helicopter has been used in the search for a south Wales pensioner who vanished during a coach holiday to the Isle of Wight.
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The team are introducing a major upgrade to their car for this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix and hope it will move them closer to the front-runners. Managing director Jonathan Neale said: "Nobody at McLaren underestimates the importance of getting back to winning ways and I'm confident we get do that." Neale refused to comment on whether the team still had a chance of the title. "As for the championship, that's a long way out at the moment and I think we'd be better placed to comment on that as we head towards the summer and the shut-down period," he said. McLaren have accrued just 23 points after the first four races of 2013, compared to 92 at the same time in 2012 Any hopes of the title are already a long shot - McLaren drivers Jenson Button and Sergio Perez are 10th and 11th in the championship after the first four races, 64 and 67 points behind the leader, Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel. McLaren's best result so far is a fifth place for Button in China. McLaren made major design changes to their car for 2013, while most of their rivals took a more evolutionary approach to their cars. But the new car has suffered from a lack of aerodynamic downforce and poor ride. Neale said on Wednesday that the problem had been caused because the car did not behave on the track the way simulations in the wind tunnel had suggested. This is a problem that has also afflicted Ferrari in recent years, and led to them starting last season in a similarly uncompetitive position to McLaren's this year. Neale said: "I believe it's really important we sort out the issues with the car and correlation because all the time you have got that lingering doubt as to hang on, what went wrong there and how do we fix this, you've got the opportunity for it to arise again. "And I'm sure if we sat down and had a quiet conversation with our colleagues in Italy and said 'how did the first quarter of last season feel for you?', they would understand with some clarity what we're going through at the moment." McLaren have been low-key about their expectations for the upgrades this weekend and Neale said that was understandable. Media playback is not supported on this device "None of us want to be a hostage to fortune. Setting ourselves up for a blow on the chin from you isn't very funny," he said. "The other is we are not working in isolation here and while of course it is very natural you and a number of other people will want us to predict that here we come, don't worry, we're going to be on pole position and we'd very much like that to be the case. "It's a tough sport and the competitors don't stand still and what will be delivered depends on what the others will be doing. "So it's just impossible to predict and unwise to do so. So I'd rather talk with some effort about what we are doing and what we have achieved rather than what we will achieve. That's just common sense."
McLaren are confident they can win races this season despite their uncompetitive start to the year.
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A campaign to preserve the pub, which opened in 1853, was relaunched after it faced closure this month. Brewers SA Brain, which closed the pub on Thursday night, said it was no longer commercially viable. The museum said rebuilding the pub will not begin for several years but has asked for historic photographs of it. It had previously been given a stay of execution after an earlier campaign to save it in 2009 and was given something of a new lease of life after the building of a University of Glamorgan campus opposite. The Vulcan was built to serve the mainly Irish immigrant community on the outskirts of the city centre in an area once known as Newtown. Among the famous names to back the 5,000-signature petition to keep it open the last time were James Dean Bradfield, of Manic Street Preachers, Hollywood star Rhys Ifans and sports presenter John Inverdale. Brains said it had no option but to sell the premises after it was served with a compulsory purchase order four years ago to accommodate the new St Davids shopping development. Chief executive Scott Waddington said the firm had found itself "the target of negative publicity" over the pub's fate. He said: "In essence, we had no other option than to sell the pub. "We have kept the pub trading over this period despite declining customer numbers and therefore income. "The uncertainty surrounding the future of the premises has also made justifying any significant investment in the pub unrealistic." The brewer leases the pub from the property's owners, Marcol Asset Management Limited, which has agreed to donate it to the museum. The exterior of the two-storey building is virtually unchanged, the lower half of the facade being tiled in green and white and the upper floor faced in brick. Museum deputy director Mark Richards said: "The Vulcan Hotel will be a welcome addition to the collection of historical buildings at St Fagans. "We are grateful to Marcol for donating the building and giving us the opportunity to save and preserve this important part of Cardiff's heritage for the nation and to tell some of the area's rich history." Mr Richards said the museum will appeal for photographs, objects and stories relating to the Vulcan and its history. Licencees Gwyn and Sandra Lewis, who called the final last orders on Thursday night, said: "We look forward to visiting St Fagans and will have good memories of the short time we were at the Vulcan." Cardiff historian Brian Lee, who has written a history of city pubs, said: "It's a great shame. It's a part of Cardiff's past. "I think that moving it to St Fagan's is the next best thing. At least it will be a reminder of old Cardiff and people can see it." Poet and writer Peter Finch, author of the Real Cardiff books series, said he was delighted the musum had chosen the Vulcan as the first Welsh pub it was preserving. He said: "There will be a gap of five years or so but an important part of our heritage is preserved. "Cardiff is a young city. It does not have very much of a past. The Vulcan is a city pub of a dying, almost dead breed." The announcement about The Vulcan Hotel comes as plans for a £24m, five-year revamp and expansion of St Fagans, Wales' most popular heritage attraction with 600,000 visitors a year, have been submitted to Cardiff council.
The Vulcan Hotel, one of Cardiff's best preserved Victorian pubs, is to be dismantled and moved to St Fagans National History Museum.
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The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is no Spa or Suzuka, but its combination of slippery surface, big braking zones and close-in perimeter walls provides a tough challenge for the drivers and, quite often, a thrilling spectacle. The track is on the Ile Notre Dame, built for Expo '67, and some of the futuristic buildings created for that festival remain. As does the rowing lake from the 1976 Montreal Olympics. It's a lovely setting, with the skyline of one of the world's great cities to the west, the dark, grey, swirling waters of the forbidding river on either side and big North American skies, everything bathed in the special clarity of light that continent somehow creates. The paddock is a slightly rough-hewn affair, with team hospitality units housed in temporary buildings perched over the lake and a narrow walkway between them and the garages. It used to drive Bernie Ecclestone mad, but there is an old-school charm to it, and the same goes for the track. Essentially just a sequence of straights and chicanes, with a hairpin at either end, it is much more than the sum of its parts. Each chicane is subtly different, and most end with a concrete wall on the exit ready to catch the unwary. The most famous is the so-called 'Wall of Champions' out of the last corner - named after a sequence of crashes there involving title winners in the late 1990s. Since then, a bunch of others, including Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel, have ended up in it at one point or another. But the walls on the exits of Turns Four, Seven and Nine are just as unyielding, the curving braking point into Turn One is tricky and the hairpin always catches people out. Action, then, is guaranteed, both on track, and over the river in the city in the evenings. It all adds up to one of the best weekends of the year. BBC Sport's chief F1 writer Andrew Benson Canada, or the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve at least, appears to be home to some of the bravest - or most foolish - animals in the world. In 1990, an unfortunate gopher was hit by Alessandro Nannini's car while Anthony Davidson struck a groundhog in 2007. Last year, it was pair of plucky seagulls that decided to get up close to the action. They refused to budge for Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari, forcing the German to take evasive action. Indeed, Vettel - jokingly - claimed it was the seagulls' fault for him losing the race to Lewis Hamilton. "I watched the seagulls and locked up," Vettel told Hamilton in the pre-podium room at last year's race. "That's when you caught up!" The end of Fernando Alonso's Indy 500 adventure will have been disappointingly familiar for the Spaniard as the Honda engine in his car blew in the closing stages. Alonso nevertheless acquitted himself well in America and returns to the cockpit of his McLaren for this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix seemingly refreshed and more determined than ever. "The Indy 500 was an incredible experience and it's been amazing to learn a completely different style of driving, on a different circuit layout and with a very different car," he said. "But I'm ready to get back to my 'day job' and go racing in F1 again." This content will not work on your device, please check Javascript and cookies are enabled or update your browser
On an island made for leisure, in the middle of the mighty St Lawrence Seaway, sits one of Formula 1's greatest tracks.
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For the previous 70 years, the Finance Ministry of the State of Bavaria had exercised Hitler's intellectual property rights. In doing so, it had prevented republication of Hitler's notorious anti-Semitic political treatise, Mein Kampf (My Struggle) in Germany. Germany faced the choice of following the liberal approach favoured by the UK, US, Canada and Israel, trusting and leaving it to civil society to engage with Mein Kampf. Another option was, as Austria and other countries had done in the past, to issue an outright ban of Hitler's book. In the event, Germany rejected both options, favouring a heavily paternalistic approach instead. Mein Kampf arrives in stores in tense Germany Italian paper criticised for Mein Kampf giveaway The State of Bavaria gave half a million euros to the Munich-based Institute for Contemporary History (IfZ), a semi-state-run research institute, in order to produce an annotated critical edition of Hitler's book. At the same time, it stated that it would take anybody to court if they published editions that were not annotated. In a further twist, the Bavarian government cleverly tried to create the impression that it had withdrawn financial support for the annotated edition of Mein Kampf, thus leaving the IfZ to stand alone in the rain. As January 2016 neared, and with it the IfZ's publication of Mein Kampf, the Munich institute as well as German government officials were becoming highly nervous of what was about to happen. The institute said at the time how dangerous it would be if Mein Kampf turned into a bestseller in Germany. Yet, at the same time, it assured the public that would never happen. Its director, Andreas Wirsching, declared that it would be irresponsible to hand over Mein Kampf "free of copyright and commentary", because in that case everybody could do whatever they wanted with Hitler's book. The IfZ indeed had produced an edition that was unlikely to fly off the shelves. Weighing in at 5.4 kg (12 pounds) and including 3,700 footnotes, it is a great piece of scholarship. Even for experts it is extremely tedious to read. And for several weeks it was next to impossible to buy copies of the book, as the Institute for Contemporary History had opted for a very low initial print-run. Subsequent printings took an oddly long time to arrive at book shops. However, the paternalistic approach favoured by the Munich institute and by German authorities failed dismally in trying to prevent Mein Kampf from turning into a bestseller. All they did was postpone the appearance of Hitler's book in the German bestseller lists. If anything public interest in the book was fanned unnecessarily by keeping the aura of the forbidden alive. By mid-April, Mein Kampf had managed to move to the pole position of Germany's influential Spiegel bestseller list, where it remained for several weeks. Even now it stands in 14th place, though many bookshops do not have the book on display and others only order the book on request. The German approach may have failed but, arguably, concerns about the likely dire consequences of Hitler's book turning into a bestseller were unfounded. There are no signs that the overwhelming majority of people buying Mein Kampf are doing so for any other reason than curiosity and genuine interest. There is no reason to believe that in a year's time or so, when the first excitement about the whole affair will have evaporated, Mein Kampf will be more popular in Germany than in Britain or America. One may also raise the question, as I have in German daily Die Welt, whether Germany would not have been served better by following the liberal approach favoured by the Anglo-Saxon world, rather than a paternalistic approach that distrusts civil society. Indeed one may also ask whether Mein Kampf becoming a bestseller, and thus Germans engaging with their past, is really such a bad thing, when politicians around the world are frequently compared to Hitler and at a time of resurgent political populism akin to the 1920s. The fear expressed in Germany and elsewhere is, of course, that Hitler's book may prompt a new wave of anti-Semitism and a resurgence of the radical right. That concern was fanned further by the announcement by radical right-wing East German publishing house Schelm that it would issue a version of Mein Kampf without annotation. The state of Bavaria has asked prosecutors to take the publisher to court. Schelm's announcement should be seen as a publicity stunt, similar to the decision last week of Italian daily Il Giornale to hand out free copies of Hitler's book. But these stunts only became possible because the Bavarian government decided to prevent republications of Mein Kampf for 70 years and they are unlikely to have a lasting effect. Neo-Nazis and their sympathizers have been able easily to access Mein Kampf on the internet for years and thus are unlikely to be affected by the return of Mein Kampf in print. In fact, there is no correlation between the approach different countries have taken in the past towards access to Mein Kampf and the respective strength of extremist movements in the countries involved. It could be argued the danger lies elsewhere: that it is the paternalism shining through the German approach to the republication of Mein Kampf, rather than Hitler's book itself, that fans right-wing populism. As German intellectual Nils Minkmar warned in Der Spiegel, cultural arrogance and a "haughtiness towards poorly educated classes" has been leading to "the alienation of the lower classes from liberal society", and thus to the resurgence of right-wing populism in the country that Hitler once ruled. Thomas Weber is Professor of History and International Affairs at the University of Aberdeen. His book Wie Adolf Hitler zum Nazi Wurde (How Hitler became a Nazi - Propyläen, 2016), will be published in English by Oxford University Press and Basic Books. @Thomas__Weber
As Adolf Hitler's intellectual property rights were about to expire last year, Germany faced the agonising choice of how best to deal with the writings of the man at the heart of the darkest chapter of its history.
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She joins Tory consultant paediatrician Caroline Johnson, who contested the Scunthorpe seat in 2010, coming second to Labour. Labour selected its candidate - trade unionist and refuse driver Jim Clarke - on Wednesday. Ross Pepper will be contesting the by-election for the Liberal Democrats. Conservative MP Stephen Phillips resigned last week, citing "irreconcilable policy differences" with the government. The barrister and part-time judge had complained that the government was "lurching to the right" and had criticised its attempt to trigger Article 50, beginning the formal process for the UK to leave the EU, without a vote by MPs. The High Court has since ruled that the government must consult MPs - although ministers are appealing against the decision to the Supreme Court. Lincolnshire voters were among the most Eurosceptic in the UK, with more than 75% of voters in Boston voting to leave. This could benefit UKIP's Ms Ayling, who said she was "honoured" to be selected, and that as a local councillor she understands "the issues facing Lincolnshire." Conservative Dr Johnson said she was delighted to be selected, adding: "I am the only person who can support the prime minister and the government to deliver Brexit. I am completely behind the government's plans for Brexit and to deliver on the decision made by the British people." Mr Clarke, a trade unionist and former postman, said he was honoured to fight the seat for Labour and would stand up for locals in parliament. "It is not right that in 2016 working people here in Sleaford and North Hykeham are having to choose between heating and eating." He accused the government of having "no plan for Brexit" and pledged to "hold the government to account on ensuring the best deal for Britain, which protects our local jobs". Local councillor Mark Suffield is standing as an independent while Peter Hill is standing for the Monster Raving Loony Party.
Lincolnshire county councillor Victoria Ayling has been chosen to contest the Sleaford and North Hykeham by-election for UKIP.
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The rapper visited Trump Tower earlier this week. Mr Trump said they had discussed "life". Legend, a close friend of West, told French media outlet Clique the pair's meeting was "disappointing". "I don't think it's impossible to talk to [Trump] about issues, but I won't be used as a publicity stunt. I think Kanye was a publicity stunt," he said. Legend was mentored by West at the beginning of his career, and has collaborated with the rapper and producer several times. "I think Trump has been corrosive, his message has been corrosive to the country," Legend continued. "I think the things he has promised to do have been very concerning for a lot of people, and for Kanye to support that message is very disappointing." Mr Trump beat his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in the US presidential election last month. Legend campaigned for Mrs Clinton and has previously spoken of his support for President Barack Obama. Last month, West said he did not vote in the US elections, but if he had done so, he would have backed Mr Trump. Legend said: "I'm pretty disappointed with Kanye that he says he would have voted for Trump." West is one of the few figures in the music industry to have publicly supported the President-elect, who is reportedly struggling to find A-list stars to perform at his inauguration next month. It has been announced that America's Got Talent runner-up Jackie Evancho will sing the national anthem at the event. On Wednesday, Kanye tweeted he and Mr Trump spoke about "issues including bullying, supporting teachers, modernising curriculums, and violence in Chicago" during their meeting. West had previously announced his own plan to run for president in 2020, but tweeted "#2024" after the meeting with the president-elect, suggesting he would not seek to challenge Mr Trump at the next election. Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected].
John Legend has described Kanye West's meeting with with US President-elect Donald Trump as "a publicity stunt".
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Mr Litvinenko died aged 43 in London in 2006, days after being poisoned with radioactive polonium-210, which he is believed to have drunk in a cup of tea. Two Russian men, Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun, have denied killing him. The judge will decide whether to name any culprits and whether any elements in the Russian state were responsible. BBC security correspondent Gordon Corera says the real issue for the report is whether the trail leads to the heart of the Russian state and even to President Vladimir Putin himself. Long road to the truth for Litvinenko family Who was Alexander Litvinenko? A deadly trail of polonium The report may also focus on whether it was specific investigations into links between organised crime and the Kremlin which led to Mr Litvinenko's killing. Our correspondent says that if it does point to state responsibility, pressure is likely to grow for the British government to take action against Moscow. Speaking ahead of the inquiry's findings, Mr Litvinenko's son, Anatoly, told the BBC: "You want to find out who was behind the murder, who planned it, who commissioned it. "That is why state responsibility is important to us." The judge, Sir Robert Owen, heard from 62 witnesses in six months of hearings and was shown secret intelligence evidence about Mr Litvinenko and his links with British intelligence agencies. The former officer in Russia's FSB spy agency had fled to the UK in 2000, claiming persecution, and was granted asylum. He gained British citizenship several years later. In the years before his death, he had worked as a writer and journalist, becoming a strong critic of the Kremlin. It is believed he also worked as a consultant for MI6, specialising in Russian organised crime. A friend said there was personal animosity between Mr Litvinenko and Mr Putin. "They disliked each other immensely, because Litvinenko complained about corruption… and Putin shelved his report," Alex Goldfarb said. "And Putin considered Litvinenko, after the fact, a traitor for going public with his allegations." Marina Litvinenko, Alexander's widow, and son Anatoly say the report may be a milestone but might not not end their struggle. "It is important, but it is not necessarily the end", said Mrs Litvinenko, while her son said he felt "a sense of duty". "My father did a hell of a lot to get me to this country to make sure I was safe," he added. "I need to respect that and do whatever I can to honour his memory. "Finding the truth is the closest we can get to justice for my father."
The long-awaited findings of a public inquiry into the killing of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko are due to be released by a judge.
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Jennie Gray, 36, is serving a 42-month prison term for child cruelty. She had also admitted perverting the course of justice. Her partner Ben Butler was convicted of murdering Ellie in June and jailed for life, with a minimum term of 23 years. The Court of Appeal confirmed Gray had made a "late application" to appeal both charges. Appeals are usually limited to 28 days after conviction but Gray was found guilty in June. Anyone lodging an application after deadline has to make representations as to why it should be accepted "out of time" by the court. Ellie died in October 2013 from catastrophic head injuries while in the care of her father at their home in Sutton in south-west London. She had been placed in the care of her grandparents in 2009 after Butler was accused of shaking her when she was a baby, although this was later quashed on appeal. But the youngster went back to live with her parents in 2012 - 11 months before her death - after the couple won a High Court judgement. Mrs Justice Hogg sided with Butler despite objections from police, social services and Ellie's maternal grandfather, Neal Gray. In June, the Old Bailey heard that Butler battered his daughter to death during a "volcanic loss of temper". The couple angrily protested their innocence when jurors returned guilty verdicts. Gray told them they had made a "big mistake", while Butler shouted that he would "fight forever" in the appeal courts. It is understood that Butler has not made any late application to the Court of Appeal.
The mother of murdered six-year-old Ellie Butler has launched an appeal against her conviction.
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Dr Catherine Calderwood told BBC Scotland: "Other countries are doing very much better than us." She said: "At the moment one in 200 babies are stillborn in Scotland. Our rate ranks Scotland 31st out of 33 high income countries in the world." Three hundred babies are stillborn every year in Scotland. That is 10 times as many as those who die through cot death. A stillborn child is defined as a baby born dead after 24 weeks gestation. Dr Calderwood said Scotland is about to begin a programme to try to reduce the rate. She said: "We need to make sure women are as healthy as possible before starting a pregnancy. "We also know that we can improve things when we're looking after them. "We know that small babies are more at risk and so there is various monitoring we can put in place so that we can pick those babies up and hopefully deliver them in time" Gavin Moir and his wife Kirsty lost their first child when Kirsty was 38-and-a-half weeks pregnant. Kirsty mentioned at a routine appointment that she had not felt the baby move much in the last day. An ultrasound test revealed there was no longer a heartbeat. "The baby's room was all ready," said Mr Moir. "The bags were all packed. To be told that there's nothing there anymore was absolutely devastating for us all. To this day I don't know how we managed to cope." The Take That star and X-Factor judge Gary Barlow and his wife lost a baby daughter as a result of a stillbirth in August last year. Dr Calderwood said that there had been a general assumption that nothing much could be done to reduce the number of stillborn children, but that has now changed. She said: "We have always perhaps believed that some bad things will happen when women are pregnant and we don't want to worry women because most babies will be fine. "But in fact evidence from other countries shows us that, far from not being able to do something about it, we know that we actually can." Ann McMurray, Scottish network co-ordinator for the stillbirth charity SANDS, has been working with the Scottish government to increase awareness amongst pregnant women. In particular, it is interested in following the example of Norway which reduced its stillbirth rate by a third by encouraging women to get a check-up if they noticed their baby was not moving. Ms McMurray said: "We've been telling people they should get reduced foetal movements checked out. "Also it's just about making people aware that stillbirth does happen because it's not really spoken about at antenatal clinics. "It's not that we're scaremongering, because people are told that other things can go wrong." Gavin and Kirsty Moir have had another son but say they do not think they'll ever get over the trauma of their stillborn first child, whom they named Fraser. "We still look back and think there could have been more done," said Mr Moir. "Kirsty had to go to hospital to have tests on the levels of her waters, which had dropped quite considerably. "It's only with hindsight that we're wondering if there was a problem which should have been monitored more closely."
More must be done to tackle Scotland's poor record on stillbirths, according to the Scottish government's adviser on maternity and women's health.
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Her body was found in Orrell Water Park in Wigan at 02:30 BST, Greater Manchester Police said. She had been reported missing by her family on Friday night after she failed to return home from Winstanley College, where she studied. Police said her disappearance was "extremely out of character" and have launched a murder investigation. Formal identification is yet to take place. Det Supt Howard Millington said: "This was a brutal attack on a young woman, the type rarely seen in Greater Manchester." He said officers were trying to find out "what exactly happened", adding that she was found "on the edge of a field". Police said there was a report that two young women were followed by two men in the area on Thursday. "We are keeping an open mind about this. However, we would like to hear from anyone who may have any information about any recent incidents of this nature," he said. "I understand that there will be many people in the community extremely worried, things like this don't happen in Orrell... There will be a large police presence in the area for some time."
An 18-year-old woman has been found dead at a beauty spot following a "brutal attack".
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Core sales - which strip out spending on cars, petrol, building materials and restaurants - rose 0.4%. But separately, factory production slipped in August, falling a sharper than expected 0.5%. The Federal Reserve has a mixed picture of the US economy ahead of a rate-setting meeting later this week. Manufacturing output fell last month as car production jammed on the brakes, after a rise of 0.9% in July. Excluding cars, factory output was unchanged. The US manufacturing sector has been struggling, faced with a strong dollar and slack oversees economies. A drop in mining production combined with the drop in factory output left overall industrial production down 0.4% during the month. But retail sales figures, boosted by rising employment, suggest that a recent stock market sell-off had little impact on consumer spending. "Today's data are positive news for final demand in the third quarter and should give the Fed more confidence in the spending outlook," said Laura Rosner, an economist at BNP Paribas in New York. Car dealers and restaurants have especially reaped the benefits of around 2.9 million jobs being added to the economy over the past year. Sales at car dealers and parts shops have risen 5.7% during the past 12 months, as many people in the US are replacing their older vehicles. Nearly a fifth of all retail sales tracked by the government come from the car industry. Purchases at restaurants and bars increased 0.7% in August and have soared 8.2% this year. Around 372,000 workers have been taken on in the sector over the past year to satisfy demand. Sales also improved last month at grocers, clothes shops, sports stores and online retailers. On Wednesday and Thursday the Federal Reserve will meet to decide whether to raise interest rates from near zero. There is never a risk-free time to raise interest rates, BBC economics editor Robert Peston said. "In the opaque globalised financial world, they [the Fed] know that all sorts of bubbles and market distortions have been created and pumped up by the steroids of super-cheap dollar debt - but they can't be certain of the scale or even the precise location of these unhealthy imbalances," he said.
US retail sales rose 0.2% in August, helped by spending on cars, restaurant meals, groceries and clothing, the US Commerce Department has said.
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Mourinho is reportedly unhappy with United's medical department. But, having succeeded Louis van Gaal in the summer, it is understood Mourinho has found the general culture at United falling short of his expectations. Mourinho has won 23 trophies in spells at Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid. The Portuguese publicly questioned defender Luke Shaw, 21, and Chris Smalling, 26, for missing Sunday's 3-1 win at Swansea with injuries, telling the media: "For the team, you have to do anything." Media playback is not supported on this device BBC Sport understands Mourinho, 53, is looking at every area in his remit, including travel, pre-season tour planning, fitness, sports science and the general make-up of his squad. At the start of the season, the former Chelsea manager predicted United would compete for the Premier League title this season. However, Sunday's victory over second-bottom Swansea was only their second win in their past eight Premier League games. They are in sixth place - eight points off leaders Liverpool. In addition, Thursday's 2-1 defeat at Fenerbahce left them outside the qualification places in their Europa League group. United have reached the last eight of the EFL Cup but Mourinho remains unhappy at various aspects of club life. He also recently described living alone in a Manchester hotel and being pursued by photographers as a "bit of a disaster". Mourinho railed in public during a shambolic pre-season tour of China, when the planned match in Beijing against Manchester City was scrapped on the day of the game due to the dire nature of the pitch. He brought his own fitness specialist, Carlos Lalin, into United's medical department as part of his backroom team, when he succeeded Van Gaal in the summer. In addition, star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who has been involved in every game since his arrival from Paris St-Germain, has been allowed to continue using his own physio, Dario Fort. Now Mourinho is looking at the fitness regime as a whole. So far this season, Mourinho has lost 10 players for a combined total of 30 matches, whereas in his first 11 Premier League matches with Chelsea last season, Mourinho was without six players for a total of 17 weeks. The lack of appearances from Henrikh Mkhitaryan, for whom United paid Borussia Dortmund £26.3m, has dismayed some supporters, as has the United manager's decision to make Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger train on his own until the beginning of last week. On Wednesday, Professional Footballers' Association chief Gordon Taylor said he was "disappointed" with Mourinho's public criticism of Shaw and Smalling. Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox.
Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho is investigating all aspects of first-team affairs after being dismayed at the culture he has inherited at the club.
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The sport was initially dropped from the programme of events when Gibraltar were given the right to host the event after Menorca pulled out. Football and volleyball, which had featured in every games since they began in 1985, were also dropped. However, beach volleyball will now be included, although there are no facilities for indoor volleyball. "There will not be any mountain biking, but there will be a road race, time trial and criterium included in the Gibraltar games, which is good news," Guernsey Island Games Association chairman Brian Allen told BBC Radio Guernsey. "There were concerns about that very small island, but they were very reassuring, they gave an excellent presentation," he added. Guernsey Velo Club's development officer Paul Brehaut says the competition for places in 2019 will be even greater, with some of the island's top mountain bikers vying for places in the road race team: "There'll be no definite five spots for the boys, that's for sure," he told BBC Radio Guernsey, "There's a couple of guys like James Rowe and Mike Serafin who are very competitive on the road every weekend that they race. Mike's a very good sprinter, James is a fantastic climber, so that's two that will be in the mix for the road team for sure." The news came during the annual meeting of the International Island Games Association, where Guernsey were confirmed as hosts for the 2021 event.
Cycling will be included in the sports for the 2019 Island Games in Gibraltar, organisers have announced.
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Cheika believes there was "a lot of niggle" from Eddie Jones' side in their opening 39-28 win in Brisbane, the opening match of the three-Test series. "Niggle is the stuff you do off the ball so you're protected," Cheika, 49, said.  "We probably have to deal with the niggle a bit better." The Australia coach added: "If someone pulls you down you can't whack a bloke because you know you're going to get caught. We don't want to do niggle, that's not our game." Cheika said he was "loving" the prospect of the do-or-die clash, with England knowing victory at AAMI Park will give them a first series win down under.  "I love being in this situation. I know that sounds crazy," he said.  "We are in a battle, let's go. After the game in Brisbane, I was miserable, I wanted to cry, [but] I am looking forward to Saturday immensely, I'm certainly not desperate." Much attention in the build-up has been on the battle at the scrum, following England's dominance last weekend.  Former Australia coach Bob Dwyer has accused England's Dan Cole of cheating at the set-piece, which prompted an obscene tweet towards Dwyer from England player Joe Marler, who is not on the tour. Dwyer was also critical of England's technique before the decisive World Cup encounter between the teams last October, which Australia won 33-13 to knock the hosts out of the tournament at the group stage. Marler's team-mate Mako Vunipola says he can "see where Marler is coming from" but is confident referee Craig Joubert will not be influenced by external noise come the weekend. "We are all human beings. I can't comment on what Marler tweets. You can see where he is coming from, but it's tough. It's one of those things - a reaction," Vunipola said. "We just have to go out there and do what we can.  "Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I have every confidence in Coley. We are very lucky to have one of the best referees in the world, Craig Joubert. "We trust he will make the calls that are needed. That World Cup [game] is history." For the latest rugby union news follow @bbcrugbyunion on Twitter. Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox.
Australia must cope better with England's off-the-ball tactics in Saturday's second Test in Melbourne, Wallabies coach Michael Cheika says.
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It's the day when people show their affection for another person or people by sending cards, flowers or chocolates with messages of love. And traditionally on Valentine's Day in a leap year - every four years - women can propose marriage to their partner! The day gets its name from a famous saint, but there are several stories of who he was. The popular belief about St Valentine is that he was a priest from Rome in the third century AD. Emperor Claudius II had banned marriage because he thought married men were bad soldiers. Valentine felt this was unfair, so he broke the rules and arranged marriages in secret. When Claudius found out, Valentine was thrown in jail and sentenced to death. There, he fell in love with the jailer's daughter and when he was taken to be killed on 14 February he sent her a love letter signed "from your Valentine". Valentine's Day is a very old tradition, thought to have originated from a Roman festival. The Romans had a festival called Lupercalia in the middle of February, officially the start of their springtime. It's thought that as part of the celebrations, boys drew names of girls from a box. They'd be boyfriend and girlfriend during the festival and sometimes they'd get married. Later on, the church wanted to turn this festival into a Christian celebration and decided to use it to remember St Valentine too. Gradually, St Valentine's name started to be used by people to express their feelings to those they loved.
Valentine's Day, or St Valentine's Day, is celebrated every year on 14 February.
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Among those trading without entitlement to their latest dividend pay-out were Hammerson and London Stock Exchange, down 2.7% and 1.8% respectively. Overall, the FTSE 100 index was 24.94 points or 0.36% lower at 6,810.84. On the currency markets, the pound fell 0.13% against the dollar to $1.3216 and was 0.17% lower against the euro at €1.1727.
(Open): London's leading shares opened lower on Thursday after several big companies went ex-dividend.
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City manager Pep Guardiola sees Danilo as someone who can play both full-back positions and in midfield, while Chelsea counterpart Antonio Conte wants to strengthen an area of perceived weakness in his squad. But Conte will not be signing City's Sergio Aguero, according to Guardiola. City's Spanish boss said: "He's our player. He will remain here." Conte reportedly wanted to sign the striker as a replacement for out-of-favour Spain forward Diego Costa. Walker left Tottenham for Man City 'to lift trophies' Danilo, 26, joined Real Madrid from Porto in 2015 but was the Spanish club's second-choice right-back for much of last season. He started 17 La Liga matches for champions Real, with Dani Carvajal preferred for most of the big games, including the Champions League final. City, who finished third in the Premier League last season, have already signed four players this summer - goalkeeper Ederson Moraes, right-back Walker and winger Bernardo Silva, plus teenage midfielder Douglas Luiz. Speaking in the build-up to Thursday's pre-season game against Manchester United in Houston, Guardiola said they were talking to "three or four" more. "They are young players, with the next three, four, five years in mind," he added. "We have options for players coming, but until the deal is done, out of respect for the other clubs I cannot say anything." As well as Danilo, City have also been linked with Monaco left-back Benjamin Mendy. Guardiola said: "Mendy is the same case as Danilo, we have targets and we see what happens. He's a Monaco player so I'm quiet in my comments." Aguero, 29, scored 20 Premier League goals last season but lost his starting place to Gabriel Jesus in February, leading to speculation he may leave. City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said at the end of the season that the Argentine's future was "never in doubt". And Guardiola confirmed on Wednesday that Aguero is staying. While Aguero is staying at Etihad Stadium, fellow striker Kelechi Iheanacho is close to completing a £25m move to Leicester City. The 20-year-old has scored 21 goals in 64 games in all competitions since making his debut in 2015. Guardiola said: "Kelechi's a young player. It's not easy for him. "He needs to play at that age and that's why he and the club decided it was best for him to leave." Another striker, Wilfried Bony, who spent last season on loan at Stoke having moved to Manchester City from Swansea for £28m in 2015, is absent from the club's pre-season tour of the United States. Guardiola said Bony had "a little problem" and the 26-year-old would have travelled "if he wasn't injured".
Manchester City and Chelsea are vying for the £26m signing of Real Madrid's Brazilian right-back Danilo.
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Police were called to Newmarket Street at about 03:15 and found the 34-year-old victim. The man was initially treated at the Forth Valley Royal Hospital before being transferred to the Western General in Edinburgh for treatment to a head injury. Police are looking for a man who made off in a silver taxi shortly after the incident. The suspect is described as white, 5ft 6ins tall, of stocky build, with a shaven head. He was wearing a bright red short-sleeved t-shirt. Det Insp Jim Thomson of Falkirk CID said: "We're continuing to conduct inquiries in the area and want to thank the local community and businesses for their patience at this time. "We'd urge anyone who may have witnessed this incident, or who recognises the man's description, to get in touch as soon as possible."
A man has been seriously injured in an attack at a taxi rank in Falkirk.
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Muguruza, last year's Wimbledon runner-up, dropped serve four times as she lost 6-3 6-2 to the world number 48. Germany's Angelique Kerber is the only top-10 seed, at number seven, left in the bottom half of the women's draw. Swiss Stan Wawrinka was an early winner among the men's seeds, with Andy Murray in action later on Saturday. Muguruza, 21, had looked well set to reach a second Grand Slam final as her side of the draw lost seeded players at a remarkable rate. Second seed Simona Halep and eighth seed Venus Williams both lost in the first round and the shocks kept coming, with ninth seed Karolina Pliskova joining the exodus after defeat by Ekaterina Makarova on Saturday. Muguruza finished with 32 unforced errors as she produced a disappointing display on her way to defeat by Strycova. "Clearly not my best, for sure," said the Venezuelan-born Spaniard. "I think today is a very bad day, you know, at the office. "I just couldn't find the court, my shots. Didn't really find my game." Strycova goes through to face two-time champion and 14th seed Victoria Azarenka, who again avoided any hint of an upset by despatching Japanese 18-year-old Naomi Osaka 6-1 6-1 on Rod Laver Arena. Kerber beat American Madison Brengle 6-1 6-3 and will next play fellow German Annika Beck. Britain's Johanna Konta kept up her impressive form with a 6-2 6-2 win over Czech Denisa Allertova. Fourth seed and 2014 champion Stan Wawrinka will meet 13th seed Milos Raonic in round four after both men stretched their unbeaten runs to seven matches in 2016. Switzerland's Wawrinka, champion in Chennai earlier this month, saw off Czech Lukas Rosol 6-2 6-3 7-6 (7-3), while Canadian Raonic, the winner in Brisbane, beat Serbia's Viktor Troicki 6-2 6-3 6-4. American John Isner hit 44 aces, taking his total to a tournament-leading 101, as he beat Spain's Feliciano Lopez 6-7 (6-8) 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 6-4. Davis Cup team-mates Jamie Murray and Dom Inglot will face each other across the net in the third round of the men's doubles after both enjoyed victories on Saturday. Murray and Brazilian partner Bruno Soares, seeded seventh, beat Poles Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Jerzy Janowicz 7-5 6-3, before Inglot and Sweden's Robert Lindstedt saw off Americans Eric Butorac and Scott Lipsky 7-6 (7-5) 6-7 (5-7) 6-4. In the women's doubles, Fed Cup captain Judy Murray will be keeping a close eye on Court Six as Konta and Heather Watson take on Jocelyn Rae and Anna Smith. All four players are in Murray's squad which will travel from Melbourne to Israel for the Fed Cup qualifier early next month.
Spanish third seed Garbine Muguruza became the latest leading name to make an early exit at the Australian Open as she lost to Czech Barbora Strycova.
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The Welsh Affairs Committee said it was satisfied with safety, but wanted clarity on costs. It said Wylfa Newydd on Anglesey should only be built if its electricity costs no more than that from Hinkley Point C in Somerset, or from renewable sources. The UK government said any proposed new sites would "need to offer value for money for the taxpayer". MPs carried out an inquiry into the potential of fresh power generation at the two nuclear sites in north Wales. A new £8bn station employing 1,000 people is planned for Wylfa to replace the plant which closed in December after operating for 44 years. A replacement has also been mooted for the Trawsfynydd plant, in Gwynedd, which stopped generating power in 1991 and is being decommissioned. The committee said it recognised a "notable lack of public confidence" in nuclear power following incidents such as the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan. However, committee chairman David Davies said MPs were "impressed by the level of scrutiny" of the UK nuclear industry and "reassured that the highest safety standards are followed". "The key questions that need to be answered for future development of nuclear power at Wylfa and Trawsfynydd to be viable centre on value for money and local impact," he added. "The [UK] government must prove that the cost of any nuclear development is well understood and competitive with renewable sources. These costs must be made public in a format that can be easily understood. "There has to be a demonstrable benefit for the local community as well. Local businesses must form a key part of the supply chain and be given sufficient information to allow this to happen. "We must also make use of the many skilled nuclear workers currently based in Wales and provide sufficient training to develop the next generation." Doubts about the viability of Wylfa Newydd have surfaced amid negotiations about the "strike price" which ministers will pay for power generated by Hinkley Point C. Major renewable projects such as the £1bn Swansea Bay tidal lagoon also depend on a strike price, which subsidises the investment by guaranteeing revenue above the market rate for electricity. A spokeswoman for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said: "New nuclear power stations will provide secure, clean and affordable electricity for consumers across the country. "We are constantly working to get the best deal for consumers and any proposals for new sites, including Wylfa, will need to offer value for money for the taxpayer. "It's estimated that the local north Wales economy around the proposed Wylfa site will benefit from around £50m and hundreds of jobs."
Future nuclear power projects in Wales must be value for money and create jobs where they are built, MPs have said.
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Giles Watling, who played Oswald in the 1980s show and is now a Tory councillor, was selected at an open primary in the constituency. He was chosen ahead of fellow local councillor Sue Lissimore following a hustings at Clacton town hall. The by-election was triggered by the defection of sitting Tory MP Douglas Carswell, who will now stand for UKIP. The vote will be held on 9 October. The open primary allowed anyone from Clacton, no matter which party they supported, to take part in the selection. After his selection, Mr Watling was asked by BBC political correspondent Robin Brant whether an actor could be trusted to serve as an MP. "'Of course', he responded, adding that actors have "been around for thousands of years." Conservative Chief Whip Michael Gove was among 30 MPs from the party campaigning in Clacton on Thursday. Mr Watling became a well-known face because of his role in Bread - a BBC One TV series during the late 1980s and early 1990s about the working class Roman Catholic Boswell family in Liverpool. He played the character Oswald, a vicar who romanced and eventually married the only Boswell daughter, Aveline. He appeared in a total of 49 episodes and the 1988 edition which saw the couple get married was watched by 21 million viewers. Other TV credits include roles in How's Your Father?, Grange Hill and 'Allo 'Allo.
An actor best-known for sitcom Bread has been chosen as the Conservative candidate in the Clacton by-election.
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It has advised all international postal services "not to send mail to Ireland". Thirty-six staff who maintain sorting equipment at four An Post centres are taking strike action over pay cuts. The staff are employed by contractor IO Systems, but are retained by An Post to work at its four sorting centres. The company said it had no indication of how long the dispute would last or how long its services would be affected. Royal Mail has said its customers should be aware that there may be delays in sending items to and receiving them from the Republic of Ireland. An Post handles about 2.5 million items of mail each day. It is understood that all automated sorting machinery at the Dublin centre broke down overnight, which had an impact on mail processing. In Athlone, County Westmeath, machinery for sorting large objects also broke down. The machines in the two remaining mail centres in Portlaoise in County Laois, and in Cork were functioning normally. Communications Workers Union official Sean McDonagh said An Post managers refused to repair the machines as that was the work of the IO Systems employees. He also said the object of the new rosters sought by IO Systems is a cost saving of 100,000 euro (£73,500) but the disruption to An Post services resulting from the dispute would cost much more. An Post earlier urged both sides to avail of the State's dispute resolution institutions to resolve their differences.
The Republic of Ireland's postal service An Post has said people in Northern Ireland should not mail any items to the country due to industrial action by some of its staff.
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Lord Wigley dismissed claims housing pressures were because of immigration in a heated BBC Radio Wales debate on the EU referendum on Wednesday. But UKIP MEP and AM Nathan Gill said immigration was the "number one issue" brought up on doors and in the street. "We're an island, we're not making any more land," he said. Lord Wigley said: "We have pressure in the housing market in all parts of Wales, and it's not because of immigrants in all parts of Wales. "We have pressure on schools, and in certain areas of England particularly, there are really serious problems. But that means building more schools and greater capacity. "In pointing a finger towards the outsider as the basis of the faults that exist within our economy and within our society, its a very dangerous road to go down "I don't want to see the United Kingdom going down that road." In response, Mr Gill said: "The reality is that immigration is a real concern for a lot of people. "Its the number one issue that gets brought up whenever we go knocking on doors and speak to people in the streets. "One of the founding principles of the EU is free movement of people. It's the reality, it will never change. We've been told categorically that will not change. "If we vote to remain, the EU is going to take that to mean full speed ahead chaps, there's no way these people are ever going to get a referendum again."
A former leader of Plaid Cymru has warned Britain will go down a "dangerous road" if it blames outsiders for the country's economic faults.
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Southgate, 46, will meet the FA hierarchy on Monday for what is effectively his interview for the role. "There is a board meeting on 30 November of the main FA board and I think Gareth will be the manager by then," Bevington told BBC Radio 5 live. "I don't think they will be speaking to anybody else." Southgate has just concluded a four-game stint as interim manager following Sam Allardyce's departure in September, beating Malta and Scotland and drawing with Slovenia and Spain. He will be interviewed at St George's Park by a panel including FA chairman Greg Clarke, chief executive Martin Glenn and technical director Dan Ashworth, as well as League Managers' Association chairman Howard Wilkinson and former England defender Graeme le Saux. "I think Gareth is the only candidate because he has earned it, he should get it and he is the right man for the job," Bevington, who was managing director of Club England from 2010-2014 and spent 17 years at the FA, told BBC Radio 5 live's Sportsweek. He said the FA "need to be promoting English coaches" after previous experiments with foreign bosses Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello. Media playback is not supported on this device "I found Capello and Eriksson very relaxed about dealing with the media. They didn't seem to be affected by that in any way but I genuinely believe the England team should be managed by an Englishman," Bevington said. "There are number of phrases used to describe Gareth - he's a bit too soft, a safe pair of hands, a company man. "But he is very intelligent and highly experienced football player and coach at international level. He's the most suitable person out there and the last two months, particularly the performance against Spain, have enhanced that. "I've spent a lot of time with Gareth and his interaction with the players is fantastic. If you talk to him privately you understand what his beliefs about football are, that's why Arsene Wenger is a great admirer of Gareth, that's why his beliefs in football are first class." The FA insists there is no time frame for making the appointment, with England's next game a friendly in Germany in March, and the final decision will be taken by Clarke, Glenn and Ashworth. The organisation is determined not to be rushed into an appointment and wants to conduct a thorough process, although no other interviews are currently scheduled and Southgate is firm favourite to take over on a full-time basis. FA chief executive Glenn said after Southgate's final game in interim charge: "Clearly his candidacy has become much stronger. We just need to weigh up the facts and take time to make the right decision."
Gareth Southgate is "the only candidate" to become England's next full-time manager, claims former FA executive Adrian Bevington.
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14 May 2017 Last updated at 10:32 BST Goals by Lucy Bronze, Izzy Christiansen, Jill Scott and World Player of the Year, Carli Lloyd, sealed their victory in front of a record crowd at Wembley Stadium. The win means Manchester City now hold all three domestic titles - the Women's FA Cup, the Women's Super League and the Continental Cup. They're the first team to do so since Arsenal Ladies in 2011. Watch the message City's captain Steph Houghton sent Newsround after the match...
Manchester City thrashed Birmingham City Ladies 4-1 to win the Women's FA Cup for the first time.
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Media playback is not supported on this device Trott won the scratch race for GB's first gold of the event, beating Netherlands rider Kirsten Wild. Australia dramatically beat Britain's men's pursuit team in the final. But Becky James put three years of injury problems behind her with a bronze for GB in the keirin race. The 2013 double world champion finished behind Germany's Kristina Vogel, while Australia's Anna Meares took silver. Despite missing out on gold, Wiggins said he would "put my house" on GB claiming the Olympic title in Rio this August. With five laps remaining, the double Olympic champion seemed out of contention in the scratch race but held her nerve to win a sixth career World Championship gold. "When I was in the race I wasn't feeling that good," said Trott. "But it worked out perfectly for me. I'm so happy. I let everybody get on with it and raced my own race." Media playback is not supported on this device The 23-year-old's victory softened the blow she and her team-mates suffered in the women's team pursuit earlier in the afternoon. A ragged ride in qualifying means the quartet can finish no better than third on Friday. Trott, Elinor Barker, Ciara Horne and Joanna Rowsell Shand clocked four minutes 21.034 seconds, the fifth-fastest time in qualifying. It is usually an event Britain can bank on for success, winning six of the previous eight world titles, but they can now only ride off for bronze. The USA qualified fastest, followed by Canada, New Zealand and Australia. Media playback is not supported on this device In the men's team pursuit, Wiggins, Ed Clancy, Owain Doull and Jon Dibben dragged themselves back into contention after a blistering start from Australia, but lost by 1.129 seconds to their perennial rivals. In the final track competition before the Olympics, the victory is a psychological boost for the Australians. But the return of Clancy - the team's strongest rider and a man Wiggins sees as "irreplaceable" - is a positive for GB. Twelve weeks ago, Clancy was unable to walk after back surgery and his astonishing recovery led team-mate Doull to describe him as a "freak of nature". Wiggins still believes GB can win in Rio, saying: "I'll put my house on it, I'll say we'll win in Rio now. I'm confident and I just think we will. "Look at our efforts individually from Christmas to where we are now. We've come on leaps and bounds and I think we'll move on again for Rio." Olympic champion Chris Boardman, summarising for BBC Sport, said: "It was a fast time by both teams, but the Australians were just consistent all the way through and had that extra depth. "I was pleased with the way Britain managed their problems, but it wasn't enough." Media playback is not supported on this device Welsh rider James, 23, had wondered whether she would ride again after a series of injuries and a cancer scare. So progressing to the final in London was deemed a success for the 2013 double world champion. She rode astutely to finish behind favourite Vogel, who won her seventh world title, and reigning Olympic champion Meares. "It just doesn't feel real, I'm just over the moon to be back," said James. "I've seen improvements week in week out and managed to pull it out today." Sir Chris Hoy said her performance "was the best she could have hoped for". The winner of six Olympic golds and BBC Sport cycling expert added: "She didn't have the form, she hung in there, defended well and didn't panic."
Laura Trott claimed gold for Great Britain at the Track Cycling World Championships in London as Sir Bradley Wiggins and the British men's pursuit team had to settle for silver.
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The cyclists were struck by a pickup truck that was seen being driven erratically only minutes earlier, police in Kalamazoo said. The driver of the truck, a 50-year-old man from Michigan, fled the scene and was arrested nearby soon afterwards. A hospital spokesman said one of the injured cyclists was in a serious condition. Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeffrey Getting told a news conference there had been a number of alerts about the blue Chevrolet's erratic driving, but that a police chase was not under way when it crashed. One witness, Markus Eberhard, told Kalamazoo broadcaster WOOD the truck almost drove over his foot before heading towards the cyclists. "I saw a bunch of bikes hit the front of his truck and a couple of them flew," he said.
Five cyclists were killed and another four hurt in a hit-and-run incident in the US state of Michigan, police say.
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MLAs flocked to pass an amendment that will allow pigeon racing groups to avail of rates relief being proposed for community and amateur sports clubs. The Rates (Amendment) Bill is before the house for its further consideration stage. It aims to provide 100% rates relief for recreational sports clubs. Some MLAs had their feathers ruffled that pigeon racing is not currently deemed a sport. Ulster Unionist MLA Robin Swann put forward an amendment to allow it to be included so it can avail of the current 80% level of rates relief. Mr Swann, however, was not in the chamber for the debate as he had "flown off to the US" so party colleague Leslie Cree took his perch and spoke on the amendment's behalf. "The minister (Mervyn Storey) has an opportunity to be a trailblazer and an opportunity to be a champion for pigeon men and women," he said. "Pigeon racing was breaking down political, religious and class barriers long before anything or anyone else was." UKIP MLA, and former UUP member, David McNarry quipped that he had never raced a pigeon and "wondered whether communications in my old party are still by way of pigeon carrier". Claire Hanna, from the SDLP, supported the amendment and cooed: "We'll let this one fly, we think the policy does have wings and the clubs should get their rates cheap cheap." MLAs backed the amendment by 55 votes to 29.
A proposal to allow pigeon racing be designated as a sport for rates purposes has flown through the assembly.
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Germany attacking midfielder Gotze had not played since being ruled out earlier this year for an indefinite time period because of "metabolic disturbances", but impressed as he played for just over an hour. The 25-year-old made an early impact, teeing up American teenager Christian Pulisic who fired in from the edge of the box. "I'm feeling well again, but I am a long way off being 100 percent again," said Gotze. "I have to train hard. There is still a lot of work to do." Dortmund, without France winger Ousmane Dembele amid interest from Barcelona, doubled their lead when centre-back Marc Bartra popped up on the left edge of Wolfsburg's penalty area, beautifully bending into the far top corner. Eighteen-year-old Pulisic, who has been linked with a move to Liverpool, turned provider after the break when he drilled across the home goal for striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to convert at the far post. It was the perfect start for new manager Peter Bosz, who left Ajax to replace Thomas Tuchel earlier this summer. "It was obvious that Mario Gotze is an extraordinary player and will be very important for us," said Bosz. "However, we must also be patient and I was glad he had collected a few minutes and did not hurt himself." Elsewhere, Hamburg striker Nicolai Muller scored the winner in a 1-0 victory over Augsburg - but was then substituted after injuring himself when he tripped over the corner flag while celebrating. Australia winger Mathew Leckie scored both goals on his Hertha Berlin debut as they won 2-0 against newly-promoted Stuttgart, while former Leicester striker Andrej Kramaric netted the decisive goal in Hoffenheim's 1-0 home win over Werder Bremen. Hannover, who were promoted alongside Stuttgart last season, marked their top-flight return with a 1-0 win at Mainz. Match ends, VfL Wolfsburg 0, Borussia Dortmund 3. Second Half ends, VfL Wolfsburg 0, Borussia Dortmund 3. Offside, VfL Wolfsburg. Robin Knoche tries a through ball, but Maximilian Arnold is caught offside. Hand ball by Shinji Kagawa (Borussia Dortmund). Nuri Sahin (Borussia Dortmund) wins a free kick on the right wing. Foul by Maximilian Arnold (VfL Wolfsburg). Sokratis (Borussia Dortmund) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Maximilian Arnold (VfL Wolfsburg). Substitution, Borussia Dortmund. Shinji Kagawa replaces Christian Pulisic. Corner, Borussia Dortmund. Conceded by Paul Verhaegh. Corner, VfL Wolfsburg. Conceded by Lukasz Piszczek. Attempt missed. Josuha Guilavogui (VfL Wolfsburg) left footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the right following a corner. Corner, VfL Wolfsburg. Conceded by Marc Bartra. Attempt blocked. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Gonzalo Castro. Offside, VfL Wolfsburg. Yannick Gerhardt tries a through ball, but Maximilian Arnold is caught offside. Gonzalo Castro (Borussia Dortmund) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Ignacio Camacho (VfL Wolfsburg). Substitution, Borussia Dortmund. Felix Passlack replaces Dan-Axel Zagadou because of an injury. Foul by Lukasz Piszczek (Borussia Dortmund). Landry Dimata (VfL Wolfsburg) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund). Felix Uduokhai (VfL Wolfsburg) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Corner, Borussia Dortmund. Conceded by Felix Uduokhai. Substitution, VfL Wolfsburg. Maximilian Arnold replaces Daniel Didavi. Offside, VfL Wolfsburg. Daniel Didavi tries a through ball, but Josuha Guilavogui is caught offside. Foul by Nuri Sahin (Borussia Dortmund). Daniel Didavi (VfL Wolfsburg) wins a free kick on the right wing. Offside, VfL Wolfsburg. Daniel Didavi tries a through ball, but Mario Gomez is caught offside. Foul by Nuri Sahin (Borussia Dortmund). Felix Uduokhai (VfL Wolfsburg) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Marc Bartra (Borussia Dortmund) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Mario Gomez (VfL Wolfsburg). Attempt blocked. Maximilian Philipp (Borussia Dortmund) right footed shot from long range on the left is blocked. Assisted by Dan-Axel Zagadou. Substitution, Borussia Dortmund. Mahmoud Dahoud replaces Mario Götze. Goal! VfL Wolfsburg 0, Borussia Dortmund 3. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Christian Pulisic. Substitution, VfL Wolfsburg. Josuha Guilavogui replaces Riechedly Bazoer. Offside, VfL Wolfsburg. Yannick Gerhardt tries a through ball, but Robin Knoche is caught offside. Attempt blocked. Riechedly Bazoer (VfL Wolfsburg) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Foul by Lukasz Piszczek (Borussia Dortmund). Landry Dimata (VfL Wolfsburg) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Mario Gotze set up the opening goal in his first start in nine months as Borussia Dortmund began the Bundesliga season with a stylish win at Wolfsburg.
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The number of prisoners aged over 70 in British jails is set to go up by 35% in the next four years. Many of them will be on long sentences with little prospect of early release, the report says. The Prison Reform Trust says prisons are struggling to cope with the numbers of elderly, sick and disabled inmates. The latest official projections for Britain's prison population, released earlier on Thursday, say it will go down slightly from just over 85,000 to just over 84,000 by 2021, thanks to lower crime rates and fewer criminals being given custodial sentences. But the "recent trend" in older offenders being given long sentences for serious sexual offences is placing an "upward pressure" on numbers, the report says. There has been a big increase in reports of historical sexual abuse after a string of high-profile celebrity convictions, often of men in their 70s and 80s. More than 2,200 suspects were being investigated by UK police probing historical child sex abuse allegations, according to figures released in December by Operation Hydrant, the unit set up to investigate, including 302 people of "public prominence". According to the Ministry of Justice report on prison population, the number of inmates aged over 50 is projected to grow from 12,700 to 13,900 by the end of June 2020, a rise of 9.5%, while the number of over-60s behind bars will grow by 20% from 4,500 to 5,400 over the same period. The biggest percentage increase is expected to be in the over-70s group, which is projected to grow from 1,400 to 1,900, a 35% increase. Mark Day, head of policy and communications at the Prison Reform Trust, said: "Responding to a rapidly ageing prison population will pose significant challenges for a prison system designed and built for young men. "Too many frail and elderly people are held far from their local communities in prisons totally unsuited to meeting even their basic needs. "Caring for people with mobility problems, dementia, and chronic illness is a role for trained healthcare professionals, not prison staff. "Solutions lie in effective estate modernisation and close cooperation between local authorities, health, social care and criminal justice agencies." The Ministry of Justice has said it is looking at adapting prison regimes to suit older prisoners and some prisons now have dedicated wings and units for them. A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "We are committed to ensuring that older prisoners are treated fairly. "We work closely with the NHS and local government to make sure they have access to the right health and social care support. "There are also a number of dedicated prison areas and units which specifically cater for the needs of older prisoners by adapting regime according to need."
UK prisons face an increase in elderly inmates - partly due to more convictions for historic sexual offences, official projections show.
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Media playback is not supported on this device The Wales flanker has not played since sustaining the injury against Ulster in the Pro12 on 7 April. "Today [Monday] I trained fully," Warburton said, adding: "That's all the boxes ticked, and now I can crack on." Meanwhile, head coach Warren Gatland said he expects to lose between six and 10 players to injury on the tour. The tourists have already lost England number eight Billy Vunipola because of a shoulder injury, while fellow countryman and scrum-half Ben Youngs withdrew from the Lions squad at the start of May after his brother's wife learned that she is terminally ill. Wales hooker Ken Owens will miss Scarlets' Pro12 final against Munster on Saturday because of an ankle injury. Ireland prop Jack McGrath is also a concern because of an arm injury, as are Wales scrum-half Rhys Webb (groin) and Ireland back-row Sean O'Brien (calf). Despite the casualty list, Gatland seemed confident the injured players will be fit for the tour. "I think we are pretty good," Gatland said. "The guys are making good progress." However, with Lions players involved in end-of-season knock-out games and finals over the coming weekend, Gatland has planned for more injury blows before and during the tour. "There could be a couple more next weekend as well and given the history of the Lions, we've planned to lose anywhere between six and 10 players," he said. "I mean, that's just the attrition of past tours." England back-rower James Haskell has replaced Vunipola and Cardiff Blues Warburton said: "Billy was one of the guys I was really looking forward to playing with who I hadn't played alongside before. "He has been a massive player for Saracens. It is a big loss for us, but James [Haskell] coming in - I think only Rory Best and Alun Wyn Jones have got more caps [for their countries] than him in the squad - means we are very lucky."
British and Irish Lions captain Sam Warburton has declared himself fully fit for the tour to New Zealand after recovering from a knee injury.
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"As a resilient nation, we will carry on," he told Americans on the eve of the anniversary of the attacks. Events are being held to commemorate the victims, amid warnings that al-Qaeda is behind a new "credible but unconfirmed" threat to Americans. Nearly 3,000 people died on 9/11 in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. On Sunday, Mr Obama will travel to all three sites. "Thanks to the tireless efforts of our military personnel and our intelligence, law enforcement and homeland security professionals, there should be no doubt: today, America is stronger and al-Qaeda is on the path to defeat," President Obama said in his weekly address. "Yes we face a determined foe, and make no mistake - they will keep trying to hit us again. But as we are showing again this weekend, we remain vigilant," he said. "Across the Middle East and North Africa a new generation of citizens is showing that the future belongs to those that want to build, not destroy." 'Worst day of my life' Security has been tightened in New York and Washington after the reported threat in the run-up to Sunday's anniversary. US officials believe al-Qaeda may have sent attackers, some of them possibly US citizens, to bomb one of the cities. Counter-terrorism officials reportedly received a tip-off from a CIA informant last week. They are still trying to corroborate the reported threat. Events commemorating the anniversary of the attacks are scheduled throughout the weekend. On Saturday thousands of people in New York joined hands to remember those killed. NEW YORK PENTAGON SHANKSVILLE TOTAL KILLED: 2,976 "Every year, I kind of, don't handle it, but it's the 10th year and so I felt like it was important to make a statement," one woman, Juliet Di Frenza, told Reuters. "It was the worst day of my life." On Sunday, President Obama will visit the World Trade Center site, the Pentagon and a memorial ceremony in Shanksville, Pennsylvania - where the fourth hijacked plane, United 93, came down. He will be joined in New York by former President George W Bush. Police in New York are carrying out spot checks in the city's subway and have tightened security on roads, bridges and tunnels. Checkpoints have been set up across Manhattan where police are scanning for radiation and stolen licence plates, causing serious traffic congestion around the city. Members of the public are being asked to report abandoned or suspicious vehicles. On Friday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the threat was being taken very seriously by state and federal authorities. Counter-terrorism officials were particularly concerned by the threat because documents seized during the raid on Osama Bin Laden's Pakistan compound in May showed al-Qaeda was considering strikes to coincide with the anniversary, Mrs Clinton said. Reports suggest that intelligence gathered in Pakistan points to a possible car or truck bomb attack against New York or Washington. US TV network ABC News has reported that three individuals - one a US citizen - entered the US in August aiming to carry out an attack. Reuters news agency has reported US officials as saying the threat could be linked to al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri - Osama Bin Laden's deputy, who took over leadership of the group after Bin Laden was killed by US soldiers in Pakistan in May.
The United States is stronger 10 years on from the 9/11 attacks and al-Qaeda is "on the path to defeat", President Barack Obama has said.
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Now construction of the first heathen temple or "hof" to be built in a Nordic country in almost 1,000 years is set to get under way. Work will start in March on a wooded hill near to the the capital Reykjavik's domestic airport. The temple will provide followers of Iceland's old Norse religion with a place to hold their communal "blot" - or feasts - as well as marriages, name-giving ceremonies, funerals and rite of passage ceremonies for teenagers. Until now, ceremonies have mostly been conducted outdoors during the summer. "At last, our long journey across the desert is at an end," says Hilmar Orn Hilmarsson, a composer and high priest of Iceland's neo-pagan Asatru movement. Designed by Danish-educated architect and Asatru member Magnus Jensen, the oval-shaped temple will be built into the side of the hill and use the natural rock as one of the walls. The nearby airport was built by occupying British forces in 1940, and the surrounding landscape is dotted with deserted gun positions and a cemetery with the remains of British servicemen. Water will flow down the stone wall and collect in pools on the floor. Local wood will be used, and a skylight in the temple's dome will allow for an ever-changing interplay of light and shadow on a daily and seasonal basis. It will incorporate the ancient concept of the "golden ratio", a geometric proportion regarded as the most aesthetically pleasing to the human eye. With the design, Mr Jensen says he is seeking to combine natural with manmade, and indoors with outdoors. For him, the building should appear timeless. He does not want it to resemble a traditional Viking temple or remain specifically modern in style. Norse paganism was the common belief in Iceland until 1000 AD, when its lawmakers conceded to Christian demands that Christianity should become the country's official religion. This compromise saved the nation from a bloody civil war. All that pagans asked was to be allowed to practise their religion privately. But once Christianity had established itself, paganism was suppressed and forced underground. However, thanks to the literary endeavours of 13th Century Icelandic scholar and chieftain Snorri Sturlason, the old Norse myths were preserved and widely read by Icelanders through the ages. Sturlason's epic text Prose Edda and the family sagas ensured Iceland´s pagan heritage was kept very much alive in the national consciousness. And in spring 1972 a few individuals came together in a cafe in Reykjavik to bring it back to life by establishing the Asatru association. Later that year, the group's elected high priest, Sveinbjorn Beinteinsson, met Iceland's minister of justice and ecclesiastical affairs to present a request for the Norse religion to be recognised as an official religion in Iceland. The move was met with opposition, with Iceland's Lutheran bishop saying a constitutional ruling on religious freedoms should not apply to polytheistic religions. But the story goes that shortly after Mr Beinteinsson left the justice ministry, a powerful thunderstorm started up, causing a power cut in the capital. Some Icelanders like to think it was Thor, the god of thunder, having his say on the matter, as a few months later the minister agreed formally to recognise the Asatru. Today the Asatru has close to 3,000 members and is one of the fastest growing religions in Iceland. Its principles are non-authoritarian and decentralised, with no sacred text or official founder. Its philosophy promotes tolerance and individual liberty. It costs nothing to join and is open to all irrespective of race, cultural background, gender or sexuality. Followers do not pray in the traditional sense and do not necessary believe in gods but instead, as Hilmar Hilmarsson explains, see the Norse myths as "wonderfully layered stories rich in symbolism and metaphors". Because of the focus on living in harmony with nature, the temple's builders will carefully dig up the trees on the construction site and replant them elsewhere. The "hof" should be completed late next year and Mr Hilmarsson is confident it will attract considerable attention among visitors. "Foreigners are more than welcome to join our feasts, get married here or have a name-giving ceremony and we can arrange all the formalities," he says. "People have come away from our ceremonies with a changed outlook, moved in a way they had never expected."
It has been the dream of Iceland´s neo-pagan worshippers for four decades.
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Media playback is not supported on this device Daniels had to come from behind to beat Bernie O'Neill 21-19 in the final at Llandrindod Wells, having trailed the Irish player 18-9 at one point. Wales' Alis Butten and Anwen Butten had to settle for silver in the pairs. The duo lost 25-13 to England's Sophie Tolchard and Natalie Chestney.
Welsh bowls player Laura Daniels continued her preparations for the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia by winning the British Isles singles title on Saturday.
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Most of those killed are said to have belonged to Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, which is excluded from the current ceasefire. It is not clear whether US-led coalition, Syrian or Russian planes carried out the attack. Meanwhile the UN Security Council is to discuss preparations for peace talks between the Syrian government and rebels due in Kazakhstan on Monday. The UN said on Thursday that its Syrian envoy Staffan de Mistura would attend the meeting in Astana, which has been convened by Russia, Turkey and Iran. It will mark the first time the two warring sides have met since UN-brokered talks broke up amid acrimony in Geneva in April 2016. An intense wave of air strikes is reported to have hit the Sheikh Sulaiman camp, previously headquarters of the now-defunct US-backed Hazm Movement. Unconfirmed reports say three members of members of Nour al-Din al-Zinki group were also killed. The group and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (JFS) have become increasingly allied in recent months. Nour al-Din al-Zinki said early on that they would not be attending the talks in Astana. JFS, known as al-Nusra Front until it broke off formal ties with al-Qaeda in July, along with the so-called Islamic State (IS) group are not covered by the nationwide ceasefire, which was declared at the end of last year. The ceasefire is largely holding, although air strikes and clashes have been reported on several battlefronts, particularly in the Wadi Barada region north-west of Damascus. More than 300,000 people have been killed and 11 million others displaced in almost six years of conflict, which began with anti-government protests before escalating into a full-scale civil war.
At least 40 jihadists have been killed in air strikes on a training camp in western Aleppo, reports say.
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Media playback is not supported on this device The 20-year-old forward is the first player to win the new award from the BBC World Service, voted for by football fans around the world. She beat Spain's Veronica Boquete, German Nadine Kessler, Scot Kim Little and Brazilian Marta to the honour. "I would like to say thank you to the BBC, to my fans around the world and to everyone who voted," she said. The award is the first of its kind hosted by a global broadcaster. Oshoala, who was the youngest player to be shortlisted, was the leading scorer at the Under-20s World Cup in Canada last summer and was voted the tournament's best player. Her performances led Nigeria to the final, where they were narrowly beaten by Germany, and she was also a major influence in the senior Nigeria team who won the African Women's Championship in October. That ensured their qualification for this summer's World Cup in Canada, which begins on 6 June with full coverage on the BBC. Oshoala said the honour was a big lift for Nigeria before the World Cup and would help inspire young players in her homeland. "It's a really good thing for us as a team because we now know that we have something great and now we want to go at the trophy," she said. "We can do it, we did it in 2014 we can also do it this year as well. "There is going to be a lot of motivation for women's football in Nigeria now because of this award because there are a lot of fans out there. Media playback is not supported on this device "Support for women's football in Nigeria is now growing very high. "I know my Liverpool Ladies coach is going to be happy right now. Before I left the UK he called me and said to me 'don't worry I hope you win the award and we're going to celebrate it when you come back'." Oshoala signed for Liverpool Ladies in January 2015, becoming the first African to feature in the Women's Super League, with manager Matt Beard calling her "one of the world's top young footballers". Mary Hockaday, controller of BBC World Service English, paid tribute to Oshoala. "At still only 20, she's proved herself a formidable talent on the pitch," she said. "I'm proud BBC World Service is supporting the women's game and thrilled with the interest in the award."
Nigeria and Liverpool forward Asisat Oshoala has been named as the BBC Women's Footballer of the Year.
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Lyn Dexter was taken to St James's University Hospital in Leeds after falling seriously ill on Sunday. The 68-year-old was asked on Wednesday by a ward sister if her bed could be wheeled into a shower room to free up space on the ward. Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said it was "very sorry this happened". After refusing the offer, Ms Dexter said another patient stayed in there overnight instead. "[The sister] said, 'We would leave the door open for you, would you sleep in here overnight?' "I looked at her and I started crying, I said, 'I'm sorry, I know you're under stress and duress, but the answer's no.'" "Someone had had a shower in it that evening, it was still damp." Ms Dexter, from Seacroft, was moved to a ward but said she hoped she "never had to go back" to the hospital again. "The staff work hard, but there's no beds and too many people," she added. Dawn Marshall, nurse director at the trust, said: "The trust does not regard a large shower room as the right place to temporarily look after a patient, and we are very sorry this happened and have apologised to the patient and their family. "The decision by the staff on duty to use this room was done with the best of intentions in an attempt to provide more privacy overnight, but we accept this was not an appropriate course of action."
An asthma patient was reduced to tears after being asked to sleep in a hospital shower room due to pressures on bed space.
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The youth was left with minor injuries following the attack, which happened when he went outside for a cigarette in Varberg, south of Gothenburg. It came the day after two people in clown costumes threatened to kill a woman in the centre of Sweden. The reports are the latest in a wave of "creepy clown" sightings in Europe and the US. The craze involves adults in frightening outfits scaring passers-by. Police are still searching for the Varberg clown, but are not yet willing to definitely link it to the craze, which began in the US over the summer. The teenager suffered minor injuries to his shoulder. "We do not know what prompted this. It was not a robbery, and I do not know if they had fought before," spokesman Ulla Brehm told Gotesburgposten (in Swedish). "It's hard to say if this is something that has to do with the trend that has come from the US, but there was a clown mask on the site." However, Swedish Interior Minister Anders Ygeman has called for calm as more and more sightings of scary clowns are made across Sweden. "We don't want to see a situation where a person gets into real trouble because someone, perhaps half joking, puts on a clown mask," Mr Ygeman told the TT news agency.
A man in a clown mask has stabbed a teenager in western Sweden, police have said.
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Stubbs won men's individual compound gold in 2008 but missed out on a medal in 2012. The 50-year-old is one of only two members of the 10-strong team with previous Games experience, along with John Cavanagh, 59. Among the debutants are 16-year-old Hemel Hempstead student Jess Stretton. Also named are London 2012 Gamesmaker Jo Frith, who took up archery in 2011 after being involved as a swimming coach and administrator and has gone on to win world and European medals. Army veteran Mikey Hall - who won individual bronze and team gold at the Invictus Games in 2014 - is also included. Former professional rugby player Nathan Macqueen, who played for Glasgow Warriors and was part of Scotland's archery team before a motorbike accident when he was 17, is also in the pool. "Going to the Paralympics is the biggest honour an athlete can achieve," said Stubbs. "I feel just as proud today as I did when I was selected for the first time for Beijing." Welshman David Phillips will go to Rio having returned to the sport following a 30-year break before winning European gold in 2014. "I was hugely inspired by London 2012 and my the public's appreciation and support of disabled athletes," said Cwmbran's Phillips. The archery competition will run from 10-17 September at the Sambodromo in Rio. GB squad: John Cavanagh, Jo Frith, Jodie Grinham, Mikey Hall, Nathan Macqueen, Tania Nadarajah, David Phillips, Jess Stretton, John Stubbs, John Walker.
Beijing gold medallist John Stubbs will be aiming for another Paralympic title in Rio after being selected on the Great Britain archery team.
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Media playback is not supported on this device The Chinese world number 11 fought from 4-2 down to lead 5-4 - before missing the final black in the 10th frame that would have given him victory. I don't see much grassroots coming through. I can play until I'm 50 England's O'Sullivan, 41, seeking a record seventh Masters title, made 121 in the deciding frame to seal the win. He will play either Neil Robertson or Ali Carter in the last eight. In the day's other first-round match, 2011 winner Ding Junhui defeated English world number 16 Kyren Wilson 6-3 to advance. The Chinese world number six, who had not won a Masters match in five years, was close to a maximum in the second frame before breaking down at 120. Ding produced a break of 50 in the ninth frame, which - coupled with a mistake from 25-year-old Wilson when he sank the white - was enough to see him over the line. He will now face either former world champion Stuart Bingham or Joe Perry. Earlier, O'Sullivan told the BBC he felt ill during his tussle with Liang. Media playback is not supported on this device "I didn't deserve to win - I was there for the taking," said the former world number one. "I feel for him because I know what that feels like. "When Liang was on that final black I thought I'd have a nice week off. I wasn't feeling well today and I was tired. I've had it for about a month." O'Sullivan looked set for defeat in the 10th frame when he failed to pot the pink into the right centre. That allowed Liang to clean up to the final black, which he subsequently missed into the left corner. The five-time world champion then notched up a brilliant ton in the 11th and final frame to the delight of his supporters inside Alexandra Palace in London. Asked about his 121 break, O'Sullivan said: "I didn't feel any adrenaline in the final frame. I didn't feel like I was in the match. I just hung in there and tried to stay professional." O'Sullivan is ranked 13 in the world and won only one ranking title last season. He did, however, reach the final of the UK Championship in December, where he was defeated by world number one Mark Selby. He is level with Stephen Hendry in terms of the number of titles at the Masters - but did not seem concerned about breaking the record this year. "I'll have another chance," he said. "I don't see much grassroots coming through. I can play until I'm 50." Sign up to My Sport to follow snooker news and reports on the BBC app.
Defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan reached the Masters quarter-finals with a 6-5 win over Liang Wenbo after coming perilously close to a shock defeat.
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The festival website is also advising people to arrive on Thursday or Friday when queues are expected to be shorter. "As a general rule, we would ask you to only bring as much as you can carry yourself," it said ahead of the festival, where gates open on 21 June. Car park entertainment and facilities for early arrivals are also shelved. Normally, the organisers put on entertainment for people who arrive early, from 21:00 BST on Tuesday prior to the festival gates being opened on the Wednesday at 08:00 BST. Organisers have now warned that those who arrive before the gates open will "be expected to remain in their cars". The website statement added: "For security reasons, all ticket holders will be subject to extra searches of their vehicles, their bags and their person at this year's Festival. "This will make entrance slower than in previous years." Organisers have also asked people to put luggage tags on all their bags, with their names and mobile numbers and to avoid wrapping their belongings in thick plastic wrap as they need to be removed for checks. Separate lanes are also being introduced for people with large luggage and trolleys. Some 175,000 will be attending the music event at Worthy Farm in Pilton, which runs until Sunday June 25.
Music fans going to Glastonbury Festival have been warned by organisers that security checks will be stepped up in light of the terror attacks.
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Eighty three jobs were put at risk when Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) failed to find a bidder for the power station in Uskmouth, near Newport, in May, 2014. But SSE confirmed the station's sale in December, 2014. New owner, Simec Group Ltd, says it will be converted to biomass fuel. The station, which was built more than 50 years ago, was described before its sale as the UK's least efficient coal-fired power station. Hong Kong-based Simec said it had restarted production at the station and hopes to employ more staff as production increases.
The company which bought the UK's oldest coal-fire power station after it closed says it has since re-employed more than 40 staff.
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The Manxman said continuing would have had a "detrimental effect" on his hopes for the Games, which begin on 5 August. Cavendish, 31, won four stages at this year's Tour to increase his tally to 30 overall - second on the all-time list behind Belgian great Eddy Merckx. The Team Dimension Data rider will compete in the omnium in Rio. It is a multi-discipline track event consisting of six races held across two days. Cavendish will be riding in his third Olympics, having failed to win a medal in his first two Games. He said he took the decision to leave the Tour "with great sadness". "To leave a race and organisation I hold so much respect for and a team I have such a special bond with, has not been an easy decision at all," he said. "I want to say thank you to them, along with all the fans for their support and encouragement, today and over the past 16 stages." Cavendish claimed victories at Utah Beach, Angers, Montauban and Villars-les-Dombes on this year's Tour but would not have won the green jersey. Slovakia's Peter Sagan is more than 100 points ahead and will claim the green jersey for the fifth successive Tour if he makes it to Paris on Sunday.
Great Britain's Mark Cavendish has pulled out of the Tour de France with five stages left to concentrate on his preparations for the Rio Olympics.
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The warning comes after a survivor was found to have traces of Ebola in his semen almost six months after recovery. This is some 90 days later than previously documented. It is unclear whether Ebola can still be spread at this point. But officials have launched further investigations to evaluate the risks. There have been no proven cases of Ebola being transmitted through sexual contact with survivors during this or previous outbreaks. But according to Dr Nathalie Broutet, a medical officer at the World Health Organization, the recent case prompted experts to strengthen their advice. Dr Broutet told the BBC: "The patient is the first we have seen where there is a trace of virus present in semen beyond three months. "This made us change our recommendations to go beyond three months." The new advice says: "For greater security and prevention of other sexually transmitted infections, Ebola survivors should consider correct and consistent use of condoms for all sexual acts beyond three months until more information is available." It builds on previous guidance suggesting abstinence or safe sex up to 90 days after symptoms first develop. But Dr Broutet cautioned further analysis must be done. "Even though the sample was positive for fragments of the virus this does not prove it was passed on sexually. "We need to be very careful and need more clarity about this," she said. Scientists are planning to send the sample to the Centres for Disease Control in the United States to see if the traces of Ebola they found are active and capable of being spread. And Dr Broutet is helping to set up studies in Sierra Leone and Guinea to offer male survivors further checks. According to the WHO, there is no current evidence to suggest that active Ebola virus is present in vaginal fluids once someone has recovered. Ebola is known to spread through close contact with the bodily fluids of a person who has the active virus and shows symptoms of the disease - such as a high fever. Experts emphasise that people who have recovered from Ebola do not pose any risks to the general public and should not be isolated.
The WHO has urged Ebola survivors to be even more cautious during sexual contact to ensure the virus is not passed on to their partners.
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In return, there would be guaranteed payments to companies which produced vitally needed new antibiotics. There are currently very few new antibiotics in development amid a global spread of resistant bacteria. The proposals are in a report by a UK government-appointed review team headed by economist Jim O'Neill. Mr O'Neill said: "We need to kick-start drug development to make sure the world has the drugs it needs, to treat infections and to enable modern medicine and surgery to continue as we know it." He has previously warned that drug-resistant microbes could kill 10 million people a year worldwide by 2050 and cost $100 trillion in lost economic output. Resistant strains of bacteria are spreading globally, threatening to make existing drugs ineffective. A global innovation fund of $2bn over five years would be used to boost funding for "blue-sky" research into drugs and diagnostics - with much of the money going to universities and small biotech companies. One promising area of research concerns so-called "resistance breakers". These are compounds that work to boost the effectiveness of existing antibiotics - a far less costly approach than attempting to discover entirely new drugs. Helperby Therapeutics, a spin-out company founded by Prof Anthony Coates, St George's, University of London, has created a resistance breaker that acts against the superbug MRSA. The compound, known as HT61, will shortly go into clinical trials in India, where it is being developed under licence by Cadila Pharmaceuticals India. The review team said this kind of research could benefit from the innovation fund and could be the key to making existing drugs last longer. Mr O'Neill said the big pharmaceutical companies should pay for the fund and look beyond short-term assessments of profit and loss. Formerly chief economist with the investment bank Goldman Sachs, Mr O'Neill drew parallels between the banking crisis and the looming catastrophe of a world where antibiotics no longer worked. He said big pharma needed to act with "enlightened self-interest" because "if it gets really bad, somebody is going to come gunning for these guys just how people came gunning for finance". Mr O'Neill was speaking to the BBC's Panorama programme, which has spent six months following the work of the review team, filming in India, the US and UK. Mr O'Neill was appointed last year by Prime Minister David Cameron to head the review into antimicrobial resistance - which already claims an estimated 30,000 lives a year across Europe. Many large companies have pulled out of antibiotic research. The report says this is partly due to the uncertain commercial returns for new antibiotics. New drugs are often kept in reserve for years, to preserve their potency, by which time they may be nearing the end of their patent. After this expires, cheaper generic versions are available. In order to incentivise drug development, the review team says, there should be lump-sum payments to companies that create proven new antibiotics. This would break the link between the profitability of a drug and its volume of sales. The review team predicts its proposals could lead to 15 new antibiotics a decade, of which at least four should be "breakthrough products" targeting the bacterial species of greatest concern. It estimates the cost of guaranteed payments for these drugs would be $16-37bn over a decade but says this is a small price to pay given that antibiotics are essential to so many aspects of healthcare, from common infections, to surgery and cancer treatment. It is nearly 30 years since a new class of antibiotics - meaning a group of drugs with an entirely novel action - was introduced. But this decades-long drought could be over as a result of a breakthrough recently announced by US scientists. A team at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, has discovered 25 potential new antibiotics, all of them derived from soil microbes. One of them, teixobactin, is effective against both tuberculosis and MRSA. The drug is being developed by NovoBiotic Pharmaceuticals and should go into patient trials within two years. Prof Kim Lewis, of Northeastern University, who co-founded the company, told Panorama: "We think there could be thousands more antibiotics in the soil, yet to be discovered." There are still many uncertainties. Teixobactin has yet to undergo patient trials, and it is at this stage that many promising drugs fail. Nor is it effective against bacteria such as E.coli and Klebsiella, which are responsible for a huge proportion of resistant infections. But the Boston team's discoveries are the type of innovative research many scientists believe essential to ensure we do not run out of effective antibiotics. Patrick Vallance, GlaxoSmithKline's president of pharmaceutical R&D said that, as one of the few companies still conducting antibiotic research they welcomed the report: "We are very encouraged by the ideas it sets out to modernise the economic model to encourage investment in research and ensure reasonable returns." Prof Dame Sally Davies, chief medical adviser to the UK government, said: "We have to respond to the challenge of antimicrobial resistance by making sure we secure the necessary antibiotics for generations to come, in order to save millions of lives and billions of pounds." Panorama: Antibiotic Apocalypse is on Monday 18 May on BBC ONE at 20:30 BST or you can catch up oniPlayer.
The global pharmaceutical industry is being called on to pay for a $2bn (£1.3bn) innovation fund to revitalise research into antibiotics.
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The 32-year-old Brazilian will replace Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado, Williams announced on Monday. Massa said: "When I was a kid, I always dreamed of racing for Williams, Ferrari or McLaren and I'm glad to be signing with another icon of the sport." Felipe Massa believes Williams can benefit from a major change in Formula 1 rules to jump up the grid next season. New engine and chassis regulations are being introduced in 2014 and the Brazilian told BBC Sport he sees his move from Ferrari as a "restart" for both him and his new team. "This year, Williams are having a very difficult championship," he said of 2013, which has been the worst season in Williams's history. "But in 2014 everything is different and it is not impossible to be fighting for top four or five in the constructors' championship. We need to believe and fight for that." Massa visited the Williams factory for the first time on Monday and said he was impressed with what he had seen. "I'm so convinced [in Williams's potential] because it is a big change next year. Everything changes - the car will be completely different - and I think Williams has all the capacity to do a good job. "With all this change, the direction I can see [in the team] for next year is more important than anything." Maldonado is likely to move to Lotus to replace Kimi Raikkonen but also has options at Force India or Sauber. Raikkonen was confirmed as Fernando Alonso's new team-mate at Ferrari in September. Williams have signed Massa, who leaves Ferrari after eight years in which he won 11 grands prix, on a three-year contract to add experience as they attempt to rebuild the team. They are having what is set to be the least successful season in their history. The Oxfordshire-based team, who dominated F1 for large portions of the 1980s and 90s, have so far scored only one point and lie ninth of 11 teams in the constructors' championship with two races to go. Massa hopes a restructure and recruitment programme under new technical director Pat Symonds - who has won championships with Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso at Benetton/Renault - will lead to improved fortunes next season, when new engine and chassis rules ensure all teams start again almost from scratch. Massa, who lost out to Lewis Hamilton in the 2008 world title fight by just one point but helped Ferrari win the constructors' title in 2007 and '08, said he hoped his "experience will be useful in helping the team in its effort to move on from a difficult period". He said Williams were his "best option", adding: "The team wants to grow. It is already a big team but they are really pushing hard to go back to what they were in the past. "It is a team to fight for the championships and good results and I really want to be a part of it. I understand what they are doing to get stronger. I think we can be very successful and I believe it is the best choice compared to the other choices I had." Team founder and principal Sir Frank Williams described Massa as "an exceptional talent and a real fighter on the track". His daughter Claire, the deputy team principal, added: "Felipe has demonstrated his talent and speed over the years, as well as his ability to motivate and drive a team to championship success." She added that Bottas, the 24-year-old who is in his first season in F1, was "an exciting young talent". Claire Williams said the team's driver announcement was "a key step towards our goal of returning Williams to the front of the grid and part of our ongoing plans to ensure we are stronger in 2014 and beyond". Maldonado leaves Williams following the breakdown of the relationship between driver and team. The Venezuelan scored one victory in his three seasons with Williams - in Spain last year, the team's first since 2004 - but had grown frustrated this season at the team's poor form and wanted to leave. Williams did not want to keep him, feeling his driving was too erratic and that his technical feedback was below par. Maldonado was linked with the team's sponsorship deal with Venezuelan state oil PDVSA, but Williams are said to have negotiated a settlement that will end that contract by mutual consent. Bottas said: "I am happy to be staying with the team as I embark on my second season in Formula 1. "I have faith in Williams and know we can do so much better in the future than our current performance shows. "I am looking forward to having Felipe as my team-mate. He is a quick and experienced driver and together we will be pushing to the maximum to improve the car and get as many points as we can next season."
Ferrari driver Felipe Massa will move to Williams next season as team-mate to Finn Valtteri Bottas.
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The second rower, 29, was placed on the transfer list by the Giants last month after an internal investigation. He helped England to a Test series win over New Zealand in November. "The Rhinos are a fantastic organisation and I am looking forward to being part of the squad next season," said Ferres. "The last year has seen plenty of ups and downs for me, however this move gives me an opportunity to finally look forward to the future with confidence and be part of something special at the Rhinos."
Leeds Rhinos will sign Huddersfield's Brett Ferres for an undisclosed fee, subject to the forward passing a medical and agreeing personal terms.
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And children's author Jacqueline Wilson agrees diary writing "increases your fluency and helps you become more comfortable at expressing yourself". The Tracy Beaker author says she herself wrote a diary from the age of seven or eight and continued through her childhood and into her teens. She is backing a campaign for children to be given diaries this Christmas. Ms Wilson told BBC Breakfast she thinks writing a diary has a massive advantage over social media when it comes to expressing innermost thoughts and feelings. The point is diaries are "not for sharing", she argued. "You don't care how many people like it. It's just for you. You can write anything you want down." A diary entry could be an account of your day, what you really feel about people you absolutely love, or people you hate, your hopes and ambitions, she said. And if you are really into sport you can use the diary for detailed accounts of matches you have watched, she suggested. Tracy Beaker is partly written in diary form and Ms Wilson says she still uses her teenage diaries as a source of inspiration in some of her writing... even though "they are terribly embarrassing to look back on... you care so passionately about things." Other famous diaries in children's literature are: For older readers there are the works of Samuel Pepys, James Boswell, Virginia Woolf and Anne Frank - and on a rather more frivolous note: Bridget Jones. Data on more than 3,000 eight-to 11-year-olds, collected by the charity, suggests that pupils who keep a diary are almost twice as likely to write above the expected level for their age (27.1%), compared with children who do not (15.5%). The main attraction of writing a diary is being able to choose the subject matter and 82% of girls and 76% of boys told the researchers that writing is more fun if they are allowed to decide what to write about. The research also found: National Literacy Trust director, Jonathan Douglas, said the charity was "encouraging parents, families and anyone buying a gift for a child or young person this Christmas to give the gift of a diary. "You'll be giving them a platform to express themselves through words and the tools to become a better writer and do well at school. And you never know - your child could produce the next Diary of a Wimpy Kid!"
Keeping a diary helps boost children's writing skills, according to research from the National Literacy Trust.
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A spokesman for the Fire and Rescue Service said the 91-year-olds were taken to Noble's Hospital but their condition is "not yet known". Fire crews were called to the blaze at the house on Station Road, which has now been extinguished, at around 12:00. Local resident Mark Dawson said: "It was clearly a major fire. There were huge plumes of smoke." Another Port Erin resident Sarah Brown said: "There was a loud bang followed by loads of sirens." Police Forensic and Fire Investigation teams are currently conducting investigations at the scene. The spokesman said: "At this time there does not appear to be any suspicious circumstances surrounding." Station Road from its junction with Ballafesson Road to Bridson Street will remain closed until 18:00 GMT and the public are asked to "avoid the area."
An elderly couple have been rescued from a "major fire" at their Port Erin home.
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Media playback is not supported on this device I went in to it with a do-or-die mentality Roared on by a sell-out crowd of 17,500, the 18-year-old delivered six dives of consistent excellence. China's Qiu Bo, the world champion and firm favourite coming into the final, had to settle for silver. "The main aim here was to get a medal," said Daley. "Olympic bronze medal - I can't believe it!" Bo settling for silver seemed unlikely on Friday evening when he dominated the qualifying session, with Daley down in 15th. But Daley gave a glimpse of his fine form this season in Saturday morning's semi-final, only to save the very best until it really mattered. "Boudia was a class act. A masterclass. But well done Tom Daley. Under all that pressure and expectation, he delivered six out of six dives. I do not have the words to express how proud I am. What an achievement." The British star took a tiny lead into the last round of dives, but needed to be perfect as his closest rivals were both trying more technically difficult dives. The Plymouth-born teenager nearly managed it, but his score of 90.75 left him vulnerable to Boudia and Bo diving after him. Boudia rose to the challenge, nailing his effort to score 102.60, 1.80 points better than Qiu's effort, which proved to be the winning margin for the American. Daley's total was 9.90 points lower than Qiu's, but there was no sense of disappointment from the Brit or his entourage. Whilst Boudia celebrated with his coach and team-mate Nicholas McCrory, Daley's friends and family threw him into the pool and jumped in afterwards to celebrate a famous medal. "To be honest, I was very nervous. I went in to it with a do-or-die mentality," said Daley. "I put everything into it. I was in first place going into the last round, but didn't have the degree of difficulty I needed [to hold on for gold]." Media playback is not supported on this device It could have all been so very different for Daley who, amid considerable confusion in the packed Aquatics Centre, told his coach Andy Banks that he had been put off by flashes from cameras in the crowd during his first dive. After a brief discussion, the judges granted Daley a re-dive and he grabbed his second chance to score 91.80 points, 16.20 more than his first effort. Daley finished over 29 points ahead of fourth-placed diver Victor Minibaev, meaning he would have won bronze regardless of the re-dive. "The retaken dive is one downside to having a home crowd," he said. A bronze medal - only the seventh medal Britain has ever won in Olympic diving - more than makes up for the disappointment of finishing fourth in the 10m synchronised event with Peter Waterfield last week. It is also an indication of what Daley can still achieve in the sport and a fitting tribute to his beloved father, who died of cancer last year.
Tom Daley won diving bronze for Great Britain with a nerveless display in the men's 10m platform, as USA's David Boudia took gold.
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The first minister made the accusation against Kezia Dugdale as the leaders of Scotland's four larger parties clashed during a live TV debate. Ms Dugdale said the idea that she would not fight for the UK was "nonsense". Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson was asked repeatedly about the so-called rape clause during the STV debate. Liberal Democrat Willie Rennie called on Ms Sturgeon to "cancel" another referendum, saying Scots were "sick" and "fed up" of the issue. There were heated exchanges as the four leaders went head to head for the final time before Thursday's general election. They clashed on issues such as independence, Brexit, health and education, as well as benefit cuts and policing. The party leaders also answered questions from a studio audience on issues such as terrorism and security. At times the exchanges became angry in a special segment when the four were allowed to cross-examine each other. But it was the claim by Ms Sturgeon that the Scottish Labour leader had told her in a private conversation that Labour could no longer oppose Scottish independence after the Brexit vote almost a year ago that provoked the biggest political reaction. Ruth Davidson asked the SNP leader: "Did you just tell people you had a private conversation with Kezia last June in which she had said she was going to drop Labour's opposition to independence?" Ms Surgeon replied: "She said she thought Brexit changed everything and the Labour party could no longer go on opposing a second independence referendum." But later in the debate Ms Dugdale said: "The idea that I would do anything other than protect the United Kingdom and fight to remain in the UK is an absolute nonsense." However, Ms Sturgeon said: "Look, I know what was said, I'm not having a go at you Kezia - you are entitled to change your mind. What you are not entitled to do though is to be always having a go at me just for wanting to give the people of Scotland a choice." Ms Dugdale later tweeted: "Any suggestion that I ever said to Sturgeon that I'd change Labour's position on #indyref2 is a categoric lie + shows how desperate she is". Willie Rennie attacked Ms Sturgeon over her Scottish government record in office for the last decade, particularly over health and education. He told the first minister she should be "ashamed" of mental health service waiting times for young people. Mr Rennie said: "For the last year, almost week in, week out, Nicola Sturgeon has taken the opportunity to put independence first - every single time. "This time it happened to be Brexit was the excuse. "And it's quite noticeable when, in this election campaign, she doesn't talk about it any more because she knows that people are sick, fed up of it, people want to turn their back on another divisive independence referendum." But Ms Sturgeon claimed his position on opposing a second referendum on independence, yet supporting another one on the EU, was "ridiculous". Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson came under fire for her party's policies on cutting child tax credits, the so-called rape clause and over the "dementia tax" being imposed in England which will force elderly people to sell their homes to pay for care costs if they have assets above £100,000. As part of UK welfare changes, women will no longer be able to claim tax credits for more than two children, with an exception to the rule being applied for women who conceived as a result of rape. Ms Sturgeon said many people had been "appalled" by the policy, which she said would save £300m from the benefits bill at the same time as the Conservatives spend £380m on a tax cut for the richest 15%. "You could use that money that is going to the richest to get rid of that two-child tax cap and the rape clause," Ms Sturgeon said. "Why don't you ask your bosses in Westminster to make that choice and remove the rape clause once and for all?" Ms Dugdale brandished the form that has to be filled in as she pressed the Scottish Tory leader on the policy. She told Ms Davidson: "Your Tory party is just as callous and heartless as it has always been, is it not?" But Ms Davidson said: "This is about ensuring that people who have had children in the very worst of circumstances get extra help. "This is about limiting child tax credits to the first two children, but it means that for example people who have been raped aren't affected by that, it means they get to have that extra help."
Nicola Sturgeon has claimed Labour's leader in Scotland told her she would not oppose a second independence referendum after the Brexit vote.
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Police said John McHale, 57, was strangled with a ligature and stamped on by David Platt before being doused with white spirit and set alight. Mr McHale's body was found in March at Syl's Guest House on Manchester Road, Audenshaw. At Manchester Crown Court, Platt, 39, was told to serve at least 30 years. The fire service was called to the guest house, where Platt and Mr McHale lived, after the sprinkler system was activated. Mr McHale, who was pronounced dead at the scene, was found buried under a pile of duvets, curled up in the foetal position, police said. One of Platt's fingerprints was found by crime scene investigators on a bottle of white spirit left in Mr McHale's bedroom. And a pillow matching a duvet found covering McHale's body was found in Platt's bedroom next door. Lucy Marlow, senior crown prosecutor for the CPS in the North West, said Platt was a "dangerous man" who had carried out a "premeditated and brutal murder". She said: "The offence was motivated by both the defendant's desire for financial gain and his belief that the deceased, who was a convicted sex offender, was a lesser person than him. "David Platt has shown no remorse throughout the case and continued to deny all responsibility for the murder and arson, but following trial a jury found him culpable of the offences he faced. "The CPS and police will continue to work together to bring to justice those who take the law into their own hands and attempt to deliver their own retribution."
A man found guilty of murdering a fellow Tameside guest house resident before setting fire to his body has been jailed for life.
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Belgian survivors of Nazi persecution appealed to the government to stop the payments, and Pensions Minister Daniel Bacquelaine "shares their indignation", his spokeswoman told the BBC. But Germany manages the payments and "we have no official figures" for the recipients, Geraldine Lamoureux added. After the 1945 liberation, 57,000 Belgian collaborators were convicted. Belgians were recruited into the German SS and Wehrmacht, and collaborators also helped the Nazis to send Jews and resistance fighters to concentration camps. The petition to stop the German pension payments was the initiative of the Memorial Group - Belgians who survived the Nazi camps and who want modern Belgium to remember the wartime occupation. The group's president, Pieter Paul Baeten, quoted by Belgian broadcaster RTBF, said: "It's sad. Belgium can't get hold of the information [on pension recipients], or doesn't want to. "But I don't understand how, in today's Europe, Belgium and Germany can't manage to exchange this information." It is not clear if those receiving the pensions are all living in Belgium. Ms Lamoureux said the pensions minister "will discuss the matter with other ministers, to find a solution". After the war Leon Degrelle, who led the Belgian collaborators under the Nazis, fled to fascist Spain, where he was sheltered by the Franco dictatorship and died in 1994. Belgium sentenced him to death as a traitor, but he prospered in Spain, even after Franco's death and the rebirth of democracy in 1975. A detailed investigation by Belgian historians concluded in 2007 that Belgian collaborators worked closely with Nazi officials to persecute Jews after the German invasion in 1940. Anti-Semitism was widespread in the Belgian establishment at the time, they said. In a parliamentary answer in 2012 the German government said it could not confirm the 2,500 figure for Belgian ex-collaborators alleged to be getting German pensions. The government said only scrutiny of each individual's file could determine how many had served with Nazi military units, and those files were held by the German regional authorities. When asked about the collaborators, it said (in German) 57 Belgians were getting German BVG ("Bundesversorgungsgesetz") maintenance payments, but did not explain who those Belgians were. In 2012 the German government paid BVG allowances to 209,654 victims of the Nazis and their relatives, in Germany and abroad, but the amount was not specified. Other German reparations for World War Two included payments to 58,932 Jews via two funds managed by the Jewish Claims Conference. The government said recipients were getting up to €300 (£236; $341) monthly from one fund, and up to €260 from the other.
A Belgian minister has voiced concern that as many as 2,500 Belgian ex-Nazis are receiving German pensions.
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Their car was involved in a collision with a tractor on the Ballyconnelly Road in Cullybackey on Friday night. Lance Corporal David Gwilt and Rifleman Dale Harris, both 24, served with the 2nd Battalion The Rifles based in Lisburn, County Antrim. In a statement, their regiment said their "tragic deaths" had come as a "terrible shock". It was issued on behalf of the commanding officer, officers and soldiers of the 2nd Battalion The Rifles. "David and Dale were much liked, professional and hugely competent soldiers who had fantastic futures ahead of them," the statement said. "The whole battalion is deeply saddened by their loss and our heartfelt condolences go to their families and friends at this most difficult time." Rifleman Harris came from Barnsley in South Yorkshire. Lance Corporal Gwilt came from Bedford in Bedfordshire. A 21-year-old man who was also in the car suffered head injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening. The driver of the tractor was treated at the scene.
Tributes have been paid to two soldiers from England who died in a crash in County Antrim.
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He criticised the EU over free trade, agriculture and Greece but backed its financial transactions tax that the Conservative government has opposed. Mr Corbyn was under growing pressure from MPs to clarify his position. It comes after he told the BBC his EU policy was "developing". In other developments: Since being elected on Saturday, Mr Corbyn's position on the EU has come under increased scrutiny. During the campaign he said he had "mixed feelings" on the union and suggested there were circumstances in which he would advocate a vote to leave. He has also insisted Mr Cameron should not be given a "blank cheque" in negotiations about the UK's EU membership ahead of a future in-out referendum. Shadow justice secretary Lord Falconer said he would quit if Mr Corbyn called for a UK exit. On Thursday, Mr Corbyn, who told the BBC that Labour would not campaign to leave, wrote to the party's MPs confirming that it would be campaigning to stay in. This led shadow Europe minister Pat McFadden to agree to stay in his role. Mr Corbyn set out his policy in a Financial Times article, warning Mr Cameron against trying to "weaken workers' rights" as part of his renegotiations. "Our shadow cabinet is also clear that the answer to any damaging changes that Mr Cameron brings back from his renegotiation is not to leave the EU but to pledge to reverse those changes with a Labour government elected in 2020," he said. He criticised the planned trade deal with the United States, called the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, and said many people were "appalled" at the EU's treatment of Greece. And he said he would work with other EU nations to bring in a financial transactions tax, which is the subject of a legal challenge from the UK government over fears it would damage the City of London. "Labour is clear that we should remain in the EU. But we too want to see reform," he wrote in the Financial Times. He added: "If Mr Cameron fails to deliver a good package or one that reduces the social gains we have previously won in Europe, he needs to understand that Labour will renegotiate to restore our rights and promote a socially progressive Europe."
Jeremy Corbyn has set out Labour's position on the EU, saying he wants the UK to remain a member but would try to reverse any "damaging changes" negotiated by David Cameron.
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The 25-year-old has penned a three-year deal, with a option of extending it by a further 12 months. Smith joined Leeds on a free transfer from Oldham last June after starting his career in Cheltenham's youth team. He scored 14 goals in 48 appearances for Leeds and is reunited with his former team-mate Ross McCormack, who joined Fulham for £11m.
Fulham have signed striker Matt Smith from fellow Championship side Leeds United for a reported £500,000.
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Police were sent to a house in Shaw, Oldham, in the early hours of 25 July amid concerns for a woman's welfare. They later returned at 03:15 BST to reports of a man allegedly armed with a gun, holding a woman and two children hostage. The Independent Police Complaints Commission is now investigating. The woman, 27, and a child received injuries requiring hospital treatment, the IPCC said. Marc Schofield, 30, was charged with false imprisonment and two counts of possession of an imitation firearm. He is due to appear at Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court on 25 August. Catherine Bates, of the IPCC, said: "Our independent investigation is in its very early stages. "We will look at the police response to the initial report of a domestic incident and the actions of officers involved in dealing with this report."
How officers responded to a disturbance that led to a 26-hour siege in Greater Manchester is being investigated by the police watchdog.
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They show the superstar swimming under water, reclining on a bed of roses and sitting naked on a floral throne. They have been posted on her website alongside poetic text about motherhood and ancient figures of female strength. Venus, the Roman goddess of love, Egyptian queen Nefertiti and West African deity Osun are all mentioned and seem to have inspired some images. One verse about motherhood refers to "black Venus", and in some of the pictures, Beyonce herself is reclining in the style of a classical goddess. In another picture, she stands naked, cradling her belly with one hand and a breast with the other, next to the sculpted head of an Egyptian ruler. She cradles belly and breast again in another portrait, this time wearing a Statue of Liberty-style crown. Her five-year-old daughter Blue Ivy also appears, while one image sees her atop a flower-filled red car. Mother is a cocoon where Cells spark, limbs form, mother Swells and stretches to protect her Child, mother has one foot in this world And one foot in the next Mother, black Venus The verses and photos follow an announcement on Instagram on Wednesday, in which she and husband Jay Z said: "We would like to share our love and happiness. "We have been blessed two times over. We are incredibly grateful that our family will be growing by two, and we thank you for your well wishes." The post has been liked 8.3 million times at the time of writing. Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected].
Beyonce has shared further images from an elaborate photoshoot to celebrate becoming pregnant with twins.
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The team of Lucas Tramer, Simon Schuerch, Simon Niepmann and Mario Gyr, who were fifth in London four years ago, won by 1.46 seconds. The medal was Switzerland's third of the Games, after cyclist Fabian Cancellara's gold and shooter Heidi Diethelm Gerder's bronze. Denmark, bronze medallists in 2012, took silver, and France bronze. Find out how to get into rowing with our special guide. Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox.
Switzerland's men's lightweight four added Olympic gold to their world and European titles with victory in Rio.
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Media playback is not supported on this device A 1-1 draw against Russia on Thursday earned Halilhodzic's side a place in the knockout stages for the first time. West Germany's controversial victory over Austria 32 years ago allowed both teams to progress at Algeria's expense. "We have not forgotten," Halilhodzic said. "Everybody has been talking about Algeria and Germany from 1982." Algeria competed at the World Cup finals for the first time in Spain in 1982, and caused an upset in their opening group game with a 2-1 win over West Germany - then the European champions. They finished with two wins and a defeat from their three matches, which they completed before West Germany and Austria met in the final group game. A 1-0 win for the Germans would take both sides through at the expense of Algeria, and that was how the match turned out. Algerian officials launched a protest, claiming the match was fixed, but the allegations were never proved and the result stood. However, as a result of the controversy, the final round of World Cup group fixtures now kick-off at the same time. Halilhodzic said. "Thirty-two years ago is a long time. I am very proud of what we have achieved tonight and we deserve to be here. "I think Algeria played a heroic match and our qualification for the second round is perfectly deserved."
Coach Vahid Halilhodzic insists Algeria have not forgotten the furore around their 1982 World Cup exit as they prepare to meet Germany in the last 16.
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What they're arguing about is what they think free schools will become. Are they stalking horses for selling-off state education in England to the private sector? Or are they a test-bed for a more innovative way of running schools? Will they be a template for creating more school choice? Or are they outriders for a fragmented, deregulated school system that side-steps local democracy? But when you peel off the ideological wrapping paper, a free school is not really any different from many other schools. They are academies that have been set up from scratch. They are state-funded, they don't charge fees, and they're not selective. In that respect, they are indistinguishable from a majority of secondary schools in England, which are now academies. In announcing that the Conservatives want another 500 free schools, Mr Cameron admitted that these schools were "often not understood". Part of the confusion might have been the initial emphasis on schools being set up by parents, driven by local demand. The use of "parents" is always a good selling point in education, because we assume they mean parents like us, rather than those other parents we don't agree with as much. But either way, parents are busy people, and in practice it's no great surprise that many free schools are now really being set up by academy trusts, which are in the full-time business of running schools. The idea that traditional education providers shouldn't have a monopoly on setting up schools is a key ingredient in the free school philosophy, but it's harder to put into practice. And if an academy trust sets up and runs a school, alongside a portfolio of other academies, within an academy chain, is it a "free school" or just another academy. In political terms, academies were initially created by Labour and continue to be supported by Labour - and the narrowness of the distinction between an academy and a free school says something about the narrowness of the distinction in education policies. In the end, parents want to have good schools for their children, they're not overly troubled by the rotating nameplate, which in recent years might have included grant maintained, specialist, city technology, academy or free school. So how do free schools compare in terms of quality? Because they sit across a political faultline, there are polarised views on standards in free schools. Polarised, but not particularly revealing. The common characteristic of free schools is that they are new and haven't replaced existing schools. So what should they be measured against? Schools are deemed as successful when they have sustained high results or else if they have shown big improvements. Neither really apply for new schools. The education select committee says the evidence of inspections is still too small scale to draw any meaningful conclusions. And when these schools are being set up by different groups in different parts of the country, success or failure in one school isn't necessarily relevant to another free-standing school hundreds of miles away. If a new school opens in a deprived area and the results are mixed, what does it show? And if does well and begins to attract more ambitious, affluent families, is it fair then to accuse a school of "creaming off" or skewing the intake? Such consumer behaviour in education is always double-edged. If we do it ourselves, it's doing the best for our children; but if other people behave that way, it's the pushy, sharp elbows of the middle class. Where it does become more thorny is the question of where free schools should be located. Here there is a much clearer tension between the idea of innovation and parental demand and the more practical pressures of needing a strategically-planned provision of places. The other consequence of being a flagship policy is that free schools get a disproportionate amount of attention. Even if the Conservatives achieve another 500 such schools in five years, it will mean about 900 free schools, out of a total of more than 24,000 other schools. They might make the on-camera cameo Cameron speeches, but will they be there for the unglamorous heavy-lifting on school improvement? 408 free schools approved or open 500 more planned within 5 years under Conservatives 255 free schools currently open 163 approved or open free schools are secondaries 154 approved or open free schools are primaries 190 approved or open free schools are in London and the south east The other big numbers ticking away in the background are the rising numbers of families looking for places for children. The population surge that has seen primary schools adding thousands of new classrooms has now moved upstream to secondary schools. There will be a huge demand for more school places. Whatever they're called.
When people argue about free schools, they're often not really arguing about free schools.
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Ozeivo Akerele, 24, was last seen at Iglu nightclub on Spon Street, Coventry, at 03:30 GMT on 31 January. He had started a masters degree at Coventry University only weeks after arriving in the UK. The device loaned from the Home Office will be used to search a 500m (1,640ft) stretch of canal between the A444 bridge and the Foleshill Road bridge. Sonar signals will be sent into the canal from wires lowered over the side of a boat, police said, and a display shows any unusual objects detected. Data from the search will be analysed by scientists, with expert police search officers deployed to inspect any particular areas of interest if required, West Midlands Police said. Insp Alastair Orencas said: "[The] searches of the canal are not in response to any specific information, but form a part of routine inquiries based on where Ozi was last seen on CCTV near Old Church Road." His mother Irene Akerele has travelled from Abuja to help in the search and has handed out flyers in the city centre. They have also been distributed among Coventry City fans at the Ricoh Arena. The force believes Mr Akerele may have been on the Foleshill Road, between Park Street and the A444, at about 07:00 on 31 January. He called friends for a lift from Coventry University but when the car arrived he had disappeared and has not been seen since. Mr Akerele is described as black, 6ft 2ins tall and slim. He was last seen wearing jeans, blue and white Converse trainers and a grey or black jacket.
Specialist sonar equipment is being used by police searching for a missing student from Nigeria.
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1953 - US President Eisenhower's "Atoms for Peace" speech to the United Nations. The president foresees the creation of an organisation to control and develop the use of atomic energy. 1957 - The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is set up as autonomous body under the UN. 1970 - Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), signed by 188 states, comes into force. The IAEA is given the specific role of defining and inspecting safeguards. 1986 - World's worst nuclear power station accident at Chernobyl, Ukraine. The IAEA investigates and reports on the immediate consequences. In the longer term IAEA teams study the effects of the disaster on the environment and health. 1991 - In the aftermath of the Gulf War, the IAEA's Iraq Action Team begins inspecting suspect sites in Iraq under the terms of a UN Security Council resolution. It aims to "uncover and dismantle Iraq's clandestine nuclear programme". 1994 - North Korea, which joined the agency in 1974, withdraws its membership after a lengthy dispute over IAEA inspections of its facilities. But it signs a pact with the US, agreeing to halt work on nuclear weapons and allowing IAEA inspections in exchange for oil aid and two light-water reactors. 1998 - Iraq Action Team withdraws from the country after the IAEA says it is unable to exercise its "right to full and free access" to Iraqi sites. 1999 - IAEA sets up its Emergency Response Centre, following a serious incident at Japan's Tokaimura facility. 2001 - IAEA assists as decommissioning of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant begins. 2002 November - IAEA's Iraq Action Team resumes work under its new name, the Iraq Nuclear Verification Office, after Iraq agrees to the unconditional return of weapons inspectors. 2002 December - North Korea expels IAEA inspectors and removes surveillance equipment from its nuclear facilities. 2003 January - North Korea pulls out of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). 2003 June - IAEA team arrives in Iran after reporting that Tehran has failed to meet its obligations under the NPT. 2003 November - IAEA passes resolution censuring Iran for its nuclear programme, but stopping short of recommending sanctions. An earlier IAEA report said Iran had been secretly enriching uranium and producing plutonium. 2003 December - Iran signs an agreement to allow tougher inspections of its nuclear facilities. Libya's foreign minister says the country will cooperate with the IAEA. 2004 March - IAEA adopts resolution condemning Iran for keeping some of its nuclear activities secret; the resolution stops short of threatening UN sanctions. 2004 June - IAEA report credits Iran with opening up its nuclear programme to inspections but says key issues remain unresolved. 2004 September - IAEA passes resolution calling on Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment programme. Iran rejects proposal claiming its programme is for peaceful purposes only. 2004 November - Iran agrees to suspend uranium enrichment programme in a deal with three European countries. 2005 June - IAEA board unanimously approves a third term for incumbent head Mohamed ElBaradei. 2005 August - IAEA adopts resolution urging Iran to halt work on processing uranium for enrichment. The move came after Tehran restarted uranium conversion. 2005 September - IAEA finds Iran in non-compliance with nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. 2005 October - Nobel peace prize is awarded jointly to the IAEA and its director, Mohamed ElBaradei. 2006 February - IAEA votes to report Iran to the UN Security Council over its nuclear activities. Iran removed IAEA seals from nuclear equipment in January and said it would resume fuel research. 2006 October - IAEA says a North Korean nuclear test threatens the international treaty to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons. 2007 February - IAEA says Iran is continuing and expanding uranium enrichment in defiance of UN Security Council demands that it suspend these activities. 2007 March - Mohamed ElBaradei visits North Korea, saying the country is positive about rejoining the IAEA. 2007 April - IAEA says Iran has begun making nuclear fuel in its underground uranium enrichment plant and has started up more than 1,300 centrifuge machines. 2007 May - Mohamed ElBaradei says Iran could develop a nuclear weapon in three to eight years if it so chooses. 2007 June - IAEA inspectors visit North Korea's Yongbyon nuclear complex for first time since being expelled from the country in 2002. 2007 July - IAEA inspectors verify shutdown of North Korea's Yongbyon reactor. 2007 July - Iran allows IAEA inspectors to visit the Arak nuclear plant. 2007 September - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice attacks Mohamed ElBaradei for urging caution in the dispute over Iran's nuclear programme after he says that force should only be used as a last resort and that lessons should be learned from the war in Iraq. 2007 October - Iran refuses to allow IAEA inspectors unlimited access to its nuclear sites. 2007 November - IAEA says Iran has supplied transparent data on its past nuclear activities but little information on its current work. US responds to IAEA report by vowing to push for further sanctions against Iran. 2008 January - Mohamed ElBaradei visits Tehran. Iran agrees to clarify all outstanding questions over its nuclear activities within a month. Mr ElBaradei warns that Pakistan's nuclear weapons could fall into the hands of Islamist extremists. Pakistan rejects his remarks, insisting that its nuclear weapons security is "foolproof". 2008 February - Multiple source documents submitted to IAEA suggest Iran may have continued secret work on nuclear weapons after 2003, the date US intelligence posited work may have ceased. 2008 May - IAEA says Iran withholding information on nuclear programme which remains "matter of serious concern". It says Iran is operating 3,500 centrifuges that enrich uranium at its plant at Natanz. 2008 June - IAEA inspectors visit Syria to examine building attacked by Israel and subsequently demolished. The CIA says it was nuclear reactor under construction. 2008 August - IAEA backs nuclear deal between India and the US that would allow the Nuclear Suppliers Group to trade sensitive nuclear materials to India despite its not being a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. 2008 September - North Korea accuses US of failing to fulfil its part of a disarmament-for-food deal and says it plans to reactivate Yongbyon complex. 2008 October - North Korea bans IAEA inspectors from entering Yongbyon plant. 2009 September - Iran reveals that it has started work on building a second uranium enrichment plant, near Qom to the south of Tehran. It says the plant is open for IAEA inspection. 2009 October - IAEA brokers draft deal under which Iran is given option of sending its enriched uranium abroad to be turned into fuel. 2009 November - Iran refuses to accept international uranium enrichment offer. IAEA passes resolution condemning Iran for developing secret enrichment site and calls on it to freeze the project immediately. Iran responds defiantly, vowing to build 10 more enrichment plants. 2009 December - Japanese diplomat Yukiya Amano succeeds Mohamed ElBaradei as IAEA secretary-general. 2010 February - IAEA publishes new report raising serious concerns over Iran's nuclear programme. 2010 March - IAEA head Yukiya Amano accuses Iran of refusing to cooperate. 2010 June - UN Security Council rejects Tehran's proposed fuel swap deal and votes in favour of fourth round of sanctions against Iran. 2010 July - Long-serving IAEA Deputy Director Olli Heinonen announces resignation. He led investigations into Iran and Syria as head of the safeguards department since 2005. 2010 September - IAEA report shows Iran is balancing co-operation with limits on UN inspectors' access to key plants and information, raising fears that it could be building weapons capability. 2010 December - Iran accuses the IAEA of sending foreign agents to spy on its nuclear programme. 2011 February - The IAEA says it has received new information on "possible military dimensions" to Iran's nuclear programme that raise "further concerns" about Iran's activities. It urges Iran to co-operate fully with its investigations, saying it has not done since 2008. 2011 March - Tsunami knocks out power and cooling systems at Japan's Fukushima power plant, triggering world's worst radiation crisis in 25 years. 2011 June - An IAEA ministerial declaration puts the onus on nuclear power operators to ensure that safety standards are met in the wake of the core meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan. The IAEA votes by a majority to report Syria to the UN Security Council over claims of an undeclared nuclear reactor. The structure, which Syria says was a non-nuclear military site, was destroyed by Israel in 2007. 2011 July - Yukiya Amano says the world's reliance on atomic power will continue to grow, despite the Fukushima plant meltdown, because many countries believe nuclear power is needed to combat global warming. 2011 November - An IAEA report highlights information suggesting that Iran has carried out tests "relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device". 2012 February - IAEA inspectors report "positive" talks with Iranian officials during an inspection of three Iranian nuclear facilities, but fail to gain access to a key military site.
A chronology of key events:
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The Spaniard will have a new Honda engine fitted for Saturday practice, taking him even further over the limit in terms of total engine parts used this season. In total, it adds up to 25 penalty places, in addition to the five-place penalty he already has for a new battery. Honda has yet to announce the change but insiders have confirmed it to BBC Sport. Drivers are allowed to use only a maximum of four of the six constituent parts of an engine all season. Alonso's new engine will comprise his eighth turbocharger and MGU-H, the motor that recovers energy from the turbo, and his sixth internal combustion engine and MGU-K. This is an addition to a new energy store - his fifth - that was fitted for Friday practice. The new engine is one of Honda's 'Phase Three' fastest development ICEs, which give a power boost of a reputed 8kw (10bhp) over the Phase Two. That puts them just over 62kw (83bhp) down on a customer Mercedes engine. The new parts are Honda's attempt to put an extra engine into their pool on a weekend when they were already going to get a penalty, thus limiting the damage to their competitive hopes. McLaren and Honda want to be in the best possible position for the next race in Hungary, which is one of three this season when they expect to be most competitive along with Monaco and Singapore because of the lower impact the engine has on lap time. The ongoing reliability and performance problems are continuing to put strain on McLaren's relationship with Honda. Media playback is not supported on this device Insiders say the team would like to split with the Japanese company and use Mercedes customer engines next year and are taking steps behind the scenes to make that happen but the situation remains in flux. McLaren chief operating officer Jonathan Neale said: "We have a contract with Honda and we are working through some of the challenges we face. "I can't duck the issue that we are not where we need to be and this season is challenging and frustrating. "There is still a long way to go from where Honda are to the benchmark. "F1 is where the best come to compete and competition is tough and unforgiving. "I don't think it's something we can sit on lightly, so we are having those conversations. "It's best they happen behind closed doors. We are working through our issues with Honda. We need to get it fixed and it is not sustainable in its current form."
McLaren's Fernando Alonso will start the British Grand Prix from the back of the grid because of a total penalty of 30 grid places.
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Sarah Thomson from Newquay, Cornwall, covered the 870-mile route in 23 days - smashing the record of 40 days. She set off from Chester in October and was due to finish on Friday, but after passing Cardiff kept running towards her final destination of Chepstow and arrived there on Thursday. Ms Thomson said she had "surprisingly few low points". "A few families have taken me in and cooked for me along the way, and passers-by have offered high fives, jelly beans and cheers - a couple of youth hostels have let me stay for free too," the ultra marathon runner said. "Physically it has been really tough. My feet are literally numb stumps at the end of my legs now."
A woman who works with survival expert Bear Grylls has broken the record for running the Wales Coastal Path.