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32,376,973 | Five teenage suspects were arrested over an alleged plot to carry out an attack at a World War One centenary event.
The families of two of the men have also alleged that officers used excessive force in Saturday's raids.
Police said the men were planning to target officers during an Anzac memorial event in Melbourne.
An 18-year-old, Sevdet Besim, has been charged with conspiring to commit a terrorist act.
Two men remain in custody. The other three have been released but police have said that one man is expected to be charged on weapons offences.
One of the suspects has been detained under a preventative detention order that allows him to be held for 14 days if necessary.
Local media report that it is the first time the order has been used in the state of Victoria.
Nearly 200 officers took part in the counter-terrorism operation.
A family member of one of the detained men told ABC News on Sunday that his family had been traumatised by the experience.
Acting Assistant Commissioner Tim Cartwright said police would investigate the complaints, but he added that the risks were carried out "in high-risk situations".
"We believe at least some of these people will be armed and will have a strong motivation to hurt police," ABC News quoted him as saying.
"I'm not surprised there are some minor injuries as a result."
Police said that the men were "associates" of Abdul Numan Haider, a teenager shot dead in September after he stabbed two officers.
Anzac Day is an annual day of remembrance for servicemen and women from Australia and New Zealand. A series of events are planned for next week to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the landings at Gallipoli, Turkey.
Australia raised its threat level to high last September and has since carried out a series of counter-terrorism raids. | Australian police are investigating a mistreatment claim made by a teenager detained in an anti-terror operation. |
35,122,026 | They were convicted of making six insurance claims worth £144,000 between 2009 and 2011. Two were found not guilty.
It brings the total number of convictions in the scam - which involved the deliberate damaging of vehicles - to 81.
The case involved 28 separate claims and 57 cars, Cardiff Crown Court heard.
The fraud ring cost the insurance industry £763,068.
It operated out of a garage based in Pengam, Blackwood, which was known as both St David's Crash Repair and Easifix and owned by the Yandell family.
They were the masterminds of the scam, Gwent Police said, and they provided the insurance fraud service for scores of friends and relatives.
But they were eventually caught by their own CCTV, driving a Land Rover into a forklift truck to make it look like the car had been in an accident.
Byron Yandell, 32, his father Peter Yandell, 53 and wife Rachel Yandell, 31, along with Gavin Yandell, 31, and Michelle Yandell, 52, were all jailed for between six and two years.
Following the verdicts, Catrin Evans, head of the Crown Prosecution Service Wales complex casework unit, said the operation was "a highly-organised, calculated and extensive conspiracy to defraud".
"It involved defendants participating in the arrangement of fake road traffic accidents and insurance fraud," she said.
"The vast majority of cars supposedly involved in these fake accidents were recovered to a single garage that was at the centre of the criminal operation."
Ben Fletcher, director of the Insurance Fraud Bureau, said "Crash for cash scams, such as Operation Dino, have a real impact on society, putting the lives of innocent people at risk and costing honest policy holders almost £350m each year.
"These investigations and convictions send a powerful message to the public that if you are committing insurance fraud then the risk of being caught and prosecuted is very real. The IFB works alongside insurers and police forces up and down the country to detect fraudsters and bring them to justice."
Bethan Palmer, 26, from Newport, guilty of conspiracy to defraud and perverting the course of justice
Stephen Pegram, 49, from Blackwood, guilty of conspiracy to defraud
Nicola Cook, 41, from Hengoed, guilty of conspiracy to defraud
Nicola Rees, 48, from Bargoed, Caerphilly County, guilty of conspiracy to defraud
Stephen Brooks, 45, from Llanedeyrn, Cardiff, guilty of conspiracy to defraud
Adam Fear, 27, from Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taff, not guilty of conspiracy to defraud
Matthew Davies, 33, from Pontypridd, not guilty of conspiracy to defraud | Five people have been found guilty over the biggest car insurance fraud investigation in the UK. |
35,082,649 | It followed the discovery of a suspicious object in Manor Close in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Army bomb experts examined the object and said it was a "viable device".
Police did not give any more details on what was found but said it had been taken away for further examination.
Sinn Féin councillor Mary Doyle said it was her understanding that it was a pipe bomb.
"Apart from the danger of this device exploding and causing death or serious injury we have seen disruption to local residents on one of the coldest nights of the year," she said.
"People, including children and elderly were distressed at the disruption caused by this device.
"The people behind it have been rejected by the local community and need to desist from these activities immediately." | A number of residents who were forced to leave their homes because of a security alert in north Belfast have been allowed to return. |
34,658,755 | The work and pensions secretary said he would like to see a trial scheme in Manchester rolled out nationwide after it was given "very strong feedback".
The Trussell Trust, which operates food banks, says the facilities were used more than one million times in 2014-15.
It welcomed closer co-operation but said talks were needed over the feasibility of the job adviser idea.
Speaking at a meeting of the Commons Work and Pensions Select Committee, Mr Duncan Smith said: "I am trialling at the moment a job adviser situating themselves in the food bank for the time that the food bank is open and we are already getting very strong feedback about that."
If the trial was successful and other food banks are willing, he said he would like to roll it out across the UK.
Robert Devereux, the most senior civil servant in the Department for Work and Pensions, told the MPs staff were in the food bank one day a week with phonelines available at other times.
Claimants are given advice on how to receive welfare payments as well as finding work, he said.
The advisers involved in the trial had found that food bank users tended to be more interested in where they might find work than in simply resolving issues with their benefits, he added. As a result, the advisers were teaming up with local job clubs to point people towards vacancies.
Frank Field, the Labour MP who chairs the committee, called it a "good reform" and said he believed the sooner it could be rolled out the better.
But Labour's welfare spokesman Owen Smith said it showed the "grim reality" that emergency food aid had become an established part of the welfare system.
"Under the Tories, food bank use has risen exponentially," he said. "This is in no small part due to the secretary of state's incompetent and callous running of the DWP.
"It is of course important that people are able to better access advice and support from DWP staff. However, the fact that Iain Duncan Smith is so relaxed about extreme food poverty that he has allowed it to become an accepted element of the national planning for the DWP is deeply worrying."
And the UK Independence Party accused the government of "lifting" the policy from its election manifesto, in which it pledged to send 800 advisers into food banks to help users with employment, legal, financial and health matters.
"Just funding DWP advisers in job centres won't tackle these kind of underlying problems that prevent people working," said Suzanne Evans, who co-ordinated the manifesto.
"Ideally, I'd prefer to see Iain Duncan Smith fully roll out UKIP's policy and appoint independent advisers who can tackle food bank users' problems at a number of levels. That will lead to better outcomes for them, their families, and for us all."
The Trussell Trust said it applauded efforts to get food banks and Job Centres to work together.
"We welcome the government's interest in exploring new ways that the DWP might help people at food banks who have hit crisis as a result of problems with welfare delivery," it said.
"But we would also suggest that there first needs to be a dialogue between the DWP and The Trussell Trust network about the possible challenges and opportunities that hosting DWP advisers in foodbanks could afford.
"The Trussell Trust has had positive discussions with some MPs about whether piloting DWP advisers in their local food banks could be beneficial, but we have not yet had the opportunity for dialogue with Iain Duncan Smith or DWP advisers about the feasibility of rolling out this idea." | Job advisers are set to be placed in food banks across the country, Iain Duncan Smith has told MPs. |
23,975,010 | Nick Clegg said the existing guidelines needed to change to reflect the "menacing" potential of the internet.
Mr Clegg said he had not yet convinced the Conservatives that all English schools - including academies and free schools - should follow the guidelines.
Education Secretary Michael Gove said teachers should be given the resources and trusted to get it right.
Mr Clegg was responding to a challenge on his LBC radio phone-in from a 17-year-old girl, who warned of pressure on children to behave like porn stars.
He said the guidance was last changed 13 years ago "and the world is a very different place now".
"In many respects it's a more liberating place, not least because of the internet but it's also a more menacing place - particularly, but not only, for young girls."
Mr Clegg said "there are lots of schools - academies, free schools and so on - who don't need to follow the guidelines, even the outdated ones".
The guidelines are contained in the national curriculum, which does not apply to academies and free schools.
"I haven't been able to persuade Michael Gove and the Conservatives to move all the way on this," he said.
"They've moved some of the way."
Mr Clegg said that guidance on pornography and cyberbullying in the national curriculum for IT "has some bearing on this".
"The national curriculum, even though that doesn't need to be taught by all schools, does sort of at least raise the expectations that schools should teach this."
He stressed that Mr Gove was a "perfectly intelligent bloke" and they had "compromised".
"He's got a well-expressed and articulate view that schools shouldn't be burdened with too many directives from central government," he said.
"But I just happen to think in this instance given how menacing this is, particularly for young girls, my own view is this is an area where actually we do need to both update the guidance... and raise the expectation that all schools do this properly in the classroom."
Mr Gove told BBC Radio 4's World at One that the government had recently reviewed the guidance for sex education.
He said that "practitioners" had suggested there was no point in attempting to update official guidance "when technology changes so rapidly".
"The most important thing is to make sure that we provide the resources that teachers need, that we trust teachers to deliver sex and relationship education in the right way, but we give them the chance to talk to experts," Mr Gove added.
A Department for Education statement added that the government review had "found that the existing guidance offers a sound framework for sex and relationship education in school.
"The best people to help schools deal with changing technology are the experts. Our sex and relationship education guidance directs schools to draw on the up-to-date advice produced by experts to use in sex and relationship education."
The statement said the government had also given almost £3m to charities providing state-of-the-art materials on cyberbullying and added: "We have told schools to access these to develop their own policies."
Lucy Emmerson of the Sex Education Forum welcomed Nick Clegg's comments: "We hope the views of the deputy prime minister will be reflected in the final version of the national curriculum.
"The latest version dropped all mention of sexual health from science and excluded naming genitalia. This has serious consequences for children's safety and health." | Sex education guidance needs updating and should apply to all schools, the deputy prime minister has said. |
38,780,822 | The billionaire tech mogul had filed a legal case seeking to acquire small pockets of land within his large estate on the island of Kauai.
But his use of the so-called "quiet title" legal system led to criticism from other residents.
He said he had not taken the time to fully understand the process. "It's clear we made a mistake," he said.
Mr Zuckerberg bought a 700-acre estate on the Hawaiian island, where he says his family wish to "put down roots".
However, the estate is littered with a number of small parcels of land called kuleana.
Kuleana rights are part of the history of the Hawaiian islands, as the small areas of land were handed out to native tenant farmers in the 1850s. The access, fishing, and water rights can be complex.
The Facebook CEO said he had asked the courts to find the owners of abandoned plots so he could settle ownership with them - many of whom, he said, would not even know they owned any land.
But he faced criticism from some locals, including state representative Kaniela Ing, who argued the effective compulsory purchase would limit access rights for native Hawaiians.
"Who needs 700 acres of paradise? It seems a bit excessive," he said in one video posted to his Facebook page.
But Mr Zuckerberg, announcing his decision in a letter to local newspaper The Garden Island on Friday, said the controversy had taught him more about the historical significance of the land rights.
"We understand that for native Hawaiians, kuleana are sacred and the quiet title process can be difficult," he wrote.
"Upon reflection, I regret that I did not take the time to fully understand the quiet title process and its history before we moved ahead. Now that I understand the issues better, it's clear we made a mistake."
After Mr Zuckerberg dropped the case, Mr Ing responded saying: "I am humbled. Thousands of everyday people stood up and spoke out against one of the most influential billionaires, the best PR professionals, and the best attorneys in the world, and we won." | Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has dropped attempts to acquire land for his Hawaii estate through the courts. |
34,912,827 | The Commerce Department said gross domestic product rose at an annual pace of 2.1%, not the 1.5% rate it reported last month.
Consumer spending was revised down slightly, although this was offset by growth in other economic areas.
Even with the GDP revision, growth still slowed from an annual pace of 3.9% in the second quarter.
However, in the second quarter of the year the economy was rebounding from the impact of the harsh winter weather experienced at the start of the year, which slowed the US economy to a crawl.
The better third quarter growth is still likely to fuel speculation that the US Federal Reserve is ready to raise interest rates next month.
The upward revision by the Commerce Department puts the US economy on course to grow at least 2% in the second half. It comes in the wake of strong jobs growth in October.
"Domestic demand in the US economy remains very solid, something that will surely give comfort to the Fed as it ponders its next move," said Robert Kavcic, a senior economist at BMO Capital Markets.
The main factor behind the upward revision to the growth figure was the discovery that businesses had restocked their inventories at a faster pace than first estimated.
Consumer spending, which accounts for more than two-thirds of US economic activity, grew at a 3% rate, down from the 3.2% rate estimated last month.
Growth in business investment slowed to a rate of 3.4% from 5.2% in the previous quarter. That was mainly due to a sharp drop in spending on oil and gas exploration by energy firms because of the weak oil price. | US economic growth for the third quarter has been revised up, helped by stronger investment and house building. |
36,048,059 | Labour's Rupa Huq criticised Citizen Khan's depiction of a "quite backward" family of Muslims.
The show was accused of stereotyping Muslims when it started in 2012 and its creator, Adil Ray, has told the Radio Times he had received death threats.
The BBC said the award-winning show had received much positive feedback.
But Ms Huq, MP for Ealing Central and Acton, whose sister Konnie is a former Blue Peter presenter, said: "I feel as if I didn't know what the year is ... you would think it's an everyday tale of a Birmingham family of Muslims but they're really quite backward.
"Again, the Islamophobic point [Labour MP Chuka Umunna] made, it's a beardy weirdy chap and they're not quite cutting off people's hands but I can imagine that being in a future episode."
Citizen Khan prompted complaints when it launched in 2012 and Mr Ray has previously said he had received abuse from people who believed it was making fun of Islam or stereotyping Muslims.
But the show has won various awards at the Royal Television Society and Asian Media Awards.
A BBC spokesman said: "The fact that Citizen Khan returns for its fifth series this year is a sign of its popularity with all audiences - indeed the show has won several awards, including Best TV character at the Asian Media Awards.
"We've also had positive comments from members of the Muslim community for the show and for creator Adil Ray who, like the family portrayed, is a British Pakistani Muslim. As with all sitcoms the characters are comic creations and not meant to be representative of the community as a whole."
Ms Huq made her comments during a backbench debate called by former culture minister David Lammy.
Mr Lammy accused the BBC of hiring "the same old faces from the same old schools to the same old jobs" and said he had been contacted by black and Asian BBC staff who said "that they cannot speak up because they do not want to be labelled a troublemaker".
He also said the Chinese community was "totally invisible" on the broadcaster and said the BBC's new charter must address the lack of progress in boosting ethnic minority representation.
He said although the BBC ran 29 schemes aimed at ethnic minorities between 1999 and 2014, the situation was not improving and the proportion of ethnic minority staff had dropped from 13.1% in 2015 to 12.2% now.
The Labour MP for Tottenham praised the diversity of children's television, BBC Three and documentaries but questioned whether there was sufficient diversity in management.
He said: "We all go into Broadcasting House and see the security, see black staff at the junior ends, but walk into that newsroom, think about the editorial decisions that are being made, and ask yourself, is that really representative of our country as a whole?"
Conservative MP Helen Grant suggested the BBC could voluntarily disclose data on the recruitment, retention, promotion and pay of staff from ethnic minorities.
Labour Sunderland Central MP Julie Elliott said the BBC should reflect every region in the UK, adding that Salford - where MediaCity UK is a major BBC base - was "not where the North ends".
Earlier, Mr Umunna attacked the "representation of our Muslim communities" on TV.
He said "rising Islamophobia" could partly be blamed on broadcasters' use of "community leaders who purport to speak for that community but have no mandate whatsoever to do so".
The BBC said it was "making good progress" on becoming more diverse but said it would continue to develop "new and innovative ideas to do even better" and would soon be setting out its new diversity strategy.
"Almost half of our workforce is made up of women and the proportion of our workforce who are black, Asian and other ethnic minority is at an all-time high," the spokesman added. | A BBC sitcom has been criticised as "Islamophobic" during a Commons debate about whether the BBC's programmes and staff reflect UK diversity. |
36,620,036 | He chose the words of a famous Doonhamer, John Laurie of Dad's Army fame, to sum up his feelings on the result.
"I just think that we're doomed," he told me.
"I think it is going to be pretty bad for the UK as a whole.
"I do hope that Scotland votes to be independent eventually.
"The EU brought a lot of good things into the UK. It protected maternity leave, workers' rights, fair pay - I think that will all change, not immediately obviously, but down through the years."
Not everyone, of course, shared that view - in a region where the result was one of the closest in Scotland.
Dumfries and Galloway voted by 53.1% to 46.9% in favour of remaining in the European Union.
In the neighbouring Scottish Borders the result was a more resounding 58.5% to 41.5% for staying in.
The mixed reaction on the streets of Dumfries appeared to reflect the split in the vote across the region.
One person who voted to leave was Margaret Radley from Lochmaben, who was naturally pleased with the overall outcome.
She said the UK had managed on its own before and she could see no reason why it could not do so again.
For many people, however, the result raised numerous questions.
"I had hoped that we were going to stay in the EU because I didn't think the other side gave me any clear picture of what would happen," said Lynsey Pennycook.
"So I think the future is quite uncertain."
That was echoed by Karen Williams, who said she was "really confused" by the outcome, while Yvonne Livingstone saw further political consequences.
"I voted for Remain, but it is what it is, isn't it?" she said.
"It was no big shock what came next that the prime minister has resigned. He had to, he had no other option.
"Everything is all uncertain now, everything is totally in turmoil, nobody can give us any definitive answers as to what is going to happen - it is just shocking.
"It just leaves us wide open to another Scottish referendum."
BBC Scotland took to the streets of towns and cities across the country to find out what people feel about the decision to leave the EU.
Sharon Johnstone agreed that could be the case.
"I just think we had the independence vote obviously and now we've had another vote and it has completely changed things around," she said.
"Personally, for the SNP, I think it is probably a good result because now it will maybe push for another independence vote.
"But with regards to as it is at the moment there is uncertainty everywhere - more so in Scotland than anywhere else."
Bill Hunt, originally from Dundee, but living in southern Scotland for more than 40 years, said that while Scotland did not depend on Europe it did receive a lot of support.
"It is a total disgrace that we have got 62% in favour and we are going to be dragged out," he said.
"But I am a nationalist, I voted for independence the last time and I can only hope that we take our time and we get it the next time."
Some, however, were not looking that far ahead.
"We can do what we like now our own selves and not be told by Mrs Merkel in Germany how to do it," said Doonhamer Colin Campbell. | Sitting on the steps outside the historic Midsteeple in Dumfries, Stephen Comiskey was taking in the outcome of the EU referendum. |
38,636,508 | Ministers intervened over whether the Article 50 process to leave the EU can be triggered without MPs' approval.
The Welsh Conservatives have found just over £79,000 was spent on legal fees, plus travel and accommodation costs.
Monmouth Tory MP David Davies called it a waste of money, but the Welsh Government said it would not apologise for protecting Wales' interests.
A High Court ruling that MPs had to vote to trigger Article 50 led to a UK government appeal to the Supreme Court.
The Welsh Government took part in that hearing in December, with a ruling by the Supreme Court expected later in January.
The figures have been disclosed as a result of a Freedom of Information request made by the Welsh Conservatives.
They cover both the costs of attending the original High Court case and participating in the Supreme Court appeal.
At the Supreme Court, the Welsh Government argued that triggering Article 50 would "significantly change" the devolution settlement as it applies to Wales.
But the UK government dismissed that argument as "tortuous".
The disclosure shows:
Monmouth Conservative MP David Davies said: "What an absolute waste of taxpayers' cash, and all to pay for Mick Antoniw's tortuous bid to block Brexit.
"Ultimately, the weakness of the Welsh Government's case exposed this venture for what it was - a peacocking exercise, motivated by a combination of ego and an unwillingness to abide by the democratic process.
"It might not seem like a grand sum in the context of the Welsh Government's overall budget, but that kind of money could have paid for four full time Welsh NHS nurses which would have been a much better use of taxpayers' money."
The Welsh Government has denied that the case was a bid to block Brexit.
A spokesman said: "We do not apologise for intervening in what is one of the most significant constitutional legal cases in the UK's history.
"We did so to protect the interests of Wales and its devolved institutions.
"The people of the UK voted to leave the European Union, and we respect that decision.
"While Brexit will happen, the UK government cannot trigger it by overriding the British constitution.
"They need to act within the law.
"In the Supreme Court, we argued the process of leaving the EU must be carried out within the law, which includes respecting and adhering to the constitutional arrangements of the United Kingdom and the legal framework for devolution." | The Welsh Government has defended spending more than £84,000 on the Brexit case at the Supreme Court. |
38,556,019 | The 25-year-old netted after coming on as a second-half substitute in the 2-1 friendly win against Saudi Arabian side Al-Batin in Doha, Qatar.
Oscar later won the free-kick from which Lu Wenjun struck the winner.
"I only trained for two days," he said. "This is the start of a new season - we have only one goal, which is to win."
Oscar added: "My team-mates played very well today. The Chinese guys tried to help us [to integrate]. It's difficult to have a good game in such a short time - they made it happen."
The Chinese Super League gets under way in March. | Brazilian midfielder Oscar scored on his debut for Shanghai SIPG following his move from Chelsea for a Chinese transfer record fee of £60m. |
32,241,936 | Election manifestos are written with single party government in mind. What is their place in elections where no single party wins a majority?
At the 2010 general election all the contending parties fought campaigns based on published manifestos that set out for electors the policies they intended to pursue in government.
But every party lost that election. The hung Parliament that resulted produced the first peacetime coalition government in the United Kingdom for 80 years, and one committed to a programme based on a coalition agreement.
The Lib Dem cabinet minister, Vince Cable, summarised the difference in 2010 when challenged about breaking the party's manifesto commitment to abolish tuition fees.
"We didn't break a promise. We made a commitment in our manifesto, and we didn't win the election. We then entered into a coalition agreement, and it's the coalition agreement that is binding upon us and which I'm trying to honour."
But it was the Lib Dem manifesto that helped attract 6.8 million votes to the party in May 2010, not a coalition agreement that none of them had heard of, let alone seen.
How could they? It was the result of a post-election deal. Such arrangements are quite common in many countries, especially those where proportional voting systems make single party government infrequent. But they lie outside the experience of voters in first-past-the-post Westminster elections.
But why is there all this fuss about manifesto commitments? The late Labour politician Peter Shore once described manifestos as "a party's contract with the electorate".
He did not mean a legal contract but rather a moral contract between MPs and voters based upon the programme the MPs committed themselves to implement if elected to government.
And the potency of the mandate given to a government's election manifesto was recognised by the Salisbury convention.
During the post-war Labour government, the Conservative leader in the House of Lords, the Marquess of Salisbury, formulated the doctrine that Conservative peers could use their inbuilt majority to amend legislation that the electorate had clearly voted for, but not defeat it.
And manifestos, certainly in the post-war period, have held a special status among civil servants. Not only are these documents closely studied within every government department, but the commitments contained within them carry a distinct authority as far as the civil service is concerned. But where did all this come from?
In 1834, whilst on holiday in Rome, Sir Robert Peel was invited by King William IV to form a minority government to replace the Whig administration of Lord Melbourne.
The law at that time required him to resign his seat of Tamworth and seek re-election as a Minister of the Crown.
He published a manifesto in the resulting by-election, stating: "I feel it incumbent on me to enter into a declaration of my views of public policy, as full and unreserved as I can make it".
One reason for publishing it was his opinion that voters required "that frank exposition of general principles and views... which it ought not to be the inclination, and cannot be the interest of a minister of this country to withhold".
Peel was robust about the terms on which he would accept re-election and government office: "I will not accept power on the condition of declaring myself an apostate from the principles on which I have heretofore acted."
His manifesto reflected the political issues of the day and the restricted electorate whose votes he was seeking - currency, criminal law, the Reform Bill, municipal corporations, Church reform.
At the end of this 2,300 word Tamworth Manifesto, Peel felt able to declare that he had said enough "with respect to general principles and their practical application to public measures, to indicate the spirit in which the King's government is prepared to act".
Peel set out the essence of a party manifesto that we can easily recognise nearly 200 years later: a full and public declaration of policy that a party aspiring to government offers for the verdict of the electorate.
Party manifestos have certainly developed since 1834 and not least in respect of the changing priorities addressed in them.
In 1900, the Conservative election manifesto amounted to 887 words and contained (at a stretch) four pledges. The party's 2010 manifesto comprised 27,835 words and contained 620 pledges.
But the Peel Principle remained unchallenged throughout this period: namely, voters are entitled to know what politicians intend to do in government before they cast their ballots. | As Westminster's largest parties launch their general election manifestos, here is a guide to the significance and history of these much-scrutinised documents. |
36,245,390 | Shalane Blackwood complained of stomach pains and told his mother Linda Blackwood he was dying when she last spoke to him on 21 July.
He was found dead in his cell on 5 August, having suffered internal bleeding due to an ulcer.
An inquest jury decided "systematic failings amounting to neglect" significantly contributed to his death.
The 29-year-old, from Derby, had been jailed for possession of a firearm and was on a licence recall when he died in the segregation unit at Nottingham Prison.
His mother Linda Blackwood said: "I knew something was wrong when he was in HMP Nottingham - I just wish my concerns had been listened to at the time when I raised them.
"I feel Shalane's death could have been prevented."
The narrative conclusion given by the jury said: "Shalane Blackwood died from internal bleeding caused by a duodenal ulcer - a condition which should have been diagnosed and treated.
"Systemic failings amounting to neglect by prison and healthcare staff at HMP Nottingham significantly contributed to Shalane's death."
The Prison Service said in a statement: "We make every effort to learn from each death in custody and our thoughts are with the family of Mr Blackwood.
"We will consider and respond to the findings of the coroner's inquest and see what lessons can be learned."
Blood was found in Mr Blackwood's cell the day before he died but he was not taken to hospital.
Rebecca Treece, a solicitor representing his family, said: "It is deeply concerning that Shalane was found with blood in his cell and, even though the source was not identified, further investigations were not sought.
"Shalane's family were particularly shocked by this."
She added that "urgent action" is needed to address the issues uncovered by the inquest.
The death was investigated independently by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) and a report is due to be published.
The most recent inspection report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons, published in February 2015, said Nottingham Prison was not safe enough and conditions were poor.
Andrew Neilson, campaign director for the Howard League for Penal Reform, said at the time: "Staff are being overwhelmed by the amount of work… and the pressure on them because of cutbacks." | A mother whose ill son died in prison after being neglected by staff says he should not have been left to die. |
38,402,015 | 22 December 2016 Last updated at 09:44 GMT
Keepers at Toronto Zoo in Canada built this giant snowman for panda Da Mao to enjoy.
It's looks like they're have a bear-y good time!
Pictures from Toronto Zoo | This Giant panda got a snowy treat to play with. |
38,094,036 | Englishman Lines, 46, won a marathon first frame against the Australian and a break of 58 put him 2-0 ahead.
Robertson scored three half centuries as he fought back to trail 4-3, but Lines held his nerve to progress.
He was not going to be scared. He played a brilliant match
Lines said the win over the world number seven was the "most pleasing of his career."
Leeds star Lines, a UK quarter-finalist in 2009, said: "It was a daunting task, but I just thought I wanted to relax and at least give a good account of myself.
"In my heart I wasn't expecting to win but I played well and am really pleased with how I held myself together because Neil is a fantastic player."
Lines, who joins his 21-year-old son Oliver in the last 64, only dropped off the tour at the end of last season and Robertson said his opponent's experience shone through in his "incredible safety play".
"He didn't make a whole load of big breaks but he didn't have to because his safety was that good," said Robertson, the 2013 and 2015 UK champion.
"It was a tough match. He is still a great player and he showed that. He was not going to be scared. He played a brilliant match."
Media playback is not supported on this device
Elsewhere on the final day of the first round, reigning world champion Mark Selby, who took the UK title in 2012, easily beat fellow Englishman Andy Hicks 6-1.
Another ex-world champion, Stuart Bingham, thrashed Adam Stefanow 6-0.
Bingham won a scrappy opening frame but was in fine form thereafter, scoring three half centuries and two tons against his Polish opponent.
"I scored heavily and didn't miss much," said Bingham, 40. "I took my chances and if I keep playing like that I have every chance here."
World number 16 Mark Williams said he "struggled from start to finish" despite beating Jason Weston 6-1 to reach round two at the York Barbican.
Williams, the champion in 1999 and 2002, lost frame two but was always in control against his English opponent.
The Welshman, who said he was struggling with a neck problem, added: "I had a couple of good breaks but overall it was poor."
Stephen Maguire, the champion in 2004, is also through after beating China's Cao Yupeng 6-1, while fellow Scot Alan McManus recovered from 5-0 down to beat Michael Wild 6-5.
Ali Carter made four half-century and two century breaks in a 6-1 win over fellow Englishman Christopher Keogan.
But there was no fairytale win for Jamie Curtis-Barrett, who fought back from 4-0 down to 4-3 against Joe Perry, before losing 6-3.
Sign up to My Sport to follow snooker news and reports on the BBC app.
Media playback is not supported on this device | Reigning champion Neil Robertson suffered a shock defeat in the first round of the UK Championship, losing 6-3 to amateur veteran Peter Lines. |
39,856,054 | It is understood the puppies were part of a litter of 16 and were buried beside the grave of a relative of the owner.
The charity said there were currently "no animal welfare concerns" after being contacted by the owner.
The puppies were found by a council worker in Eastern Cemetery on Thursday.
The charity is awaiting the result of post-mortem examinations to discover what caused the puppies' deaths. | The owner of 11 dead puppies found in a box in a Dundee graveyard has been traced by the Scottish SPCA, the charity has confirmed. |
35,803,485 | The striker beat keeper Timo Horn with an angled shot after Dominique Heintz half-cleared a Thiago Alcantara cross.
Anthony Modeste and Leonardo Bittencourt came close to an equaliser late in the second half.
But Pep Guardiola's side held on and sit eight points clear of Borussia Dortmund, who visit Augsburg on Sunday.
Guardiola rested Philipp Lahm, Thomas Muller, Frank Ribery and Arturo Vidal following Wednesday's 4-2 Champions League round of 16 second-leg extra-time victory over Juventus.
With Mario Gotze also on the bench, it meant that Bayern had three World Cup winners, a Copa America winner and a Ballon d'Or runner-up to turn to if things turned sour.
There seemed little danger of that as the German champions opened the scoring after nine minutes with their first shot on target.
Poland international Lewandowski's finish was his 42nd in all competitions for club and country this season - while his Bundesliga total of 25 is his highest league tally in one campaign.
With Bayern happy to hold on to their lead, Cologne started to create chances in the second half, and could even have snatched a draw had striker Modeste shown more poise in front of goal.
The Frenchman's best chance came on 73 minutes, but David Alaba was able to block his follow-up effort after Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer had only half saved his initial shot from Marcel Risse's inch-perfect pass.
Bittencourt then almost netted with the final kick off the match, but Neuer made a sprawling stop to secure a 17th clean sheet from 27 league matches. | Robert Lewandowski's 25th Bundesliga goal of the season kept Bayern Munich on course for a fourth successive domestic title as they won at Cologne. |
31,988,540 | However, it's not possible at this stage to determine whether the compound has a biological or non-biological origin.
And contamination could still be responsible for the finding.
The results come from Curiosity's SAM instrument, and were presented at the 46th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC) in Texas.
Nasa scientist Daniel Glavin described the results from the first "wet chemistry" experiment carried out by Curiosity.
A long-chain carboxylic acid, or fatty acid, was a good fit for one of the data peaks detected in a mudstone called Cumberland, he told an audience at the meeting. A long-chain alcohol molecule may also be among the compounds analysed.
The preliminary result will excite scientists because fatty acids are key components of the cell membranes found in all life forms, including microbial organisms.
Dr Glavin told an audience that the result was "provocative", and said the link to biology was the "million-dollar question". But he explained that a non-biological origin was equally plausible at this stage of the research.
One scientist commenting on the presentation suggested that contamination could not be ruled out as a cause of the signal.
The SAM team have been working to address the leak of a pre-existing chemical called MTBSTFA within the instrument.
The fact this is also an organic molecule has complicated the search for indigenous carbon-containing compounds in Martian rocks.
However, team members say they have turned the leak into an advantage, using their understanding of how MTBSTFA reacts with other compounds to identify Martian organics.
Curiosity landed on the Red Planet in August 2012, on a mission to explore Gale Crater, which billions of years ago would have held a lake.
The instrument team has previously reported evidence of chlorobenzene in the same rock, from the Martian area known as Yellowknife Bay.
Follow Paul on Twitter. | A fatty acid might be among organic molecules discovered on Mars by Nasa's Curiosity rover. |
20,681,551 | The figures in the eventual Born Abroad report showed an unprecedented transformation that confirmed everything that we saw around us as we travelled around the country gathering stories of migration and change.
A decade on, that pace of change has increased.
What the census shows beyond any doubt is that the UK is in the midst of an astonishing era of demographic shift - and like the experience of many of its international peers, it is being driven by globalisation.
Ten years ago, there were some 4.3 million people in the UK who told the census that they had been born abroad. Almost all areas had been touched by changes from immigration - although in some areas the numbers were so small that it clearly amounted to little more than a family moving in or out - the phenomenon of a single Indian restaurant in a village, for instance.
In 2011, there were 7.5 million people born abroad living in England and Wales - up almost three million and taking their proportion of the population to 13%.
The UK is experiencing such rapid flows and movements of people from so many parts of the world, that parts of it can lay claim to being "super-diverse" - the idea that an area is home to so many people it's almost impossible to describe it in simple terms, such as home to one community or another.
The 2011 census used three measures to understand migration - it asked people where they were born, when they came to the UK and what passport they held. The Census also tried to capture who was a long-term migrant and who was only in the UK temporarily.
None of this is an exact science. For instance, the answer to who was born abroad includes large numbers of people whose parents served with the British Army in Germany. Asking people what passport they hold gives you a sense of identity - but nationality and identity can change.
But even with these kinds of understandable limitations, we have a very good idea of what is going on.
In 2001, the top three places where people were born abroad (excluding the Republic of Ireland) were India, Pakistan and Germany.
Poland lay 18th on the list - but over a decade numbers increased nine-fold as its workers came to the UK once the country joined the European Union.
The change has been so rapid that almost half of those born abroad arrived in the decade leading up to the 2011 census.
All regions witnessed an increase - although the changes varied greatly from area to area. London, already a global city in 2001, became more so, with its boroughs holding all the places in the diversity top 10.
One of the key drivers of the change was the expansion of the EU and the arrival of Polish workers. If you want just a snapshot of that change - look at Boston in Lincolnshire.
In 2001, it was home to fewer than 1,500 people born abroad - and because of the statistical quirk I've already mentioned, some of those were Brits born in Germany.
Today, almost 10,000 people born abroad call Boston home - 3,000 of them from Poland, more than any other local authority outside of the South East.
The greatest numerical change has however been in London. In 2001, almost two million people in the capital were born abroad. Today it is almost three million. If anyone doubted that London was now a world city, rather than just the capital of the UK, the figures say different. Only 44% of people in London now describe themselves as white British. In the east London borough of Newham, fewer than a fifth of the population described themselves so.
Four out of every 10 people in London in 2011 were foreign-born - up from three in 10 in 2001.
Overall, four London boroughs - Newham, Brent, Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea are now home to a majority who were born outside of the UK. Three other parts of the capital are not far off.
The history of migration was once the story of cities: We had very distinct communities in specific places - an African-Caribbean community in London or Birmingham, for instance, and Indian or East African Asian people in Leicester.
Large historic communities remain - but there is also greater geographic spread among newcomers. For instance, some 90% of the Poles in the UK are spread across England and Wales in community after community.
So overall, increasing change, rapid change and increasing diversity.
Is this something happening to the UK alone? It lies 12th in the list of EU nations when you look at the proportion of people in each nation who were born abroad.
But England and Wales comes top in this category when you rank it alongside France, Germany and Italy - the other states with populations of over 50 million.
The 2001 census confirmed the change in the face of Britain - the 2011 census confirms that the change continues. | Back in 2005, the BBC ran a project to map the modern face of the UK, so we could explain to our audiences the role immigration was playing in modern Britain. |
33,171,508 | The decision by the California Labor Commission means the driver must be awarded more than $4,000 (£2,544) of expenses for the period she worked.
If applied more widely it could mean extra costs such as social security and unemployment insurance.
But Uber emphasised the ruling only applied to this one driver.
In a statement, it said a previous ruling in California and other rulings in five other US states came to the opposite view, that drivers are contractors.
"It's important to remember that the number one reason drivers choose to use Uber is because they have complete flexibility and control.
"The majority of them can and do choose to earn their living from multiple sources, including other ride sharing companies."
The company is now appealing against the award of more than $4,000 (£2,544) in expenses to the San Francisco former Uber driver, Barbara Ann Berwick.
That money is Ms Berwick's "reimbursable business expenses", according to the ruling, including tolls, parking citations, legal fees, interest and mileage.
Uber considers its drivers independent contractors and the drivers pay for their own cars, insurance, gas, tolls and general costs of operating. Drivers are paid 80% of each fare.
The California Labor Commission ruled that Uber is not just enabling the service between drivers and passengers but is "involved in every aspect of the operation".
The commission said Uber would not exist without drivers like Ms Berwick, and that the company depends on the drivers' work.
Uber had been arguing that is a "software platform" that simply "matches customer demand with supply".
The app-based taxi firm has become one of the world's most valuable start-up companies, operating in more than 50 countries and worth an estimated $50bn. | An Uber driver in California has been deemed an employee, not a contractor, in a ruling that could mean higher costs for the app-based taxi service. |
13,231,761 | Its port is the lifeblood of its economy, providing the biggest source of income and employment in this otherwise barren country.
Djibouti's proximity to restive areas in Africa and the Middle East and its relative stability have made it a prized location for foreign military bases and ensured a steady flow of foreign assistance.
Former colonial power France maintains a significant military presence and the country also hosts America's largest military base in Africa.
Population 923,000
Area 23,200 sq km (8,950 sq miles)
Languages French, Arabic, Somali, Afar
Religion Islam
Life expectancy 57 years (men), 60 years (women)
Currency Djiboutian franc
President: Ismail Omar Guelleh
Ismail Omar Guelleh came to power in elections in 1999, succeeding Hassan Gouled Aptidon, who led the country for two decades since independence.
His re-election as president in 2005 was seen as somewhat of a formality given the opposition's boycott of the election.
He further consolidated his power when a change to the constitution in 2010 allowed him to stand for a third term. The 2011 presidential election was again boycotted by the opposition.
With no strong challenger, Mr Guelleh won a fourth term of office in the April 2016 presidential election.
Born in Ethiopia in 1947, Mr Guelleh, like his predecessor, belongs to the Mamassans, a sub-clan of the Issa. His family moved to Djibouti in 1960 and eight years later he joined the intelligence services, rising through the ranks to become head of state security in 1977.
Djibouti's media environment is dominated by the state. There are no private TV or radio stations and the government owns the main newspaper and the national broadcaster Radiodiffusion-Television de Djibouti (RTD).
The few opposition media outlets are based outside the country and opposition websites are closely monitored by the authorities.
Internet access costs are beyond the reach of most people and most users go online at cyber cafes.
Some key dates in Djibouti's history:
825 - Somali and Afar ethnic groups become first Africans to embrace Islam in the region.
1862 - France gains a foothold in the region, acquiring the trading port of Obock.
1888 - French colony of Somaliland established.
1894 - Djibouti becomes the capital of French Somaliland.
1946 - Djibouti becomes a French overseas territory.
1967 - Referendum - French Somaliland votes to remain a French Overseas Territory, renamed the French Territory of the Afars and the Issas.
1977 - Independence from France, renamed Republic of Djibouti.
1991-2000 - Civil war: Ends with a power-sharing agreement between Afar rebels and the Somali Issa-dominated government.
2003 - First free multi-party presidential election.
2010 - Constitution amended enabling President Omar Guelleh to run for a third term. | Lying on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the tiny African nation of Djibouti serves as a gateway to the Suez Canal, one of the world's busiest shipping routes. |
30,588,351 | The 57-year-old man was dragged into inadequately guarded machinery in the paint shop at the Lode Lane, Solihull, site in June 2013, it said.
He punctured both lungs, broke 10 ribs and was in an induced coma in intensive care for 12 days, HSE said.
It added JLR was fined for safety breaches after pleading guilty.
The maintenance electrician, from Northfield, Birmingham, also broke his breastbone, two bones in his spine and two in his right hand and had blood clots on his heart and kidneys, HSE said.
Speaking after the hearing, it said the incident was "entirely preventable".
Jaguar Land Rover Ltd, of Abbey Road, Whitley, Coventry, was fined £40,000 with £13,474 costs after pleading guilty to breaching Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations, HSE said.
In a statement, a JLR spokesman said: "The safety and wellbeing of our workforce is an integral strategic imperative across our entire business.
"We continue to work tirelessly to ensure the protection of our employees remains our highest priority." | Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has been fined £40,000 after a worker suffered life-threatening crush injuries, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said. |
39,671,713 | West Granton Community Store was robbed on 2 December 2016.
Craig Vallance, 24, from Edinburgh, was found guilty and sentenced to 54 months in prison. Daryl Loftus, 24, from Edinburgh, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 47 months.
Darren Harvey, 23, from Edinburgh, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 35 months.
They were sentenced at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.
Det Sgt Robert Wallace, of Police Scotland, said: "Vallance, Loftus and Harvey showed absolutely no regard for the welfare of the staff members during this robbery.
"I would like to thank all the witnesses that were involved in bringing these men to justice.
"We treat all crimes of this nature with the utmost seriousness and are committed to using all resources at our disposal to investigate and bring perpetrators before the courts." | Three men have been sentenced for assault and robbery of a shop in Edinburgh. |
38,494,564 | It happened at about 03:00 GMT at Trowell services near junction 25 to Nottingham and Derby.
The service station and at least one lane remained shut for most of the morning but fully reopened later.
Traffic was diverted through Nottingham, causing problems on the bus network during rush-hour.
Updates on this story and more from Nottinghamshire | The M1 was closed northbound in Nottinghamshire after a fire on a lorry carrying 1,000 crates of pre-packed food. |
35,890,970 | The BBC's Ruth Nesoba in the capital, Nairobi, says that exam papers were shared on WhatsApp before exams.
She adds that many Kenyans are now questioning the credibility of the results.
The chief executive and eight other KNEC officials have been ordered to make police statements.
Africa Live: BBC news updates
Is Kenya serious about tackling corruption?
Questions were being sold for 1,000 Kenyan shillings ($10; £7), The Kenyan newspaper The Nation reported in October.
KNEC (Kenya National Examinations Council) head said in reaction that the questions were fake.
He urged students not to trust the questions being shared on WhatsApp and went ahead with the exams which he insisted were credible.
However, when the results were released at the beginning of March Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i announced that more than 5,000 exams had been cancelled, local media reported.
He said that was a 70% rise in the number of cheating cases witnessed compared to 2014, reported Kenya's Capital FM. | Kenya's schools exam board has been dissolved over "irregularities" in last year's secondary school exams, which saw 5,000 results cancelled. |
33,690,041 | Simon Reynolds, of Farnham in Surrey, did not return to Sheffield Crown Court on Thursday and a manhunt was launched.
Reynolds, who was found guilty of four counts of theft, handed himself in at a police station in Sheffield on Monday.
He was vicar at All Saints Church in Darton when the thefts took place and has been sentenced to 32 months. | A vicar who went on the run after being convicted of pocketing £24,000 of church fees has been jailed for almost three years. |
37,159,311 | Anthony Bagshaw, of S Bagshaw and Sons butchers, pleaded guilty to 24 offences relating to animal cruelty, food safety and movement of animals.
CCTV footage taken inside the abattoir showed him kicking a pig in the face and throwing a sheep against a gate.
Bagshaw, of Back Lane Butterton, was banned from keeping farm animals for 15 years, Stafford Crown Court heard.
Secret cameras were placed inside the abattoir in Leek, Staffordshire, by Hillside Animal Sanctuary, which had received reports of animal cruelty.
Among the nine animal welfare charges, Bagshaw admitted knocking a sheep unconscious by hitting it on the head with a stun gun and a metal shackle.
The 36-year-old committed the offences between August 2014 and March 2015, the court heard.
At sentencing Judge Jonathan Gosling said Bagshaw's treatment of animals was deplorable.
John Watson, from the animal sanctuary, said: "Had we not been able to obtain the harrowing evidence of barbaric cruelty happening behind the closed doors of this 'high class' family slaughterhouse, it would still be going on right now."
The investigation was jointly carried out by Staffordshire County Council, the Food Standards Agency and Defra.
The council's trading standards leader Gill Heath said: "His treatment of animals was shocking and it is absolutely right that he has been banned from keeping animals for so long." | A slaughterhouse worker who kicked and beat sheep and pigs before killing them has been jailed for 10 months. |
38,665,798 | The man was arrested after police surrounded the home in Birkenhead, Merseyside, for more than six hours.
He had locked himself in a room with the eight-month-old baby, who was safely rescued just before 14:30 GMT, police said.
The 25-year-old has been arrested on on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon, affray and drug offences.
Specialist negotiators were sent to the house in Raffles Road to persuade him to come out.
Other weapons were also recovered from the scene, Merseyside Police said.
The force confirmed officers were initially sent to the house at 08:10 GMT as part of an investigation into cannabis cultivation.
The man then allegedly became "abusive" and barricaded himself in the room before the incident was brought to an end. | A baby has been rescued by armed police after a man barricaded himself into a house with a crossbow and machete. |
39,209,029 | The goalkeeper, 34, has extended his stay at the club until the summer of 2020 and does not want that to be the end of his playing career.
"I'm very hopeful this won't be my last contract, whether that's here or somewhere else," Gordon said.
"I want to play at the highest level as long as possible and I'm hopeful that's beyond the end of this contract."
And he added: "I don't see any reason for that not to be the case. I'm enjoying my football, it's a great place to be and a great team to be involved in."
Gordon, who moved to Glasgow in 2014, was the subject of interest from Chelsea during the January transfer window but insists he remained focused on his performances for Celtic and did not contemplate leaving.
And he hopes to earn at least the five more international caps needed to be inducted into Scotland's Hall of Fame.
"It took a wee while, but delighted to get [the contract] sorted out," said Gordon, whose side lead the Premiership by 27 points.
"There were a few things to talk about, but not a great deal and after a transfer window closes, the people who talk about these things - agents and the people at Celtic - go on holiday. So there were time lapses, but it was always going to happen.
"The club never accepted any bids, so there was no chance of anything happening. It was just up to me to keep playing to the best of my ability and see what happened.
"If the club had accepted a bid, things would have changed, but I was just happy to keep doing my job."
Gordon did not play in Celtic's 5-1 victory over Rangers at Celtic Park earlier in the season, but was in goal for the two further wins at Hampden and Ibrox. Those scorelines were close, and he expects a difficult encounter when the sides meet again at Celtic Park on Sunday.
"Another tough match," the keeper added. "The two that I've played in this season, at Hampden and Ibrox, were only decided by a single goal.
"They're a good team. There's too much being made of us being overwhelming favourites and Rangers coming to take a beating. That's certainly not the case.
"We have to do the things that we're good at, and we have to defend as well because they create a threat on the break and have good players. We have to concentrate on ourselves and make sure we're doing the things we do well, and if we do that we give ourselves a chance to win the game." | Craig Gordon believes he can continue to perform at a high level beyond the end of his new Celtic contract. |
36,693,020 | Shaun Klitzke was reported to police by his estranged wife, who found the pictures on a memory card.
Scores of still and moving images were recovered from the card and a mobile phone that was also seized.
Klitzke, formerly of Aspatria, Cumbria, but now of Jesmond, Newcastle, admitted six counts of making indecent photographs of children.
He was sentenced at Carlisle Crown Court on Friday 1 July.
Sixty-eight of the images were classed in category A - the most serious. Some of the victims were aged as young as two-years-old.
Klitzke was also made subject to the terms of a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years. | A man who possessed "appalling and loathsome" indecent images of children has been jailed for 16 months. |
40,378,283 | It was reported that a fellow diner became aggressive towards the former England captain, who then pushed the man away and asked to be left alone. The Lions have not made any complaint.
Howley added that the incident on Thursday night was "isolated".
The Lions' three-Test series with New Zealand begins on Saturday.
Howley said that the one-off incident with Spencer will not affect the Lions' off-field plans.
"I've spoken to John, it's an isolated, disappointing incident," said Howley of Spencer's experience. "We've had a fantastic welcome, the New Zealand public have been fantastic."
"The New Zealand public have embraced us," added Howley. "It was only last night we went out to the Viaduct [a waterfront entertainment complex] as a squad and management and we had a lot of Kiwis coming up to us.
"Yes there's been banter but that's all part of it. But coming back to John, it's an isolated incident, and it's the minority, not the majority." | British and Irish Lions assistant coach Rob Howley says it is "disappointing" after tour manager John Spencer said he was accosted in an Auckland restaurant. |
28,879,401 | The number of people missing has risen to 51 after police cross-checked information with fire crews, officials quoted by Kyodo news agency say.
About 3,000 rescue personnel are in the area but heavy rain has suspended search operations.
Torrential rains have led to the evacuation of up to 100,000 people.
On Friday afternoon all searches in the area were called off when the shape of nearby hillsides appeared to change, raising fears that more landslips could be on the way.
"Operations in (two districts) were halted as hills there were becoming misshapen," a Hiroshima police spokesman is quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.
The landslides happened after the equivalent of a month's rain fell in the 24 hours up to Wednesday morning, Japan's weather agency said.
Dozens of homes in a residential area close to a mountain on the outskirts of Hiroshima were buried.
The BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes says with the leap in the death toll, the eventual number of victims could be close to 100.
Among those killed was one 53-year old rescue worker who died when a second landslide struck after he had already pulled several people to safety.
Reports said he was killed while holding a toddler he was trying to rescue. A father was handing his small son to the rescue worker only to see both engulfed as a fresh mudslide swept down the mountain.
"There was a really strange smell, a very raw, earthy smell. When we opened a window to see what was going on, the entire hillside just came down, with a crackling noise, a thundering noise," Reuters news agency quotes one woman who survived as telling local television.
She and her husband fled moments before mud gushed through their house, leaving boulders where they had been sleeping, Reuters says.
Correspondents add that a number of children are thought to have perished in the disaster.
Much of central and southern Japan is mountainous, with many homes nestled into steep slopes.
Last year, a typhoon triggered landslides on Izu Oshima island, south of Tokyo, that left 35 people dead. | Heavy rain has hampered rescue operations in Japan's Hiroshima prefecture where a landslide killed at least 39 people. |
35,059,584 | British and Irish Lion Roberts, the first active international to appear in the fixture since 2009, went off at half-time after suffering a dead leg.
Don Stevens and George Cullen traded penalties for a 3-3 score at the break.
Stevens' kick then put Cambridge 6-3 up but three more Cullen penalties sealed Oxford's sixth Varsity win in a row.
The Dark Blues, whose latest victory set a new record for consecutive successes in the 143-year-old fixture, have now also dragged the overall head-to-head score back to 61-59 in Cambridge's favour.
Prior to his half-time withdrawal, Roberts had looked a potent ball carrier in a contest otherwise short on quality and action in either 22.
The 29-year-old, capped 74 times by Wales, is now poised to join up with his new club Harlequins - and played down the seriousness of his injury.
"It's only a dead leg," he told BBC Sport. "It got worse and worse as the first half went on, and I couldn't run after half-time so had to come off.
"The guys chucked everything into it and we can't ask for anything more from them.
"It's an amazing day, the pinnacle of student sport and for these boys it's their cup final. A few of the guys are in tears and it's very difficult."
With their star player sidelined, Cambridge struggled to maintain their physical intensity after the interval and Oxford looked the more threatening of the two teams.
Having contributed 18 points in last year's 43-6 success, Cullen kicked all 12 in 2015 to secure victory in front of 25,013 fans inside Twickenham.
Oxford University: Geiger; Hughes, Janney, Lamont, Stileman; Cullen, De Berker; Anderson, Halpin, Williams, Taylor, Grant, Roberts-Huntley, Will Wilson, Heathcote.
Replacements: Thornton, Lu, Ball, MacGilchrist, Thomas, Faktor, Abraham, David.
Cambridge University: Davies; Cherezov, Clough, Roberts, Rees; Gillies, Stevens; Briggs, Montgomery, Spelman, Hall, Nagle, Kilroe, Dass, Farmer.
Replacements: Calvert, Poulton, Moros, Erogbogbo, Leonard, Tullie, Phillips, Williams.
For the latest rugby union news follow @bbcrugbyunion on Twitter. | Wales centre Jamie Roberts was forced off injured as his Cambridge side were edged out by Oxford in the 134th Varsity match at Twickenham. |
36,058,204 | The 32-year-old woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, telephoned 999 on the morning of 9 April 2014 to say she had killed her five-month-old baby.
Police and paramedics took the child to Royal Victoria Hospital. He died four weeks later.
The woman will appear again for sentencing at a later date.
The court also heard that the woman felt that she had no other option but to kill her five-month old and possibly herself as well as her other son.
The woman, who was said to be suffering from psychotic episodes, was originally charged with murder.
However, a prosecuting solicitor said that medical and legal experts agreed that the appropriate charge was the lesser charge of infanticide.
The prosecutor added that it was also accepted in such cases that the appropriate sentence was probation, a community-based sentenced coupled with continued mental health treatment.
Her defence lawyer described the situation as "a very sad case in which a caring young mother was driven to do something unthinkable due to a depressive episode".
The judge said he wished to review the case before passing sentence. | A court has heard details about a case of infanticide in which a mother-of-two killed her youngest son because she feared she had given him "bad genes". |
35,262,229 | A new app, English Dialects, developed at universities in Cambridge, Zurich and Bern, asks users how they pronounce words including "scone".
Choices are given for another 25 words, or word meanings, after which the app guesses where the user might be from.
When the team launched a similar app for German speakers there were more than one million hits in four days.
The aim of the free app is to track how dialects have evolved over a number of decades.
It compares today's pronunciation with dialects studied more than 50 years ago in a decade-long field study of accents in 313 locations, called the Survey of English Dialects.
The app was developed by Dr Adrian Leemann, a linguistics researcher at Cambridge University, together with five colleagues from Bern University and Zurich University.
"We want to document how English dialects have changed, spread or levelled out," he said.
"English accents and dialects are likely to have changed over the past decades. This may be due to geographical and social mobility, the spread of the mass media and other factors.
"If the app guesses where you are from correctly, then the accent or dialect of your region has not changed much in the last century.
"If the app does not guess correctly, it is probably because the dialect spoken in your region has changed quite a lot over time."
Its 26 questions, many with voice recordings, ask users how they pronounce a certain word or which word they use for a certain thing.
There are, for example, numerous different words to describe a tiny piece of wood that gets stuck under your finger nail. You might call it a splinter. You might call it a spelk or a spill.
Prof David Britain, a dialectologist from the University of Bern in Switzerland, said the app might also shed light on the two pronunciations of the word "scone".
"Everyone has strong views about the pronunciation of this word, but, perhaps surprisingly, we know rather little about who uses which pronunciation and where."
The app also allows users to make their own recordings which the developers will use for further research.
The app is available to download via the iOS App Store and Google Play. | The way people pronounce the names of baked goods could help academics find out how regional accents have changed. |
39,755,510 | Tom Harrison - who calls himself Mr Gorilla - took six-and-a-half days to do the 26.2 mile route on his hands and knees, "gorilla-style", in aid of The Gorilla Organization.
Mr Harrison crossed the finish line on The Mall with his sons and had a medal presented by conservationist Bill Oddie.
He said he felt "tired but happy".
"Prior to this, the most I had crawled in one go was a mile, so I found the first day of the marathon really exhausting," he said.
"Each day became its own little marathon.
"I'll be glad to get the costume washed as it's getting a little bit fruity.
"I think I've started to smell a bit like a gorilla."
The father-of-two, a Met Police officer who lives in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, started his attempt on 22 April, crawling the streets of the capital for between 10 and 12 hours a day.
He originally aimed to raise £1,500 but said the reaction to his challenge had been "incredible".
"The fact it went global has been completely unexpected, but brilliant," he said.
Mr Harrison was joined outside Buckingham Palace by his two sons, Nicholas, six, and Alex, four - also dressed as gorillas.
They were watched by a crowd of around 100 people.
Mr Harrison, 41, originally from Worcester, was inspired to take on the challenge by his passion for the work of the charity, which runs conservation projects in several African countries.
The charity's executive director Jillian Miller, described his efforts as "incredible".
"He's now officially our highest fundraiser ever," she said.
"He feels very strongly, as the father of two little boys, that he wants to help preserve biodiversity for future generations." | A man who crawled the London Marathon dressed as a gorilla has completed the course and raised £26,000 for charity. |
24,227,615 | Alex Harris, 27, is one of 30 crew who have been detained by the Russians onboard the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise since Thursday.
The campaigners were detained after two activists tried to climb on to a Russian oil rig in a protest against Arctic drilling.
Russian authorities are considering charges of piracy against the crew.
Russia's Investigative Committee said it would question the activists about the demonstration at the Prirazlomnaya oil platform.
It said "all persons involved in the assault on the platform will be brought to justice".
Six Britons are among the crew, including communications worker Miss Harris, who was brought up in Winkleigh, Devon, and now lives in Australia, and engineer Iain Rogers, 37, from Exeter.
Their ship, the Arctic Sunrise, was seized in the Pechora Sea near the rig and is being towed to the port of Murmansk.
It was raided by armed Russian security forces in balaclavas who abseiled down from helicopters.
Miss Harris's parents Linda and Cliff received a text from their daughter saying: "Hi it's Alex. Guess you have seen the news. Just want to let you know I am safe.
"Will call when I can. Individuals have not been charged. Just the ship.
"Please don't worry X."
Agricultural scientist Mr Harris, 63, said he and his wife were "relieved" after getting the text and another later saying: "All is good - now just a waiting game."
He said: "We are a lot happier now and we're fairly positive about the outcome, although we don't know for sure what is going to happen."
Greenpeace, which said the crew had only been allowed to contact relatives, has rejected accusations of piracy.
Executive Director Kumi Naidoo said: "Peaceful activism is crucial when governments around the world have failed to respond to dire scientific warnings about the consequences of climate change in the Arctic and elsewhere.
"Any charge of piracy against peaceful activists has no merit in international law. We will not be intimidated or silenced by these absurd accusations and demand the immediate release of our activists."
In a statement on Tuesday, Greenpeace said its ship had arrived in a fjord near Murmansk accompanied by a tug boat and the Russian Coast Guard vessel Ladoga.
The campaigners on the ship are from 18 countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, New Zealand, Russia, the UK and the US, Greenpeace said.
Article 227 of Russia's penal code defines piracy as "an attack on a ship at sea or on a river, with the aim of seizing someone else's property, using violence or the threat of violence".
It can be punished with a jail term of up to 15 years, depending on the gravity of the offence, and a fine of up to 500,000 roubles (£10,000; $15,000). | A British Greenpeace worker held by Russian authorities has texted her parents to say she is "safe". |
34,902,537 | The birds laid two eggs this year which disappeared, leaving the birds out of sorts. Leicestershire Police are investigating the eggs' disappearance.
It is hoped new nest boxes on the city's tallest buildings will provide a place for the pair to breed next year.
Tall buildings are said to "mimic the peregrines' natural environment".
Leicestershire and Rutland Ornithological Society (LROS), which has been monitoring the birds closely for the last two years, said the pair successfully reared two chicks in 2014.
Dave Gray, from LROS, said: "This year was disappointing.
"The birds laid two eggs in their nest, but the eggs disappeared and the birds were obviously spooked by something.
"We want to help the peregrines by encouraging them to nest at sites where we can watch them more easily and help prevent this happening again.
"The birds are active all year round so we hope they will have spotted the boxes and will start to use one of them next season."
Source: Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)
Richard Kelly, assistant nature conservation officer for Leicester City Council, said: "Peregrines are attracted to towns and cities because there are the right places for them to nest and a good food supply to raise their young.
"The tall buildings resemble the craggy cliff faces they would normally breed on."
The birds of prey are thought to have been returning to the city, where there is a plentiful supply of pigeons, for decades. | A pair of "spooked" peregrine falcons living in the centre of Leicester are to get a new nest after a "disappointing" breeding season. |
34,222,014 | Mr Corbyn is tipped to win the Labour leadership on Saturday over Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper and Liz Kendall.
Mick Antoniw said Mr Corbyn would find it "difficult at the moment" to win a general election, but could gain support by "resonating" with people.
Delyn MP David Hanson, who backs Yvette Cooper, warned that Labour needed to win over people who voted Tory.
Mr Corbyn is the favourite to be named Labour's new leader when the result of a vote of party members and affiliated supporters is announced on Saturday.
Senior Labour figures including Tony Blair have warned that the party will never win a general election with Mr Corbyn as leader.
Mr Antoniw told the Jason Mohammad programme on BBC Radio Wales on Friday: "I think it would be difficult at the moment, but I think it's very, very possible [for Mr Corbyn to win a general election].
"I think he has his finger on the pulse of public disengagement and dissatisfaction with politics, and if that develops I can see him being a very, very positive figure," he said.
"People will say here is someone speaking his mind, speaking sense and resonating with people."
Pontypridd AM Mr Antoniw added: "There will be a big attack on him by the media, in an attempt to do what they did to [former Labour leader] Michael Foot all those years ago.
"But I actually think he may well come across as someone who people say despite all that, here is a guy who is honest, has integrity and speaks our kind of language.
"I think he could well be Prime Minister."
However, Delyn MP David Hanson warned: "If we can't convince people who voted Tory last time, in places like Vale of Clwyd and Gower, we're not going to win the general election."
The result of the Labour leadership ballot will be made public at a special party conference in London, which gets underway on Saturday at 11:00 BST. | Labour left-winger Jeremy Corbyn can overcome media attacks and "could well" become Prime Minister, an AM has said. |
31,423,124 | Media playback is not supported on this device
A season of high-profile cup upsets looked like it could claim yet another victim when Scott Laird fired the League One side ahead soon after the break.
But United's disjointed attack finally found some fluidity when expensive loan signing Radamel Falcao was replaced after an hour, and recalled midfielder Ander Herrera led the revival.
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Herrera, making only his third start in three months, squeezed home the equaliser with Wayne Rooney avoiding contact with the ball in an offside position, before Marouane Fellaini's close-range finish gave United the lead in a thrilling tie.
Rooney, back playing in a more advanced role, made certain of victory with a late penalty that he won and converted himself to give the scoreline a gloss that Preston did not deserve.
If United boss Louis van Gaal did not quite restore Rooney to his front line for this tie, he did at least push his captain higher up the pitch from the deeper midfield position he has occupied recently.
His movement was impressive early on but being closer to the sharp end did not allow Rooney more scoring opportunities, with a blocked shot from Luke Shaw's pull-back his only effort on goal in the first half.
His United team-mates were also frustrated as they struggled to break down a well-drilled and hard-working North End side, roared on by a noisy home support.
Angel Di Maria bent a free-kick a few inches wide but that was the closest the 11-times winners came to making the breakthrough before the interval.
However you described Van Gaal's latest formation - 4-1-2-2-1 being a close approximation - it was not helping United turn their vastly superior possession into chances.
When they did find time and space in dangerous positions their delivery was frequently disappointing, with Di Maria a repeat offender with wasted balls.
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It all meant Preston goalkeeper Thorsten Stuckmann did not have a shot to save before the break
North End's own threat had been restricted to a couple of tame shots from distance and a Joe Garner header that looped over the bar.
But that all changed two minutes into the second half when Garner sent Laird galloping into the box to power in a shot that was heading wide before deflecting off Antonio Valencia and squeezing under De Gea.
United's response was hardly venomous, with the Preston defence easily dealing with the crosses hoisted into their box.
In fact the home side went closer to making it 2-0 when Tom Clarke got on the end of a whipped free-kick but could not connect with his shot in front of goal.
After an hour, Van Gaal had seen enough. He hauled off the ineffective Falcao for Ashley Young in a change that helped turn the game in his side's favour.
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Young supplied the pass for Herrera's equaliser and Fellaini, pushed further forward as part of the switch, followed up his own saved header to power home United's winner from close range.
Preston were not quite finished yet, with Kyel Reid fizzing one shot wide and Callum Robinson firing another straight at De Gea from the edge of the area.
But United made sure of their progress with two minutes to go when Stuckmann sent Rooney tumbling, although there were some suggestions he might have dived, and he stepped up to send his penalty high into his net.
Preston boss Simon Grayson:
"We did create some good chances at times and the players can wake up in the morning and be very proud of what they've done.
"Hopefully we can use this as motivation for the rest of the year. Our sole aim at the start of the season really was to get promoted to the Championship.
"We'll take a lot of positives and we'll take the money - we need more money to get some more players in." | Manchester United survived a second-half scare at Deepdale to see off Preston and set up an FA Cup quarter-final tie with holders Arsenal. |
35,324,034 | Passenger Warren Becker told local media that jewellery and $1,800 (£1,300) in cash was stolen from his bag while he slept on a flight from Johannesburg to Hong Kong last month.
SAA says there is a suspicion that a crime syndicate is targeting the route.
Three such thefts occurred over as many weeks in December, a spokesman added.
In 2014, there were thefts of $2.6m on flights to Hong Kong, according to official police figures.
The name and nationality of the blacklisted passenger have not been revealed.
He was not charged.
A fellow passenger alerted Mr Becker after seeing the alleged thieves remove his luggage from the overhead compartment and rifle through it, Traveller24 website reports.
Police boarded the plane and carried out searches on several suspects on landing in Hong Kong, but could not find any of the money, the site added.
The witness, who did not wish to be named, said she suspected that the money had been handed over to another accomplice on board, who had managed to give the waiting authorities the slip.
In another of the reported thefts, money was recovered, but the victims were not willing to hand it over to police for evidence to build a case, according to SAA spokesman Tlali Tlali.
A pilot for SAA quoted in the local Times newspaper, said that if the thefts continued, the airline "might have to start installing additional security measures on board such as CCTV cameras." | South African Airways (SAA) has blacklisted a passenger amid reports that gangs of thieves are operating 30,000 feet in the air on its flights. |
40,105,708 | The 27-year-old made 101 appearances for the U's over two seasons after joining from Exeter City.
However, he was left out for Oxford's final five matches of the season for unspecified "disciplinary reasons", according to manager Michael Appleton.
He had been out of contract, but Appleton said the club would trigger a clause in his deal to ensure a fee.
"I wanted the transfer to take place before I took my holiday so that I can relax before coming back to a lot of hard work in pre-season," Sercombe told Rovers' club website.
"As soon as I knew of Rovers' interest, there was only one place I wanted to go. People who know me will also know how much I wanted to come here. I'm very happy and can't wait to get started."
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Oxford United midfielder Liam Sercombe has joined fellow League One side Bristol Rovers for an undisclosed fee. |
35,158,366 | Income for the period came to $785m (£530m).
Future orders for deliveries from December to April 2016 - which is a key measure for Nike - also beat expectations, boosted by strong demand from China, Japan and North America.
Revenue was up 4% to $7.7bn.
The firm said by the end of November its future worldwide orders for footwear and clothing were up 20%, excluding currency changes.
Greater China made up 34% of that growth, while Japan made up 32% and North America 14%.
"Our powerful global portfolio of businesses, combined with strong financial discipline, continue to drive significant shareholder value," said chief executive Mark Parker.
"We see tremendous opportunity ahead as we enter an Olympic and European Championships year with a full pipeline of inspiring innovation for athletes everywhere."
Earlier this month, Nike signed a lifetime deal with American basketball star LeBron James.
Mr James has been with Nike since 2003 when he signed a $90m (£59.7m) contract with the firm.
The sports star's latest deal is believed to be the first lifetime contract ever signed by Nike. | Nike, the world's leading maker of sporting goods, reported a 20% year-on-year rise in net profit for the three months ending November. |
36,579,467 | A campaign spokeswoman said Corey Lewandowski would no longer be working on it and said the team was grateful to him "for his hard work and dedication".
Speaking on CNN, he did not deny being fired, replying "I don't know" when asked why he was let go.
He oversaw the New Yorker's unlikely triumph in the primary contests.
The exact reason for Mr Lewandowski's departure is not yet clear but he denied it was to do with his abrasive style.
His departure comes as the businessman faces strong resistance from senior members of his own party over his strident tone, hardline immigration policy and falling poll numbers.
Mr Lewandowski was not escorted from the building as some reported but accompanied by a "friend from the campaign", he told CNN, saying it had been a privilege to work on the team.
He also denied he had not been getting along with top Trump strategist Paul Manafort and the Trump children.
Mr Lewandowski has had a contentious relationship with the press. Earlier this year, he was charged with battery after allegedly yanking a female reporter out of Mr Trump's way after a campaign event. The charges were dropped.
One Trump campaign staff member told NBC News that the campaign was not briefed on Mr Lewandowski's firing and that right now there is "bedlam in the Trump campaign. No one knows what is happening".
Republicans have started to distance themselves from Mr Trump following his personal attacks against a Hispanic federal judge overseeing two lawsuits against him.
Among his critics is Speaker of the House and top-ranked Republican Paul Ryan, who appeared to leave the door open to a possible revolt at next month's convention.
When asked on Sunday about reports that party delegates may rebel against voting for Mr Trump at the convention, he said: "They write the rules, they make the decisions."
Mr Trump is suffering in political polls lately, with most voters viewing him as "strongly unfavourable".
He is likely to face Democrat Hillary Clinton in November's election, and there were reports over the weekend that her campaign is way ahead in spending in the key swing states. | The campaign manager for presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has been fired. |
36,781,982 | The musician's life as a collector was something he kept almost entirely hidden from public view.
But now, nearly 300 works by artists including Damien Hirst, Henry Moore and Marcel Duchamp will go on display at Sotheby's in London, before being sold at auction in November.
The paintings are collectively expected to fetch more than £10m.
"David Bowie's collection offers a unique insight into the personal world of one of the 20th Century's greatest creative spirits," said Oliver Barker, chairman of Sotheby's Europe.
Most of the works are by 20th Century British artists, with pictures by Stanley Spencer, Patrick Caulfield and Peter Lanyon.
Born and raised in South London, David Bowie was also drawn to chroniclers of the capital's streets such as Leon Kossoff and Frank Auerbach.
In 1998 Bowie told the New York Times, "My God, yeah - I want to sound like that looks," in response to the work of Auerbach.
He was also fascinated by British landscapes and collected works by artists including John Virtue. Seven of his monochrome works are included in the sale.
But the broad ranging collection is not limited to British art. Among the more maverick works is a piece by Duchamp - A Bruit Secret - in which he placed a ball of string between two brass plates, with an unknown object hidden in the middle. It is expected to fetch up to £250,000.
The American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat's graffiti-style painting Air Power is the most valuable lot in the auction, with an estimated value of between £2.5m - £3.5m.
Bowie bought the painting a year after he played the role of the artist's mentor, Andy Warhol, in the 1996 film Basquiat.
The artist and writer Matthew Collings says the collection reflected Bowie's personality.
"I would characterise it as bohemian, romantic, expressive, emotional art. Art that's filled with feelings," he said, adding it was "vivid and exciting" and was "art that calls for a gut reaction, that's visceral, that's immediate, that you feel excited by straight away".
Although Bowie told the BBC in 1999 "The only thing I buy obsessively and addictively is art," little had been known about his life as an art collector.
He did not buy on the basis of reputation or for investment, but because of his own personal response to each artist and their work.
Collings thinks he kept his collection private because "he wasn't pretentious about it".
"I think he was an absolutely genuinely enthusiastic collector who didn't collect to be swanky or to big himself up," he said.
"He really collected because he had a use for that work and it was a personal use. He looked at those things and they changed his state of being."
Bowie loved the art world. In 1994, in an unusual move for a rock superstar, he joined the editorial board of a quarterly arts magazine Modern Painters where he was introduced to the novelist William Boyd.
The pair became friends and Boyd said it was clear Bowie was not just "a celebrity on the board - he genuinely had something to contribute".
"He did go to art school. He wanted to talk very seriously about artists, painters, themes and movements. So it was not a hobby or a whim, it was a very serious passionate interest."
Boyd also thinks the art world appealed to Bowie because it was so different from his music career.
"He could be himself, David Jones rather than David Bowie. He found a forum and a world that he could move about in that had nothing to do with his fame. I think for a lot of famous people, if you can find that world, it's actually tremendously gratifying and fulfilling."
Bowie went on to launch an art book publishing company called 21. His time there is probably best remembered for one of the most famous art hoaxes in history.
He hosted a glamorous launch party at Jeff Koons's studio in Manhattan for a book celebrating the life and work of an American artist called Nat Tate. The catch? He did not exist. He was invented by Boyd.
"Without his participation it would never have been as big a hoax as it turned out to be," Boyd said, adding he thinks Bowie enjoyed the challenge of trying to pull it off.
"Everybody loves a hoax and I think to fool a bunch of self-important intellectuals is no bad thing from time to time."
As well as 267 paintings, more than 120 items of 20th Century furniture and sculpture will also be auctioned. Among them, a striking 1960s stereo cabinet created by the Italian designers Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni.
Perhaps it should come as no surprise that Bowie listened to music on such an unconventional record player.
Proceeds from the sale will go to Bowie's family. Although lack of space, not money, is the reason they have decided to sell.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram at bbcnewsents, or email [email protected]. | The private art collection of David Bowie is to be revealed to the public for the first time. |
40,416,025 | James Goodfellow, who will be 80 this year, is the man who first patented automated cash machines that use pin numbers - but for years the only credit he received was a £10 bonus.
He lodged his patent in May 1966, more than a year before the first cash machine was ceremonially opened in a blaze of publicity.
On 27 June 1967, comedy actor Reg Varney took money from a cash machine dispenser at a Barclays branch in Enfield, north London, but this was not the ATM card and Pin system we know today.
This machine was developed by John Shepherd-Barron, who was born in India, to Scottish parents, and lived much of his later life in Portmahomack in Ross-shire.
Shepherd-Barron's ATM beat Goodfellow's machines, which were installed at branches of Westminster Bank (later to become NatWest), by just a month.
So Shepherd-Barron became known as the "man who invented the cash machine" and not Goodfellow, the man who patented the system we use today.
The two devices were very different.
Shepherd-Barron's did not use plastic cards, instead it used cheques that were impregnated with carbon 14, a mildly radioactive substance.
The machine detected it, then matched the cheque against a Pin (personal identification number).
Shepherd-Barron worked for banknote manufacturer De La Rue, which never patented its machine.
Before he died in 2010, he told a BBC documentary that he didn't patent the idea because he did not want fraudsters knowing how the system worked.
He also said that the chief executive of Barclays had been quick to say yes to the idea when they had discussed it after a couple of Martinis.
Shepherd-Barron then had to go back to his team and get them to develop his idea.
However, it is Mr Goodfellow's plastic card and PIN which became the forerunner of the system we recognise today.
In recent years, his claim to have been the real inventor of the cash machine has been recognised more widely.
Mr Goodfellow now does not like to talk about the years in which Mr Shepherd-Barron got all the credit but in a 2009 BBC documentary he said it "really does raise my blood pressure".
The engineer, from Paisley, told BBC Scotland: "My patent was licensed by all the manufacturers. They thought that was the way to go.
"The race to get it on to the street was not as important.
"Getting it right was the answer, not getting it first."
Mr Goodfellow was working as development engineer for Glasgow firm Kelvin Hughes in the mid-1960s when he got involved in a project to design a machine that could dispense money to customers when banks were closed.
He told BBC Scotland that the driving force for the move was unions putting pressure on banks to close on Saturday mornings.
He said most people worked during the week and could not get to the bank, which closed at 3pm on weekdays.
Many people went to the bank on Saturday mornings but the unions were pressing for staff to work a five-day week.
The banks wanted a way to give working people access to their money when they were closed.
Mr Goodfellow said: "The problem with cash machines was access.
"How would a genuine customer, and only a genuine customer, get money out of it?"
They considered biometrics - fingerprints, voice prints or retinal scans.
"But in the 60s the technology to do this was not there, it was impossible," Mr Goodfellow said.
So the next approach was an "exotic token", a piece of paper or plastic with "uncommon characteristics" that a machine would recognise.
His "eureka moment" came when he hit upon the idea of the Personal Identification Number (PIN).
This was the vital security measure that would make the system work, the number would be known to the customer and the bank and could be related to the card but not read by anyone else.
Goodfellow's invention was patented in May 1966, more than a year before his rival unveiled the first ATM in London.
But he still had a battle to make his concept reality.
"We had to meet some of the banks demands which were pretty severe," he said.
"They had a million customers and they wanted 2,000 machines across the UK.
"They wanted any one of the one million customers to be able to access any one of the 2,000 machines.
"You've got to remember there was no IT network in those days. The banks had no IT equipment. The bank's branches had nothing.
"We spent a lot of time developing the code. We had to submit something like 1,000 of these cards to a consultant, who would try to decipher it."
The cards he used were one quarter of a "holorith" punch-card, which just happens to be the same size as today's credit card. It contains just 30 bytes of data.
His patent for the card and Pin ATM was licensed for millions but Mr Goodfellow, as a humble technician, did not own the rights and did not get rich from his invention.
He said he signed patents for 15 countries around the world and got a dollar for each - worth about £10.
Mr Goodfellow left the firm in 1967 when it moved its operations to England and he went to work for IBM.
There have been arguments for years over who should officially go down in history as "the inventor of the ATM".
In 2005, Mr Shepherd-Barron received an OBE in the New Year honours list for services to banking as the "inventor of the automatic cash dispenser".
However, since then Mr Goodfellow, the man who patented the invention, has regained his place.
In 2006 Mr Goodfellow received an OBE for services to banking as "patentor of the personal identification number".
He has also been placed in the Scottish engineering hall of fame alongside John Logie Baird, the inventor of the television.
Mr Goodfellow even makes an appearance in a Home Office guide book aimed at those seeking UK citizenship.
The book, called Life in the United Kingdom, has about "great British inventions of the 20th century".
It says: "In the 1960s, James Goodfellow (1937-) invented the cash-dispensing automatic teller machine (ATM) or 'cashpoint'." | The world's first ATM was unveiled 50 years ago today but the inventor of the bank cash machine has been a source of dispute for years, with two Scottish men claiming the credit. |
34,015,180 | Llandudno RNLI lifeboat was called to the vessel 6 miles (10km) off the Great Orme, Conwy county at 09:00 BST on Friday.
By 09.50 BST the man had been winched into a coastguard rescue helicopter and was flown to hospital in Bangor. | A sailor has been airlifted to hospital after falling ill on his yacht off the north Wales coast. |
36,105,245 | Pioneering research in the field of cognitive neuroimaging has revealed how brains process what we see.
The work has been led by Prof Philippe Schyns, the head of Glasgow's school of psychology, with more than a little help from Voltaire and Salvador Dali.
How Dali's mind worked is a matter of continuing conjecture. But one of his works has helped unlock how our minds work. Or more precisely, how our brains see.
Prof Schyns, who is also Director of the Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, explains: "Our main interest was to study how the brain works as an information processing machine.
"Typically we observe brain signals but it is quite difficult to know what they do.
"Do they code information from the visual world - do they not? If so, how?
"Do they send information from one region of the brain to another region of the brain? If so, how?"
Which is where Salvador Dali comes in. And for that matter Voltaire.
In 1940, Dali completed his painting "Slave Market with the Disappearing Bust of Voltaire".
And there at the heart of the image is Voltaire. Or is it?
His bust is what some people see. Others see Voltaire's "eyes" as the heads of two figures - usually a pair of nuns.
This visual ambiguity was of course Dali's intention. But by asking test subjects which image they saw - or neither - the researchers were able to map how the brains processed the information.
As expected, the right side of the brain handled the left side of the image and vice versa.
But Prof Schyns says the research revealed much greater detail: "We found very early on, after around 100 milliseconds of processing post-stimulus, that the brain processes very specific features such as the left eye, the right eye, the corner of the nose, the corner of the mouth.
"But then subsequent to this, at about 200 milliseconds {...} we also found that the brain transfers features across the two hemispheres in order to construct a full representation of the stimulus."
Tracking how our eyes communicate with our brain, and then how our brain sends signals to itself, is the result of 15 years' work by Prof Schyns and his colleagues. It has been funded by backers including the Wellcome Trust.
And there's a lot more.
A compelling analogy is with Bletchley Park. The wartime allies were able to monitor Nazi radio traffic, but it took the work of Alan Turing and his colleagues at Bletchley to crack the code and find out what the signals actually meant.
The 21st Century Glasgow researchers have similarly cracked the brain's code, revealing the algorithms the brain uses to send and process information.
So is Glasgow University the Bletchley Park for the brain? It's an analogy with which Prof Schyns is comfortable.
"Prior to this research people would know that two brain regions communicate - as the allies knew the Germans were doing in World War Two.
"But prior to the enigma of Turing people did not know what they were communicating about."
Now with the brain, as with the Enigma codes, we are able to track with precision where, when and how information is processed.
Prof Schyns says there are many possible applications: in fundamental brain research, in dealing with conditions like stroke in which brain processes are disrupted, and perhaps in helping new generations of robots see the world in the same way we do.
Inevitably, though, more research is required.
We may have cracked the code and tracked the images to the area where they are processed.
But how do our brains then decide whether that is Voltaire - or two nuns? We don't yet know.
Indeed some people think one of the nuns has a beard, so maybe they're two Dutch merchants.
Whatever you think, it's your decision. But science is getting closer than ever to working out how you made it. | Scientists at Glasgow University have established a world first by cracking the communication code of our brains. |
38,928,615 | Since March 2016, just 57 tests have been done on La Liga players from clubs not competing in Europe and none at all in the country's second division.
Spain's anti-doping body (AEPSAD) was declared non-compliant by the World Anti-Doping Agency in March 2016.
Wada hoped Fifa or Uefa could take on the country's drug testing in the interim but no agreement was struck.
"The lack of testing in a country with one of the leading football leagues worldwide for a period of almost 12 months is alarming," said Wada.
"It will do little to instil confidence in clean sport at a time when it is needed most."
AEPSAD responded by saying it expects testing to resume before the end of the month, once the new Spanish government approves WADA's global code.
A Wada-accredited laboratory in Madrid was suspended in June and was prohibited "from carrying out any Wada-related anti-doping activities including all analyses of urine and blood samples" after missing a deadline to make changes to its testing procedures.
AEPSAD has confirmed that they asked Fifa and Uefa to sign an agreement to take over testing during the suspension but that both declined as they felt it was outside their area of responsibility.
Wada described that as a "deeply disappointing" move which "prevented effective anti-doping programs from being run at the national level in Spain in a number of sports" during this period of non-compliance.
However, La Liga clubs playing in Europe and the Spanish national team have been subject to testing by Uefa and Fifa, respectively.
BBC sports editor Dan Roan
Given the global status of La Liga's clubs and star players, it will dismay many that literally no valid drugs testing has been carried out in Spanish football by the country's national anti-doping agency for almost a year - and that both Fifa and Uefa failed to step in to help.
For comparison, last season, 799 tests were carried out by UKAD on Premier League players.
The reputation of Spanish sport has already been seriously dented by the Operation Puerto blood-bags scandal, and this is another blow. | The absence of drug testing in Spanish football in the past 11 months has "alarmed" the World Anti-Doping Agency. |
35,672,974 | The 130th AGM of The IFAB will take place at St. David's Hotel in Cardiff on Saturday, 5 March and Infantino is expected to attend.
The Uefa secretary general earned 115 votes in yesterday's selection process, 27 more than closest rival Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa.
Infantino led first round voting with 88, including support from Wales.
Infantino has succeeded fellow Swiss Blatter, who had led Fifa since 1998 and stood down in 2015 and was later suspended from football for six years for breaching ethics guidelines.
The FAW was represented in Zurich by chief executive Jonathan Ford. | New Fifa president Gianni Infantino may make his first major decisions in Cardiff. |
38,897,679 | Anthony Grainger, 36, was shot in a car park in Culcheth, Cheshire, in March 2012 in an operation planned by Greater Manchester Police (GMP).
Officers believed the father-of-two was in a group planning an armed robbery.
PC Rachel Griffiths told Liverpool Crown Court she had made the profile in relation to a 2011 operation.
The inquiry heard that the profile was passed to the Force Robbery Unit in February 2012, but officers were told they would need to update it themselves.
PC Griffiths said she would expect any document used to brief firearms officers to be "bespoke".
She added: "I would expect the briefing to be done from a completely different document, not this one."
Before his death, Mr Grainger, from Bolton, had been under surveillance, set up to target an organised crime gang believed to be conspiring to commit armed robberies.
He was unarmed when he was shot through the windscreen of a stolen Audi in a car park on 3 March 2012.
PC Griffiths said the profile she prepared was about an investigation into the burglary of "sensitive information" from a serving police officer's car.
"That was September 2011, this was now February 2012, so it would be their responsibility to check any intelligence," she said.
The inquiry has heard that an Independent Police Complaints Commission investigation found the 2012 operation relied heavily on "out of date" intelligence in relation to Mr Grainger and that briefings to officers contained "inaccurate information".
PC Griffiths admitted she had made a "mistake" in the profile, where she inaccurately stated that Mr Grainger had been charged with a 1995 armed robbery at a Post Office and that the charge had been ordered to lie on file.
The inquiry heard Mr Grainger had been found not guilty of offences of conspiracy to rob and robbery at a trial - while his brother, Stuart, had been charged with attempted robbery and that charge had been ordered to lie on file.
The force has said it "maintains that the suspicions held by those investigating Mr [Anthony] Grainger were both reasonable and correct".
The marksman who shot him had earlier told the inquiry he thought officers were "in extreme danger" as he believed Mr Grainger "was reaching for a firearm".
The public inquiry, chaired by Judge Thomas Teague, resumed on Tuesday after hearing two weeks of evidence in closed session.
It is expected to continue until April. | A policewoman who prepared a profile on a man fatally shot by an officer has said she never expected it to be used to brief a firearms operation. |
39,565,744 | Scott Marsden died in hospital after being taken ill at the fight in Leeds, in March.
The inquest into his death was opened and adjourned in Wakefield.
Coroner Jonathan Leach, said initial medical inquiries reported his death, on 12 March, as "unexplained pending further investigation".
Live updates and more stories from Yorkshire
Scott had been competing at Leeds Martial Arts College the night before, when he collapsed in the last round of the five-round contest, the inquest was told.
Mr Leach was told the bout had been full-contact, against someone of similar size and age, and Scott was "wearing appropriate protective equipment".
Emergency treatment was given by on-site medics and paramedics were called but Scott died the following day at Leeds General Infirmary.
Scott's family did not attend Wakefield Coroner's court, where the inquest was adjourned to a date yet to be fixed.
Scott, from Sheffield, started entering competitions at the age of eight.
He trained at the Marsden's All Styles Kickboxing club in Hillsborough, that was run by members of his family, and was a pupil at Forge Valley School.
Speaking after his death Dale Barrowclough, the school's head teacher, said: "Scott was a very popular young man among pupils and staff alike and it is without doubt that he had a very bright sporting future ahead of him."
In the wake of his death Jon Green, England president of the World Kickboxing Association, criticised the response by emergency services that were also called on the night.
But Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, said: "All of our staff worked tirelessly to provide the patient with the best possible care and transport him to hospital for further treatment."
The British Kickboxing Council has said the tragedy demonstrated how the sport, that does not have a UK governing body, needs regulation. | An investigation into what caused the death of 14-year-old kickboxer who collapsed during a national title bout remains inconclusive, an inquest heard. |
37,567,402 | Charlene Colechin, 18, described how her organs failed, causing her "to die" until doctors managed to save her.
The hair stylist, from near Chesterfield in Derbyshire, has been in hospital for a month and spent nine days in a medically induced coma.
She still faces surgery to remove her toes and possibly her feet.
Speaking from Sheffield Hospital, Miss Colechin said she felt lucky to be alive.
"I was screaming because I was in that much pain," she said.
"I kept throwing up, then I had a really bad headache like a migraine, and all my body was aching."
Miss Colechin had bacterial meningitis - which is rarer but more serious than viral meningitis.
She said she had been vaccinated, but the jab did not protect against the type of meningitis she had.
Claire Donovan of Meningitis Now said the rash on Miss Colechin's body would have been caused by septicaemia, which some people get as a result of certain meningitis bacteria.
Source: Meningitis Now
Paramedics were called out on 6 September but thought the teenager had flu because she did not have any marks.
However, her condition worsened and marks appeared the following day, when paramedics rushed her to hospital.
"Within minutes I was on a drip in the ambulance on the way to Chesterfield Hospital," she said.
"I was in a coma for nine days because all my organs were failing.
"I did die but obviously they brought me back."
She is now waiting for tests to see what parts of her feet will need to be amputated.
"My heels are black," she said. "That could mean dead tissue, which could be infected and which could go up my legs."
She hopes that sharing her photos will prevent other people from suffering the life-changing effects of the disease. | A teenager who nearly died from meningitis has shared photos of her rash-covered body in an attempt to raise awareness of the disease. |
34,012,980 | He is accused of taking $5m (£3.2m) in bribes to secure contracts with the state oil giant, Petrobras.
Mr Cunha denies the allegations and says they are politically motivated. He is an outspoken critic of President Dilma Rousseff.
Charges have been submitted against ex-President Fernando Collor de Mello.
Mr Collor de Mello was in power between 1990 and 1992, when he resigned hours before the Senate was due to vote on his impeachment for corruption.
Brazil's Attorney General, Rodrigo Janot, has accused Mr Cunha of corruption and money laundering.
The charges against Mr Collor de Mello have not been disclosed.
He was on a previous list of people under investigation over the Petrobras corruption scandal. He has also denied any wrongdoing.
Mr Collor de Mello's office has posted a message on Facebook accusing the attorney general of "playing for the media".
"Everything could have been clarified had the senator been given the right to examine the accusations and offer his explanations," reads the post.
Mr Collor de Mello says he is "the main victim of this plot".
The Supreme Court will now have to decide whether to accept the charges.
As congressmen, both men would be tried by the Supreme Court.
Mr Cunha said earlier this week that he would remain in his post as Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies even if he was indicted.
"I am not going to stand down in any way. I am going to carrying on doing the job I was elected to to by the majority of the House," he said.
Dozens of politicians, businessmen and civil servants have been charged over the past year in connection with the Petrobras scandal.
The corruption allegations and Brazil's economic crisis have helped push Ms Rousseff's popularity to record low figures.
She was head of Petrobras for several years but has not been implicated in the scandal.
Last month, Mr Cunha left the biggest party in the governing coalition, PMDB, in order to join a campaign calling for Ms Rousseff's impeachment.
Ms Rousseff, from the left-wing Workers Party, was re-elected in October to a second four-year term.
Her supporters say calls for her impeachment amount to a coup attempt by right-wing politicians defeated in last year's polls.
Mass pro-government demonstrations were held across the country on Thursday evening. | Brazilian prosecutors investigating a major corruption scandal have filed charges against the speaker of the lower house of Congress, Eduardo Cunha. |
38,847,405 | The 2012 Olympic champion, 30, will meet an opponent yet to be named on the David Haye v Tony Bellew undercard.
Taylor, who stopped Karina Kopinska on debut in November and out-pointed Viviane Obenauf two weeks later, is currently training in America.
She said: "It's the start of a very big year for me and there are big plans but I need to keep winning and performing."
Taylor, who won world championship gold on five occasions, added: "I think people are really excited about the Haye-Bellew fight and the rivalry between those guys and as a boxer these are the kind of nights you want to be a part of.
"It's a massive stage for me and I'm really looking forward to it."
WBC cruiserweight champion Bellew, 34, will step up in weight to meet former world champion Haye at heavyweight, with both fighters consistently goading one another on social media during the build-up to the bout.
Also on the undercard, Sam Eggington faces a step-up in class against former two-weight world champion Paulie Malignaggi, while Liverpool's Derry Mathews challenges WBC silver champion Ohara Davies at lightweight. | Ireland's Katie Taylor will fight for the third time as a professional at London's O2 Arena on 4 March. |
37,697,460 | For some it's Britain's exit from the European Union. For others it's the prospect of Brexit being thwarted. For others still, it's whether the Chinese economy will hold up, what the outcome of the US presidential election will be or the risk of artificial intelligence taking over your job.
So what's the best way to handle the inevitable anxiety that goes hand-in-hand with all that uncertainty?
Will Borrell studied that anxiety up close after the Brexit vote in the UK earlier this year.
He manages a bar called Ladies & Gents which, as its name suggests, is located in a former public toilet at a busy junction in north London.
Before the vote, he says, things went very quiet. Then, on the evening after the shock decision to leave was announced, people came pouring back into his bar. Londoners, unlike most of the rest of the country, largely voted to remain in the EU.
"We're talking John Wayne at the bar," he told the BBC's Business Daily programme.
"You know, [saying] 'leave the bottle', like a cowboy. They were really going for it. It was Bacchanalian, end-of-the-world drinking."
This is not to suggest that hitting the bottle is the answer to quelling anxiety. Rather it's to illustrate that people are not very good at dealing with uncertainty, whether economic, political or otherwise.
The evidence is not just anecdotal. Studies have shown that, given a choice, people will opt for a definite electric shock now rather than the risk of a possible electric shock at some unknown time later. It seems that it's the not knowing that gets to us.
"It's known as ambiguity aversion," says David Spiegelhalter, professor of the public understanding of risk at Cambridge University, and president-elect of the Royal Statistical Society.
"People are much happier with known risks, when they know what the options are and what the chances are."
How to survive at work: The Business Daily team explores life in the office
Click here for more programme highlights
That's where statistics come to the rescue. There is something very reassuring about putting a number on things and statistics can convert some uncertainties into measurable risk. It could be as simple as calculating the probability of rain tomorrow or the probability of surviving a disease.
But some uncertainties are subject to so many variables - those infamous "unknown unknowns" cited by former US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in 2002 - that they are by their very nature untameable.
"When it comes to the economy, when it comes to politics, when it comes to these really complex things, especially when you're operating against an opponent, it's very dangerous to delude yourself that you've tamed uncertainty and turned it into chance," Prof Spiegelhalter says.
Nowhere is that more true than in combat. In fact, it's often said that war is the realm of uncertainty, what's sometimes called the "fog of war".
So how do soldiers prepare for it? The man to ask is US Army Lt Col Steven Gventer who was in the eastern Baghdad district of Sadr City in Iraq during the siege of 2004, when Shia militia staged an uprising against coalition forces.
Even before our interview started, I got a sense of what his answer might be. Col Gventer was scheduled to speak to me from a recording studio in Germany where he's now stationed, and his side made us sound check the line twice in the days before the interview (slightly alarming for us journalists who are used to winging it).
"One of the things we try to do is to cut down on the number of variables that we don't understand or we haven't prepared for," he says. "To minimise the number of variables that might hurt us - or ruin an interview, as the case may be."
In effect, soldiers make a habit out of continuous preparation, and subordinates are trained to make decisions independent of minute-by-minute supervision.
In the end, it becomes so ingrained that they stage team debriefs even after the most innocuous occasions such as family-day army events. Nothing is left to chance and everything is part of the learning curve.
It's not a strategy the rest of us could readily emulate, but then we're unlikely to find ourselves in the midst of a battle grappling with life-and-death situations.
So where does that leave us with our more mundane uncertainties? Questions like: Will I lose my job? Will my marriage last? Will my children be happy?
Would we even want to know the answers? A life devoid of any uncertainty would surely be weighed down by monotonous continuity. Any author or film director will tell you that if there is no uncertainty, there is no story. It's uncertainty that keeps us engaged.
But stories, it seems, also serve another purpose, particularly when it comes to decision-making.
At the height of the financial crisis in 2007, Prof David Tuckett, director of University College London's Centre for the Study of Decision-Making Uncertainty, was researching how money managers made investment decisions in the midst of financial and economic chaos.
He found that their decisions weren't based solely on hardcore research and calculations, but also on the stories the money managers told themselves. They created a narrative around the outcome of their actions and convinced themselves about it.
"In effect, the narrative removed the reason not to do it," he says.
It's not just a quirk of money managers. Most of us script our own stories for everyday decisions from buying a house to where we choose to go on holiday.
What's key, Prof Tuckett says, is our state of mind when we do it and whether we allow ourselves to be guided by curiosity.
"Arrogance is the opposite of curiosity," he says. "So to make good decisions you really need to be someone who's willing to look at things that are difficult.
"And if you get knowledge or information that makes you feel uncomfortable, rather than run away, you need to pursue those doubts."
In an ideal world you'd seek out expert advice to lay those niggling doubts to rest.
Or if that doesn't appeal, you could always take your cue from the former UK Justice Minister Michael Gove.
In the run-up to the Brexit vote he declared that the public had "had enough of experts".
For more from Manuela and the Business Daily team, listen at 08:32 GMT each weekday on BBC World Service or download the podcast and check out episodes and programme highlights here. | These days there's no shortage of things to keep you awake at night, wherever you stand on the political spectrum. |
36,312,934 | The Stoke City boss came within one game of reaching the 1986 and 1994 World Cups and as manager almost took Wales to Euro 2004.
While acknowledging the contribution of stars like Gareth Bale, Ashley Williams and Aaron Ramsey, Hughes has been impressed by the team that carried Wales to Euro 2016 - a feat that, on Monday, is expected to bring manager Chris Coleman a two-year contract extension.
"Right from the start you could sense that there was something special happening and they got the job done at the key moments," Hughes told BBC Radio Wales Sport.
"That was something my teams and the teams I was involved in [as a player] weren't able to do."
Hughes added: "With this group of players, they've been together a long time and you sense there could be at least one more tournament out of them after the European Championship.
"Gareth has the ability to change games and he's done that on numerous occasions for Wales by being the difference in key games when you need your players to produce."
Hughes scored in the final 1986 World Cup qualifier against Scotland in a highly-charged game which the Scots drew 1-1, ending Wales' hopes of qualification.
Scotland boss Jock Stein collapsed just before full time in the game and subsequently died of a heart attack, something which Hughes reflects on.
"We knew that it was a serious situation that developed. The football itself and the game went into insignificance as it would do," he added.
"We were disappointed because of the result but in the wider scheme of things there are more important things on the night."
Wales' 58-year wait to reach an international tournament made it a difficult task for Hughes to deal with in his time as a player and manager.
"We had to accept that the longer it went on, the more difficult it became. Because we're a lower-seeded nation, invariably we were the fourth seed out of five," he said.
"That meant that you always had to overcome about three outstanding teams that on paper were better resourced and had better talent available to them."
Hughes was appointed as Wales manager in 1999 as replacement for Bobby Gould, when he was still representing his country as a player, but needed the support of some of the older members of the squad at first.
"I had a lot of good will when I got the job because the lads had gone through a period where it was hard work to play for Wales," he added.
"I had no experience in terms of managing a group and I needed a little bit of time and the support of the senior guys."
The defeat by Russia in the second leg of the Euro 2004 qualifying play-offs affected Hughes, and he feels his inexperience was a contributory factor.
"I never watched that game back. It was just one of those games where looking back, you think would I have done that and should I have done this?
"At that stage I was still an inexperienced manager. I would love to have the same opportunity, in the same circumstances.
"I've managed for 300, 400 odd games and I think I'd make a better fist of it now."
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Towards the end of his reign as Wales manager, Hughes received criticism from former boss John Toshack, who was appointed as his replacement after he was sacked in 2004.
Toshack had previously managed Wales in one game in 1994.
"Truth be known, the criticism did annoy me," admits Hughes.
"Looking back I think some of it was justified at the time. There were moments when we could have done things better but things sometimes go against you.
"Tosh felt it was a role that he might like. Possibly the fact we had 70,000 watching every game made it a bit more attractive than the first time he was manager.
"A lot of the senior guys came to the end of their international careers. Whether that was accelerated because of John's appointment you'd have to ask the individuals. Some would have said it probably did."
Follow Wales at Euro 2016 across the BBC with Wales v Slovakia & Wales v England live on BBC One, BBC Radio & online. | As a former Wales player and manager, Mark Hughes was used to near misses when it came to qualifying for international tournaments. |
20,213,337 | The document from 16 leading environmental organisations says it took the wettest ever summer to avert serious drought.
It warns that another series of dry winters would put Britain back on drought alert.
The government said its draft Water Bill would build resilience into the UK's water infrastructure.
The Blueprint for Water report measures the Government's performance against 10 steps to sustainable water by 2015.
It applauds ministers' commitment to tackle unsustainable abstraction from rivers and wetlands, extend the use of metering at a fair price and develop a catchment-based approach to managing the water environment.
But it says ministers are still failing to produce a long-term, sustainable approach which works with our natural water systems.
The groups want much more use of moors, marshes and plants to store and clean rain water, instead of allowing it to run straight into rivers and thus increase the risk of flooding. This would help tackle droughts as well as floods.
The chair of the Blueprint for Water coalition, Carrie Hume, said: "Lack of action to fix our broken water system is a false economy. We cannot continue to lurch between flooding and drought which is damaging for people, businesses and wildlife."
The Blueprint for Water was launched in November 2010. The Government is scored every two years on its progress.
A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said: "We know we are facing increasing pressures on our water supply and that is why we have published a draft Water Bill that will build resilience into our water infrastructure by creating the conditions to encourage innovation and reduce demand.
"The draft Bill will reduce red tape and drive innovation in the industry making it easier for water companies to work together to ensure we have secure water supplies for the future."
Follow Roger on Twitter | A new report blames the government for leaving the UK's water resources at the mercy of the weather. |
40,371,503 | The sanctions follow a Honda engine upgrade in addition to earlier reliability problems.
Both drivers have already used more than the permitted number of relevant parts after just seven races of 21.
Alonso's penalties total 15 places and Vandoorne's 30, so the Spaniard will start ahead of his team-mate.
Alonso said: "We try to go through the weekend in the best way possible, perform the best we can but there are some things out of our control.
"It will be like this all season long. We used already the maximum engines that we are allowed in the first seven races and now we will start last in a couple of other races.
"That will make things even more difficult but it is the way it is and we can't do anything other than perform at our best."
Some of the penalties arise from the fact that both drivers will use a new design of turbo and MGU-H, the motor-generator unit that recovers energy from the turbo.
As both have already used more than the permitted number of these for the season, they incur a grid drop.
Vandoorne's extra 15 penalty places arise from the fact that Honda is also planning to change his entire power-unit after Friday practice.
Taking a new one will mean a seventh MGU-H and turbo so far this season for the Belgian. Only four are allowed before incurring penalties.
Before this weekend, both Alonso and Vandoorne had already used five turbo/MGU-Hs this season, when only four are permitted for the entire year.
Honda is also to test a series of new components on the engine in practice on Friday and will decide whether to use those upgrades for the rest of the weekend after analysing the data from the two sessions.
Asked whether the new parts would bring significantly improved performance, Vandoorne said: "Difficult to say, to be honest. I think probably more a question for Honda. I don't think it will be too different."
McLaren are in the process of trying to resolve a divorce from Honda, after losing faith that the Japanese company can ever sort out the reliability and performance problems that have afflicted it since it returned to F1 in 2015.
They are expected to attempt to try to secure a supply of Mercedes customer engines for next season.
Vandoorne said: "We are trying to put McLaren's interests at the top. We need to fight back.
"I am pretty sure the team is moving in the right direction and hopefully at some point we will be competitive again. Hopefully that is sooner rather than later." | McLaren drivers Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne will start Sunday's Azerbaijan Grand Prix from the back of the grid after engine penalties. |
32,282,850 | The conviction of Peterborough businessman Mohammed Khubaib, 43, is the latest in Cambridgeshire Police's Operation Erle.
Khubaib forced a 14-year-old girl to perform a sex act on him and committed nine counts of trafficking.
Following the guilty verdict at the Old Bailey, he will be sentenced on 15 May.
Khubaib's friend Manase Motaung, 32, was cleared of related offences by the jury.
Judge Peter Rook QC told Khubaib: "You have been convicted of a very serious offence of a rape on a young girl... having plied her with vodka.
"You have also been convicted of no less than nine trafficking offences in relation to under-age girls who you were deliberately plying with vodka so that you could take advantage of them, knowing they craved vodka so you could exploit them sexually.
Khubaib was caught as part of Operation Erle, which investigated sex offences against girls in the Peterborough area.
The court heard that Khubaib's activities in Peterborough involved girls being befriended and then "hooked" with alcohol - normally vodka - in an attempt to make them "compliant" to sexual advances.
Khubaib, who lived in the city with his wife and children, would pursue his interest "away from his home and family", using his restaurant as a "focal point".
Mark Dennis QC, prosecuting, said the girls were vulnerable because of their age, background, circumstances or unsettled schooling and Khubaib pretended to be their "friend and helper".
Khubaib, who also ran a lettings agency, would drive girls to flats in his 4x4 car and, once there, they would be groomed for sex by being "plied with alcohol and entertained by himself and his friends".
He raped the 14-year-old girl in August 2007 by forcing her to perform oral sex on him after she was given alcohol and then "rewarded" with £5, the court heard.
His conviction brings the total number of people to be convicted under Operation Erle to 10, of which five are of Pakistani origin.
Four previous cases led to nine male defendants being jailed for 59 offences against 15 girls, from Peterborough, with a couple from Lincolnshire and Rutland. | A married restaurant owner with a "persistent and almost predatory interest" in girls has been found guilty of rape and grooming offences. |
36,837,824 | But in truth, you are probably manipulated into doing so by publishers using clever machine learning algorithms.
The online battle for eyeballs has gone hi-tech.
Every day the web carries about 500 million tweets, 300 hours of YouTube video uploads, and more than 80 million new Instagram photos. Just keeping up with our friends' Facebook and Twitter updates can seem like a full-time job.
So publishers desperately trying to get us to read and watch their stuff in the face of competition from viral videos and pictures of cats that look like Hitler are enlisting the help of data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI).
But do these technologies actually work?
Recent start-up Echobox has developed a system it says takes the human guesswork out of the mix. By analysing large amounts of data, it learns how specific audiences respond to different articles at different times of the day.
It then selects the best stories to post and the best times to post them.
Echobox claims its system generates an average 71% gain in referral traffic from Facebook and a 142% increase from Twitter. The software is already being used by publishers such as Vogue, Le Figaro and Telegraph Media Group.
"Imagine a superhuman editor with an incredibly deep understanding of its audience, but 100 times faster," says Antoine Amann, Echobox founder and chief executive.
"The data we use is both historical and real-time. For instance, our system will have a strong understanding of what type of [publishing] times worked well in the past, whilst at the same time analysing what's currently trending on the web."
Anne Pican, digital publisher at French daily newspaper Le Figaro, one of the firm's clients, says they have already seen benefits.
"Social media optimisation has been a major headache," she says. "Not only is it extremely complex but it's a lot of guesswork and requires a more scientific approach.
"Since using Echobox we've seen a major upswing in our traffic and saved valuable time."
Traditional newspapers facing dwindling print circulations are particularly keen to attract new digital audiences.
The New York Times (NYT), for example, has built Blossom, an intelligent "bot" constructed inside the messaging app Slack.
It uses machine learning to predict how blog posts and articles will perform on social media. It can also tell editors which ones to promote.
If a journalist sends Blossom a direct message, such as "Blossom Facebook?", the bot will respond with a list of links to stories it believes will do well on the social media platform at that time.
According to its developers, Blossom posts get about 380% more clicks than ones it doesn't recommend.
What this type of historical and real-time analysis shows is that certain headlines, photos and topics attract more attention than others on different devices at different times of the day with different audiences.
Predicting this without the help of machine learning computers is very tricky.
Programs such as Chartbeat and Echobox also give publishers the ability to test different headlines and promotional tweets for the same story in real time.
And programs like SocialFlow - used by some sections of the BBC website - apply algorithms to try to anticipate when the social media audience will be most receptive to an update.
It can then automatically post the message at the "optimum" time, measure how many people look at the post, and crucially, how many bother to click through to the original article.
But does using data analytics to learn about reader and viewer behaviour, then make publishing decisions based on that analysis, really count as AI?
The NYT is staying tight-lipped about the exact workings of the bot, citing intellectual property reasons, but Colin Russel, a senior data scientist at the newspaper and Blossom's main designer, says: "We do characterise it as AI.
"We're emulating what a team of editors would do if they had the time enough and a whiteboard big enough to observe and enumerate all the stories, all their history of posting, and all possible places they could be posted.
"It's definitely an artificial intelligence."
Echobox also describes its service as "artificial intelligence meets online publishing".
But Tom Cheesewright, a futurist and head of consultancy firm Book of the Future, describes such tech as "more of a tool than an intelligence".
"I'd argue this is probably the very outer edges of what might be called AI. Here, a more prosaic term like machine learning or predictive analytics might be more appropriate."
Semantics aside, Richard Reeves, managing director at the Association of Online Publishers, believes this kind of tech could have a positive impact on the industry.
"Publishers are faced with the dual challenge of increased competition for user attention and a diminishing pool of resources.
"This makes it essential for publishers not only to make the most of their archived content, but also to deliver targeted content that aligns with user needs.
"Thanks to recent developments in AI, publishers are starting to achieve this balance by using advanced new tools."
If you feel there's just too much content to choose from, you could let others do the choosing for you. For example, German publishing group Axel Springer and tech giant Samsung have joined forces to develop the Upday mobile news app.
New users specify what kind of topics they like, then a team of human editors, backed up by computer algorithms, curates content from 1,200 different sources, including Le Figaro, Der Spiegel and The Economist.
And Japanese tech firm SmartNews aggregates stories from 1,500 publications, highlighting those that are being most widely read and shared by others - crowdsourced news as it were.
One solution, of course, is simply to switch off all your gadgets and read a good book.
Follow Technology of Business editor @matthew_wall on Twitter
Click here for more Technology of Business features | You may think you choose to read one story over another, or to watch a particular video rather than all the others clamouring for your attention. |
34,435,970 | Janet McKay, who had dementia, was found in Clydebank on 24 September.
She had last been seen by neighbours in Knightswood eight days before.
West Dunbartonshire Council said it hoped the image of the 150ft-high crane at Clydebank would raise awareness of Alzheimer's.
Provost Douglas McAllister said: "We were incredibly saddened to hear of Mrs McKay's passing. The whole community has been shocked and saddened by this news.
"I agreed that the lighting of the Titan Crane in Mrs McKay's memory was a fitting tribute, and was happy to agree to the suggestion from one of our residents.
"Nothing can alleviate what Mrs McKay's family must be going through, but we hope this gesture shows we are thinking of them."
Alzheimer Scotland community fundraiser Bronwyn O'Riordan said: "It's lovely to see the level of community support for West Dunbartonshire Council's gesture.
"It is an incredibly sad situation and our thoughts are with Mrs McKay's family."
The Titan Crane will be lit purple until dawn on Monday.
The Assistant Chief Constable of Police Scotland has apologised to the McKay family, after information about a possible sighting of her from a member of the public was not passed on to investigators.
Mrs McKay's son George has said her family has no criticisms to make of the police. | The Titan Crane on the River Clyde has been lit up in purple in memory of an 88-year-old woman who was found dead a week after she went missing. |
32,512,504 | Anis Abid Sardar's lawyer told a court he "accepts the finger marks are his".
Sgt Randy Johnson, 34, was killed in an explosion near Baghdad in 2007, Woolwich Crown Court heard.
Mr Sardar, 38, from Wembley, north-west London, denies murder, conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to cause an explosion.
The court has heard allegations that Mr Sardar was part of a group that made a series of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that were buried under the roads west of Baghdad in September 2007.
Two bombs that were recovered by US troops had the defendant's fingerprints on them, it was alleged during the opening of the trial on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Mr Sardar's lawyer Henry Blaxland QC told the court: "Can I just make it clear, Mr Sardar accepts the finger marks attributed to him... are his."
Although the offences took place in Iraq and the victim is American, the prosecution can be brought in Britain as Mr Sardar is a British citizen.
The court heard that Sgt Johnson, of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, was killed when the Stryker eight-wheel armoured vehicle he was travelling in hit an IED on 27 September 2007.
Other US soldiers were seriously injured by the blast and also in a fire-fight while dealing with another IED.
The bomb that killed Sgt Johnson had been "part of a sequence" that was a "joint effort" by Mr Sardar and others, it was alleged.
Two of the US soldiers who were in the same armoured vehicle as Sgt Johnson told the court how they had been travelling along a dirt road when suddenly there was a loud bang.
Specialist Elroy Brooks said that when the blast went off he was blown about 15m outside the vehicle. A wheel landed 100m away.
When they had recovered consciousness they realised Sgt Johnson had sustained injuries to both legs and his lower torso.
The vehicle's medic Joshua Lord told the jury he saw Sgt Johnson "slumped over" in the hatch.
Giving details to the jury, Specialist Brooks described how Sgt Johnson had taken the full blast of a homemade bomb that had blown a hole through the bottom of the vehicle.
Though he regained consciousness briefly, Sgt Johnson died before he could be evacuated by helicopter. His last words were: "Don't let me die here."
The blast also left Mark Aggers, who was serving as a gunner on the armoured vehicle, with serious shrapnel wounds.
The bomb was one of four similar devices found on the same stretch of road.
The fingerprints of Mr Sardar were found on two of the bombs - but not the device that actually killed Sgt Johnson.
The US-led invasion of Iraq began in 2003, amid claims Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. It sparked years of violent conflict with different groups competing for power.
British forces ended combat operations in 2009 and the US did so the following year. A total of 179 UK service personnel and nearly 4,500 US soldiers were killed during the conflict. | A British man has admitted his fingerprints were on two bombs allegedly made along with a device that killed a US soldier in Iraq. |
38,596,314 | Notts, who had been managerless since sacking new Oldham boss John Sheridan on 2 January, have lost 10 straight league games and are 22nd in the table, just a point above the relegation zone.
Hardy said Nolan, 34, could revive Notts' fortunes on the pitch.
"Kevin is an outstanding leader and we need immediate success," Hardy added.
Hardy revealed that Notts are losing £1.6m a year but said he was at Meadow Lane "for the long haul".
"It is a dream come true but there is a realisation that there is a tough job ahead," Hardy added.
Nolan will take charge of the team for the Nottinghamshire derby against Mansfield Town on Saturday.
Nottingham businessman Hardy finalised his purchase of the Magpies from Ray Trew on Wednesday, a deal he said was "90% heart and 10% head" because of what he described as the club's "huge" debts.
Notts are still under a transfer embargo and the subject of a winding-up petition brought by HM Revenue & Customs. But Hardy, who said he feared Notts would have gone out of business had he not intervened, has promised to settle any outstanding debts.
He hoped that would happen in time for Nolan to be active in the final seven days of the January transfer window.
Nolan was appointed Orient boss in January 2016 but was sacked after three months, despite winning seven of his 15 games while in charge.
Nolan, who took the job after talking to former Notts manager Sam Allardyce, said: "This squad is capable of staying in the league. With my input we can start to get away from the current situation.
"I do not see this as a risk. I see this as something I can build with Alan. Alan knows we have to turn this around slowly. I see this as a challenge.
"I hope I can make him a successful and give him back all the faith and confidence he has shown in me."
Former Bolton, Newcastle and West Ham midfielder Nolan cannot play while the embargo is in place but said he still feels like he has something to offer on the pitch as well as off it.
Hardy said: "Kevin Nolan is an outstanding leader and that is what is this football club needs.
"Kevin will provide the leadership on the playing side. Not only is he a very good footballer, but when he went to Orient he had immediate success and we need to start climbing the table.
"This is massive football club but it is not a successful on the pitch. These two need to be realigned."
Hardy, the chief executive of Paragon Interiors Group and owner of Nottinghamshire Golf and Country Club, said there was a "one, three and five-year plan in place" and hoped the club's debts "will be cleared by three years".
He added: "The immediate priority is survival and we need to understand what the fans want.
"We want the product to be right on the pitch but we we also want fans to enjoy themselves while they are here. I understand that frustration and anger.
"The passion and determination in this club needs to go up a few notches."
BBC Radio Nottingham's Notts County correspondent Colin Slater
"There was an openness from both Alan Hardy and Kevin Nolan. As chairman Hardy faced the more difficult questions but, to his credit, he did not shirk any of them. Never once did he say "no comment".
"There were two disclosures which will particularly disturb Notts fans. One is that the club is losing £1.6m a year. The other is that there is a pile of debts to the Football League clubs and these will delay the lifting of the transfer embargo even when the £300,000 tax bill is paid.
"Arrangements will have to be put in place for all these other debts to be paid before the Football League will lift the embargo and Hardy suggested Notts will no more than about seven days to bring new players in before the window closes.
"Nolan looked and sounded glad to be back in football and I think his cheerfulness and positivity will extend to fans, even the most critical." | Former Leyton Orient boss Kevin Nolan has been named as Notts County player-manager following Alan Hardy's takeover of the League Two club. |
35,594,968 | But the public's right to know what is really going on in their country really is the cornerstone of a free society.
Without free access to information, backed up by journalists who are willing to dig down and get to the truth, all the other liberties celebrated in democracies are endangered.
That's why the world should be worried by the concerted attacks on one of the leading newspaper editors in South Asia, Mahfuz Anam of Bangladesh's Daily Star.
The Daily Star is the most popular English-language newspaper in Bangladesh.
It was launched as Bangladesh returned to parliamentary democracy a quarter of a century ago, and has always had a reputation for journalistic integrity and liberal and progressive views - a kind of Bangladeshi New York Times.
That's why it is so shocking that Mr Anam now stands accused of treason, no less.
Sajeeb Wajed, the son of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has described him as "completely unethical" and a liar, and has demanded he be thrown in jail.
Mr Wajed is at the head of a queue of dozens of politicians, student agitators and others who have launched criminal defamation charges against the eminent editor.
I will go into the details of the allegations against Mr Anam in a moment, but first it is important that the claims are set in context, because it is hard not to see this as the latest line of attack in a concerted effort to gag one of the last independent media organisations in the country.
Source: BBC Monitoring
Bangladesh profile - media
The Daily Star and its sister publication Prothom Alo - the most widely read Bengali newspaper in the country - are already the subject of a clandestine attempt to undermine their finances.
The BBC understands that since last summer businesses, including some of the largest telecoms and consumer goods companies in Bangladesh, have been ordered to restrict their advertising in the two newspapers by the country's military intelligence agency.
The Norwegian company that owns Grameen Phone, Bangladesh's largest mobile phone operator, has admitted as much to Al Jazeera. Telenor's head of communications confirmed that, "along with several other large corporations, [it] received an instruction from the authorities to stop advertisements in two leading newspapers in Bangladesh".
The Daily Star and Prothom Alo are reckoned to have lost about a third of their income.
Yet the order has no basis in law, according to the leading commentator on Bangladeshi politics, David Bergman.
"It is simply 'enforced' through the authority that comes from being the country's most feared intelligence agency," he argues.
But its intent is clear: it is about bringing independent media into line and stifling dissent.
The message is "cross the line and we'll take action", but since no clear line has been drawn it is up to the media to police itself.
And it seems to be working.
"There is not a single newspaper or TV editor in this country who does not know about the blockade," writes Mr Bergman, "yet not one of the nearly 30 TV stations, nor one of the countless newspapers has reported about this intimidation of the Daily Star and Prothom Alo."
When I spoke to Bangladeshi information minister Hasanul Haq Inu, he denied that he knew of any such order.
He told me that if the newspapers or any of the companies involved register an official complaint, he would be happy to investigate, and said that if any illegal restriction is being imposed on businesses in Bangladesh, he will take action.
While the restrictions on advertising in the Daily Star are not getting much attention in the Bangladeshi press, the allegations of treason by Mr Anam are getting plenty of publicity.
That is because Mr Anam has admitted he has made mistakes.
In a television interview earlier this month, he conceded that reports published in the Daily Star in 2007 alleging corruption by the woman who is now prime minister were based on uncorroborated leaks from the then military government.
He said he was wrong to have published them.
"It was a big mistake," he said during the interview. "It was a bad editorial judgement, I admit it without any doubt."
But whether his mistakes constitute treason is another matter entirely.
The prime minister's son claims that the articles were an attempt by Mr Anam and the Daily Star to "support a military dictatorship in an attempt to remove my mother from politics".
That is something Mr Anam vigorously denies, with justification.
He points to 203 editorials published during the period of military rule demanding that democracy be restored. That amounts to one every three days of the so-called "emergency government".
He also points out his newspaper was very critical when Sheikh Hasina was arrested in connection with the corruption charges.
"To us Sheikh Hasina's arrest is totally misconceived and smacks of arrogant use of power without due process of law," his editorial thundered, the day after the arrest was made.
What is more, none of the allegations against Sheikh Hasina and other party members was ever tested in court because all charges were dropped by executive order when her Awami League assumed power in 2008.
By contrast, similar claims of corruption made against the main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), were allowed to stand. Many BNP politicians are still technically on bail from the charges.
Mr Haq, the Information Minster, denies there is any campaign against the Daily Star.
He says the complaints against Mr Anam are being made by individuals and are not being co-ordinated by the government. "A judgement on whether he is guilty will be made by the courts on the basis of the merits of the case," he told me.
But Mr Bergman has no doubt about the real significance of these attacks on Mr Anam. He believes they are "an attempt to crush independent media".
He is convinced that government loyalists want "to close down, or at least subdue, any influential independent media or dissent that is not within their control".
That would represent a very sinister power grab in an already fragile democracy like Bangladesh.
Since Bangladesh's media appears too cowed to speak out, it is time the rest of the world does.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has condemned what it calls the "legal harassment" of Mr Anam. Now governments must do the same.
And where better to start than the UK government?
A few weeks ago Alison Blake, the new British High Commissioner to Bangladesh, was celebrating how "as two Commonwealth countries, we share a set of core values, including a commitment to Parliamentary democracy and a tolerant and pluralistic system with a commitment to protect and uphold human rights".
It might be time Ms Blake challenges the Bangladeshi government to deliver on that commitment. | It can seem a bit self-righteous when journalists write about the importance of freedom of the press, a bit like a chef celebrating the virtues of a fancy meal or a hairdresser extolling the importance of a new haircut. |
38,286,957 | The stonework holding the bronze sundial at Conwy church was smashed into three pieces.
Rev David Parry, vicar of Bro Celynnin, said the theft was noticed on Friday morning and reported to police.
"It's very sad. In taking the top, the thieves have severely damaged the stone. It's been part of Conwy's history for a long long time," he said.
"It's a well known landmark, listed in its own right, and we're at a loss to know why someone would want to damage this." | A Grade II listed sundial dating to 1761 has been stolen from a churchyard in Conwy and its stonework smashed. |
40,768,901 | Anne Longfield said personal, social, health and economics education (PSHE) lessons should help children spot when they are being targeted by gangs.
It follows reports children are being used by criminals as "money mules".
She said children looking for "a sense of belonging, fast money" or "glamour" were at risk.
Ms Longfield's research has found 46,000 children in England are involved in gangs.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live's Sunday Breakfast programme, the children's commissioner said children as young as 10 were being recruited into gangs that could be "extremely violent, usually intimidatory and sexually abusive, particularly towards girls".
"These are horrific situations that young people are getting themselves into."
Simon Dukes, chief executive of the fraud prevention organisation Cifas, said some were being persuaded to hand over access to their bank accounts to criminals for money laundering purposes.
He said criminals lure children in with apparent money-making opportunities on social media, and pass money through their accounts to disguise the sources of illicit funds.
"Criminals, of course, prey on the most vulnerable and they're preying on younger people because of their lack of knowledge, in particular, about what is effectively money laundering."
Ms Longfield said other young people were being used to transport drugs.
"Anecdotally, I'm told that middle-class children are often being targeted as well because they are less likely to be stopped.
"Children who are easier to intimidate, vulnerable in some way and often being bullied, those that are easier to control, are being picked on."
Earlier this year, the government announced that PSHE would be made compulsory in all state schools.
The government is currently consulting on what to include in the permanent curriculum, but as yet, there is no timetable for its introduction.
Ms Longfield said the "life skills lessons" should include information on the risks of becoming involved in gangs, an understanding of how gangs target children and help in building resilience to resist them.
Parents may not be aware of who their children are talking to via social media, so young people themselves need to be able to understand the difference between "genuine opportunities" and exploitative situations, she added.
"For younger children it will often be the draw of fast money - sometimes protection for themselves if they're fearful about their own wellbeing - but certainly also a sense of belonging, fast money, sometimes glamour...
"Life skills is something that the government has committed itself to do.
"Most schools at the moment do provide life skill lessons but they're often inconsistent and often they don't tackle some of these issues that are much harder to tackle."
The commissioner also called for police forces to work together to produce better data on the number of children targeted by gangs.
The PSHE Association, a national body working to improve PSHE education, said it supported the call for compulsory lessons to help young people understand "the specific risks of gang membership for individuals, families and communities".
A spokesman said a broad PSHE education "gives pupils the knowledge and skills to better understand peer influence, and helps them recognise and avoid exploitative relationships, online and offline". | Pupils should be taught in school how to avoid being sucked into gangs or exploited by older criminals, the children's commissioner has said. |
40,529,012 | The 31-year-old was not offered a new contract at the Etihad at the end of the 2016-17 season.
The club have confirmed on social media that he will have a medical before signing a contract on Friday.
Clichy joined City from Arsenal in 2011, twice winning the Premier League title and EFL Cup with the club.
The terms of the deal have not been revealed, but reports in Turkey suggest the former France defender will be paid 3m euros (£2.6m) per season in a three-year deal.
Clichy will team up with former City and Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor who signed for Istanbul Basaksehir in January.
Adebayor scored six league goals as the side finished runners-up in the Turkish Super Lig last season. | Former Manchester City left-back Gael Clichy is to join Turkish side Istanbul Basaksehir. |
32,703,623 | An arms depot used by the Houthi rebel movement in the city's north-east was targeted for a second day, sending a column of smoke into the sky.
The coalition also bombed rebel positions in the southern city of Aden.
The proposed truce to allow deliveries of desperately needed humanitarian aid started at 23:00 (20:00 GMT).
However, Saudi Arabia has said its offer of a pause in air strikes is conditional on the Houthis reciprocating and not exploiting the ceasefire for military advantage.
The Houthis have agreed to the truce, but said they will "respond" to any violations.
On Tuesday, coalition aircraft bombed the arms depot at a military base on Mount Noqum in the east of Sanaa for the second consecutive day, witnesses said.
Explosions caused by two strikes on the depot on Monday sent debris crashing down the mountainside onto a residential area. At least 69 people were killed and more than 100 injured, medical officials said.
The coalition also bombed Houthi positions in Aden, and local militiamen allied to Yemen's exiled President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi continued to fight the rebels in the port city and elsewhere in the country's south, Reuters news agency said.
The UN says at least 828 civilians have been killed and 1,511 injured since the start of the coalition air campaign on 26 March to restore Mr Hadi.
The six days from 4 to 10 May have been the deadliest, with at least 182 civilians reported killed, almost half of them women and children. A significant proportion of the casualties were caused by air strikes, especially in the Houthis' northern heartland of Saada province.
Analysts say the coalition appears to be trying to inflict as much damage as possible on the Houthis and allied security personnel loyal to the ousted former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, before the humanitarian ceasefire is scheduled to begin on Tuesday evening.
The new UN envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, has arrived in Sanaa, where he hopes to meet various parties, including the Houthis.
On Monday, the UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos called on all sides in the conflict to "stop the fighting and bombing and give the people of Yemen respite".
"Given the deteriorating humanitarian situation on the ground in Yemen with hundreds of thousands of vulnerable civilians trapped in the middle of fighting and unable to access lifesaving aid it is essential that this pause materialise," a statement said.
Baroness Amos said two World Food Programme cargo ships arrived in the Red Sea port of Hudaydah over the weekend with fuel, food, water and nutritional supplies. Other supplies were ready to be brought in and planes were standing by to help evacuate the wounded, she added.
Meanwhile, an Iranian naval official said Iran would escort a cargo ship carrying humanitarian supplies to Houthi-held Hudaydah. Iran has rejected Saudi and US accusations that it is arming the Shia Houthis.
In a separate development on Tuesday, a jihadist website reported that four members of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) had been killed in a suspected US drone strike on Monday in the eastern Yemeni port of Mukalla. | Saudi-led coalition aircraft carried out fresh air strikes on Yemen's capital, Sanaa, just hours before a five-day ceasefire was set to begin. |
38,079,876 | Anthony Scaramucci, a member of Mr Trump's transition team, had told BBC HARDtalk that Sir Elton would perform in Washington DC in January.
"Elton John is going to be doing our concert on the mall for the inauguration," Mr Scaramucci said.
But this was "categorically denied" by Sir Elton's representative in London.
"There is no truth in this at all," she told BBC News.
During the election campaign, Sir Elton had expressed support for Mr Trump's opponent, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
Performing at a fundraising event for Mrs Clinton in Los Angeles in October, he was reported to have told the crowd: "We need a humanitarian in the White House, not a barbarian."
Mr Trump had used Sir Elton's songs Rocket Man and Tiny Dancer - without the singer's endorsement - at his campaign rallies.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | Sir Elton John will not perform at Donald Trump's presidential inauguration, a spokeswoman for the singer has said. |
18,239,107 | The fish would have picked up the pollution while swimming in Japanese waters, before then moving to the far side of the ocean.
Scientists stress that the fish are still perfectly safe to eat.
However, the case does illustrate how migratory species can carry pollution over vast distances, they say.
"It's a lesson to us in how interconnected eco-regions can be, even when they may be separated by thousands of miles," Nicholas Fisher, a professor of marine sciences at Stony Brook University, New York, told BBC News.
Fisher and colleagues report their study in the journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
.
They examined the muscle tissues of 15 Bluefin tuna (
Thunnus orientalis) taken from waters off San Diego in August 2011, just a few months after the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
These were animals whose parents would have spawned in Japanese waters and spent one to two years locally before heading to feeding grounds in the eastern Pacific.
All the fish examined in the study showed elevated levels of radioactive caesium - the isotopes 134 and 137.
Caesium-137 is present in seawater anyway as a result of the fallout from atomic weapons testing, but the short, two-year half-life of caesium-134 means the contamination can be tied directly to Fukushima. There is no other explanation for the isotope's presence.
The measured concentrations were about 10 times the total caesium radioactivity seen in tuna specimens taken from before the accident.
As a control, the team also examined Yellowfin tuna, which are largely residential in the eastern Pacific.
These animals showed no difference in their pre- or post-Fukushima concentrations.
The research is likely to get attention because Bluefin tuna is an iconic species and a highly valuable fishery - thousands of tonnes are landed annually.
But consumers should have no health concerns about eating California-caught tuna from last year, the team says.
The levels of radioactivity are well within permitted limits, and below those from other radioisotopes that occur naturally in the environment, such as potassium-40.
"The potassium was about 30 times higher than the combined radio-caesium levels. If you calculate how much additional radioactivity there is in the Pacific Bluefin tuna caught in California relative to the natural background - it's about 3%," said Prof Fisher.
The scientists even calculated how much radioactivity might have been present in the fish before they swam across the Pacific (it would have fallen over time) and figured it could have been 50% above background levels; but, again, this would still have met the legal requirements for safe consumption.
Tuna caught in the coming months will be subjected to new tests. These animals would have spent much longer in Japanese waters and so conceivably could have a very different pollution load.
The team also believes the investigation should be extended to other migratory species that frequent Japanese waters.
Fukushima pollution is potentially a very useful tool to trace the origin and timing of animal movements.
Because of their very predictable decay rates, the caesium isotopes and their ratio to each other can be used like a clock to work out when a particular migration took place.
"There's been a lot of really nice electronic tagging work, but any tag you put on a fish shows you what that animal will do from this point forward. What it can't tell you is about the past, and that's what these tracers can do," explained the study's lead author Dan Madigan from Stanford University.
"The logical next step is to look at other species that do what the Bluefin do… migrate from Japan.
"Right now, we have the sampling in place to look at sea turtles, sharks, other fish, potentially whales, and some seabird species as well. This will give us information about the transport [of the contamination] by the animals and it will tell us about the migratory patterns of the animals," he told BBC News.
[email protected] and follow me on
Twitter | Pacific Bluefin tuna caught off the coast of California have been found to have radioactive contamination from last year's Fukushima nuclear accident. |
29,610,742 | Thames Valley Police said the six, aged between 23 and 57, were arrested by the South East Counter Terrorism Unit.
They said the arrests were related to the conflict in Syria and were "not linked to any immediate threat to local communities".
On Monday, anti-terrorism police arrested three men in central London.
The men, aged 21, 24 and 25, were arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.
Tuesday's arrests involved two men, aged 26 and 23, from Portsmouth, a 23-year-old woman from Farnborough, and a 29-year-old woman from Greenwich, south-east London, who were all arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism.
A 57-year-old man from Portsmouth was arrested for failing to disclose information about acts of terrorism, for engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts and arranging availability of money and property for use in terrorism.
A 48-year-old woman from Portsmouth was also arrested for failing to disclose information about acts of terrorism. | Three men and three women from Portsmouth, Farnborough and Greenwich are being held in connection with a police anti-terrorism operation. |
28,045,714 | The Bordesley Centre in Camp Hill heard concerns about inspection reports linked to an anonymous letter alleging an Islamic takeover plot of schools.
A number of speakers told the crowd they believed the reports were biased.
Ofsted chief Sir Michael Wilshaw has previously agreed to meet parents and children from the affected schools. | Hundreds of people have attended a meeting to discuss the fallout from the Trojan Horse inspections of Birmingham schools. |
40,357,525 | Jason Waterman "arrived without warning, dripping salt water and carrying a bag of wet clothing".
The 32-year-old, originally from Watford, handed himself in late on Monday.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) is now attempting to extradite him under a European arrest warrant.
The NCA said: "He refused to say how he reached Gibraltar, only that it wasn't through the frontier."
Mr Waterman, whose nicknames include Jugs and Jumbo, was wanted in connection with a drug trafficking investigation.
Border police found 7kg (15lb) of cocaine, with a potential street value of £1.2m, at Bagby Airfield in October 2015.
The discovery was made shortly after a light aircraft arrived from the Netherlands. The plane's pilot was arrested but later found not guilty of importation offences.
Brian Shaw, NCA North East operations manager, said: "It might sound like a cushy number, sitting around watching Crimewatch Roadshow on a Monday morning, but life as a fugitive is hard and stressful.
"The NCA first issued an appeal for Waterman in London nearly a year ago. Clearly something about the new appeal made him crack.
"To everyone else feeling the stress of being on the run, I would say we are patient people, we keep the pressure on, and we never stop looking for you." | A suspected drug smuggler has handed himself in to police in Gibraltar "dripping wet" after seeing himself on Crimewatch. |
23,954,889 | The measure to be voted on next week sets a time limit of 60 days on any operation. The draft document also bans the use of any ground forces in Syria.
Secretary of State John Kerry said the US had to act after the Assad regime's "undeniable" chemical weapons attack.
The Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, John Boehner, endorsed Mr Obama's call for military action.
According to a copy of the draft resolution obtained by AFP news agency, the senators wish to restrict the operation to a "limited and tailored use of the United States Armed Forces against Syria".
The resolution states that "the president may extend" a 60-day operation "for a single period of 30 days" if he obtains further specific Congressional approval.
By Mark MardellNorth America editor
"The authority granted... does not authorise the use of the United States Armed Forces on the ground in Syria for the purpose of combat operations," the statement added.
The BBC's North America Editor Mark Mardell in Washington says it is by no means the definitive motion, but it is a strong indication of the way committee members are thinking.
No 'armchair isolationism'
The draft was released after Mr Kerry appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The secretary of state said there was evidence beyond any reasonable doubt that the forces of President Bashar al-Assad prepared for a chemical weapons attack near Damascus on 21 August.
Mr Kerry told the senators the President was not asking America to go to war. "He is asking only for the power to make clear, to make certain, that the United States means what we say."
Standing aside, he said, would allow other countries to pursue weapons of mass destruction.
"This is not the time for armchair isolationism," Mr Kerry added . "This is not the time to be spectators to slaughter.''
By Jonathan MarcusBBC diplomatic correspondent
Some elements of the Syrian chemical weapons complex may be buried underground but large parts of it can easily be seen on satellite images.
Much of it is reasonably close to populated areas - and this is the problem.
Attacking such sites with regular explosive bombs might well wreak considerable damage but it could also open up chemical weapons stocks to the air, disperse them over a large area, and potentially cause large numbers of civilian casualties
Can US hit Syria's chemical weapons?
US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel and the top US military officer, Gen Martin Dempsey, also appeared before the Senate panel.
Mr Hagel said that "the word of the United States must mean something", and echoed Mr Kerry when adding: "A refusal to act would undermine the credibility of America's other security commitments, including the president's commitment to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon."
Earlier on Tuesday President Obama met key congressional leaders at the White House. He said a "limited" strike was needed to degrade Syrian government's capabilities in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack.
Mr Boehner said he supported Mr Obama's call for action, and that only the US had the capacity to stop President Assad. Mr Boehner urged his colleagues in Congress to follow suit.
Tough sell
Mr Obama also won the backing of Eric Cantor, the House of Representatives' majority leader.
But the BBC's Jane O'Brien, in Washington, says Mr Obama still faces a tough task winning the support of the American people.
The latest opinion poll shows public opposition to involvement in the Syrian conflict is growing, with six out of 10 Americans against missile strikes and lawmakers also divided.
Mr Obama is now travelling to Sweden, ahead of a G20 meeting in Russia later in the week that is sure to be dominated by Syria.
France has strongly backed the US plan for military action.
President Francois Hollande said on Tuesday: "When a chemical massacre takes place, when the world is informed of it, when the evidence is delivered, when the guilty parties are known, then there must be an answer."
He called for Europe to unite on the issue, but said he would wait for the Congress vote.
If Congress did not support military action France "would not act alone", he said.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron had also backed Mr Obama, but Parliament rejected a resolution on military action.
At the US hearing, Mr Kerry said the possibility of such a defeat in Congress was "too dire" to contemplate.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon had earlier said that the organisation's charter permitted military action only in self defence or with the agreement of the Security Council.
Mr Ban said a US military response could create more turmoil, but that if chemical weapons had been used in Syria then the Security Council should unite and take action against what would be "an outrageous war crime".
The US has put the death toll from the attack on the outskirts of Damascus on 21 August at 1,429, including 426 children, though other countries and organisations have given lower figures.
The Syrian government denies any involvement and blames rebels for the attack.
In an interview with French newspaper Le Figaro on Monday, President Assad warned that foreign military action could ignite a wider regional conflict.
Earlier, the UN refugee agency said that more than two million Syrians were now registered as refugees, after the total went up by a million in the past six months.
As well as those who have left the country, a further 4.25 million have been displaced within Syria, the UNHCR says, meaning that more people from Syria are now forcibly displaced than from other country.
The UN says this is the worst refugee crisis for 20 years, with numbers not seen since the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. | US senators in a key committee have agreed on a draft resolution backing the use of US military force in Syria. |
20,307,574 | His departure comes just weeks after Microsoft launched Windows 8, the latest edition of its flagship product, seen as key to the firm's future.
Microsoft did not give any reason for Mr Sinofsky's departure.
However, one industry watcher suggested there had been talk of an internal "war" between Mr Sinofsky and chief executive Steve Ballmer.
Markets took the news badly, with Microsoft's shares ending the trading day on Tuesday 4% lower.
The company said Julie Larson-Green would be promoted to lead all Windows software and hardware engineering.
"This is shocking news. This is very surprising," said Brendan Barnicle, an analyst at Pacific Crest Securities.
He added that many observers saw Mr Sinofsky as a potential successor to Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's chief executive.
In a letter to all employees, published by Forbes, Mr Sinofsky set out to quell the rumours about his departure.
"Some might notice a bit of chatter speculating about this decision or timing. I can assure you that none could be true as this was a personal and private choice that in no way reflects any speculation or theories one might read - about me, opportunity, the company or its leadership," he said.
By Rory Cellan-JonesTechnology correspondent
Sinofsky's exit, just weeks after the launch of Windows 8, raises questions about the future direction of the business, not least because he was seen as a credible successor to Ballmer.
A 23 year veteran of the company, he was a familiar figure to anyone who attended a Microsoft launch, a polished performer explaining just why we should be excited about the latest innovations in the Windows operating system.
Read Rory's full blog
"It is impossible to count the blessings I have received over my years at Microsoft," he added.
Michael Gartenberg, an analyst with research firm Gartner, said that Mr Sinofsky's were big boots to fill.
"The reasons why he left don't matter all that much but the big question is about how Microsoft fills the void," he said.
"He did a lot more than head up a division, he had a unified vision of Microsoft as an ecosystem, tying together the PC, phone, tablet, Xbox and online services. The ramifications of his departure are yet to be felt."
He added that the immediacy of his departure was "strange".
"You don't often see that at that level," he said.
Mr Sinofksy's departure is the latest change at the top of some of the world's biggest technology companies.
Last month, Apple announced that Scott Forstall, head of its iOS software, and John Browett, head of retail, would be leaving the firm.
The announcement followed problems with Apple's new mapping software and disappointing quarterly results.
Meanwhile, Yahoo - which has been trying to regain some of its lost market share - also hired a new chief operating officer in October.
In July the internet company appointed its third chief executive in a year.
Microsoft's Mr Ballmer said the changes in leadership were aimed at ensuring the firm continued to be a dominant player in the sector.
"The products and services we have delivered to the market in the past few months mark the launch of a new era at Microsoft," Mr Ballmer said.
"To continue this success it is imperative that we continue to drive alignment across all Microsoft teams, and have more integrated and rapid development cycles for our offerings." | Steven Sinofsky, the head of Microsoft's Windows division, has left the company with immediate effect. |
34,054,934 | They said the suspects were spotted outside a state prison in Cumberland on Saturday, with a drone, handgun and contraband found inside their vehicle.
A separate search on an inmate of the jail turned up contraband, they added.
While it is the first case of its kind in Maryland, there have been similar attempts in Ohio and South Carolina.
Synthetic marijuana and pornographic DVDs were among the items the suspects intended to fly into the maximum-security prison using a Yuneec Typhone drone, officials said.
"You couldn't make this stuff up," Maryland's Secretary of Public Safety Stephen Moyer told reporters.
Both men are being held; one on a $250,000 (£159,000) bail, the other without bail. The inmate who was found with smuggled items in his cell has also been charged.
Police said they had been under surveillance for some time.
Drones - also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) - have been used before to smuggle drugs, cigarettes and mobile phones into prisons in the US.
Earlier this month, a brawl erupted at a prison in Ohio after a drone dropped a package containing small amounts of tobacco, marijuana and heroin into the prison yard.
Nine prisoners who were involved in the fight were placed in solitary confinement. | Two men have been detained on suspicion of trying to smuggle drugs and pornography into a prison in Maryland using a drone, prison officials say. |
23,191,371 | A relative or carer - potentially hundreds of miles away - can drive the machine around the house to check that everything is all right.
The pair can also have a chat through a two-way video call system.
The Giraff robots are 1.5m (4ft 11in) tall with wheels, and a TV screen instead of a head.
A relative or carer can call up the Giraff with a computer from any location. Their face will appear on the screen allowing them to chat to the other person.
The operator can also drive the robot around the house to check that medication is being taken and that food is being eaten.
NHS Western Isles will be piloting the Giraff for the first time in Scotland, as part of the European Union project Remodem, which aims to investigate ways to support people with dementia living in remote communities.
Health board bosses said earlier trials in Australia showed that people with dementia were not afraid of the machines. They hope the robots will help people living alone in remote areas to feel less lonely.
Chief executive Gordon Jamieson said: "We are absolutely delighted to have the Giraff here with us to trial and we have high hopes for how it may improve the quality of life for some dementia patients.
"As a new technology for us, the robot could also potentially be used in many other areas of healthcare to improve quality of care, live access to specialists, and speed up consultations, regardless of location."
He added: "Having seen the Giraff in action, I am extremely impressed with how easily it can be moved around by the 'controller' so that you can clearly see the environment of the patient, and can have a conversation and meaningful interaction, regardless of distance." | NHS Western Isles is putting robots into the homes of people with dementia as part of a pilot scheme to help them to continue to live independently. |
35,216,022 | Edinburgh beat their rivals back-to-back, following a 23-11 win last Sunday with a bruising 14-11 victory on Saturday to claim eight Pro12 points.
The victories also allowed the capital side to retain the 1872 Cup.
"I've felt that over the last couple of seasons we've definitely closed the gap," Solomons told BBC Scotland. "We saw that that gap has been closed."
Solomons also feels the spirit shown by his players is the best he has experienced in his rugby career.
Edinburgh repelled huge pressure from the Warriors deep in their own 22 as the clock hit 80 minutes.
"The players there in the last two minutes were just incredible," said the South African. "They weren't going to lose that game, that's for sure.
"For two weeks in a row, you are not going to peak to the same extent and we always knew we were going to come off a bit, which we did. But their resilience was incredible.
"I think it's about the building of a team and the spirit within that team. It's something we started doing two-and-a-half seasons ago.
"I've always said this team has got the most amazing spirit of any team I've ever been involved with, we've got the most amazing players, and we saw that." | Alan Solomons believes Edinburgh's improvement has taken them much closer to Pro12 champions Glasgow Warriors. |
34,357,353 | Three journalists from the BBC Hausa service were on the Hajj in Mina and give their accounts of the incident and its aftermath.
People were going towards the direction of throwing the stones while others were coming in the opposite direction. Then it became chaotic and suddenly people started going down. There were people from Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Senegal among other nationalities. People were just climbing on top of others in order to move to a safer place and that's how some people died.
People were chanting Allah's name while others were crying, including children and infants. People fell on the ground seeking help but there was no-one to give them a helping hand.
Everybody seemed to be on their own. It affected some members of our group. I lost my aunt as a result of the stampede and at the moment, two women from our entourage - a mother and her daughter - are still missing.
Where I'm standing, here in the centre of Mina city, I can see dead bodies wrapped in white cloth. Police have barricaded the area so I couldn't count them, but dead bodies stretch as far as my eyes can see.
Surrounding the area some relatives are hanging around in mourning and other pilgrims who are in the tent city in Mina are also coming round to see the bodies and also to sympathise and mourn. Police officials are stopping people from passing through the area while they deal with all the dead bodies, while ambulances are moving in and out.
Because of the lack of access, we don't know what the ambulances are doing. Helicopters are hovering over the area where the bodies are being kept.
A witness who escaped the stampede said that what actually happened was that the Saudi security at the scene blocked one of the roads to the Jamarat (stoning the devil).
This happened as thousands of pilgrims from different countries like Iran, Cameroon, Ghana and Niger were going to the Jamarat. Therefore, as those who finished stoning the devil were coming back on the same route, they met those heading to the place.
There was a kind of collision between the two groups moving in opposite directions on the same road. Those in the middle were the most affected. | A stampede during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia has killed at least 700 people and injured more than 860. |
36,265,535 | Residents at Wallace House in Hatherley, Gloucestershire, spent five weeks creating the mosaic using 1,634 recycled coffee machine capsules.
Carol Gatter, who runs the craft club, said she did not initially tell the group what they were working on.
She said: "I'd been telling them that it was a nude of myself so I think they were relieved that it was the Queen."
Ms Gatter, who has only just started the group, said she had wanted to "start off with something really exciting".
She said: "I thought 'Let's go big' and the only way we can do a mosaic is to go very large.
"But I didn't realise that used Nespresso pods still have their coffee in them.
"So they've all been emptied out by myself and now my garden smells lovely."
With 2,500 donated single-serving coffee pods cleaned out "for the colours", it then fell to residents to create the monarch's likeness to celebrate her 90th birthday.
Working two hours a week for five weeks, resident Pat said she had "really enjoyed" creating the completely-recycled artwork.
"It's in nine separate parts so until you put it all together you couldn't tell what it was going to be," she said.
"So we didn't actually know until the last week - but it's just magic, basically." | Sheltered housing residents have used hundreds of spent coffee pods to create a portrait of The Queen. |
33,686,708 | In a Mumsnet discussion, left-wing MP Mr Corbyn criticised the personal "abuse" of candidates.
And Ms Kendall said the campaign had "a bit [of a] 1970s... or even 1950s" feel, saying women should be judged by their ideas, not their family life.
Her campaign has previously criticised a Labour MP's decision to back Yvette Cooper because she is a "working mum".
Helen Goodman, in an article for the Huffington Post, had said Ms Cooper, who has three children, "understands the pressures on modern family life".
Ms Kendall's campaign chief, Toby Perkins, said her comments suggested a "paucity of intellectual argument", while Labour MP John Woodcock suggested such an argument would not be made about a man.
Andy Burnham is the other candidate in the leadership contest to succeed Ed Miliband.
During an online discussion with Mumsnet users on Tuesday, Mr Corbyn and Ms Kendall were asked whether they thought sexism had featured in the campaign.
Mr Corbyn replied: "Yes I do and I think people should be judged on the policies they're enunciating and not on levels of bad attitudes or abuse that are heaped upon them by anybody else and some of our popular media.
"Actually, I don't do personal, I'm more interested in ideas and politics."
And Ms Kendall said: "Yep, sometimes it has felt a bit 1970s... or even 1950s!
"I'm a feminist - I believe women should be judged by their ideas, their values, and what they have to contribute... not by what they wear, what they look like, or their family situation or relationships.
"We have a painfully long way to go before that's the case..."
Ms Kendall, who is currently fourth in the race, has rejected calls to stand aside and back another candidate to defeat current front-runner Mr Corbyn, saying she will "fight to the very end".
She also criticised comments in The Times by shadow justice secretary Lord Falconer - a supporter of Mr Burnham's - who said neither she nor Ms Cooper would be able to unite the party to steer it through the "challenging" years ahead.
And Ms Cooper, who has endorsed Ms Kendall staying in the contest, said the campaign had been "startlingly retro".
She told the Guardian: "Andy's campaign seem to be calling for Liz and I to bow out and leave it to the boys, or suggesting that somehow women aren't strong enough to do the top jobs.
"Liz has been asked about her weight, I've been asked (on [BBC Radio 4's] Woman's Hour of all places) about whether I can possibly do this job because of my husband, and any talk about me being a working mum has been used as a sexist way to divide Liz and I and criticise Liz for not having children."
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour earlier in the day, Mr Corbyn said he was "embarrassed" and had a "bit of a chuckle" when he was told there had been an online discussion on Mumsnet about him being "sexy".
The left-winger published his women's manifesto on Tuesday, promising universal free childcare, mandatory gender pay audits and to challenge everyday sexism.
The Islington North MP pledges that half of his shadow cabinet would be women if he were elected Labour leader.
He would also work towards 50% of the party's MPs being women, it says.
Mr Corbyn is also calling for universal free childcare, which he told Woman's Hour would be paid for by general taxation.
"Early years socialisation of children is very, very important. It's good for the children and it's good for the families," he said.
Companies would be required to publish equal pay audits as a step towards ending the gender gap in wages, under Mr Corbyn's plans.
"It's about a cultural change, its about attitudes as much as anything else," he said.
The left-wing MP rejected accusations that he would destroy Labour's electoral chances if he were to become the party's new leader.
It comes after a poll for the Independent suggested three quarters of people think the party is less electable than at the general election, when Labour suffered heavy losses, and with senior Labour figures warning against a "lurch to the left".
Mr Corbyn said his campaign had attracted the support of many young people who think "there needs to be a challenge to the cross-party agreement... on variations of austerity in the general election".
"Young people are excited by this, isn't that a good thing?" he said, adding that his campaign had not "grown out of the ether and hot air".
On the personal abuse directed at him, Mr Corbyn said it was a matter for those people but he said he would "never indulge in any degree of personal abuse towards anybody".
He did criticise some of coverage of the contest, however, saying: "It's very sad that some sections of the media are incapable of engaging in any of this at political level and engage in it solely at a level of personal intrusion and personal abuse.
"Does it hurt those around me? Yes, it does." | Sexism has played a role in Labour's leadership contest, hopefuls Jeremy Corbyn and Liz Kendall have said. |
32,911,886 | Universities in Bangor, Swansea and Cardiff will lead research into areas like physical activity, arthritis, asthma, infection and injuries.
Aims will include giving children a healthy start and adding more quality years to people's lives.
It is being funded by Welsh government body Health and Care Research Wales. | A national centre aimed at improving health and wellbeing is to be established with the help of £2.25m funding. |
33,275,404 | The dispute with the train operator was over the dismissal of Glen Watson, a conductor on the service.
Transpennine Express said Mr Watson's employment had now ended on "mutually accepted terms".
The RMT said all local protests were over and thanked members for their support during the dispute.
Three 24-hour strikes had been held.
The dispute started when Mr Watson was dismissed after a train-surfing incident at Cleethorpes station.
Transpennine Express said the conductor did not force the train to stop and deal with the matter properly.
The train operator has agreed to discuss a new policy at a joint safety committee for dealing with such problems, said the RMT. | Industrial action by more than 40 train conductors on the Transpennine Express route between Sheffield and Cleethorpes has been cancelled, the RMT union said. |
39,938,175 | Ashford and St Peter's NHS Trust said it has reported the 22 incidents, some of which date back to 2011.
It said the patients treatment plans "were not reviewed in a timely way, which has the potential to cause harm".
The trust suggested a reliance on "paper and notification forms" could be to blame.
Ashford and St Peter's NHS Trust works across two sites - Ashford Hospital, in Surrey, and St Peter's Hospital in Chertsey.
In a statement, it said: "It is always difficult to determine exactly what level of harm may have been caused by a delay and whilst we cannot disclose details of individual patients, in at least two of the [three patients that died] we know this is not directly attributable to the delay in their care.
"In addition, we know that of these 22 individuals, a number did not suffer any adverse outcome but are reported as serious incidents due to the potential harm that could result from delay."
The trust said each case has been "thoroughly investigated" in close liaison with the patient and their family.
It added: "There are many different and complex reasons why a patient may become lost to follow-up but the reliance on paper and notification forms to support patients and to administrate their pathways is not sufficiently robust to ensure it is fool-proof."
Last year, it said it had proactively initiated a new Patient Pathway Programme to review and improve administrative procedures for cancer patients.
It said it was attempting to spot common themes to reduce the risk of patients not being followed up, a problem it claimed is common to most acute trusts. | A health trust has admitted failing to properly follow up 22 of its cancer patients, three whom have since died or are receiving palliative care. |
40,306,311 | Neil Hulme, 56, from Worthing, West Sussex, spent 20 years volunteering to protect butterflies and moths.
The charity Butterfly Conservation said he saved the rare Duke of Burgundy by improving its local habitat on every known site.
Mr Hulme said: "It is a great honour to be recognised in this manner."
He added: "But the conservation of butterflies is always a team effort, so it is equally a recognition of my colleagues and particularly the volunteers of Butterfly Conservation Sussex Branch.
"This is also for my parents - my passion for butterflies and dedication to helping them is entirely their fault."
He worked with landowners and the South Downs National Park Authority to help improve the environment for butterflies.
Now some colonies have expanded in Sussex to become amongst the largest in the UK, including the Duke.
Butterfly Conservation chief executive Julie Williams said: "I am absolutely delighted Neil is being recognised for his dedication and amazing effort in conserving butterflies and moths over the last 20 years.
"His work on the Duke of Burgundy means this wonderful butterfly now has a future in Sussex."
Mr Hulme now leads a Heritage Lottery Funded project, Fritillaries For The Future, to conserve highly threatened fritillary butterflies across Sussex.
For a few weeks in July, Mr Hulme joins groups of people wandering English woods carrying strange produce, including rotting fish, Stinking Bishop cheese and dirty nappies, to bait the Purple Emperor, one of Britain's most elusive and beautiful butterflies. | A butterfly enthusiast who almost single-handedly saved a rare species from extinction in Sussex has been awarded a British Empire Medal. |
36,725,692 | The Swiss team will not take part in next week's post-British Grand Prix test at Silverstone, stating it was to "consider cost effectiveness".
They also missed the first in-season test in May as they had no test driver and a lack of car upgrades.
Sauber are last in the constructors' standings before Sunday's race at Silverstone, having failed to score a point so far this season.
British Grand Prix coverage details
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. | Sauber have pulled out of a second Formula 1 in-season test to save money. |
36,685,468 | Bentley, 22, and Sawyers, 24, have agreed four-year deals with the Bees while Egan, 23, has signed a three-year contract at Griffin Park.
Sawyers joins on a free transfer after leaving Walsall while Southend and Gillingham are entitled to compensation for Bentley and Egan respectively.
The Championship club are in talks with the Shrimpers and the Gills.
The trio become Brentford's first three signings of the summer transfer window.
Bentley came through Southend's youth system and made 160 appearances for the Essex club after making his debut in 2011.
Former Republic of Ireland Under-21 international Egan, who can play at centre-back or right-back, scored 11 times in 92 games during two years at Gillingham after joining from Sunderland.
Saint Kitts and Nevis international Sawyers, who worked with Brentford head coach Dean Smith at Walsall, scored 19 goals in 162 outings during three years with the Saddlers.
Meanwhile, Brentford have appointed former boss Andy Scott as chief scout at Griffin Park.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Brentford have signed goalkeeper Daniel Bentley, defender John Egan and midfielder Romaine Sawyers. |
38,401,968 | 22 December 2016 Last updated at 14:03 GMT
The blaze at Multy UK, on the Earlstrees Industrial Estate in Corby, was tackled by 70 firefighters at its height on Wednesday.
An investigation has now begun into what caused the fire, off Brunel Road, which created a black plume of smoke seen for miles around.
This footage was shot by eyewitness Pawel Slowinski. | New footage has emerged of a massive fire that broke out at a cleaning products firm in Northamptonshire. |
27,707,280 | The song, with its Latin American vibe, will be used as the opening sequence for all of the BBC's World Cup programmes for Brazil 2014.
It is the first time the musician, 64, has given his approval for one of his songs to be used in this way.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Wonder originally released the track on his multi Grammy Award-winning Songs In The Key Of Life album back in 1976.
The song will feature for the first time on BBC One on 11 June (22:35 BST) to introduce the BBC's World Cup preview show.
BBC Sport senior producer Ian Finch said the BBC were fortunate Wonder granted permission for it to be used.
"It is very rare for an artist of this stature to approve the use of their music in this way, so we are thrilled and honoured," Finch said.
"This song perfectly captures the feel-good, carnival atmosphere we will bring to our viewers during the World Cup this summer."
The BBC will have comprehensive coverage of the World Cup, showing live matches on BBC One, BBC One HD and the BBC Sport website, with simultaneous games on BBC Three, BBC Three HD and the Red Button.
BBC Two and BBC Two HD will host a morning catch-up highlights programme as well as full match replays of the game of the day. | Stevie Wonder's song Another Star will provide the theme tune for the BBC's Fifa World Cup coverage. |
36,128,951 | The Pirates went down 55-33 at Nottingham to finish the season in ninth place in the Championship.
Davies is leaving the club because of cost-cutting measures.
"There was a bit of body preservation - some players were not going not contact as they should have and there were soft tries for both sides," he said.
"We've relaxed since being knocked out of the British and Irish Cup as the season has ended."
During his time as part of the coaching staff, Davies has seen the Pirates win the British and Irish Cup and reach two more semi-finals, as well as twice making the Championship play-off final.
But he says the move to the planned new Stadium for Cornwall must go ahead if they are to survive in the long term:
"I'm disappointed not to have been part of the Pirates playing in the new stadium in that first game, a lot of people behind the scenes have worked very hard," Davies told BBC Radio Cornwall.
"As a club it has to survive, but it'll only survive with the stadium." | Cornish Pirates boss Ian Davies says he was disappointed by the lack of commitment of some of his players in his final game in charge of the club. |
35,926,664 | So why have some 12,000 tweets featured the term "England kit" during the team's two Euro 2016 warm-up matches?
Nike's design - which breaks with tradition - has come under scrutiny. So will the Three Lions look downright silly in France this summer?
It is often said people don't like change - not even when Nike claim the new England strip is "the most advanced kit ever to hit the pitch".
The manufacturer says this kit is 10% lighter than in the past and dries 25% quicker, so is it the cocktail of colour that has irked fans and former players?
A move away from traditional blue/white home strip or red/white away offering, coupled with contrasting sleeve colours, has seen some claim England are losing their heritage.
England players were consulted about the strip, and stand-in captain James Milner told reporters he was more interested in the shirt's fit.
But former players have not been so kind, with Gary Lineker telling his Twitter followers he "can't think of a worse England strip" as Roy Hodgson's side donned their red change kit for Saturday's 3-2 win over Germany.
BBC Radio 5 live pundit and former England winger Chris Waddle "wasn't impressed", while ex-midfielder Rob Lee tweeted: "Red/burgundy, blue socks, worst England kit."
A shift to home colours for the defeat by the Netherlands did little to create some love for the design, with former midfielder Peter Reid stating he is "not having" the strip.
Marco Gabbiadini, who played for England B and the under-21s, was discussing the kit and not the side's ability when he wrote "we look like a non-league team".
Think the new strip looks a little like an away team forced into a last-minute sock change? Without doubt, the socks have been the focus of much attention, but their colour is a nod to England's past.
"Bright red socks, featuring a linear blue graphic on the calf, celebrate the look of the English team that famously triumphed over Brazil at Maracana Stadium in 1984," a Nike spokesperson told BBC Sport.
"They bring a vibrant spark of contrast to the head-to-toe look and highlight the most dynamic part of the footballer's body, the lower legs, to accentuate speed."
Nike's deal runs until 2018, and the American sports manufacturer clearly feels it retains the confidence of the Football Association.
"For both kits, we set out with the goal of bringing together the colours that are synonymous with English football: white, red and blue," said Martin Lotti, Nike's creative director.
Hodgson has enough on his plate finalising his preparations for Euro 2016.
"The only thing that concerns me is the person wearing the shirt," he said.
Nike also make kits for hosts France, Portugal, Turkey, Poland and Croatia. Many of their strips feature sleeves which differ in colour to the body of shirts - much like England's.
This fashion quirk - though perhaps not innovative enough to threaten the front cover of Vogue - has not gone down too well, so why couldn't England have 'done a Poland' and kept to all white?
Perhaps by Euro 2016, supporters will have adjusted and dislike will diminish. If not, maybe Sweden's fairly glum away strip can become the focus of summer kit angst... | The home shirt is white, the away one red - run of the mill for an England kit, then? |
36,670,719 | The 29-year-old has signed a four-year contract to become City's third summer signing.
New manager Pep Guardiola has already brought in Ilkay Gundogan from Borussia Dortmund for £20m, as well as Australian midfielder Aaron Mooy.
Nolito started all four of Spain's matches at Euro 2016 before they were knocked out in the last 16 by Italy.
"I think that Pep Guardiola is one of the best managers in the world," said Nolito, whose real name is Manuel Agudo Duran.
"He knows a lot about the game and he's going to help me progress as a player. I'm sure he'll get the best out of me."
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. | Manchester City have signed Spain forward Nolito from Celta Vigo after meeting his £13.8m release clause. |
35,035,087 | Writing in the New York Times, Mr Schmidt said using technology to automatically filter-out extremist material would "de-escalate tensions on social media" and "remove videos before they spread".
His essay comes as presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton again called on Silicon Valley to help tackle terrorism, specifically seeking tools to combat the so-called Islamic State.
"We need to put the great disrupters at work at disrupting ISIS," she said during a speech in Washington DC.
In the wake of the Paris attacks, companies and governments have clashed over how to handle the terrorism threat.
Many tech firms, buoyed by the fallout from the Edward Snowden leaks, have stood firm on encryption - with the likes of Apple and others making it near-impossible to access a locked smartphone without the password, a move that has frustrated some politicians.
With the terrorism debate escalating after last week's shootings in San Bernardino, Mr Schmidt's editorial appears to be an attempt to ease these tensions and show a willingness from technology companies to help.
"As with all great advances in technology, expanded Web access has also brought with it some serious challenges, like threats to free speech, qualms about surveillance and fears of online terrorist activity," Mr Schmidt wrote.
"For all the good people can do with new tools and new inventions, there are always some who will seek to do harm.
"Ever since there's been fire, there's been arson."
He insisted that censorship and invasions of privacy would not solve the situation.
"We should build tools to help de-escalate tensions on social media - sort of like spell-checkers, but for hate and harassment. We should target social accounts for terrorist groups like the Islamic State, and remove videos before they spread, or help those countering terrorist messages to find their voice.
"Without this type of leadership from government, from citizens, from tech companies, the Internet could become a vehicle for further disaggregation of poorly built societies, and the empowerment of the wrong people, and the wrong voices."
On Monday, White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters the US government wanted to avoid "the urge to trample a bunch of civil liberties".
And in addition to her speech on Sunday, Mrs Clinton later shared her "plan to defeat ISIS" on long-form writing platform Medium, and called for co-operation.
She said: "Resolve means depriving jihadists of virtual territory just as we work to deprive them of actual territory."
"They are using websites, social media, chat rooms, and other platforms to celebrate beheadings, recruit future terrorists, and call for attacks.
"We should work with host companies to shut them down."
Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC | Technology companies should work on tools to disrupt terrorism - such as creating a hate speech "spell-checker" - Google's chairman Eric Schmidt has said. |
39,960,501 | The ex-Wycombe and Accrington midfielder suffered two serious knee injuries during his time at the club.
Full-back Liam Wakefield, 23, is also released by Morecambe.
Michael Rose, Kevin Ellison, Barry Roche, Aaron Wildig, Alex Kenyon, Paul Mullin and Ryan Edwards have been offered new contracts.
Andy Fleming and Lee Molynuex are also in talks with the Shrimps.
"On the eve of my most recent operation to repair a new injury sustained in the game against Wycombe I was informed over the phone that I was to be released," Murphy said on Twitter.
"I was informed by the surgeon the very next day that the injury I sustained is career ending.
"I feel fortunate to have played the game I love for a living for the time that I have."
Earlier this week, Diego Lemos' ownership claim to Morecambe was dismissed with tax consultant Graham Burnard announced as sole director. | Morecambe captain Peter Murphy has announced his retirement at 27 because of a career-ending injury and his release from the Shrimps. |
15,906,194 | Media playback is not supported on this device
Boos were aimed at Bruce, who had his family in attendance on Saturday.
He said: "It's not easy when your family are here and you're abused like that. But it's the game we're in and I've never walked away from a challenge.
"I won't be beaten with it. If others see fit to make a change then so be it but I'm ready for the challenge ahead."
Defeat to Wigan was Sunderland's sixth of the season and they sit just two points above the relegation zone.
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A mistake from defender Wes Brown allowed Wigan's Jamie McArthur time to steal the ball and set up Franco di Santo for a late winner after Jordi Gomez's penalty had cancelled out Sebastian Larsson's early opener.
Despite yet another loss and their precarious position, Bruce is confident his side can turn it around.
He added: "I'm still convinced, no matter what people are chanting or saying, that the dressing room and the players we've got here are a good group and they will turn it around.
"I've got to try to get some belief back among the supporters - it isn't easy at the moment but I've never ducked away from anything or a challenge.
"Of course I can understand their [the supporters'] frustrations. It's happened too many times here and, when you're not winning matches in front of your faithful, of course I'm going to get the brunt of it.
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"But I'm convinced we're on the right track and nobody is going to change my mind on that."
After Larsson had given Sunderland an eighth-minute lead, the home side had a number of chances to extend their advantage but Kieran Richardson and Brown missed opportunities.
Richardson also put a late header wide and Bruce bemoaned his side's wastefulness in front of goal.
"I keep coming out and saying the same sort of thing. We should have won the match comfortably. We've not taken the chances we've had to kill the game off.
"We can't make that same mistake because you don't get gluttons of chances in the Premier League. It has happened too often that we've created the chances but we've not taken them.
"It's not just one or two, it's a host and, when you don't take them, there's an edginess and a panic.
"Then we go a bit gung-ho and we've made a mistake. We've come away scratching our heads and a really frustrating afternoon has turned into a nightmare afternoon." | Sunderland boss Steve Bruce insists he won't quit despite abuse from fans after a home defeat against Wigan. |
39,139,640 | The figures for the year to 31 October 2016, include the Sussex Cricket Foundation charitable subsidiary.
An operating loss of £139,000 was recorded for the same period in 2015.
Sussex chairman Jim May said balancing the finances remained a "constant challenge but these were satisfactory figures for the new organisation".
A combined turnover figure of £6.5m showed a decline in match income, but the club said there had been a strong performance in commercial income.
Since the County Ground in Hove was redeveloped in 2011, net revenues for catering, events and rental income had increased by around £500,000 a year.
However, after making full allowance for depreciation, Sussex said it recorded a deficit after tax of £488,000.
The club's report added that the balance sheet was strong with total equity of £10.3m and no external debt.
"I believe that Sussex is in good shape for the current season," added May.
"We have made quality signings in the close season to complement our squad and we have an exciting group of youngsters coming through."
The club finished last season in fourth place in Championship Division Two and failed to progress beyond the group stage in the T20 Blast and One-Day Cup. | Sussex made a small operating profit of £1,000 in 2016, their first year as an integrated body combining professional, recreational and community cricket. |
36,472,613 | Sajid Hussain, 35, a taxi marshal near Snobs nightclub in Birmingham was convicted of sexual assault and another man was jailed for rape.
The club and a business group said they previously reported the unofficial rank to the council.
Birmingham City Council said it was "really concerned" by the incident.
The 19-year-old was abducted in a transit van and and raped after leaving Snobs in Smallbrook Queensway in the early hours of 20 February, 2015.
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Hussain, was jailed for six years and her rapist Zaheer Abbas, 30, was jailed for 11 years earlier this month.
Judge Mary Stacy had earlier told Birmingham Crown Court: "Snobs abandoned her on the street where she was prey to the likes of Abbas and Hussain."
A spokesman for Snobs and Southside Business Improvement District (BID), said Hussain was "not employed or associated" with either organisation and the "unofficial" rank he worked for had been reported to the council prior to the rape.
He said in May 2015, Southside instigated an official taxi rank outside the club "out of its own pot" due to the council's budget constraints. "Unfortunately this was too late," he said.
The BID area now has three official ranks with "CRB checked" marshals, he added.
Wayne Tracey, co-owner of Snobs, said the teenager "was found asleep in the toilet", checked by an onsite paramedic and "accompanied out of the building" into a cordoned-off area in front of the venue. Staff tried to find her friends in Snobs and a short time later she made her way to the taxi rank.
"At no point was she abandoned - she was looked after until she decided to make her own way home. Unfortunately, we are unable to compel members of the public to stay on site and no club can be expected to help visitors into taxis," he said.
Mr Tracey added: "We believe that the issue at hand is the licensing of taxi marshals and set-up of official taxi ranks in the city, which affects all clubs and bars."
A spokesman for the council said it was working with firms to improve the arrangements at taxi ranks in the Southside BID, which covers much of Birmingham city centre.
"Licensed Hackney carriages are allowed to operate from official ranks in the Southside BID area, but we advise people not to allow themselves to be put into licensed vehicles other than by a Southside BID marshal, who will put you into a black cab," they said. | A nightclub accused by a judge of "abandoning" a drunk student who was later raped said it had raised concerns about an unofficial taxi rank outside. |
40,519,615 | The campus, which opened in 2015, was built to accommodate 2,000 but has just 106 enrolled students.
Plaid Cymru AM Simon Thomas said the venture had been considered an "unwise move" from the outset.
The university said it was a "long-term investment" and it was "committed to eliminating losses in Mauritius".
In May, the university announced potential job losses as it tries to make £11.4m of cuts by April 2019.
The campus has international and UK students, and offers courses including criminal law, business finance and computer science.
The income from fees is split between the university and Boston Campus, the company responsible for building it.
Last year, a former vice-chancellor for the university described the venture as "madness" after just 40 students enrolled during its first academic year.
The institution made a loss of nearly £200,000 from the venture during that year.
The two other British universities to open in Mauritius - Wolverhampton and Middlesex - both had about 90 enrolments in their first year on the island, according to figures gathered by the country's higher education regulator.
The University of Central Lancashire also offers courses in Mauritius.
Last year, Wolverhampton announced it was closing its campus four years after it opened.
Responding to figures seen by Newyddion 9, Mr Thomas, AM for Mid and West Wales, said: "The first impressions are this venture is somewhat struggling and is finding it difficult to fulfil its potential as it was advertised at the time.
"Of course, many people thought it was an unwise move by the university to go to Mauritius in the first place. The aim of the scheme surely was to attract new money that would support the university in Aberystwyth.
"If that doesn't happen the plug must be pulled on the scheme."
A spokesman for Aberystwyth University said: "Our Mauritius campus opened in 2015 as a long-term investment aimed at offering an Aberystwyth educational experience to students from east Africa, the sub-continent and Asia, as well as the island of Mauritius.
"As part of our ongoing sustainability implementation plan, we are committed to eliminating losses in Mauritius." | Aberystwyth University should "pull the plug" on its "struggling" Mauritius campus if it fails to increase student numbers, an AM has said. |
38,997,912 | The free agent, who has 68 caps for Uruguay, left Serie A giants Juventus in the summer.
"I am very happy to have signed for what is an important club in English football," said the 29-year-old, who has not played a game for over a year.
"Of all of the options that I had, I think that the best option for me was to come to Southampton."
Caceres also played for Spanish clubs Barcelona and Sevilla, winning La Liga and the Champions League during his time at the Nou Camp.
He made 77 appearances for Italian champions Juve across three spells, winning the Serie A title four times.
However, he has not made a competitive appearance since last February after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon.
He will provide cover for Southampton centre-back Virgil van Dijk, who was ruled out for up to three months with an ankle injury. | Southampton have signed former Juventus and Barcelona defender Martin Caceres until the end of the season. |
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