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28,688,588 | Sajid Javid added that the effort was "firmly on track" to offer high-speed internet to 95% of UK homes and businesses by 2017.
He said that fast speeds were "totally transforming the way we live and work".
But many have questioned the quality of access and speeds advertised.
Superfast broadband is defined by the European Union as speeds of 24Mbps or above. The UK government's ambition is to provide 95% of the UK with those speeds or higher by 2017, with the rest having a minimum speed of 2Mbps.
By contrast, Finland plans to have a baseline speed that is more than four times faster - 100Mbps - by next year, while South Korea wants to see citizens equipped with 1Gbps connections by 2017.
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has said that the UK's broadband target is simply not ambitious enough when compared with other nations and wants the government to commit to delivering a minimum of 10Mbps for all homes and businesses by 2018-19.
John Allan, FSB's national chairman, told the BBC that "there is still a long way to go".
"Small businesses are increasingly reliant on digital services, but too many are without decent and affordable broadband that meets their needs. This restricts their ability to grow, innovate and compete in global markets.
"Leaving 5% of the UK without adequate broadband in 2017 is simply not good enough. "
But the UK government says the current UK coverage of superfast broadband is the highest of the five biggest European economies.
The government has also set aside millions to improve broadband access in rural areas.
But BDUK, the group set up to spend the £530m of government money for the rural internet initiative, has come in for criticism for delays in distributing funds to councils and for awarding every contract to BT.
"Getting fibre to rural areas is hard, and often complex, work, but we are making great progress," said Gavin Patterson, the chief executive of BT, adding that it was laying undersea cables to the Outer Hebrides, for example.
"Some of the early projects are close to completion, and further funds will be released if we come in under-budget or take-up exceeds expectations," he said.
A Commons Public Accounts Committee report criticised the government for wasting taxpayers' money by giving all of its broadband funds to BT.
The FSB has said that coverage in rural areas is "either very poor or non-existent".
Alternative providers are already in place. B4RN (Broadband for the Rural North), for example, offers broadband speeds of up to 1Gbps to about 350 homes currently. But since BT signed contracts with councils around the UK, the plug has been pulled on several community-based schemes.
Malcolm Corbett, head of the Independent Network Co-operative Association, which represents some of the smaller broadband suppliers, told the BBC: "It is great that the rollout programme is making good progress. However, there are far too many homes and businesses in both rural and urban areas that won't see any benefit for some years to come.
"Fortunately there is a growing sector of independent providers that are stepping up to fill the void," he added, citing projects like CityFibre, which is developing a portfolio to bring ultra-high-speed broadband to York, Peterborough, Coventry, Bournemouth, and more.
Andrew Ferguson, the editor of thinkbroadband.com, told the BBC that the focus was now on those 5% of people in the "most remote and hardest parts" of the UK not covered by the current plans for superfast broadband.
He said that £10m had been invested in a series of pilot projects currently under way in eight locations across the nation to work out how best to get broadband to them.
"The findings will be used to inform future funding bids to ensure everyone benefits from the transformation of the digital landscape currently under way," he added. | The UK's culture secretary has said that more than a million properties now have access to "superfast broadband speeds" as a result of a government-backed rollout of the tech. |
32,341,840 | In the last three months, at least 10 people who served in his government or in his Party of Regions (POR), or had connections to people who were, have met premature ends either by being murdered or reportedly committing suicide.
In January, Mykola Serhiyenko, the former deputy chief of Ukraine's national railways, was found shot dead in his Kiev home, with the gun lying beside him. Then came a string of others, inluding Olexiy Kolesnyk, the former governor of the Kharkiv region, who was found hanged, and Mykhailo Chechetov, who jumped from his 17th-floor apartment in the capital.
The most recent deaths took place within hours of each other. On Wednesday evening, Oleg Kalashnikov, a former MP from Mr Yanukovych's party, was found dead from gunshot wounds in his apartment block.
Then on Thursday, around lunchtime, two masked assailants gunned down Oles Buzyna, a writer and former newspaper editor, in the courtyard of his building.
1. Oleh Kalashnikov, MP of Party of Regions (POR), gunshot, presumed murder
2. Olexiy Kolesnyk, former governor of Kharkiv region, hanged
3. Stanislav Melnyk, gunshot, possible suicide, POR member
4. Serhiy Valter, former mayor of Melitopol, hanged
5. Olexandr Bordiuh, deputy chief of Melitopol police, found dead, "hypertension"
6. Olexander Peklushenko, former governor of Zaporizhia region, gunshot
7. Mykhailo Chechetov, former POR deputy chairman, jumped to death
8. Serhiy Melnychuk, former Odesa prosecutor, pushed/fell/jumped to death
9. Mykola Serhiyenko, former first deputy chief of Ukrainian railroads, gunshot
10. Oles Buzyna, a very provocative pro-Russian journalist and writer, gunshot
All were said initially to be suicides, except 1, 5, 8 and 10.
It may be that not all of these deaths are connected. But the sheer number of fatalities in such a short period of time, as well as the many unexplained details, such as why so many appear to be suicides, have led many observers to see some sort of link.
The problem is, no one has any hard evidence. And the theories about what connects the deaths often seem to reflect the commentators' political position.
Those from former President Yanukovych's circle say the authorities are conducting a "witch hunt" against them, threatening them with what they say are unjust prosecutions and long jail sentences, which have driven a number of people to take their lives out of despair.
Government officials say the criminal cases, for extortion, corruption and even murder, are justified. The suicides, they say, are a reflection of the former officials' feeling of guilt, and recognition that they cannot avoid punishment.
Others whisper darkly that an outside force could be killing off the former Yanukovych insiders, to keep them from talking.
Again, however, no one can provide any concrete proof that this is in fact the case.
Media reaction in Ukraine:
Journalist Vitaly Sych: "Looks like someone needs evidence that anti-Russian sentiment is rampant in Ukraine, and someone is creating this evidence."
Journalist Sonya Koshkina: "Excuse me, police, but where have you been looking? How can people get killed in Kiev just like that, in broad daylight?"
Media expert Natalya Lihachova: "We are drowning in a nightmare and chaos. Everyone was expecting Russia to resume military hostilities in eastern Ukraine, but the nightmare has come to Kiev."
Journalist Vakhtang Kipiani: "This is a dish cooked exclusively for consumption in Russia. It was not enough to brand [the Ukrainian government] fascists. The junta must kill its political opponents. The jigsaw puzzle is now complete."
In what may or may not be a related development, local media reported that Kalashnikov wrote a letter, complaining he had received threats for his public calls to mark the 70th anniversary of the allied victory in World War Two.
The authenticity of the letter could not be verified. However, a website does exist called "Peacekeeper", which Kalashnikov wrote about.
The site listed his address with this entry: "Separatist. Provocateur. Accomplice of militants. Maintains contacts with terrorists and militants."
In the case of the murders of Kalashnikov and Buzyna, though, authorities were quick to announce a link.
Initially, after the discovery of Kalashnikov's body, Anton Gerashchenko, a high-level advisor to the interior ministry, wrote on his Facebook page that law enforcement investigators were looking into five possible motives, including his business interests and "political activities".
But after Buzyna was gunned down, Mr Gerashchenko announced the murders were connected to the two men's knowledge of the pro-Yanukovych "anti-Maidan" protest movement, which took place at the same time as the mass demonstrations that drove Mr Yanukovych from power, and which officials are now investigating for alleged criminal acts.
"It appears that the shooting of witnesses in the anti-Maidan case continues," Mr Gerashchenko wrote.
However, he did not say why he had reached this conclusion so quickly, or what evidence he had to back up the claim.
Ukraine's law enforcement bodies' work on other cases has come under sharp criticism.
The Council of Europe, the continent's main human rights body, said an investigation into the deaths of protestors and policemen during the anti-government protests last year showed "serious deficiencies" and failed to satisfy "requirements of the European convention of human rights".
Ukrainian officials for their part called the criticism "surprising and baseless". | The killings of two public figures in the Ukrainian capital Kiev only deepens a mystery surrounding a recent spate of deaths among people linked to the political machine of former President Viktor Yanukovych. |
30,255,084 | Modern slavery victims are said to include women forced into prostitution, "imprisoned" domestic staff and workers in fields, factories and fishing boats.
The figure for 2013 is the first time the government has made an official estimate of the scale of the problem.
The Home Office has launched a strategy to help tackle slavery.
It said the victims included people trafficked from more than 100 countries - the most prevalent being Albania, Nigeria, Vietnam and Romania - as well as British-born adults and children.
Data from the National Crime Agency's (NCA) Human Trafficking Centre last year put the number of slavery victims in the UK at 2,744.
The assessment was collated from sources including police, the UK Border Force, charities and the Gangmasters Licensing Authority.
The Home Office said it had used established statistical methodology and models from other public policy contexts to estimate a "dark figure" that may not have come to the NCA's attention.
It said the "tentative conclusions" of its analysis is that the number of victims is higher than thought.
The Modern Slavery Bill going through Parliament aims to provide courts in England and Wales with new powers to protect people who are trafficked into the countries and held against their will.
Scotland and Northern Ireland are planning similar measures.
But outlining the strategy for government departments, its agencies and partners, Home Secretary Theresa May said legislation was "only part of the answer".
The "grim reality" is that slavery still exists in towns, cities and the countryside across the world, including the UK, she said.
"The time has come for concerted, co-ordinated action... we must step up the fight against modern slavery in this country, and internationally, to put an end to the misery suffered by innocent people around the world."
The Home Office said the UK Border Force would roll out specialist trafficking teams at major ports and airports to spot potential victims, and the legal framework would be strengthened for confiscating the proceeds of crime.
The modern slavery strategy will also see:
Modern slavery minister Karen Bradley told the BBC she was not surprised by the figures.
She said: "This is very much a hidden crime and the important thing is that we get it out in the open. If we compare where we were 200 years ago, the anti-slavery campaigners there had to make people acknowledge that slavery was wrong.
"What we have to do today is not make people acknowledge it's wrong - everybody knows it's wrong - but we have to find it.
"It's a hidden crime, it's going on in streets, in towns, in villages across Britain and we need to help people find the signs of it so we can find those victims and importantly then find the perpetrators."
Aidan McQuade, director of charity Anti-Slavery International, said the Home Office's figures "sounded about right" but questioned whether the government's strategy went far enough.
Allan Doherty, of the charity Hope for Justice, said traffickers used a number of ways to control their victims.
"They will maybe threaten them in some cases with physical violence, or threaten their families back home and, of course, they take documents off victims and it makes it incredibly difficult for that victim to get away and to go and find any help.
"There are many cases where the victim does try and get help from the authorities and lots of opportunities are missed because the authorities don't understand the crime, and don't recognise them as victims."
Aneeta Prem, founder of the Freedom Charity, said recent publicity around the issue was helping, but "everyone needs to be vigilant."
She said: "It's not somebody in shackles, it's not somebody tied into a house that cannot leave, that isn't what a modern day slave is.
"It could be someone forced into sex trafficking, someone forced to work on a farm with no pay or little pay."
She added: "It could be somebody that's working in a car wash, somebody that you just suspect is in the wrong situation. We can all spot these signs and hopefully report it and get something done about it." | There could be between 10,000 and 13,000 victims of slavery in the UK, higher than previous figures, analysis for the Home Office suggests. |
24,777,347 | Data presented at the National Cancer Research Institute conference showed poverty was linked to 450 breast cancer deaths a year.
Catching the tumour late is thought to be a major explanation for the deaths.
The Department of Health said "much more" could be done to diagnose and treat cancer earlier.
Cancer charities and the researchers urged women to see their GP promptly.
Scientists from Cambridge and Leicester universities used data from 20,738 patients in the east of England who had breast cancer diagnosed between 2006 and 2010.
They looked at what stage of the cancer the tumours were being diagnosed. The later the diagnosis, the more advanced the tumour and the harder it is to treat.
Women from the most affluent areas were catching their tumours earlier, the data showed.
The study found that if women from more socially deprived backgrounds could match the level of diagnosis among the more affluent, 450 lives could be saved each year in England.
One of the researchers, Dr Gary Abel, of the University of Cambridge, told the BBC it was not entirely clear why poverty affected women's chances of survival.
"But we think it's to do with both symptom awareness amongst the more deprived women and also what action they take once they find that there is something wrong - and how quickly they go to their GP," he said.
"What we seem to see is that women from more affluent areas will go straight to their GP, seek help immediately. Whereas women from more deprived areas maybe tend to hold back before going.
He called for a "renewed effort" to boost awareness campaigns, pointing out that around 70% of those with breast cancer were diagnosed by their GP - not through the national screening programme.
"Clearly this research shows that there is still work to be done and perhaps we need to move beyond just telling people what the symptoms are and encouraging people to go and see their GP as quickly as possible."
Dr Julie Sharp, of Cancer Research UK, said: "Other research shows that women from deprived backgrounds are more likely to feel embarrassed or worried about going to their GP, but it's important for women to take that step as going to the GP promptly could make all the difference."
"All women should be aware of how their breasts normally look and feel because we know that early diagnosis is one of the most important factors in whether breast cancer treatment is effective."
Eluned Hughes, head of public health at Breakthrough Breast Cancer, added: "By focusing on improving early diagnosis, particularly in deprived areas, we can have most impact in stopping women dying from breast cancer.
A Department of Health spokesman said much more could be done to diagnose and treat cancer earlier.
"We are spending £450 million to help diagnose cancer earlier, which will save thousands of extra lives every year, and we are investing more than £170 million over four years to expand and introduce pioneering new methods of screening for cancer.
"We are also committed to reducing inequalities in cancer care - that's why our Be clear on cancer campaigns are aimed at more disadvantaged groups and try to build awareness of cancer symptoms."
Previous research by Public Health England has shown a strong link between poverty and health. Cancer, heart attacks, strokes, lung disease and liver disease are all more likely in areas of social deprivation. | Hundreds of women from the poorest backgrounds in England are dying needlessly of breast cancer, according to researchers. |
27,832,511 | The 60-year-old Australian coach has worked with many of the world's best players in a 34-year career, including Boris Becker and Goran Ivanisevic.
Andy Murray has previously spoken highly of Brett, who was seen as a possible replacement for Ivan Lendl as the Wimbledon champion's coach.
Brett had reviewed the LTA's high performance system earlier this year.
"Bob's work ethic and attention to detail is incomparable," said LTA chief executive Michael Downey, who recruited Brett as a consultant while in charge of tennis in Canada.
Brett will relocate from Monaco to London, spend his time travelling the country to the LTA's high-performance centres, and Leon Smith and Iain Bates, heads of men's and women's tennis respectively, will report to him.
Asked about his salary, Michael Downey said, "I think we're getting great value for Bob Brett. I really believe his appointment fits within a mindset of the new cost-conscious LTA."
World number five Andy Murray is currently the only British male in the world top 100, while Heather Watson and Laura Robson are currently 69 and 80 in the women's rankings. | The Lawn Tennis Association has appointed Bob Brett as its director of player development. |
35,603,867 | Darragh MacAnthony, whose side are 11th in League One, tweeted on Saturday after Posh's 4-0 loss to Bradford City.
Westley said: "You never win anything unless you put pressure on yourselves. I'm cool with any strategy he's got that heaps the pressure on.
"You test yourself when the going is tough and people demand results.
He added to BBC Radio Cambridgeshire: "If you can't stand the heat, get out the kitchen. I love this kitchen."
MacAnthony has been Posh chairman since 2006 when the club were in League Two, and since then they have earned promotion to the Championship twice, but have been in League One for three seasons.
Westley replaced Dave Robertson in September and has guided the club from 18th in the table to six points off the play-offs, as well as the FA Cup fourth round, where they took Premier League side West Brom to a replay and lost in a penalty shootout.
"I'm sure (MacAnthony) means his comments as I've never known him to say something he didn't mean," added Westley.
"He's very much a man of his word in my experience, but I don't think he intends to sell the club, he intends to win promotion.
"Someone was speaking to me earlier in the week about what if he goes, and I said I'd talk the board into keeping him because he's good at what he does." | Boss Graham Westley relishes pressure from his Peterborough United chairman, who said he would sell if Posh were not promoted in the next 18 months. |
39,343,329 | Daniel Boylett, 35, of Eltham, south-east London, was arrested after trouble at a Palace home game against Charlton Athletic on 23 September.
Boylett was part of an "aggressive" group of fans that targeted the 25-year-old bird Kayla, the court heard.
He denies attempted criminal damage worth an estimated £20,000.
Crystal Palace, nicknamed the eagles, adopted Kayla as a mascot in 2010. She flies around the stadium at every home game.
Kayla's handler Chris Belsey had been walking her around the pitch on his forearm when a punch was thrown from the crowd, the jury heard.
Prosecutor Daniel Higgins said there "is no dispute" Boylett threw the punch, but questions may surround whether he intended worse to happen.
Kayla's delicate bone structure meant "if she had been hit with force, her bones could easily break" Mr Higgins added.
The game, which Crystal Palace won 4-1, had seen violent scenes before a ball had even been kicked.
Boylett appeared in the dock alongside Colin Kitto, 49, of Eltham, Andy McConville, 48, of Rochester, Kent, Billy Cowcher, 32, of Greenwich, south east London and Sam Donegan, 25, of Welling, Bexley, in south London.
Messrs Kitto, McConville, Boylett and Cowcher were "all present at the front of this aggressive and disorderly group which was led by Kitto", according to Mr Higgins.
Mr Boylett, Mr Kitto and Mr McConville each deny two counts of violent disorder. Mr Cowcher and Mr Donegan deny one charge each of violent disorder.
The case continues. | A football fan intentionally threw a punch at Crystal Palace's bald eagle mascot during a fractious derby game, a court has heard. |
39,757,595 | She suffered suspected spinal injuries at Crib y Ddysgl, near Snowdon, according to a spokesman for Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team.
A Coastguard rescue helicopter winched the woman off the mountain and flew her to Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor.
The incident on Saturday at about 14:00 BST. | A woman has been airlifted to hospital after falling 40ft (12m) while walking in Snowdonia. |
35,307,332 | Prince William flew in to the playing field at John Henry Newman School in Stevenage, after transporting doctors from nearby Lister Hospital, for the East Anglian Air Ambulance.
While there he spoke to a number of pupils in the school canteen.
Head teacher Clive Matthew said the visit was "completely unexpected".
"It was really quite bizarre. We have the air ambulance use the school site quite regularly and whenever they land the staff go out, we clear the field of children and offer the crew refreshments," he said.
"We didn't realise who was on the helicopter at the time. And then Prince William jumped off and came into the school.
"He was great. He queued up with the children, he got himself some lunch and sat down. Then he was surrounded by a group of Year 11 boys who had a chat with him - it was really lovely."
Mr Matthew said the duke, who has been a pilot for the charity since last summer, ate roast chicken, cauliflower cheese and vegetables, but did not have dessert.
He said the prince donated the cost of the meal to the school's children's charity.
"One of the boys sat opposite the prince and was shaking so much he nearly lost the pasta off the end of his fork," said Mr Matthew.
"[William] did compliment the meal, saying it was very good."
The Duke of Cambridge has been spotted on a number of missions for the air ambulance, including when he was sent to help a young girl hit by a car in Bedfordshire last September. | The Duke of Cambridge made a surprise stop at a school for a chicken dinner as he took a break from a helicopter flying mission in Hertfordshire. |
35,277,063 | Mr Jones said leaving the EU would have "devastating consequences" for Wales, and asked what Mr Farage had done to help steel in his role as a Euro MP.
Mr Farage claimed membership of the EU had left the first minister "impotent".
He argued the UK would have more control of its economy outside the EU.
The UKIP leader opened the debate in Cardiff on Monday by asking if the UK wanted to "regain our independence as a nation state" or if it was happy to be a "subordinate member of the club".
Mr Farage claimed it was "scaremongering" to say trade would cease and jobs would be lost upon a British exit from the EU.
The first minister replied by saying membership of the UK and EU was vital to Welsh prosperity.
Claiming 200,000 jobs in Wales relied on EU trade, Mr Jones said "pulling up the drawbridge" would have "devastating consequences".
Focusing on the fate of steel, the first minister said the industry's problems were "nothing to do with the EU".
A glut of steel on the world market, the strong pound and high energy costs were hurting the industry, he said.
Mr Jones said he met Tata Steel bosses in December, adding: "Not once did they mention the European Union as being some kind of obstacle."
Mr Farage responded by claiming British politicians in Wales and Westminster had been unable to protect the steel industry from cheap Chinese exports.
"You didn't do it, not because you don't want to, because you haven't got the power to do it because we've given that away to Brussels," he said.
If the EU referendum campaign is going to be anything like this, it's going to be a lively affair.
It was breathless stuff - within minutes both men were trading insults.
And perhaps surprisingly it was jobs and the economy - not immigration - that dominated.
At times it was a tough night for the first minister with Nigel Farage bossing big chunks of the debate.
Carwyn Jones based his claims on the dangers of taking a risk - in other words, better the devil you know.
Nigel Farage's rhetoric was based around the need to reclaim control of our borders and our laws.
On the issue of immigration, Mr Farage said "the biggest benefit" of leaving the EU would be the UK's ability to set up an Australian-style points system to accept immigrants based on their skills, lack of criminal convictions and ability to speak English.
However, Mr Jones dismissed the suggestion that EU membership had "anything to do" with immigration, saying if the UK was not a member, France would simply allow refugees camped at Calais to pass through.
"Would it be in our interest to turn our backs on our European partners, or isn't it better to work together to find a European solution to what is a European challenge," he asked.
The first minister also attacked the UKIP leader's record as a Euro-MP, saying he had only attended one out of 42 meetings of a fisheries committee in the European Parliament.
"The reality is you don't stand up for Britain," he told Mr Farage.
In reply, the UKIP leader said: "If I spent every living moment there I wouldn't have even been allowed to debate or vote on the issues that affect fisheries - the parliament hasn't got that power."
Eluned Parrott, Welsh Liberal Democrat spokesperson on Europe, said that "neither person came out of this shouting match particularly well", claiming hers was the only UK party united in favour of EU membership.
"Carwyn Jones was right to be arguing the importance of the UK remaining in the EU," she said.
"Yet, his views are in stark contrast to his party in London, where [Labour leader] Jeremy Corbyn remains ambivalent on this major issue."
Plaid Cymru AM Elin Jones was critical of Mr Jones, tweeting: "Well, for the case for Wales staying in EU, that was a set-back. Mustn't be repeated. #IWADebate."
Before the debate, a spokesman for the Welsh Conservatives dismissed the event as having the feel of a "rather gaudy PR spectacle", saying Mr Jones had failed to invite rival party leaders to similar debates about Welsh issues under his control.
A referendum on whether the UK should remain within the EU or leave is set to be held before the end of 2017.
On Sunday, Prime Minister David Cameron suggested the vote could be held as early as this summer. | First Minister Carwyn Jones and UKIP leader Nigel Farage have clashed over the fate of the steel industry in a head-to-head debate on the UK's future within the European Union. |
34,264,512 | Mr Kerry's three-day visit will begin on Friday, and he will meet Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond in London.
The US State Department says they will discuss "the ongoing crisis in Syria and refugee situation".
David Cameron has announced that the UK will accept up to 20,000 refugees from camps surrounding Syria, but Labour says that is "not enough".
The new arrivals to the UK will be offered five-year humanitarian visas, under the Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme, and their resettlement will be paid for in the first year from the overseas aid budget..
While in the UK, Mr Kerry will also hold talks with United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed.
The EU is facing a huge influx of migrants, many fleeing conflict and poverty in countries including Syria, where a civil war has been raging since 2011.
Hundreds of migrants are currently stranded at the Serbia-Hungary border after the Hungarian government closed the frontier with a new razor-wire fence.
The US has allowed 1,500 Syrians to resettle since the start of the conflict, and the Obama administration has said a further 10,000 will be admitted over the next year.
According to the White House, the US is the single largest donor to the Syrian crisis response, having given over $4bn (£2.6bn) since it began.
But some, such as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon's special representative on migration, have said money is not enough and more refugees must be allowed to resettle in countries like the US. | US Secretary of State John Kerry is to visit the UK later this week for talks on the Syria crisis. |
34,009,420 | The first 1,200 civil servants are due to leave on 30 September.
That is now uncertain due to the Stormont Executive's continuing disagreement on welfare reform and the budget.
The head of the Northern Ireland civil service said a decision will be taken at the executive meeting on 10 September.
In a letter to staff, Dr Malcolm McKibbin said he appreciated that "this timeframe is very close to the conditional leaving date" for the first group of leavers.
But he added, that if the decision is taken to proceed, staff will leave on the planned date.
The voluntary redundancy scheme was part of the Stormont House Agreement.
It was struck between the executive parties and the British and Irish governments in December.
The scheme allowed the executive to borrow up to £700m to fund 20,000 redundancies across the wider public sector.
Around 3,000 of those redundancies are in the civil service.
But, with the welfare reform part of the agreement collapsing, it is doubtful if the redundancy scheme can proceed as planned.
More than 7,000 civil servants expressed interest in the scheme and 1,200 of those have been told they can leave, depending on funding.
If the executive is not allowed to borrow the money, it would have to pay for the scheme by making cuts to day-to-day departmental spending.
Some public bodies, such as Translink, have said they will proceed with redundancy plans even if the Stormont House money is not available. | Northern Ireland civil servants hoping to take voluntary redundancy will hear next month if the scheme will go ahead. |
27,834,041 | Michael Maguire is taking the PSNI to court in an attempt to force it to hand over sensitive intelligence material.
A judge has delayed the legal hearing for two weeks to allow both parties to come to an agreement.
The High Court heard that investigators for the ombudsman were turned away from PSNI buildings.
It was also claimed that requests for information on the cases had been turned down on more than 100 occasions.
The action centres on investigations into recent and historic cases involving allegations of police criminality and misconduct by failing to properly probe murders.
Claims of collusion between some police officers and the killers feature in many.
One of the cases in which the PSNI stands accused of obstructing Police Ombudsman Michael Maguire's staff is the loyalist murders of six people in Loughinisland, County Down.
The men were shot dead as they watched the 1994 World Cup in the Heights bar.
The High Court also heard that access to material is being sought in up to 19 ongoing investigations.
Barrister Stephen McQuitty, for the ombudsman, told Mr Justice Treacy proceedings had not been issued lightly.
Arguing that the PSNI was under an obligation to hand over information, he claimed: "The refusal to provide that material is irrational."
It was contended that the police reasoning was misconceived and mistaken.
"There's been an unjustified departure from a memorandum of understanding that exists between the police and the ombudsman," he said.
Although the document came into operation last September, the court heard that the breakdown in relationships was confirmed in April.
Referring to an affidavit from Adrian McAllister, chief executive in the police ombudsman's office, Mr McQuitty claimed the PSNI began to express concerns about sharing information.
"It was not raised formally but manifested itself in police ombudsman staff being turned away from PSNI buildings when they had arranged to view sensitive material," he said.
"It became apparent to the police ombudsman that a different approach had been taken."
Senior counsel for the police Tony McGleenan QC said that the ombudsman has been requesting and receiving sensitive material for years.
But in certain cases the chief constable has asked what function is being pursued, he said.
Mr McGleenan said: "This is a case that would have benefited from, and could still benefit from, engagement between the parties outside hostile, adversarial litigation."
Concerns were also raised over how any information would be handled and shared after being handed over.
An undertaking given by the police ombudsman about procedures for ensuring material is stored securely has still to be fully implemented, the court heard.
Urging the judge to adjourn the case to allow further attempts to reach an agreement, Mr McGleenan said: "A very large volume of requests by the police ombudsman have been responded to by police."
However, Mr Justice Treacy ruled that leave to seek a judicial review should be granted on the basis that the ombudsman had established an arguable case.
But rather than fixing a date for a full hearing of the challenge, he decided to adjourn for two weeks.
He said: "So far as possible for the court to read the runes that arise from the submissions that have been made, it's quite possible this matter might be resolved between the parties and won't proceed to a substantive hearing.
"One would hope that will happen." | The police ombudsman has been granted leave for a judicial review of the chief constable's decision to withhold information about 60 murders. |
35,781,338 | Gustavo Castro Soto, a Mexican national, survived the attack by gunmen in the Honduran town of La Esperanza.
He was ordered to stay in Honduras, although Mexico and the UN said it was too dangerous for him.
Ms Caceres had led a campaign by the indigenous Lenca people against a dam project which threatened their lands.
"Gustavo should immediately be provided with effective protection and permitted to return to his country," said Michel Frost, UN special rapporteur on human rights campaigners.
"It is high time that the government of Honduras addressed the flagrant impunity of the increased number of executions of human rights defenders in the country, especially targeting those who defend environmental and land rights," he added.
More than 200 rights groups also called for the protection of Mr Soto and his family.
Ms Caceres was shot dead after two men entered her house on 3 March.
Her mother said Ms Caceres had been killed "because of her struggle" for indigenous and environmental rights.
Ms Caceres had told police she had received death threats.
The Honduran authorities have condemned the killing, stressing that Mr Soto will receive special protection.
Ms Caceres was one of the founders in 1993 of the National Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH).
In 2015, she was awarded the Goldman Prize, one of the most prestigious awards for grass-roots environmentalism.
The judges said she had "rallied the indigenous Lenca people of Honduras and waged a grassroots campaign that successfully pressured the world's largest dam builder to pull out of the Agua Zarca Dam".
The dam would have flooded large areas of land and cut off the supply of water, food and medicine for hundreds of Lenca people.
Honduras has one of the highest murder rates in the world. | The UN and activist groups have called on Honduras to protect the only witness to last week's murder of indigenous rights campaigner Berta Caceres. |
40,238,164 | It's the first time that a junior equivalent of The Voice has come to the UK, although there have already been 30 versions of the show in other countries including Australia and France.
Will.i.am, Danny Jones, and Pixie Lott are the first judges to start the hunt for young stars in the UK.
So what did you think of it?
You must ask your parent, teacher or guardian for permission before you send us a comment and a photo.
We may show your comment on our website or in our TV bulletins. We'll show your first name and which town you're from - but we won't use your details for anything else.
Your comments:
Last night I watched it and LOVED The Voice Kids!
Finn, 9, Bristol
I thought it was awesome I have always loved singing
Alicia, 11, Derby
I want to go on it, but it's very fun
Amy, 11, England
Well I thought it was not good because I really want to go on it. But I still watch it. My favourite judge is Danny Jones because I'm a massive fan of McFly.
Lauren, 16, London | The Voice Kids kicked off on Saturday night with singers aged 7-14 facing blind auditions for the first time. |
39,462,494 | Hull was one of 52 players who had to finish round one of the ANA Inspiration at Rancho Mirage on Friday after high winds felled trees on the course.
She completed a 68 but then bogeyed two of her last four second-round holes.
America's Lexi Thompson leads at eight under par after a five-under 67 second round.
Hull, 21, the world number 16 who was runner-up to Lydia Ko in this event last year, reached six under but dropped shots at the par-four 15th and the closing par-five 18th.
Compatriot Mel Reid, who had a mixed opening round of 72 including three birdies and a double bogey, is level-par at the halfway stage after another 72.
Scotland's Catriona Matthew missed the cut after a 72 containing an eagle and a double bogey kept her at three over, while England's Jodi Ewart Shadoff also missed out after she carded a seven-over-par 79 to finish eight over. | England's Charley Hull carded a round of 72 and is four shots off the lead after two rounds at the first women's major of the year in California. |
37,716,601 | He was doing training circuits with a student in a Cessna 152 at Wycombe Air Park, on 22 May, at the time.
The UK Airprox Board heard the helicopter pilot was "unfamiliar" with the airfield and air traffic control should have passed on more information.
Investigators concluded the helicopter "was not at the correct height".
Their report found the Cessna was travelling at 1,000ft (304m) when the pilot saw the helicopter "at the same height as his aircraft".
The helicopter ought to have been approaching the Buckinghamshire airfield at 750ft (228m) at the time.
Its pilot had already had to ask air traffic control to repeat the landing instructions four times before he heard them correctly.
The report concluded the aircraft's "close proximity meant safety was much reduced below the norm".
It also found a lack of specific instructions from air traffic control was a contributory factor to the incident. | A pilot has told a "near miss" inquiry into an incident in Buckinghamshire involving a Robinson R22 helicopter he believed the collision risk was "high". |
32,296,661 | The proposal would see Australians vote on the wording of a statement.
Mr Pearson said it was "breakthrough idea", the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
A federal government campaign is seeking to reverse the historical exclusion of indigenous people from Australia's constitution.
However, the declaration, suggested by lawyers Damien Freeman and Julian Leeser, would sit outside the constitution.
Mr Pearson said the statement could be recited in schools and at national events.
He compared it to the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi in New Zealand that pledged protection of Maori land.
But he added that the declaration should not replace a referendum to remove discriminatory elements within the constitution.
"It's very important that everyone understands that this declaration is just one of a three- or four-part package that needs to go forward," he said, according to ABC.
Unlike other settler nations such as Canada and New Zealand, Australia's constitution makes no mention of its indigenous people and still has two so-called "race provisions", including one that allows the states to ban people from voting based on their race.
Other indigenous leaders have reacted cautiously to the latest idea.
Mick Gooda, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, said constitutional reform was the only way to truly recognise indigenous Australians.
"We've described it as the birth certificate of the nation," he said, according to ABC.
"It is the law out of which all other law in this country comes from and to be recognised in that document is probably the ultimate form of recognition."
A government committee on constitutional recognition for indigenous Australians is due to report to parliament by June.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has pledged to hold a referendum on constitutional change in 2017.
Indigenous Australians represent 2.5% of Australia's 24 million population and correspondents say that generations of discrimination and disadvantage have left them with poor health and low levels of education and employment. | Plans for a declaration recognising the place of Indigenous Australians in the country's history have been backed by indigenous leader Noel Pearson. |
40,731,485 | In one incident on a Friday night, earlier this month, a heavily pregnant woman became a victim of moped criminals.
In a terrifying attack that took only a few seconds, the 31-year-old mother-to-be was knocked to the ground after thieves mounted the pavement from behind her to snatch a mobile phone out of her hand.
I witnessed the aftermath of the attack in north London from an open window of a restaurant a few yards away. I heard the woman's scream and saw her on the floor, but by the time I'd dialled 999 the two robbers had sped off.
The incident, in East Finchley, a relatively low-crime area towards the southern end of the London borough of Barnet, provided further evidence of the spread of the "moped" crime wave.
Pursuit rules 'create moped highwaymen'
(The Metropolitan Police refer to the "step-through-frame" motorcycles commonly used as scooters - mopeds are strictly speaking a subset of scooters, with an engine capacity of less than 50cc).
There are two parts to the crime wave - the theft of the scooters themselves and the offences for which they are used.
The Met says that between July 2016 and June 2017 there were 14,943 thefts of "powered two-wheel vehicles", the vast majority of which were scooters.
The total represents more than 50% of all vehicles stolen in London and is up almost 30% on the previous year.
The calendar year figures show the number of thefts has almost doubled since 2013, though the proportion recovered has increased as well.
It also appears to be a problem largely confined to the capital.
Police in Merseyside and Greater Manchester have set up special teams to combat the illegal use of off-road, or scrambler, bikes, particularly in relation to anti-social behaviour, but none of the major forces we spoke to across Britain flagged scooter theft as a concern on the scale seen in London.
According to the Motorcycle Industry Association, about 60% of all recorded bike thefts in the UK were in London last year, yet just under 10% of all motorcycles and mopeds licensed in the UK were registered to those living in the city.
The rise in thefts has been sparked in part by an upsurge in the stock of scooters available to be stolen. As the capital becomes more congested and car insurance more costly, scooters have grown in popularity, and as people order more items online, there are more delivery drivers and couriers using them too.
Unlike cars, which have immobilisers, alarms and sophisticated key devices fitted as standard, the main line of defence for a scooter is usually the steering lock, which can be disabled fairly easily. Police recommend other security measures including trackers, marking devices, covers and chain locks - but thieves have been known to cut through those using angle grinders.
Discussions with the motorcycle industry about more effective security are continuing but it's likely to be two or three years before anti-theft systems are embedded into the design of all scooters.
"Industry can provide the means to secure bikes, but it can't fix the problems that lead to lawlessness," says Steve Kenward, chief executive of the Motorcycle Industry Association.
"That is a matter for police, law-makers and the services which tackle disaffection," he adds.
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Simon Harding, senior lecturer in criminology at Middlesex University, says the other "modus operandi" for thieves is "use of force" - getting riders off their scooters by threatening them. No anti-theft device can prevent that.
Dr Harding says although some stolen scooters are stripped for parts or shipped abroad (the average value of each machine stolen is estimated to be £3,000) the main attraction for the gangs is the ability to use them to carry out drug deals and commit other crimes - sometimes as many as 10 in the space of an hour.
The number of such offences recorded by police in London has more than trebled in a year.
In the 12 months to the end of June, the Metropolitan Police logged 16,158 crimes involving powered-two-wheel vehicles compared with 5,145 the year before.
Most of the offences were robbery and theft, with mobile phones making up 90% of items stolen. Phones can be reset within minutes and sold on, or used by gang members who like to have a handful of devices each.
"It's almost the perfect crime because they're committing it with gloves, helmets and visors," says Harding. "It's very difficult to see them, it's all over in seconds...and they're keenly aware that police may not chase them."
Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Graham McNulty, vehicle crime lead for the National Police Chiefs Council, denies that it is the "perfect crime", pointing out that it is conducted in public, which means there are often witnesses. But he acknowledges that officers will end a pursuit if it gets "too dangerous".
"We do a lot of risk assessment about whether to pursue someone," says Mr McNulty. "Driving in London at speed, with lots of pedestrians, in built-up areas is a high-risk strategy."
An officer embarking on a car chase with criminals on a scooter has to seek authorisation from their control room. A tactical adviser will be on hand and the operation will be overseen by a chief inspector. They will weigh up the risks of the pursuit against the seriousness of the offence of which the rider is suspected.
Police will consider if the suspect might be a danger to the public and if they are on their way to carry out more crimes, as well as conditions on the road - the weather, the time of day and whether there is a lot of other traffic.
The risks were brought home last year during the inquest into the death of 18-year-old Henry Hicks, who lost control of his moped and crashed after being pursued by two unmarked police cars in north London in December 2014.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission, which investigated the case, said police had "conducted a pursuit without authorisation from a senior officer in the control room" and had failed to "consider the risks to Henry of the pursuit or make any consideration as to whether he may have been a juvenile". Four officers are to face gross misconduct proceedings.
After the case, Scotland Yard issued a reminder to officers about the potential hazards of such pursuits and said it had developed new tactics - including the use of tyre-deflation devices. But there's believed to be a sense among scooter thieves that police have become more cautious about following them at speed.
"People are very well aware of the police tactics, therefore they're picking out vehicles... on the assumption that they're unlikely to be caught," says Daniel Silverstone, director of the Liverpool Centre for Advanced Policing Studies, who's carrying out research on scooter criminals.
"They're deliberately taking their helmets off, so they can't be pursued," he says, claiming police will call off a chase if they know a suspect is more at risk of a head injury.
Mr McNulty says although suspects removing their helmets is one of the "elements" they have to think about during a pursuit, he says it also gives police a "real advantage" because their face can be seen by victims, bystanders and on CCTV.
Indeed, much of the detective work involves identifying criminals in the hours and days after a pursuit by scouring phone and video footage, tracing the routes they take and looking for fingerprints and DNA evidence.
This week, two men were jailed for robbery after the owner of a Vespa was stabbed with a kitchen knife - John Tusting received a 10-year sentence and Lucian Riviere was jailed for eight years.
And last October, a thief who snatched 21 phones in an hour as he drove through five London boroughs was given a three-year sentence.
But in spite of the successes of the Met's anti-scooter crime campaign, Operation Venice, it appears to be an increasingly fashionable way for young criminals in particular to boost their street cred. They post online images of themselves on stolen bikes and circulate stories about what they have done.
"A great deal of it is about how young people are trying to rise above the pack," says Dr Harding. "It's being used to build up street capital, to build up their reputation."
Dr Harding says it is a crime that "suits the moment", with so many potential victims walking around with expensive phones, tablets and headphones, and it offers excitement - from the first stage, stealing the scooter, to the last, escaping from police.
"There is an absolute thrill factor - young people love the theft, the chase, the crime, the buzz - with the chase from police at the end," he says.
The two thieves who stole the pregnant woman's phone in East Finchley were chased by a man on a motorbike who happened to be in the area - but he lost sight of them. Thankfully, the victim's baby was unharmed, although she was left bruised and severely shaken.
There is a fear, however, that the violence is escalating, with a spate of scooter attacks involving corrosive substances in the past few weeks.
There is also concern that it could spread beyond London, which for reasons that are not entirely clear, has so far borne the brunt of this spate of attacks.
For the moment, there is no end in sight to this most mobile of crimes. | Offences involving scooters and mopeds have rocketed in London, but the epidemic is yet to spread to the rest of the UK. |
34,168,078 | Jean-Luc Kister told the TVNZ station that the action "resulted in the accidental death of an innocent man", photographer Fernando Pereira.
Greenpeace called for a Paris street to be named after Mr Pereira.
The ship was mined to stop Greenpeace protests against French nuclear tests.
The Rainbow Warrior on 10 July 1985 was due to sail to Mururoa atoll in French Polynesia where the tests were due to be conducted.
The BBC's Hugh Schofield in Paris says it was one of the most notorious acts of state sabotage.
The mines planted by Mr Kister, a naval frogman, sank the vessel in Auckland harbour, killing Mr Pereira.
Mr Kister told TVNZ's Sunday programme that it was not the aim of his team to kill anybody and that he wanted to say sorry to the family of Pereira, to Greenpeace members on board the vessel and to the people of New Zealand.
He said the destruction of the vessel was "disproportionate" and "an unfair, clandestine operation conducted in an allied, friendly and peaceful country".
"We had to obey orders, we were soldiers," he said.
Greenpeace said in a statement (in French) that Mr Kister's apology "will not bring Fernando back but proves once again that our colleague was sacrificed in the name of a state interest that even one of the state's servants is calling into question".
Mr Kister was working as part of a 12-man team for France's DGSE spy agency at the time of the attack.
France has apologised and paid damages for the bombing and in 1996 stopped the nuclear testing that initiated the Greenpeace protest.
Only two agents have stood trial over the attack - Dominique Prieur and Alain Mafart. They were arrested in New Zealand after the attack and sentenced to 10 years in jail for manslaughter.
However, a settlement meant that they were transferred to a base in French Polynesia and were released within two years. | The French intelligence agent who led the deadly attack on the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior in New Zealand 30 years ago has for the first time apologised for his actions. |
21,989,070 | At least eight of the victims were caught in underground areas as the flood waters rose rapidly. Another died of a heart attack.
The island's metereologists said 152mm (6in) of rain fell in less than an hour, 70mm less than the March average.
Prime Minister Navin Rangoolam declared 1 April a day of mourning.
Speaking on national radio, he said Mauritius was suffering badly from the effects of climate change.
The floods caused chaos in the city, with a huge traffic jam paralysing its centre, L'Express de Maurice newspaper reported.
A BBC reporter in the city says the bodies of six people were recovered from a pedestrian subway and another two from an underground car park.
Resident Ameeksha Dichand told the BBC she had been unable to go outside because it was raining so heavily, though people did venture out on Sunday to inspect the damage.
"The roads are blocked and there is mud everywhere. Trees have fallen all over the place," she said.
"If people couldn't rely on their neighbours so much to help them, then we would have lost more lives. I am so angry at the authorities."
More rain was expected on Sunday, and people were advised to stay at home. | At least 11 people have died after sudden rains caused flooding in the Mauritian capital Port Louis on Saturday, officials have said. |
33,582,949 | The Barcelona star, who won a treble of Spanish title, Copa del Rey and European Champions League last season, officially started the building process at the Port-Gentil stadium, which will host Africa Cup of Nations matches in 2017.
The ceremony took place on a wide sandy ground where the stadium will be built.
It was the Argentine forward's first visit to Gabon and he signed autographs on team jerseys worn by his fans, before proceeding with the laying of the first stone, accompanied by the president.
"When I was in Barcelona a few years ago, I met Messi who had told me that he would come to visit me in Libreville," said the Gabon president.
"It's a promise he made me. He is a man of honour who just kept his word."
The new stadium will have a capacity of 20,000 and is expected to host matches from November 2016 in the build-up to the tournament.
Port Gentil is Gabon's second city. | Four-time world player of the year Lionel Messi linked up with Gabonese president Ali Bongo Ondimba on Saturday to lay the first stone at a future Africa Cup of Nations venue. |
32,722,899 | Keith Richardson, 76, from Newton Abbot, Devon, flies between hotels he owns in the south west.
At Truro Magistrates Mr Richardson, representing himself, denied the charge brought by the Civil Aviation Authority.
The alleged offence took place at the Falmouth Hotel on 19 August 2014.
Mr Richardson is the owner of the Richardson Hotels group which includes, in Cornwall, the Falmouth Hotel, the Fowey Hotel and the Metropole, Padstow and the Grand Hotel and Grosvenor Hotel in Torquay, Devon.
The matter will now go to trial in August. | A helicopter-flying multi-millionaire hotel owner has pleaded not guilty to "causing an aircraft to endanger a person". |
33,525,242 | The area will hold up to 230 vehicles - in effect a two-and-a-half mile queue.
Mrs May said 8,000 migrant attempts to cross the Channel to the UK were foiled between 21 June and 11 July, when ferry strikes in France exacerbated problems.
Transport bosses said migrant numbers in Calais had risen from 600 in January to 5,000 - and that figure was growing.
Mrs May told the Commons hauliers had been subjected to "repeated attempts by illegal migrants who attempt to stow themselves away in their vehicles".
The new zone should provide protection for lorries and their drivers by "removing them from the open road where they can become targets for migrants", said Mrs May.
She said the security zone should "transform protection" for hauliers.
Her announcement came as transport bosses appeared before the Home Affairs Committee to answer questions about the crisis.
Kent Police Chief Constable Alan Pughsley told MPs there had been a "significant increase" in the number of migrants found hiding in vehicles in the UK over the past month.
He said:
Mr Pughsley said he believed strike action by French ferry workers during that time was a "contributing factor" to the numbers because it meant "easier access" for people to trains or lorries.
John Keefe, director of public affairs at Eurotunnel, said the 5,000 figure had grown from an estimated 600 migrants in January, and the rise was "continuing apace".
"We have never seen numbers like this before and we have not in the past seen the degree of organisation that goes with the numbers either," he said.
He said a secure zone would not solve the issue, adding: "As soon as you remove an opportunity, the organised criminals who are managing the migrant attacks are moving to the next opportunity - to the next weak spot."
Road Haulage Association chief executive Richard Burnett said the situation was "out of control" and criticised the fact the secure zone would not be in place until the autumn.
"This isn't fast enough. We've got drivers being threatened with bars and knives. We've had an example of a driver being threatened with a gun," he said.
"We've got a problem right now. This is unprecedented and it's escalating. We need action now."
The "write-off" of products due to contamination by migrants entering vehicles could be £1bn a year, he said, adding: "There are full loads that are being destroyed."
Last week a migrant from Eritrea died attempting to board a freight shuttle headed to Britain. The death came days after about 150 migrants tried to storm the Channel Tunnel terminal in France.
The strike by French ferry workers at the end of last month forced the suspension of Channel Tunnel services. It closed the Port of Calais and resulted in thousands of lorry drivers being stuck on the roads into Calais. This led hundreds of migrants to try to board UK-bound lorries.
Mrs May said British and French authorities had been working together for months to improve security at Calais.
Some £12m will spent on work to reinforce security in northern French ports, including new fencing and work to improve traffic flow and Border Force controls, which would be completed next month, she said.
Other security measures already announced include a £2m upgrade of detection technology, £1m extra for dog searches and new fencing in Calais.
UKIP's migration spokesman, Steven Woolfe, said the government was "waking up to the crisis" but called for more UK border personnel in Calais and said the UK should negotiate a scheme where migrants can be returned immediately to France if they have entered the UK illegally.
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said Britain's border was the scene of a "terrible crisis" where lives were being lost and people were being injured. | A new "secure zone" will be created at Calais for UK-bound lorries in a bid to stop migrants boarding them, Home Secretary Theresa May has announced. |
34,496,531 | Thornton's only other major success in the PDC came at the 2012 UK Open.
The first four sets were shared before 48-year-old Thornton went 3-2 up as Van Gerwen, 26, missed eight darts at a double to wrap up the fifth set.
The Dutchman trailed 4-3 after missing two more darts to take the seventh set and Thornton took advantage, sealing victory a shot at with double top.
"It's one of my traits, I've got the heart of a lion. I never give in, I'll keep fighting until the end," Thornton told Sky Sports.
"To win a title, you need to beat the man [Michael van Gerwen]. If you want to win a tournament, this is the way to do it." | Scotland's Robert Thornton defeated world number one Michael van Gerwen 5-4 to win the World Grand Prix in Dublin. |
38,121,157 | Media playback is not supported on this device
Rigino Cicilia fired the hosts ahead from close range, before Jake Carroll put the ball into his own net under pressure from Alex Jones.
Jones then latched on to Paulo Tavares' through ball and placed a shot into the far corner to extend the lead further.
And Ryan Taylor completed the scoring from the penalty spot after Nathan Smith was tripped inside the box.
Match ends, Port Vale 4, Hartlepool United 0.
Second Half ends, Port Vale 4, Hartlepool United 0.
Lewis Hawkins (Hartlepool United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Chris Mbamba (Port Vale) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Lewis Hawkins (Hartlepool United).
Nathan Smith (Port Vale) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Michael Woods (Hartlepool United).
Padraig Amond (Hartlepool United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Nathan Smith (Port Vale).
Attempt saved. Padraig Amond (Hartlepool United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Foul by James Gibbons (Port Vale).
Josh Laurent (Hartlepool United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Port Vale. Chris Mbamba replaces Sam Kelly.
Nathan Smith (Port Vale) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Billy Paynter (Hartlepool United).
Rigino Cicilia (Port Vale) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Rigino Cicilia (Port Vale).
Aristote Nsiala (Hartlepool United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Sebastien Amoros (Port Vale).
Nicky Deverdics (Hartlepool United) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Corner, Port Vale. Conceded by Trevor Carson.
Attempt saved. Gezim Shalaj (Port Vale) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top left corner.
Substitution, Port Vale. Gezim Shalaj replaces Alex Jones.
Attempt missed. Anthony de Freitas (Port Vale) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.
Attempt blocked. Kiko (Port Vale) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Substitution, Hartlepool United. Jordan Richards replaces Rob Jones because of an injury.
Sam Kelly (Port Vale) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Nicky Deverdics (Hartlepool United).
Attempt saved. Alex Jones (Port Vale) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top right corner.
Attempt saved. Billy Paynter (Hartlepool United) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Substitution, Port Vale. James Gibbons replaces Paulo Tavares.
Attempt missed. Alex Jones (Port Vale) right footed shot from outside the box is too high.
Attempt missed. Josh Laurent (Hartlepool United) right footed shot from outside the box is too high.
Goal! Port Vale 4, Hartlepool United 0. Ryan Taylor (Port Vale) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom left corner.
Penalty Port Vale. Nathan Smith draws a foul in the penalty area.
Penalty conceded by Jake Carroll (Hartlepool United) after a foul in the penalty area.
Foul by Billy Paynter (Hartlepool United).
Nathan Smith (Port Vale) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Hartlepool United. Lewis Hawkins replaces Nicky Featherstone.
Substitution, Hartlepool United. Billy Paynter replaces Lewis Alessandra. | League One side Port Vale reached the FA Cup third round with a comfortable win over League Two Hartlepool United. |
35,591,007 | Beane, the jaded general manager, and Brand, the economics visionary, of course, dispensed with their wizened scouts in favour of mathematical rigour and formulae to propel their inconceivable metamorphosis of the Oakland Athletics from depleted ugly duckling to play-offs contender.
Currie's modest, corrugated iron grandstand, pitches bordered by the meandering Water of Leith and its little grey Tardis of a clubhouse are unlikely to feature in Hollywood lore.
But, as Scotland's excruciating Six Nations streak lengthens, the analytical pioneer Malleny Park harbours may prove increasingly sought-after.
His name is Mark Cairns, and while his role here is loosely specified as breakdown consultant, the overwhelming proportion of his time and faculties are consumed by Coach Logic, the analysis software company he co-founded four years ago.
Coach Logic was created by Cairns and partner Andy Muir as a foolproof conduit for players and coaches to navigate the blizzard of statistics with which they can be confronted - empowering those on the field with a simple tool to self-evaluate and improve.
Last year, the Scottish Rugby Union - led by chief analyst Rob Holdsworth - paid for licences for all clubs in the BT Premiership and National League One, its top two tiers of amateur rugby.
"We connected all the clubs together, they film games in broadcast quality and share match videos across the whole league(s)," he says.
"Then SRU analysts analyse and break down the games - for instance, a player can click on and see all of the line-outs. A coach can comment on those events, tell a player why they were good or bad, and have a discussion.
"There's an activity feed where there can be more discussion around the footage, there are resource rooms which can back up analysis.
"It's about sharing match footage and educating players as quickly as possible, so that they can come prepared for training."
The software's appearance owes much to major social media and video streaming sites, and is now used in various capacities by West Ham United and international hockey sides.
In January, Cairns spent a week in Baltimore with the movers and shakers of American soccer, before meeting the International Hockey Federation in Lausanne.
He likes to joke that Coach Logic was "made for me", but there is more than a nugget of truth behind the laughter.
Not so very long ago, the 32-year-old was a frustrated Scotland Sevens international, desperate for a tool to better his game.
His coaches told him he was missing too many tackles. So like any dutiful workhorse of a flanker, he laid metronomic waste to the tackle bags. Hit after punishing hit.
Problem solved? Not so, for his tackle count was no better.
Crucially, Cairns came to realise, his wild lunges and flailing arms had not been "contextualised". That is to say, he didn't know why opponents were giving him the run-around. Only that it was happening too often.
"Spoon-feeding players analysis and statistics isn't going to make a long-term impact on their behaviours on the pitch," he says.
"Getting them directly involved in their analysis will make a big impact behaviourally.
"Analysis has almost gone full-circle. It started off with a coach getting all the players' data, and presenting a data sheet or stats, and that was pretty much the end of it.
"They could use it as a selection tool; let a player down gently because they had evidence to back up why he wasn't picked.
"It wasn't used as a development tool, and I think the use of analysis is now adapting where players have to be directly involved in the process."
The benefits for the SRU are diverse: savvier players, smarter coaching, and real, tangible insight into the upper echelons of their amateur competition.
"The SRU get a really accurate understanding of the talent in those leagues," says Cairns.
"Instead of picking guys based on a great ball-carry now and then, they're picking guys that are contributing the most, understand the game best.
"They've got footage there to see, rather than a guy with a clipboard. They've got real evidence."
There is an onus on coaches to embrace these developments, to become less rigid and schoolmasterly in their methods.
The software, asserts Cairns, fosters creativity and encourages more scrupulous preparation.
"As a coach, I know everyone can see what we've done the week before," he says. "I need to be flexible; I need to be innovative, I can't just do the same thing every week.
"The players get used to different game-plans, the gap to the professional game is narrowing, and the standard of coaching in the league is probably better than it's ever been.
"I think of the amount of players I've come into contact with just by being a good, competent coach.
"Focusing on developing coaching, the reach of those coaches becomes exponential, as does the impact on players.
"For me, every single resource the SRU have got should be on improving the standard of coaching - give them the authority and autonomy to improve the talent pool around them."
Academy players too, exposed and accustomed to self-analysis at an early stage - "like going to the gym" - can be monitored by their national coaches.
"Analysis is definitely part of these kids' lives; it's not something they feel is a chore," Cairns says.
"They can pull out their own insights, learn in their own time, and not have to wait for a coach or analyst to show them footage.
"Our mission statement is 'develop smarter players'. Essentially, those are the guys that are going to win you games."
Cairns' tale may not be worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster, but anyone capable of nudging Scotland towards a more prosperous Six Nations future surely merits at least an Oscars nomination. | The leafy surrounds of Currie Rugby Club in Edinburgh's southwest lie several galaxies from Major League Baseball and the multi-million dollar lexicon in which Billy Beane and Peter Brand, the protagonists of Moneyball, operated. |
40,557,021 | They are part of a scheme to regenerate part of the Clyde waterfront and improve the area around Glasgow Airport.
The project has been made possible through the City Deal covering the region around Glasgow.
The deal is a £1.3bn project funded by the UK and Scottish governments, with eight local authorities around the city involved.
Planning applications have now been submitted for two schemes led by Renfrewshire Council.
One aims to regenerate part of the waterfront - and includes a road bridge across the Clyde between Renfrew and Yoker.
The other includes work around Glasgow Airport - with a new bridge over the White Cart Water.
If the schemes get planning permission, construction could be completed by 2020.
Bob Grant, chief executive of Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce, said the City Deal projects would bring jobs and business benefits to the local area.
He said: "These projects offer tremendous benefits for local businesses and have the potential to transform how we do business in Renfrewshire.
"These major infrastructure investments will make it easier for employers to do business, easier for employees to get to and from their places of work and open up the potential for future investment.
"Around 1,400 jobs are expected during the construction period and a further 11,000 permanent jobs could be created through existing business expansion and new businesses being attracted to the area as a result of the City Deal infrastructure investment."
He added: "Improved connections will also benefit the public and local employers, with 59,000 jobs becoming more accessible to Renfrewshire residents.
"I am very excited at the potential of the Glasgow Airport Investment Area to bring highly-skilled jobs to the area. The signs are already there - the first minister recently announced that an £8.9m specialist centre to develop new manufacturing processes for lightweight materials for the aerospace and automotive industries will be established here in Renfrewshire.
"It has been encouraging to see the public are firmly behind these projects and I look forward to seeing the work get under way. These are key projects in the Glasgow City Region City Deal, which has the potential to unlock £3.3bn in private sector investment benefitting the whole region." | Plans for two new bridges near Glasgow have taken a step forward. |
37,021,008 | Industrial output grew 2.1% compared with the first quarter of the year, the Office for National Statistics said.
Despite the quarterly figures there were signs that growth on a monthly basis was slowing during the three-month period.
But the ONS said "very few" respondents had been affected by the uncertainty from the EU referendum vote on 23 June.
The production figures reflect the latest official growth figures for the whole economy which show strong GDP growth in April, followed by a sharp easing off in May and June.
Meanwhile in a separate report the ONS said the deficit on trade in goods and services was £5.1bn in June, compared with a £4.2bn the month before.
The UK exported £12bn worth of goods and services to the European Union in June, an increase of £500m compared with May.
Most of the growth in the quarter came in April when output rose by more than 2% on the previous month. By June the month on month increase had slowed to just 0.1%
Samuel Tombs, chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, said: "The 2.1% quarter-on-quarter rise in production in the second quarter... mainly reflected the 2.3% month-to-month jump in production in April."
Some recent surveys have suggested the economy slowed sharply in the wake of the Brexit vote.
Lee Hopley, chief economist at EEF, the manufacturers' organisation, said: "Clearly, indicators of sentiment post referendum suggest that we've hit the high point for manufacturing this year.
"Amidst the wavering levels of confidence however we should take away some positive news, firstly that manufacturing entered this period of uncertainty from a relatively strong stance and the weaker exchange rate could yet bring benefits on the export side."
However, Mr Tombs said: "We fear that the trade boost could take even longer than usual to materialise this time, because exporters will be very reluctant to invest until the UK's future trade arrangements are known.
"In short, hopes that exports will surge and offset the Brexit hit to domestic demand seem misplaced." | UK industrial output grew at the fastest rate for 17 years in the April-to-June quarter, official figures show. |
40,632,879 | Boro already have planning permission and are in talks with architects about converting the terraced section of the stadium into a 1,600-seater stand.
The club have a Football Foundation grant of £450,000, but need a further £500,000 in order to start the work.
They are now asking fans to contribute to a "mini-bond", which will earn interest on a six-month basis.
Stevenage manager Darren Sarll said: "When you drive past the ground on the North Stand side you kind of get a snippet of us in non-league. We have to embed this as a Football League club. The North Stand is the last part.
"This really is about us as a town, us as a football club, supporters and everyone involved with the club standing shoulder to shoulder and moving forward in the next decade."
The club have set a minimum contribution of £500 and a cap of £25,000 which will then be paid back back in full after a five-year period, with 15 September the closing date for applications.
It is hoped the new stand, which has been in the pipeline for the past six years, will be open for the start of the 2018-19 season if the bond scheme is successful.
Chairman Phil Wallace said: "It's effectively a loan to the football club which will attract interest at the rate of 4% per year, or fans can opt to double that rate and take an 8% credit.
"It really is us putting two fingers up at everybody else and saying 'OK, we've got two options: one we don't do it and leave it as it is forever'' or two, stand shoulder to shoulder, raise the money and do it'." | League Two club Stevenage are asking supporters to help fund the development of the North Stand. |
38,652,276 | According to the electoral office, 60,433 people are not currently able to vote in the upcoming Assembly elections on 2 March.
The drop is attributed to a canvassing of households which took place in 2016 to update voter details.
Anyone who did not return their form, as required by law, was removed from the register.
Voters still have until 14 February to re-register.
"A total of 60,433 names were removed from the electoral register on 1 December 2016," a spokesperson told the BBC.
"These were the names of people who did not return an electoral registration form during the last canvass of electors in 2013.
"The Electoral Office for Northern Ireland has written several times to all of those affected by this - most recently last autumn. Anyone who did not return a form at this time was, as required by law, removed from the register.
"Anyone wishing to vote at the Northern Ireland Assembly election on 2 March must complete and return an electoral registration form by Tuesday 14 February."
The electoral office added that it will be launching a public awareness campaign in the coming days.
Voters removed by constituency
You can check if you're registered to vote by calling 0800 4320 712 or you can visit your local electoral office, here. | Thousands of voters have been removed from the electoral register in Northern Ireland. |
40,729,395 | Andronicos Sideras, 55, was convicted at Inner London Crown Court of mixing horsemeat with beef before selling it on through his company Dinos & Sons.
Danish-owned company FlexiFoods would get horsemeat and beef delivered from Europe to Dinos & Sons in Tottenham.
Flexifoods' Ulrik Nielsen and Alex Beech admitted their part in the plot.
Labels and paperwork were fabricated to make the mixed meat appear like pure beef, before it was sold on to food manufacturers making products for a "vast range of well-known companies", prosecutor Jonathan Polnay told the trial.
The conspiracy involved 30 tonnes of horsemeat, 20 of which were destined for the food chain and 10 of which were sent to a cold store elsewhere, police said.
City of London Police said officers investigating the horsemeat scandal sifted through 12 tonnes of animal flesh by hand as part of its probe.
The overall face value of the fraud was £177,000 but the true cost was likely to have run into millions of pounds, the force added.
At the time beef could be sold for three Euros per kilogram while horsemeat was cheaper at two Euros per kilogram, the court heard.
The plot only came to light after horse identification chips were found in the meat by inspectors in 2012.
The chips belonged to two horses named Trak and Wiktor from the Lodz region of Poland, and a third Irish Hunter horse called Carnesella Lady from county Galway.
The animals had not been sold for slaughter and there is no suggestion the owners had any involvement in the conspiracy, police said.
Sideras, of Southgate, north London, had denied the charge of conspiracy to defraud claiming he had only stored the product for FlexiFoods.
He was released on bail ahead of sentencing alongside Nielsen, of Gentofte in Denmark, and Beech, from Sutton-on-Hull, on Monday at Inner London Crown Court. | A businessman has been found guilty of being part of a £200,000 conspiracy to pass off horsemeat as beef, much of which went on to enter the food chain. |
39,844,685 | Citizens Advice says that half of those on a zero hours basis - more than 900,000 people - are not aware of their holiday benefits.
The charity said bosses are either ignorant of workers' rights, or are "deliberately flouting the law".
It is calling on the next government to step in to help protect workers.
Based on the most recent figures from the Office for National Statistics, Citizens Advice also says that two out of five people on temporary contracts do not know they can take paid time off.
Zero hours contracts allow employers to hire staff with no guarantee of work. Unlike the so-called "gig economy", where people are paid on a job-by-job basis, those on zero hours contracts are entitled to basic rights such as rest breaks, the National Minimum Wage and paid leave.
Citizens Advice said that while some employers mislead employees about holiday entitlement due to the ignorance of bosses, others purposefully flout the law and exploit workers' confusion.
It cites an example of one man who worked 48 hours a week in a care home for five years. He was told that staff who worked at night did not get paid holiday. He subsequently discovered he had missed out on £8,900 worth of paid leave.
Of the 185,000 people who sought help from Citizens Advice in the last financial year, 10,000 were cases about holiday.
Citizens Advice chief executive Gillian Guy said: "Thousands are missing out on rights they are entitled to due to a lack of awareness, confusion and in some cases deliberate dirty tactics by employers.
"With more than half of employers having staff working shifts or variable hours, action needs to be taken now to protect workers rights."
Citizens Advice wants a single body set up to oversee enforcement of all employment rights and a £50 cap on employment tribunal fees.
Sports Direct came under fire last year for its working conditions, including at its Shirebrook distribution centre. While the retailer announced that people who work in its shops will be moved onto guaranteed hours, those in the distribution centre will remain on zero hours contracts. | Thousands of workers on zero hours contracts miss out on paid holiday because they are lied to or do not know their rights, it has been claimed. |
33,269,116 | 25 June 2015 Last updated at 12:11 BST
The company introduced its creation in a teaser video it posted online, but did not show a rider using the hoverboard.
Lexus told the BBC it had developed a working prototype and would be releasing more videos over the summer.
A number of companies have been trying to develop a hoverboard in 2015, to match predictions for the year made in the Back to the Future films.
The Lexus hoverboard contains magnets cooled by liquid nitrogen to float above a customised skate park in Barcelona.
The company said it did not intend to sell the device. | A rideable hoverboard has been created by car manufacturer Lexus. |
31,076,838 | Ms Bachelet has tabled a bill in Congress to legalise abortion in cases of rape or when there is a threat to the mother's or the baby's life.
Abortion is punishable in Chile by up to five years in jail.
The absolute ban of abortion puts the lives of thousands of Chilean women at risk every year, said Ms Bachelet.
She went on national television to announce the plans.
"Facts have shown that the absolute criminalization of abortion has not stopped the practice," she said.
"This is a difficult situation and we must face it as a mature country."
The BBC's Gideon Long says the draft law faces opposition from Chile's powerful Catholic Church, from conservatives in Congress and from some inside Ms Bachelet's own coalition, led by the Socialist Party.
Ms Bachelet's proposal would allow abortion to be carried out up to the 12th week of pregnancy if the mother's life is at risk, when the foetus is so badly deformed that the baby wouldn't survive or in cases of rape.
For girls up to the age of 14, termination would be legal until the 18th week.
Ms Bachelet said younger girls might take longer to realise they are pregnant.
The absolute prohibition on abortion was introduced in 1989, in one of the last acts of Gen Augusto Pinochet's 17-year-long military rule.
"Chile had an important legal and public health tradition, interrupted arbitrarily in the last days of the dictatorship," said Ms Bachelet.
"Twelve bills [to decriminalise abortion] have been tabled in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate since 1991," she added.
Polls say most Chileans support the legalisation of abortion on Ms Bachelet's terms, but previous proposals have been rejected in Congress.
Most Latin American countries severely limit access to abortion. A total ban is in place in seven of them: El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Honduras, Haiti, Suriname and Chile. | Chilean President Michelle Bachelet has announced plans to end a total ban on abortions in the predominantly Roman Catholic country. |
14,682,329 | This is one of the world's poorest countries with among the highest rates of malnutrition and child mortality.
And yet, walking around a hospital ward, a doctor told me that as well as malaria, pneumonia and all the other serious health challenges, there was another emerging problem - obesity.
I don't remember seeing many overweight people but the doctor assured me there was serious concern about the potential for future weight-related health problems - cardiovascular disease, diabetes and so on.
So it was no surprise to see a raft of research papers in the Lancet discussing the need for global action to tackle the obesity pandemic.
Most developing countries are facing a dual challenge - that of under and over nutrition; the former gets far more publicity because it is an immediate and often life-threatening danger.
Obesity stores up a host of health problems for the future. The World Health Organization (WHO) calls it a "double burden" of disease and says: "It is not uncommon to find under-nutrition and obesity existing side-by-side within the same country, the same community and the same household".
The WHO says that 65% of the world's population lives in countries where overweight and obesity kills more people than underweight.
The rise in urban living, the shift away from manual labour, the increase in car use and the availability of cheap energy-dense food are among many factors behind the increase.
One of the research teams led by Professor Boyd Swinburn from Deakin University in Melbourne described the "passive overconsumption" of energy: "The simultaneous increases in obesity in almost all countries seem to be driven mainly by changes in the global food system, which is producing more processed, affordable, and effectively marketed food than ever before.
In a comment article attached to the Lancet papers, Sir David King, the UK government's former Chief Scientific Advisor recalls the influential Foresight study published in 2007:
"One of the key findings of the report was that individuals had much less choice in the matter of their weight than they would assume, and that the present epidemic of obesity is not really down to laziness or overeating but that our biology has stepped out of kilter with society."
Obesity is a global issue, which requires global solutions.
Clearly individual responsibility is key, but a call for leadership is being urged in the run-up to a UN meeting on non-communicable diseases in New York next month.
"Eat less, move more" maybe the simplistic answer, but today's research suggests that the issue is far more complex requiring effort from government, industry and society. | The rising problem of global obesity was driven home to me recently in - of all places - Sierra Leone. |
24,744,684 | In the first case to be broadcast, the ringleader of a large-scale scam to forge pound coins failed in his bid to appeal against his seven-year sentence.
Filming at the Court of Appeal followed a partial lifting of the long-standing ban on cameras in court.
Lawyers' arguments and judges' comments can appear but defendants, witnesses and victims will not be shown.
Cameras are not yet allowed in crown courts and magistrates' courts.
Senior judges and major broadcasters welcomed the move, which the head of BBC News said was a "landmark moment".
The historic first proceedings concerned Kevin Fisher, of Goffs Oak, Hertfordshire, who was jailed in May for his role in what is believed to be the UK's biggest plot to counterfeit pound coins.
By Clive ColemanLegal correspondent, BBC News
There has always been something of an "open justice" disconnect between the fact that any member of the public can go and sit in a court but the court's proceedings could not be seen by the wider public watching on television.
However, the cause of cameras in court was not helped by high-profile televised trials abroad, like the sometimes unedifying one of OJ Simpson in America in 1994. It sparked fears of lawyers, judges and even witnesses "showboating" for the cameras, and television coverage focusing on the salacious details of a case at the expense of the evidence as a whole.
The judiciary here has always been particularly concerned that nothing was done that might discourage victims, witnesses and jurors - those vital "cogs" in the justice system that ensure it functions - from taking part in cases. That is why the experiment is being limited initially to the Court of Appeal and is subject to strict limitations.
It marks both an historic change and a cautious first step. But England and Wales remains many years away from a full "OJ Simpson-style" televised criminal trial.
Lord Justice Pitchford refused Fisher's application to appeal against his sentence after hearing submissions from the appellant's barrister Alex Cameron QC, who is the older brother of the prime minister.
Hearings from court four at the Court of Appeal, which started shortly before 11:30 GMT, have finished for the day.
Live broadcasting is possible in five courtrooms at the Royal Courts of Justice in London after years of campaigning by the BBC, ITN, the Press Association and Sky News. Recordings can be made in 13 others.
Filming has been banned in courts - with the exception of the UK Supreme Court which was set up in 2009 - since the Criminal Justice Act 1925.
Only one courtroom will be covered a day.
The most senior judge in England and Wales, Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas, said: "My fellow judges and I welcome the start of broadcasting from the Court of Appeal.
"The Court of Appeal has, of course, been open to the public and to journalists for a long time.
"The change in the law... will help a wider audience to understand and see for themselves how the Court of Appeal goes about its work."
Safeguards, including a time-delay system operated by a specialist video journalist, will be in place to protect normal court restrictions - such as contempt of court - and broadcasting regulations.
In cases of appeals against conviction where there could eventually be a re-trial, the footage will be aired only once the case has concluded.
BBC director of news and current affairs James Harding said: "This is a landmark moment for justice and journalism.
"It is a significant step on the way to helping millions of viewers gain a greater understanding of how our judicial system works."
ITN chief executive John Hardie said filming in courts would be "for the benefit of open justice and democracy".
And John Ryley, head of Sky News, said: "Seeing justice being done will no longer be restricted to those members of the public who have the opportunity and time to go to court."
Footage can be used for news and current affairs but not in other contexts such as comedy, entertainment or advertising.
Courts minister Shailesh Vara told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "We are trying to ensure there is a balance, so the public can see what is happening, and that will be restricted to what the lawyers put forward and what the judge has to say.
"But on the other hand, we want to ensure that people are not intimidated and understand the justice system and are happy to come forward."
However, Labour peer Baroness Kennedy QC said she was worried the development could undermine respect for the judicial system.
She said: "What I'm concerned about is something much more fragile, which is our liberty as citizens in this country that the legal system should be taken seriously.
"There should be some awe about it and it shouldn't be turned into entertainment for the masses and I don't trust the editors."
Barrister Michael Mansfield QC welcomed the move, saying it was long overdue.
"You have to remember justice is supposed to be public. It is public. You can walk in there today. The problem is that doesn't reach a wide enough audience and we're also subject to the editorial delights of various newspapers as to what they want to report," he said.
In Scotland, broadcasters have been able to apply to televise court proceedings since 1992 but this rarely happens.
Scotland's most senior judge, Lord Gill, has announced the policy will be reviewed to take account of changes in technology. | TV cameras have recorded proceedings in one of the highest courts in England and Wales for the first time. |
35,010,666 | The Commission on Religion and Belief in Public Life said schools should hold instead "inclusive assemblies".
Its report said these should be "appropriate for pupils and staff of all religions and beliefs".
Religious Education (RE) and acts of collective worship are compulsory in Northern Ireland schools.
Parents do have the option to withdraw their child from these on the grounds of conscience.
The commission also called specifically for RE to be broadened to "include more religions, and non-religious worldviews on the same basis as religions".
It is chaired by Rt Hon Baroness Butler-Sloss, and includes 20 representatives from a range of religious and non-religious backgrounds across the UK.
It has spent two years looking at the place and role of religion and belief in contemporary Britain, and makes recommendations for public life and policy.
While it made a range of proposals across UK civic life, one chapter of the report is solely on education, and it contains comments specific to RE in Northern Ireland.
The commission said that education about religion and belief is essential in schools, but says it must reflect religious and non-religious traditions in the UK, and should not contain elements of "confessional instruction or indoctrination".
Schools in Northern Ireland have to teach RE for children up to the age of 16 on the basis of a core curriculum drawn up by the four main churches.
However, schools can teach aspects of religion beyond the curriculum to reflect the ethos of the school.
The commission's report was critical of the Northern Ireland syllabus, saying that study of world religions "is only available for Key Stage 3 pupils on the basis of the churches' argument that younger children would be confused".
It said: "Growing numbers of children and young people from other cultural and religious backgrounds are not well served by a churches-devised RE core syllabus that positions itself as having an essential Christian character."
The report also called for the subject of RE to be "renamed" and "given an explicitly educational rather than confessional focus".
The report was also critical of what it called the "divided" education system in Northern Ireland.
"Separate education means, intentionally or otherwise, that very few pupils experience any of their learning, including RE, in the company of children from a tradition other than their own," it said.
However, the report did not explicitly call for all schools in Northern Ireland to be integrated. | The requirement for Northern Ireland schools to arrange daily acts of collective worship should end, a new report has said. |
37,982,171 | The perennial underdogs caught a lucky break in the same city where they made their Olympic debut in 1988.
The debut became the subject of the 1993 film Cool Runnings, starring John Candy.
The 12-person team was in town for a competition on Sunday.
Kathleen Pulito, the team's social media director, told the Calgary Herald the team is on a shoestring budget and the van was supposed to take them across the country as they set their sights on the 2018 Winter Olympics.
"We're just trying to do what we can, get one place to the next and hoping we don't run out of money," she said.
Shortly after the team tweeted about their predicament, a GoFundMe page had sprouted up to try and raise enough money for repairs.
David Schnerch was out doing some errands on Saturday when he passed by the van, and saw team members trying to fiddle with the vehicle's battery.
Being in possession of a booster cable himself, Schnerch pulled over and tried to give them a jump. When that didn't work he drove the team to Canada Olympic Park himself so that they could make their race.
"Just focus on the race," he said. "We'll get you what you need."
After their race in Calgary, the team needed to make it to Whistler, British Columbia, for another competition. So Schnerch gave them the key to his truck.
"If they still need it, once they're done they'll get it back to me," he told the BBC.
Pulito told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation a local car rental agency has donated a van so they can get to Whistler, and some much-needed cash. The team continues to fundraise on online to help fuel their Olympic dreams. | The Jamaican bobsleigh team was rescued by a good Samaritan after their van broke down in Calgary, Alberta, over the weekend. |
34,592,730 | Harry Styles said the band was "very sorry" for cancelling Tuesday's show.
Fans were already inside the city's SSE Arena when the gig was pulled at 21:00 BST after singer Liam Payne fell ill.
Styles told BBC Radio 2's Chris Evans that the band had been "trying to get on and then it was just impossible".
Payne was "just very, very ill", he said.
"We very, very much apologise to everyone."
And Payne tweeted: "I'm so sorry to everybody I disappointed last night. I'm feeling better now.
"I really hope everyone can make the rescheduled date on Friday.
"I really can't wait to perform and make it up to everyone later."
Disappointed fans booed as staff instructed them to leave the venue, and one witness said "hundreds" of girls and women had been left weeping.
Concert promoter Aiken Promotions said: "The show tonight has been cancelled as Liam has taken ill, and whilst not serious, he is unable to perform tonight."
And in another statement on Wednesday, the promoter apologised for the cancellation.
That show has been rescheduled for Friday and original tickets are valid.
"We thank everyone for their understanding and their good wishes to Liam," Aiken Promotions added.
Fans unable to attend Friday's concert have been told they will be refunded.
It was the first time in the band's five-year career that they had been forced to cancel a show.
Previously, members had filled in for each other when illness struck.
"To be honest, we feel kind of lucky that we've got to this point and never cancelled one," said Styles.
But the rescheduled show has come at a cost for ice hockey fans in Belfast.
The Belfast Giants had been due to play a game against the Sheffield Steelers at SSE Arena on Friday night.
That has now had to make way for the One Direction gig.
Neil Walker, the arena's general manager, said "all possible options" had been assessed before the decision was made and he apologised to supporters of both teams.
"We are very grateful to them for their understanding and accommodation of the nearly 10,000 young concert fans who were so devastated by the cancellation last night," he added.
"We are now looking forward to three great nights of concerts." | One Direction have announced that a gig they cancelled at the last minute in Belfast on Tuesday will now take place on Friday, and two other concerts in the city will go ahead as planned. |
36,432,549 | Jones said he was "shunted" into the baggage check area by customs officials on arrival in Brisbane on Thursday.
Bag checks are common in Australia, but Jones is well known in his home nation.
"Everything that's done around the game is going to be co-ordinated, all co-ordinated to help Australia win," said the 56-year-old.
"I just went through immigration and I got shunted through the area where everything got checked. That's what I'm expecting.
"We've got to be good enough to control what we can control."
England won one Test in Sydney during the last tour in 2010, one of only three wins they have ever managed against the hosts in Australia.
Jones, who coached Australia to the 2003 World Cup final where they lost to England, faces a Wallabies side that has former Randwick team-mate Michael Cheika at the helm.
"Australia are ranked second in the world, they've got the best coach in the world and they're playing in their own backyard so they are going to be strong," said the Australian.
"In Australia, we've won three Tests since Captain Cook arrived, so it's not a great record is it?"
Jones added: "He's been very quiet, it's a new Cheika we're facing at the moment but I'm sure the old one will come out."
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. | England's Australian head coach Eddie Jones expects life to be made as difficult as possible during their three-Test tour of Australia. |
35,988,761 | Joseph Page, 62, of Brecon Close, Ipswich, was sentenced after being found guilty at Ipswich Crown Court last month.
The court heard his victim was younger than ten years old when Page assaulted her in the 1990s.
Suffolk Police said the case showed it was possible to "get justice for victims of historical offences".
Read this and more stories from Suffolk
Det Con Natalie Cole said: "A friend of the victim had encouraged her to tell her partner about the abuse and, after receiving their support, she decided to report to police.
"She was interviewed and gave a clear account of several occasions when abuse had occurred."
She added: "The result today has again shown that we can get justice for victims of historical offences.
"Any allegations will be investigated and, even if you do not wish to go to court, support and help is available." | A man has been jailed for 13 years for six counts of indecent assault on a child. |
39,456,884 | Under a draft plan, the total of 19,000 peacekeepers will be reduced by 3,000.
The UN force is already undermanned by close to that number.
The move came as a political deal brokered by the Catholic Church to pave the way to presidential elections collapsed, leaving the country on edge.
Several UN member states have signalled a desire to cut spending on peacekeeping, in particular the new Trump administration in the United States - which is the largest donor.
On Wednesday, the US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Hailey, said the UN was partnering with a "corrupt" government in Congo, and called for the downsizing of Monusco.
Monusco was instrumental in defeating the M23, the largest rebel group in DR Congo, by setting up special brigade authorised to resort to use force if necessary.
However it has also faced violent demonstrations and attacks by civilians, who accuse it of being ineffective.
Most of the anti-UN protests have taken place in the eastern region of Kivu, where armed groups continue to commit massacres, especially in the Beni region.
In the region, peacekeepers have often been referred to as "tourists" because they are associated with travel in helicopters and 4x4 vehicles. | The UN Security Council has voted to cut the size of Monusco, its largest and most expensive peacekeeping mission, which operates in the Democratic Republic of Congo. |
38,992,284 | Bradley Lowery. from Blackhall Colliery, near Hartlepool, has terminal neuroblastoma.
A 24-year-old from Hartlepool was arrested in December on suspicion of offences under the Malicious Communications Act.
Cleveland Police said the case remained open and inquiries were continuing.
Bradley, who was diagnosed with the disease in 2013, made headlines around the world after featuring as Sunderland Football Club's mascot.
Last year £700,000 was raised for him and treatment has now begun in hospital in a bid to prolong his life. | No charges are to be brought against a woman accused of posting a malicious message on Facebook about a terminally ill five-year-old boy. |
36,857,254 | The 24-year-old scored five goals in 45 appearances for Posh after joining them from Welling in November 2014, but was not in new boss Grant McCann's plans.
He follows defender Gabriel Zakuani in swapping Peterborough for the Cobblers this summer.
"Harry is a very good addition for us," said Northampton manager Rob Page.
"He is a lively character and a player who has a decent amount of experience in League One. He is also a good age, who will get better and better, and I think we are signing him at a good time.
"He is a box-to-box midfielder who creates things, makes things happen and can score a goal or two so he will add to our attacking options."
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Northampton Town have signed midfielder Harry Beautyman from fellow League One side Peterborough United for an undisclosed fee on a two-year deal. |
38,769,136 | Mr Fillon is at the centre of a media storm over allegations that for years his wife was paid for parliamentary work she did not do.
The conservative candidate told French TV there was nothing improper or illegal about his wife's employment.
He said he would provide proof but he refused to be tried by the media.
The satirical weekly Le Canard Enchaine claimed on Wednesday that:
That prompted financial prosecutors to open a preliminary investigation, though Mr Fillon and his wife will only be placed under formal judicial investigation or face charges if prosecutors find there is substance to the claims.
Speaking to France's main commercial news programme, TF1, Mr Fillon said he was filing a complaint against Le Canard Enchaine, expressing his "disgust" for the case.
He questioned the timing of the claims - pointing out that they relate to a period ending in 2013 - and said they only strengthened his resolve to fight for the French presidency in April and May.
"Only one thing would prevent me from being a candidate: it's if my honour was harmed, if I were placed under formal investigation" by a judge.
"My wife has been working for me forever, ever since I first got elected in 1981," Mr Fillon told TF1, adding that for most of that time it was for free.
That work included correcting speeches, receiving important visitors, and representing him at meetings - work which was "real, legal and perfectly transparent".
"The question is why - while my wife had been paid from 1997 - this is coming out now, two-and-a-half months before the election? Clearly this is to try and take me down as a presidential candidate."
In a bid to squash the story quickly, Mr Fillon has instructed his lawyer to provide documents to the prosecutor disproving the claims, but said he would not release anything to the "media court".
Commentators say the case has the potential to inflict enormous damage on the candidate who has pitched himself as honest and morally irreproachable.
"This affair is a real danger for Francois Fillon and can compromise his campaign because it sows the poison of suspicion about his probity, whereas this marker was his main strength," Yves-Marie Cann, director of political studies at The Elabe Institute, told Le Monde newspaper.
"We're in trouble, this is really not helping us," one lawmaker for Mr Fillon's Republicans Party told Reuters news agency on condition of anonymity.
Until now, Mrs Fillon, who was born in Wales, had been portrayed as a homemaker in the family's 12th Century chateau near Le Mans, west of Paris.
In October she told Le Bien Public newspaper: "Up to now, I have never been involved in the political life of my husband."
Mr Fillon is the frontrunner for the presidential election in April, with National Front leader Marine Le Pen and centrist Emmanuel Macron as his main challengers.
The 62-year-old right-wing candidate has criticised wasteful public spending and plans to cut 500,000 civil service jobs if elected. | Francois Fillon has said he would drop out of the race for the French presidency if he were criminally investigated. |
32,099,792 | In court was David James Carlton, 26, from Great Victoria Street.
He faces a number of charges including attempting to inflict grievous bodily harm and possessing a weapon - a crutch - with intent to cause GBH.
A judge said it was "one of the worst types" of domestic violence he had seen.
"I'm not even going to dream of entertaining a release on bail," he added.
Mr Carlton is also accused of causing criminal damage to various items including a TV and mobile phone, stealing his alleged victim's keys and SIM card, false imprisonment, causing actual bodily harm, common assault and breaching a non-molestation order on dates between 24-26 March this year.
Giving evidence to the court, a detective constable said a neighbour of the alleged victim called police to report that his neighbour had been beaten up by her boyfriend.
She said when officers arrived at her property in the Cregagh estate, they noticed multiple injuries including - cuts and bruises to her head, "footwear marks" to her head and stomach and multiple bruises to her hands, arms and stomach.
The officer said the alleged victim had claimed that Mr Carlton, who appeared in the dock with his foot in plaster and walking with a crutch, had used the crutch and injured foot to "hit her repeatedly" before damaging her TV, a radiator and a vase.
A defence solicitor said his client's case was that his ex-partner called him claiming to have been attacked by three men so he went "to comfort her" even though that was a breach of the non-molestation order.
Refusing the bail application however, the judge said that "on the face of it, this is one of the worst types of domestic violence".
Remanding Mr Carlton into custody to appear again on 17 April, the judge also declared there was "no way in the world" that the case should stay in the lower courts but should be prosecuted in the Crown Court. | A Belfast man accused of beating his partner with a crutch and his plastered foot has been refused bail. |
36,975,266 | The world, European and Commonwealth champion will now meet Ukraine's Tetyana Kob or Bulgarian Stanimira Petrova on 15 August.
Fifth seed Muhammad Ali progresses unchallenged in the men's fly, as does third seed Joe Joyce at heavyweight.
Team GB, who won five medals at London 2012, have a squad of 12 boxers in Rio, each in a different weight class.
During a confusing draw process, officials made no mention of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ratifying a decision to allow 11 Russian boxers to compete at the Games.
The IOC asked individual federations to decide whether Russians could compete following the country's doping scandal.
No Britons drew a Russian opponent.
Commonwealth middleweight champion Anthony Fowler's draw is arguably the toughest as he faces fifth seed Zhanibek Alimkhanuly of Kazhakstan.
Savannah Marshall, also Commonwealth champion, meets Sweden's Anna Laurell Nash at middleweight and could face Dutch second seed Nouchka Fontijn if she wins.
Ireland's Olympic champion Katie Taylor received a bye at lightweight.
Women's fly: Nicola Adams (1) v Bye
Women's middle: Savannah Marshall v Anne Laurell Nash (Swe)
Men's light-fly: Galal Yafai v Simplice Fotsala (Cmr)
Men's fly: Muhammad Ali (5) v Bye;
Men's Bantam: Qais Ashfaq v Chatchai Butdee (Tha);
Men's lightweight: Joseph Cordina v Coronel Charly Suarez (Phi)
Men's light welterweight: Pat McCormack v Ablaikhan Zhussupov (Kaz)
Men's welterweight: Josh Kelly v Walid Mohamed (Egy)
Men's middleweight: Anthony Fowler v Zhanibek Alimkhanuly (5) (Kaz)
Men's light heavyweight: Joshua Buatsi v Kennedy Katende (Uga)
Men's heavyweight: Lawrence Okolie v Igor Pawel Jakubowski (Pol)
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. | Olympic champion Nicola Adams is one of three Great Britain boxers to receive a first-round bye at Rio 2016. |
32,672,274 | The Bank of Scotland found both employment and new business increased in April.
There was marginal growth in business activity for service sector companies.
But manufacturers registered a modest contraction, with exporters appearing to suffer from the effects of low growth in the eurozone.
The bank's monthly PMI - which measures changes in combined manufacturing and services output - improved to 50.7 during April, from March's 49.4.
Any reading above 50 suggests economic expansion.
Although last month's figure indicated only marginal growth, it was the best reading recorded by the survey so far this year.
The survey showed services firms picked up new business, reportedly benefiting from increased marketing and a rise in market confidence.
Growth was registered in the business services and travel, tourism and leisure categories, but a slight fall was seen in financial services.
Manufacturers reported a fall in new export business, in part due to unfavourable exchange rates with key trading partners.
On the jobs front, employment grew for a third successive month, with some companies expecting business expansion over the coming months.
Service sector companies were the primary source of higher employment, as manufacturing payroll numbers declined slightly.
Bank of Scotland chief economist Donald MacRae said: "The slowdown of the first three months of this year is slowly being reversed with both employment and new business increasing in April, suggesting a return to a more normal growth rate in the second quarter." | The economic slowdown seen in the first quarter of this year is gradually being reversed, according to a survey of Scottish purchasing managers. |
36,536,399 | An appeal was launched on Tuesday after Lee McLaughlin, from Gleneely in County Donegal, missed his return flight home.
The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) had appealed to supporters in France to help locate Mr McLaughlin.
The 19-year-old attended the Republic of Ireland's Euro 2016 match against Sweden on Monday. | A Republic of Ireland football supporter reported missing in France has been found "safe and well", the Irish Embassy have said. |
36,067,591 | The British Airways flight from Geneva was hit as it approached the London airport at about 12:50 BST with 132 passengers and five crew on board.
After landing, the pilot reported an object - believed to be a drone - had struck the front of the Airbus A320.
Aviation police based at Heathrow have launched an investigation.
Police said no arrests have been made.
If confirmed, it is believed to be the first incident of its kind in the UK.
A British Airways spokesman said: "Our aircraft landed safely, was fully examined by our engineers and it was cleared to operate its next flight."
The airline will give the police "every assistance with their investigation", the spokesman added.
A Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) spokesman said it was "totally unacceptable" to fly drones close to airports, and anyone flouting the rules can face "severe penalties, including imprisonment".
Steve Landells, from the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa), said it had been "only a matter of time before we had a drone strike". He called for greater enforcement of existing rules.
Are drones dangerous or harmless fun?
Drones pose 'real threat' to civil aviation
Leo Kelion, Technology editor
Flying a drone near an airport can already be punished with up to five years in prison, and rules also forbid taking them above 400ft (122m) or near buildings and crowds of people.
But the latest incident will only add to the pressure for further steps to be taken.
The US recently introduced a compulsory registration scheme so any drone recovered from an accident can be traced back to its owner.
In addition, officials could make it mandatory for drones to run geo-fencing software - that would prevent them flying in restricted areas.
The Department for Transport has promised to publish a strategy for unmanned aircraft this year.
And pilots have also called for the DoT to fund tests into what would happen if a drone got sucked into an engine or crashed into a plane's windscreen.
Last month, the British Airline Pilots Association noted that while the threat of bird strikes had been well researched there was little data about how much damage a drone could cause a plane.
The incident follows a warning earlier this year by the head of the International Air Transport Association that drones flown by the general public are "a real and growing threat" to civilian aircraft.
Tony Tyler called for drone regulations to be put in place before any serious accidents occur.
The UK Air Proximity Board - which investigates near-miss incidents in UK airspace - said there have been a number of serious near-misses at UK airports involving drones.
Category A incidents - the most serious - were reported at Stansted, Heathrow, London City and Manchester airports last year.
Source: The UK Airprox Board | A plane approaching Heathrow Airport is believed to have hit a drone before it landed safely, the Metropolitan Police has said. |
35,077,060 | Flooding has affected some roads as well as rail services.
Natural Resources Wales has issued several flood warnings across mid and north Wales.
The Met Office said up to 6cm (2in) of rain could fall on Saturday.
The warning, from 08:00 GMT to 20:00, also said snow could fall on higher ground in north Wales.
At Capel Curig in Snowdonia there were gusts of nearly 70mph (112km/h).
Rail lines closed due to flooding
Arriva Trains Wales said it may be unable to provide a replacement bus service for Cambrian line travellers.
"Due to the situation with the roads, we cannot guarantee a service will be provided. We are strongly advising people not to travel unless absolutely necessary." said a spokesman.
Passengers are being advised to check if their trains are running before setting off.
Check if this is affecting your journey
Several roads have been closed due to flooding, including the A494 at Bala, Gwynedd.
There are also reports of flooding on parts of the A55 with one lane closed westbound between J14 and J12 near Abergwyngregyn, Gwynedd.
On Anglesey, drivers of high-sided vehicles are being advised to avoid the A55 Britannia Bridge due to strong winds.
Conwy and Denbigh Castle tweeted that "severe weather" had forced them to shut temporarily, although their shops remain open.
The weather alert covers north Wales and Ceredigion.
The flood warnings cover the Lower Dee Valley, near Wrexham; Llanrwst and Trefriw in Conwy county; rivers Mawddach, Wnion and the town of Dolgellau in Gwynedd; and the Dyfi Valley north of Machynlleth, Powys. | Heavy rain and wind gusts have been causing problems for travellers after forecasters issued a yellow "be aware" warning for parts of mid and north Wales. |
38,077,746 | Police said the Lundin Links Hotel, a C-listed building, was significantly damaged after it was set alight on Saturday evening.
Eight appliances were sent to tackle the blaze. The hotel closed down in 2014, when it was bought by developers.
The boy will now be reported to the Children's Reporter. | A 12-year-old boy has been charged over a suspicious fire at a derelict hotel in Fife. |
30,353,197 | Media playback is unsupported on your device
5 December 2014 Last updated at 17:06 GMT
He had been indicted in connection with post-election ethnic violence in 2007-08, in which 1,200 people died.
Here is the story - in 15 seconds. | Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague have withdrawn charges of crimes against humanity against Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta. |
12,412,662 | The evidence comes in the form of a 3.2 million-year-old bone that was found at Hadar, Ethiopia.
Its shape indicates the diminutive, human-like species Australopithecus afarensis had arches in its feet.
Arched feet, the discovery team tells the journal Science, are critical for walking the way modern humans do.
"[The bone] gives a glimpse of foot anatomy and function," explained William Kimbel, director of the Institute of Human Origins at Arizona State University, US.
"It is the fourth metatarsal bone, which resides on the outside of the middle part of your foot, and which helps support the well-developed arches of the foot that we see in the soles of modern human feet.
"The bone that was recovered from the Hadar site has all the hallmarks of the form and function of the modern human foot," he told the BBC.
Palaeo-scientists knew A. afarensis spent some of its time standing tall; that much has been clear since 1974 when they first examined a skeleton of the species, famously dubbed "Lucy", also found near the village of Hadar in the Ethiopian rift valley.
But the absence of important foot bones in all of the specimens uncovered to date has made it difficult for researchers to understand precisely how much time Lucy and her kin spent on their feet, as opposed to moving through the branches of trees.
Human feet are very different from those of other primates. They have two arches, longitudinal and transverse.
These arches comprise the mid-foot bones, and are supported by muscles in the soles of the feet.
This construction enables the feet to perform two critical functions in walking. One is to act as a rigid lever that can propel the body forwards; the other is to act as a shock absorber as the feet touch the ground at the end of a stride.
In our modern ape cousins, the feet are more flexible, and sport highly mobile large toes that are important for gripping branches as the animals traverse the tree tops.
Professor Kimbel and colleagues tell Science journal that the feet of A. afarensis' say a lot about the way it lived.
It would have been able to move across the landscape much more easily and much more quickly, potentially opening up broader and more abundant supplies of food, they say.
"Lucy's spine has the double curve that our own spine does," Professor Kimbel said.
"Her hips functioned much as human hips do in providing balance to the body with each step, which in a biped of course means that you're actually standing on only one leg at a time during striding.
"The knees likewise in Lucy's species are drawn underneath the body such that the thighbone, or femur, angles inwards to the knees from the hip-joints - as in humans.
"And now we can say that the foot, too, joins these other anatomical regions in pointing towards a fundamentally human-like form of locomotion in this ancient human ancestor."
A. afarensis is thought to have existed between about 2.9 million and 3.7 million years ago, and the Hadar area has yielded hundreds of fossil specimens from the species.
Commenting on the latest research, Professor Chris Stringer, a palaeoanthropologist at London's Natural History Museum, said scientists were gradually filling in the detail of this creature's position in the human origins story.
"Bipedalism in Lucy is established, but there has been an issue about how much like our own that bipedalism was," he told BBC News.
"Was it a more waddling gait or something more developed?
"And certainly there's evidence in the upper body that the Australopithecines still seemed to have climbing adaptations - so, the hand bones are still quite strongly curved and their arms suggest they're still spending time in the trees.
"If you are on the ground all the time, you need to find shelter at night and you are in a position to move out into open countryside, which has implications for new resources - scavenging and meat-eating, for example.
"If the Australopithecines were on that road, they were only at the very, very beginning of it."
[email protected] | New fossil evidence seems to confirm that a key ancestor of ours could walk upright consistently - one of the major advances in human evolution. |
35,598,260 | In a blow to the Scarlets' Pro 12 title ambitions, head coach Wayne Pivac confirmed that Shingler damaged his medial knee ligament in the dramatic win over Edinburgh last weekend.
"We had thought it was worse than it is, but it could be anywhere in the range of eight weeks," Pivac confirmed.
"It is unfortunate. Steve earned the right to start and he did well against Edinburgh before the injury."
Ulster host Scarlets in the Pro12 on Sunday, the first game Shingler will miss as the Welsh team battle to remain among the competition's main contenders.
Coach Pivac feels the Scarlets' victory over Edinburgh last time out could be a defining result.
"It could be a season changer for us. A defeat would have pushed us out of the top four. So it was a very, very good win for us," he said.
"It is pleasing to come out with the win in many tight games this season, at the death we have done especially well."
Pivac also confirmed that flanker James Davies is closing in on his comeback, having been injured since the end of November.
"James is running well, he has had another scan, which has been really positive and he is not far away," he said. | Scarlets fly-half Steven Shingler is out of action for around eight weeks. |
33,976,695 | "You've got the classic pattern of someone who's in a fatigue cycle," she says.
"You're running on survival energy. Your sympathetic nervous system is in overdrive. I would guess you feel pretty shattered mid-afternoon which would mean you are running on adrenalin, noradrenalin, cortisol."
I'm turning into a dopamine junkie - the brain chemical associated with pleasure that is released when we are stimulated, whether that is by food, sex, excitement... or screen time.
It sounds convincing. Or am I being blinded by pseudo-science?
Dr Ramlakhan works at the privately run Nightingale Hospital, and is a member of its technology addiction treatment team.
Surely tiredness is a by-product of a busy modern life - children, work, hobbies etc - rather than that relaxing time spent watching Netflix in bed?
"The thing many of my patients have in common is the fact that they are in front of screens all the time. Even when they try to sleep at night. It has become so pervasive," she says.
"They go to bed but can't sleep, or fall asleep exhausted and wake up tired. People started telling me they couldn't switch their brains off."
One patient was suspended from work after sending an inappropriate email to a client in the early hours of the morning, she adds.
"When we unpicked the story we realised he was spending more time at work and finding it more difficult to switch off."
He is now on the road to recovery - and hopes to return to his job.
Another recent patient was a 17-year-old who had suffered a seizure.
It turned out he was up all night playing computer games.
Tech-related burnout is also common in people with certain personality traits, Dr Ramlakhan continues.
"Are you a perfectionist? Are you a control freak? Do you grind your teeth at night?
"That's an A-type personality - they are driven, competitive, aggressive, run on imperatives - have to, must do, should do," she says.
"They are likely to find themselves unable to switch off, they can't relax, if they do they crash into exhaustion.
"Even if they are watching TV they have multi screens. It's a level of hyperactivity driven by a fear of not being in control."
I suggest that perhaps they just want to multi-task.
"It's the accessibility, the sensory experience of swiping that screen, the instant gratification… there is something quite pleasurable about that," she counters.
"Our generation hasn't got the hang of how to respond to it so we respond very reactively.
"For a lot of people it's the lack of offline time which causes hyper-arousal of the brain. People walk about in a state of distractibility."
Author and psychologist Catherine Steiner-Adair also thinks multi-tasking - or multi-screening - is a dangerous game, especially for children.
"We see a decrease in memory, a decline in grades, they're not developing the part of their brain that's a muscle that needs to be developed for singular focus," she told the BBC.
"It seems to decline the more people do split screening."
The Steiner-Waldorf School philosophy actively discourages any screen time at all for under-12s, and British health watchdog NICE guidelines suggest a limit of two hours of screen time a day for adults and children, although this is more in order to increase physical activity.
"It takes us decades to adjust to new technology," says Dave Coplin, Microsoft's curiously titled chief envisioner.
"Technology is a wonderful thing if we use it properly - and we need to use it properly."
It is the current generation, those of us who remember life before the internet, for whom the draw to technology is irresistible, agrees Dr Ramlakhan.
She says her 11-year-old daughter is already "bored" by Facebook and suggests I ask my four-year-old son to collect up the family gadgets as he will find it far easier than me to initiate switch-off.
"Up-and-coming digital natives will be more discerning than us," she explains.
"We're still in the 'Ooh, isn't it wonderful?' phase of technology, we are still excited by it. Our generation hasn't got the hang of how to respond to it so we respond very reactively."
After a few days of following Dr Ramlakhan's advice I have to admit that I do feel better. I am definitely sleeping more and despite medics disagreeing over whether drinking extra water is actually beneficial, it does seem to make me feel more alert.
Of course, it could well be a placebo effect - I know what I'm doing is supposed to be improving my wellbeing.
At the Wilderness festival in Oxfordshire, where the phone reception is terrible but it still costs £5 to charge your mobile, I meet Dr David Cox, a former Accident and Emergency doctor who is now chief medical officer at subscription-based meditation app Mindfulness.
He echoes Dr Ramlakhan's words.
"I don't believe we can be engaging with something to this extent and for it not to be having an effect on our brains," he says.
"The reason we are feeling stressed about all this stuff is that our brains aren't used to doing what we are asking them to do.
"Our brains are very good at adapting and they will continue to do that."
So how is the next generation shaping up?
A recent study by the London School of Economics suggested that in schools which banned mobile phones, children's test scores increased by more than 6%.
I pay a visit to my son's former pre-school, Wildflowers, in Hampshire - a forest school where there are no screens and outdoor play is non-negotiable, rain or shine.
Head teacher Helena Nilsson says children are like "bees to a honeypot" if she gets out her laptop but without the distraction they engage in much more creative play.
The little ones, however, seem less convinced about the benefits of their enforced digital detox.
"Do you think we should have a computer, tablet or TV at Wildflowers?" she asks.
"YES!" chorus the enthusiastic under-fives unanimously.
Listen to the Business Daily report on tech addiction, from the BBC World Service | Just five minutes after meeting sleep and energy expert Dr Nerina Ramlakhan in her central London clinic, she delivers some bad news. |
40,647,886 | Several passengers reported booking their cars into the care of Gatwick First Parking and then not having their vehicles returned.
Sussex Police and Trading Standards found 120 vehicles at various sites in Sussex and Surrey.
Another 30 sets of keys have been found but the vehicles are still missing.
A police spokesman said Gatwick First Parking, which is not approved by the airport, appears to have ceased trading.
The keys to the 120 vehicles were found at the company's office in Surrey.
Sussex Police said they have no power to seize control of the keys of the cars, but had contacted landowners where the cars had been parked.
Landowners were then able to contact passengers to arrange for them to collect their cars.
Sgt Darren Taylor, of the Gatwick Policing Team, said: "It's essential that Gatwick Airport passengers use official on-airport parking, or companies registered with Gatwick's off-airport approved parking operators scheme only, to avoid this sort of thing from happening.
"We're carrying out further enquiries to locate the outstanding vehicles, and the owners of those vehicles will be contacted and kept up to date.
"Our priority is to find and return their vehicles to them as soon as we possibly can." | More than 100 car owners have got their vehicles back after a private parking company at Gatwick Airport failed to return them, police said. |
35,594,084 | Lottie Pauling-Chamberlain, who sleeps outside Lush in Oxford, said she challenged a thief on 10 February.
Now a woman, 29, of no fixed address, has been held on suspicion of conspiracy to burgle and possessing Class A drugs, police said.
A man, 42, also of no fixed abode, has been arrested on suspicion of burglary.
Updates on this story and more from Oxfordshire
Staff at the shop in Cornmarket Street said a laptop and large box of cosmetics had disappeared when they opened the shop last week.
The next day Ms Pauling-Chamberlain, who sleeps rough in the area with her dog Marley, returned the stolen items.
A donation fund set up by the store has so far raised £9,245, which was donated to by 537 people.
But a spokeswoman for the cosmetics chain said the fund had now been put on hold while police carried out an investigation.
She added Lush had been advised not to comment further. Thames Valley Police said its policy was not to name those arrested.
Both suspects have been released on police bail until 14 May. | A donation fund for a homeless woman who said she stopped a burglary has been put on hold after two people were arrested. |
33,693,497 | That is the first of 1,671 fixtures to be played across the second, third and fourth tiers this term, and we've picked out some of the key stories to follow over the next 10 months.
Fifteen Football League clubs have appointed new full-time managers since the end of the 2014-15 season.
Some, such as Crawley's Mark Yates or Chesterfield's Dean Saunders, are old hands. Others, such as Marinus Dijkhuizen at Brentford and Carlos Carvalhal at Sheffield Wednesday, will be experiencing English football for the first time.
Former England striker Teddy Sheringham was Stevenage's choice to replace Graham Westley, who left the League Two club in May following their play-off semi-final defeat by Southend.
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Vastly experienced and highly decorated as a player, the 49-year-old is starting his managerial career in the quiet surroundings of leafy Hertfordshire.
When ex-Manchester United players decide to have a crack at management, questions about their legendary former boss are almost inevitable.
But Sheringham told BBC Three Counties Radio: "I can't try to be Sir Alex Ferguson.
"You only do what you've been taught. I've played for some fantastic managers. I'll take out the best bits of them and use them in my own manner."
Another new manager - apologies, head coach - to be appointed during the summer is Paul Clement.
Derby County looked almost certain to be promoted to the Premier League under Steve McClaren last term but, in one of the closest Championship promotion battles for years, they plummeted down the table and finished eighth.
Clement, 43, had assisted Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea, Paris St-Germain and Real Madrid before returning to England.
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"I'm willing to work at this level," he told BBC East Midlands Today. "I believe the club's got great potential. I want to work in the Premier League and I want to do it with Derby."
And, while his talent pool at Derby may not quite be of the calibre of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema, Clement has been allowed freedom in the transfer market as the Rams look to recover from last season's late collapse.
The club broke their transfer record to sign Hull winger Thomas Ince, while Andreas Weimann, Jason Shackell, Darren Bent, Alex Pearce and Chris Baird have also been added to the squad.
After such an expensive recruitment drive, Derby are unsurprisingly among the favourites to win the Championship.
Another Championship club expecting to be in this season's promotion battle are Middlesbrough.
They exceeded the expectations of many to reach the play-off final last season, only to succumb to a tame defeat by Norwich at Wembley.
Far from feeling downbeat about their narrow failure, Boro have made arguably the most eye-catching Football League signing of the summer.
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Teesside native Stewart Downing turned down regular Premier League football to return to the club where his career started, joining from West Ham United for a fee that could rise to £5.5m.
And there is only one objective for the 31-year-old winger - finishing in the top two.
"This is a Premier League club and that's where it should be," Downing told BBC Look North. "If this was a team fighting relegation or in mid-table, it wouldn't be good for me to come back.
"They were very unlucky last season not to get promoted, and the manager's said if he can keep the squad together and add with the players he's looking to bring in, we'll be going for automatic promotion."
In a division that can be so difficult to predict, who would be surprised if Queens Park Rangers were to challenge for promotion this season?
Because, let's face it, there's never a dull moment at Loftus Road.
Charlie Austin apart, they endured a torrid 2014-15 season in the Premier League, summed up by the 6-0 drubbing at Manchester City in May that confirmed their relegation.
"The meek way QPR tumbled out of the Premier League last season suggested that a long, hard rebuilding job was required," says BBC London 94.9 reporter Nick Godwin.
"After see-sawing between divisions in recent years, QPR need a period of stability and continuity.
"Last time they were in this position, two years ago, Harry Redknapp relied on experience and Austin's goals to get them back up. It just about worked.
"This time, Chris Ramsey doesn't have the same resources at his disposal and the signings so far have been modest.
"It looks as though Austin will be sold before the transfer window shuts and that could free up resources for further signings, but the club's attitude so far seems to be one of restrained realism."
As if a 4-0 home win over Manchester United in the League Cup wasn't excitement enough, MK Dons earned promotion to the Championship for the first time last season, pipping Preston to second spot on the final day.
Clubs going up from League One have performed well in recent seasons. Norwich (2009-2011) and Southampton (2010-2012) won back-to-back promotions.
Just last season, Brentford got to the play-offs, Wolves narrowly missed out on a top-six place and Bournemouth - in their second year in the second tier - won the title.
Can MK Dons follow that upward trend? Well, manager Karl Robinson has one of the smallest budgets in the division and has warned supporters not to expect too much from his team.
"People are likening us to Wolves and Bournemouth - we're not in the same hemisphere as these teams," Robinson told BBC Three Counties Radio. "We can't do what these teams have done.
"We're going into a Championship with a different way of doing it, but we'll do it our way. Our way is a way our fans know, and hopefully the football club can again turn one or two heads."
While MK Dons are experiencing new highs, Wigan Athletic find themselves down in League One just two years after winning the FA Cup.
Paul Rowley, who covers the Latics for BBC Radio Manchester, says: "This time 12 months ago, Uwe Rosler was contemplating bouncing back to the Premier League.
"But Rosler was gone within three months, Malky Mackay didn't last much longer, and chairman Dave Whelan stepped down after arguably the worst season in the club's history.
"When Whelan took charge of his hometown club in 1995, he said he wanted to see Wigan in the Premier League in 10 years. Most people laughed, but he achieved the task with bells on.
"A generation later, the mantle has been passed to his grandson David Sharpe - the youngest chairman in British football at the age of 24 - and Gary Caldwell, the Football League's youngest manager at 33.
"The task will be hard. None of the Wembley heroes remain. They've made 14 new signings but the wage bill has been slashed and attendances are expected to fall.
"However, with Premier League parachute payments still due for the next two years, the Latics will be better off than most at this level.
"And Sharpe has inherited the Whelan swagger. He told supporters during pre-season: 'I don't just want to win this league - I want to smash it and get 100 points'.
"Fighting talk, but is it realistic? Just remember, they didn't believe Dave Whelan 20 years ago and look what happened..."
If you thought Wigan have had a year to forget, you obviously haven't heard the tale of woe from Blackpool.
Protests against the club's owners were frequent and culminated with a pitch invasion that forced their final match of the season against Huddersfield to be abandoned.
Fifty different players represented the Seasiders in the Championship. They equalled the lowest-ever points tally in the second tier and were relegated with six matches remaining.
BBC Radio Lancashire's Phil Cunliffe recalls: "This time last year, Blackpool were only able to name four subs for their opening fixture at Nottingham Forest. Manager Jose Riga's transfer plans lay in ruins.
"In contrast, new manager Neil McDonald has worked briskly, and kept a low profile, to recruit a completely new squad.
"It's hard to gauge if players such as Brad Potts, Colin Doyle and Jack Redshaw can halt the club's decline.
"But, just like his predecessor Lee Clark - another Wallsend-born former Newcastle midfielder - McDonald is strong-willed and determined to do well.
"When Clark succeeded Riga last October, he inherited a team that was resigned to losing every week. McDonald doesn't have that same problem and providing he can fulfil his aim of instilling a winning mentality, the Seasiders could do better than many people are predicting."
It's a manager's favourite threat: 'You're playing for your futures.' Well for Yeovil Town's players that has proved to be the case - with 15 new faces arriving at Huish Park during the summer.
"The last few games left a bitter taste in my mouth and it did cost a few people their jobs," Yeovil boss Paul Sturrock said of the club's relegation to League Two. "They showed a bad attitude and I couldn't stand for that."
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So how has Sturrock bonded his merry band of new signings? The answer - darts and dominoes.
The former Scotland international told BBC Points West: "When you sign 15 new players for the season, they don't know each other's names so it's quite important that they bond for team spirit.
"We took them to Columba for two or three days in a hotel there. We went to a charity night in my local pub and played darts and dominoes against the locals."
As well as trips to the pub, Sturrock has also turned the away dressing room into a games room, where his new arrivals have been getting to know each other.
"I'm working very hard on that side of it as it's important they want to play for each other as well as the club," added Sturrock. "Very few have played together before. Only five players were left at the club but it's been a whirlwind."
Listen to live Football League commentaries on BBC Radio 5 live, 5 live sports extra and BBC local radio throughout the season.
In addition, BBC Sport will be providing live text commentaries of selected Football League matches and written reports of every game in the Championship, League One and League Two. | Just 74 days after Norwich City's Championship play-off final victory at Wembley, the 2015-16 Football League season begins on Friday, when Brighton host Nottingham Forest. |
36,882,292 | It said students should pay between £5,200 and £6,300 depending on the level of government funding available.
Students currently pay £3,925 to study at Northern Ireland universities.
The figures are contained in an internal university document in response to the NI Executive's programme for government (PfG) 2016-21, which has been obtained by the BBC.
In the document, Queen's said the money higher education institutions had received from the executive had reduced from £214m in 2009-10 to £185m in 2014-15.
"This equates to some 13% in cash terms and 24% in real terms," it said.
"The 2015-16 academic year saw a further 10.8% reduction in the higher education budget, totalling £16.1m.
"The impact of this funding reduction has required the university to substantially reduce its undergraduate intake."
Queen's said there is a deficit of £55m between the money universities in Northern Ireland need and what they receive in public and private funding.
An additional £14.6m was allocated to higher education in the executive's 2016-17 June monitoring round, but it is not clear if this funding will be repeated in the future.
Last year, both Queen's and Ulster University announced they were jointly cutting more than 2,000 student places over three years.
There are three costed funding options put forward by Queen's in the document, all of which, it said, would reverse that cut in places.
All involve "moderate levels" of extra public funding and "affordable increases" in tuition fees.
The document from Queen's said the options are fair to students, graduates and Northern Ireland.
"These options are designed to facilitate discussion amongst stakeholders regarding the development of a sustainable model of funding for higher education," it said.
"The options are based on the principles of providing a competitive level of funding for Northern Ireland's universities and the reinstatement of places that have been lost due to successive budgetary reductions."
NUS-USI President Fergal McFerran and Queen's Students' Union President Seán Fearon condemned the leadership of Queen's University for calling for a rise in tuition fees in Northern Ireland.
"This is extremely troubling development because any increase fees could have a devastating impact on students" said Mr McFerran.
"Placing even more debt on students could also significantly damage the economy as well as damaging universities here."
Mr Fearon, said the proposal would only "drive the export of our school leavers to universities elsewhere, increasing 'brain drain' in the region".
Former education minister Stephen Farry said he hoped the executive would find extra resources to fund universities.
"There are changes we can make in our public spending that would allow us to invest in things that are important for the future," the Alliance party MLA said.
"I think we can maintain the balanced approach with fees in the region of £4,000, but only if the executive is serious about putting in [about] £80m per year to make sure we're properly resourcing this."
He added: "If we're serious about growing the economy, we will need more and more people with high-level skills.
"This is not an optional extra - this is an absolute inescapable requirement."
The trade union Unite said arguing for increases in fees was "completely indefensible".
Unite regional officer Sean Smyth said: "Increasingly, a university education is beyond the hopes of many working-class young people.
"It is essential that [the funding budget for universities] is used to prioritise the education of those coming from disadvantaged and working-class households."
A recent study by the former Department for Employment and Learning (DEL) found that Queen's and Ulster University were receiving funding of between £900 and £2,500 a student less than English universities.
University education in Northern Ireland is free at the point of entry, but the vast majority of students borrow the cost of their yearly tuition fee.
They can also take out a maintenance loan for living costs, which is capped at £3,750 if they live with their parents, and £4,840 if they live away from home.
These loans start to be paid back when the student enters employment and earns more than £17,495 a year.
The more a graduate earns, the bigger the proportion of their loan they repay. | Student tuition fees in Northern Ireland could rise to £6,300 a year, Queen's University in Belfast has said. |
39,667,383 | The 19-year-old man, from Newick, East Sussex, was arrested in February on suspicion of causing aggravated harassment, alarm or distress.
Price published a message she received, which featured images mocking her 14-year-old son, Harvey.
The man was cautioned by Sussex Police on Thursday after answering bail.
Harvey, who is partially blind, autistic and has Prader-Willi syndrome, is the son of the 38-year-old TV personality and former footballer Dwight Yorke.
In January, Price tweeted out the offensive manipulated image in an effort to find the person behind the editing.
She said: "Caught out!! Another bully on our hands. Anyone know this guy??"
In March, she set up petition calling for online abuse to be made a specific criminal offence and for the creation of a register of offenders.
So far it has more than 213,000 signatures.
She wrote on the petition description: "Trolling is a major problem in this day and age. People of all ages and background suffer every day, including my family - especially my son Harvey.
"I have tried my best to expose people and even had two arrested but nothing was done and there were no repercussions or penalties for this behaviour." | A man has been cautioned for posting offensive messages on Twitter about model and TV star Katie Price's disabled son Harvey. |
40,418,365 | Reddish joined Quins from Super Rugby side Highlanders in November 2016, but made only five appearances.
The 32-year-old New Zealander previously played for Hurricanes and provincial side Wellington.
"Given the medical advice I have received, it's the best decision long term for me and my young family," he told the club website.
"I thoroughly enjoyed living in England and I am sad to cut my time short. I wish the boys all the best for the upcoming season and beyond."
Saracens lock Alistair Hargreaves was forced to retire last October after suffering a series of concussions. | Harlequins lock Mark Reddish has retired from rugby for medical reasons after suffering a concussion. |
10,215,957 | The proposed "European Security Markets Authority" would initially regulate credit rating agencies, but could be given broader powers at a later date.
The agencies gave their highest "AAA" rating to billions of dollars of debts that went bad in the financial crisis.
Michel Barnier, the commissioner behind the proposal, has also advocated a single European banking regulator.
The internal market commissioner wants national regulators to transfer all their supervision powers over the rating agencies to the new authority.
"In contrast to banks and insurance companies, rating services are not linked to particular territories," the Commission said in a press release.
US inquiry grills ratings agency
"The changes to rules on credit rating agencies will mean better supervision and increased transparency in this crucial sector," said Mr Barnier.
"But they are only a first step," he added. "We are looking at this market in more detail."
The rating agencies have been accused on both sides of the Atlantic of being a major culprit in the financial crisis.
In the US, a Congressional inquiry committee was due on Wednesday to question senior managers at rating agency Moody's, as well as billionaire investor Warren Buffett, about the agencies' role in the crisis.
In Europe, Mr Barnier criticised the rating agencies in May for their rapid downgrade of Greece's debts to "junk" status.
"I think we need to go further to look at the impact of the ratings on the financial system or economic system as a whole," he said at the time.
"The power of these agencies is quite considerable not only for companies but also for states."
The rating agencies stand accused of a conflict of interests, as their fees were paid for by the banks whose deals they were rating.
Under Mr Barnier's proposal, banks would be forced to disclose full details on their financial transactions to all the rating agencies.
The Commission hopes that this will encourage other rating agencies to provide unsolicited - and more impartial - ratings for these deals.
However, it is unclear what financial incentive there would be for them to provide these competing ratings.
Separately, the Commission has also published a proposal paper on changing the way in which financial institutions such as banks are governed.
Directors and major shareholders in banks have been criticised for allowing the banks' management to take on too much risk prior to the financial crisis.
The proposals include:
The corporate governance "green paper" is only intended to stimulate discussion, and the Commission does not expect to propose any specific new legislation on until 2011. | Plans for an EU-wide financial markets watchdog have been put forward by the European Commission. |
34,991,621 | Ms Yellen said the US economy had "recovered substantially" and consumer spending was "particularly solid".
After falling at first, Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index recovered to close flat at 19,939.90.
Oil prices recovered some ground overnight, having fallen by more than 4% on Wednesday.
US crude had fallen below $40 a barrel at one point, with prices being hit by news of rising stockpiles and the strong dollar.
However, crude prices gained in Asian trade after a report suggested that Saudi Arabia would propose a deal to balance oil markets.
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) is due to meet on Friday. The group of countries set oil production levels, which have a significant impact on the price of the commodity.
Chinese shares reversed earlier losses to head higher in afternoon trade, with the Shanghai Composite index closing up 1.35% at 3,584.82.
Analysts said one factor driving the market could be that some of the $313bn (£209bn) locked in Tuesday's initial public offerings had started to flow back into the market.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng index closed down 0.28% at 22,417.01 in line with the rest of the region.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index ended 0.6% lower at 5,227.7 on the weakness in commodity prices.
Government data also showed that the value of exports fell by a seasonally-adjusted 3% in October, mainly due to lower demand for commodities such as gold.
In South Korea, the benchmark Kospi index finished down 0.8% at 1,994.07 despite a revision to third quarter growth figures, which indicated the economy was growing faster than anticipated.
The economy grew 1.3% in the three months to September from the previous quarter. That was up from the original estimate of 1.2% and the fastest pace since mid-2010.
On an annual basis, growth rose 2.7%, compared with the initial forecast of 2.6%. | Asian markets were mostly lower after comments from US Federal Reserve head Janet Yellen reinforced expectations of a US rate rise this month. |
36,286,581 | Captain Eve Watson had given the Reds the lead as early as the third minute and her side never looked back.
She went on to complete her hat-trick, with Holly Muirhead and 16-year-old Natasha Keen also netting for the hosts.
The nine-goal winning margin beat the previous biggest, an 8-0 win in 2010.
The game was the first Muratti in charge for Guernsey boss Jordy Gallienne, who took over in January, and he watched his side slip behind in the opening stages when Watson slotted in after good work from Andrade and Keen.
Marta Ascensao hit the crossbar from long range before Andrade got her first, slamming the ball into the roof of the net.
Watson, just a day after watching her brother net the only goal in the men's Muratti, made it 3-0 at the break.
Andrade grabbed her second despite Joelle Pengelley's efforts on the line and then Keen, on her Muratti debut, capitalised on substitute goalkeeper Alice Davis' fumble to make it 5-0.
Player of the match Andrade beat the offside trap to complete her hat-trick before Watson got her third soon after from close range.
Muirhead slotted home with 20 minutes to go and Guernsey would have feared a double-figure scoreline.
To their credit though, they had perhaps their best spell, preventing the Reds from getting their ninth until the fifth minute of stoppage time, when Andrade kept her composure when through one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
Jersey captain Eve Watson:
"Our aim was to come out and pressure them more, get the ball and just attack as much as we could.
"Playing at home and with it being the Muratti record that's even more special.
"I've scored a hat-trick and I'm proud of that, but I'm just more proud of all the girls and what they've put in today."
Guernsey manager Jordy Gallienne:
"Had we got the first goal we felt that we could apply some pressure and could compete, but once that first one went in the floodgates started to open.
"It's frustrating because you can see that they [the Guernsey players] can compete, but they just didn't show up.
"We were chasing the ball a lot, our ball retention was really poor, and when you find yourself defending for long periods you're always going to concede goals." | Striker Catarina Andrade scored four goals as Jersey thumped rivals Guernsey 9-0 at Springfield to win the women's Muratti. |
32,091,531 | York City Council planning committee has given the green light for work to start on the £37m ground at Jockey Lane, in Huntington.
The Minstermen's move comes after the club said refurbishing Bootham Crescent was not financially viable.
The development will include a leisure centre and cinema and facilities for York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and York St John University.
Speaking after the meeting York City's chairman Jason McGill said: "This is a once in a generation opportunity that I'm so pleased that the planning committee have taken on board."
A council report said the development would "provide extensive and comprehensive sports, leisure and community facilities that would effectively replace and significantly enhance the provision of such facilities in the city".
It said it would also create "additional employment opportunities both during construction and on completion".
Construction work is expected to begin in June. | Plans for a new 8,000-capacity stadium for York City FC have been approved. |
33,076,367 | The Airports Commission, chaired by Sir Howard Davies, is expected to publish its final report this summer.
It has shortlisted three options: a third runway at Heathrow, lengthening an existing runway at Heathrow or building a second runway at Gatwick.
The Financial Times reports there will be no decision until Christmas.
BBC assistant political editor Norman Smith said government sources had told him ministers would take "some time" to consider Sir Howard's findings.
The Conservative Party's manifesto promises to "respond" to the final report of the commission, which began its inquiry three years ago. The results were put off until after the general election.
Paul Everitt, chief executive of aerospace national trade association ADS, said any delays could harm the UK's global competitiveness.
"We don't have a specific view on just which airport should get a new runway but we need a decision soon," he said,
"We have been waiting a long time for this."
Airport expansion: What are the options?
A third runway at Heathrow was proposed by the last Labour government but the plan was scrapped when the Conservatives and Lib Dems formed their coalition government in 2010.
A number of high-profile Conservatives are opposed to Heathrow expansion, including London Mayor Boris Johnson and Richmond Park MP Zac Goldsmith, who is bidding to replace him.
On Twitter, Labour leadership contender Mary Creagh, a former shadow transport secretary, accused David Cameron of an "unforgivable delay" on the issue, saying the prime minister was putting "Tory party management ahead of the national interest".
A Department for Transport spokeswoman said: "We are determined to make progress on this vital issue but we need to carefully consider the Airports Commission's full body of work before setting out next steps."
Campaign group Let Britain Fly, which lobbies for airport expansion, called for an end to "political procrastination", adding that "kicking the can down the road for another year is no longer an option".
A Heathrow spokeswoman said: "There has to be a quick decision following a long and thorough process by the Airports Commission." | There will be no immediate response to the final report of the commission looking at airport expansion, government sources say. |
12,105,347 | He slumped over his keyboard and did not move for a couple of minutes before being helped off stage, Chicago Sun-Times reporter Dave Hoekstra wrote.
Berry, 84, later re-emerged but told fans he had no strength to continue performing, the Sun-Times reported.
His agent told AP he had been suffering from exhaustion and that he had now flown home to St Louis, Missouri.
With hits like Johnny B Goode and Roll Over Beethoven, the singer and guitarist is one of the pioneers of rock 'n' roll and influenced artists including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Beach Boys. | Rock 'n' roll legend Chuck Berry cut short a concert in Chicago after collapsing on stage. |
40,027,458 | The Sri Lankan finished unbeaten on 177 as Surrey closed on 334-7 having been reduced to 31-5 in the opening hour of a sun-drenched first day at Chelmsford.
Sam Curran (90) shared a 191-run partnership with Sangakkara for the sixth wicket while Stuart Meaker (43 not out) added more tail-end runs.
Seamer Matt Quinn (3-66) had earlier prospered with the new ball for Essex.
Sangakkara's past five County Championship innings have produced scores of 136, 105, 114, 120 and 177 not out and he has now scored 769 runs this season at an average of 128.16.
In between, he also struck an unbeaten 124 in Surrey's final One-Day Cup group match against Hampshire.
Five successive first-class centuries is a Surrey record and Sangakkara became the first player to achieve the feat since Mike Hussey for Northamptonshire in 2003.
He was let off on 46 when former England Test captain Alastair Cook dropped a sharp chance at first slip off Neil Wagner, which brought up his half-century in the process.
And the left-hander, who confirmed on Monday he will retire from the first-class game in September, moved to his century in 173 balls and then passed 150 off 247 deliveries.
Essex, who started the day top of Division One and a point ahead of second-placed Surrey, were in charge early on after Quinn and Jamie Porter (2-70) had accounted for the top order.
But by the close, Sangakkara and Meaker had added an unbroken 95 for the eighth wicket to move within sight of a fourth batting point.
Surrey all-rounder Sam Curran told BBC Radio London:
"It was amazing [batting with Kumar Sangakkara], I didn't really expect that at 11:30, I'd be in batting with him, especially after winning the toss.
"Fair play to the Essex guys, they bowled top of off stump and made a good pitch look like a good bowling wicket.
"But, batting with Kumar was probably only the third or fourth time I have in four-day cricket.
"We're going to miss him at the end of the year when he goes, but we're going to take in whatever we can right now.
"It was literally incredible batting with him. He told us to dig in deep to start with and just take 20 minutes at a time and then go from there.
"He helped me through the way and that's the best time to score runs when the team needs you.
"I'm gutted to miss out on a hundred, but the main thing is we finished the day in a good position and I definitely think it was our day." | Kumar Sangakkara's fifth successive first-class century led a remarkable recovery for Surrey against Essex. |
35,799,778 | Some have suggested that England's 25-21 win over Wales ranks up there with the sensational 38-21 dismantling of world champions New Zealand in December 2012.
That would be going too far. The All Blacks were a better team beaten by a larger margin in a more consistently excellent performance that day.
But this performance is close to the best we have seen from this generation of England players.
The exciting thing that Eddie Jones has brought since he arrived as coach in November is tempo.
It is clear in the faster pace with which players are coming on to the ball, the swift recycling and the speed of thought out wide.
The forwards are running hard at arms and winning the contact before the brains trust of Owen Farrell and George Ford work out where the space is and how to release the pace and guile of Anthony Watson, Jack Nowell and Mike Brown to exploit it.
It is easy to describe, but hard to stop.
The performance of Maro Itoje - who won the man of the match award in only his third international - grabbed a lot of attention.
I was in the England side when a 22-year-old Martin Johnson made his Test debut against France in January 1993.
Johnson had been due to play for the England A side against France, but was called up as an 11th-hour replacement for the injured Wade Dooley by coach Geoff Cooke.
Dooley was an enforcer in the second row. He was a totem we looked up to and the other team had to make a plan for. They were big shoes to fill, but Martin fitted in seamlessly, coming out on top against Abdelatif Benazzi and Olivier Roumat as we won 16-15.
Maro has thrived similarly on the international stage. That is the sign of a very good player. He shows great intellect with the way he plays and is very articulate and grounded when interviewed.
We have to avoid putting pressure on him to be the next Johnson, Paul O'Connell or Brodie Retallick. Let's allow him to develop and show us what the Maro Itoje way is.
The big weak point of England's Six Nations campaign so far has been their indiscipline.
They conceded 12 penalties against Wales, after 12 against Ireland, 15 against Italy and 12 against Scotland. It almost cost them against Wales, with the visitors scoring two late tries after prop Dan Cole had been sin-binned.
Maybe it is partly a product of the more confrontational mindset that Eddie Jones has brought in. But maybe that harder edge is also why this time England held off a resurgent Wales, when in the World Cup they folded.
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It started going wrong right from the start for Wales.
Scrum-half Gareth Davies failed to find touch from the kick-off. England countered and were held up, but from the resulting scrum there was a poor pass to Dan Biggar, who also failed to find touch.
Itoje stole the ball in the first line-out. Then there was a mix-up between Scott Baldwin and Jamie Roberts in attack, and George North ran straight into George Ford out wide.
It was a perfect storm.
Wales were sloppy, imprecise and kicked poorly at the same time that England were executing with total accuracy. That is where that early one-sidedness comes from and it lost Wales the game.
Wales seemed to fire a lot better when Rhys Priestland came on to replace Biggar at 10, coinciding with their late rally.
Priestland takes the ball flat and at pace and draws players on to him whereas Biggar stands deeper, comes at less pace and gives himself more breathing space.
Maybe it was that more aggressive attacking stand that got Wales moving late on.
Certainly as a centre I would prefer to play outside Priestland, and it will be interesting to see whether coach Warren Gatland gives Biggar a break for what is a dead rubber against Italy next weekend.
Full-back Stuart Hogg was the ringleader in an entertaining Scotland win over France with his blind flicked fingertip pass to put Tim Visser in at the corner the most dazzling of his party pieces.
When he is in that mood, he is scintillating to watch - someone who makes things happen and sends a frisson of excitement around the ground every time he gets hold of the ball.
In the past he has started fighting his own personal battles and getting frustrated, taking away from his own game. But during this Championship he has kept that in check. Maybe that is part of him maturing - he is still only 23 years old.
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It is too early to say whether this Scotland side as a whole have turned the corner after racking up two successive Six Nations wins for the first time since 2013.
But there were plenty of things for coach Vern Cotter to be pleased about in their win over France.
Their scrum and set-piece was effective, they showed a cutting edge and ruthlessness out wide, had the mental strength to withstand the pressure when France came at them hard in the second half and won with room to spare in the end.
Finding an alternative to Finn Russell at fly-half was a plus point that they could not have predicted. Peter Horne did exceptionally well when summoned from the bench after Russell's head injury, getting up to speed in a position that is not his specialty.
They could still do with a few more hardened ball-carriers to make the hard yards and soften up opposition defences, but it was a performance to build on.
When Joe Schmidt first arrived as Ireland coach three years ago, his playbook planning was very detailed and clever, and developed his team into two-time Six Nations champions.
Injuries to the likes of Tommy Bowe, Iain Henderson, Luke Fitzgerald, Peter O'Mahony, Sean O'Brien and Cian Healey have hit Ireland's campaign this year, but I think rugby has changed as well.
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The World Cup showed the need for teams to be expressive and spontaneous within their skill sets.
You cannot be so prescriptive. You cannot play rugby by numbers.
Back in Ireland, some of the media have called on Schmidt's side to show more ambition and spontaneity, and their superb sixth try, dotted down by Jamie Heaslip as his side went the length of the field, showed that.
Doing it against a poor Italy side is one thing, however. Having the skills and nerve to repeat that sort of score against the very best is quite another. | Among the topics Jerry discusses this week are: |
35,343,319 | People were admitted with diarrhoea and vomiting over the weekend and some have been confirmed as cases of norovirus.
Managers have stopped the admission of patients into rooms where people have the illness to stop it from spreading.
They said that move has slowed admissions from the emergency unit into the wider hospital.
Admissions to four wards have been stopped as a precautionary measure, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board said. | An outbreak of a sickness bug has had an impact on planned surgery and added pressure on Wrexham Maelor Hospital's emergency unit, bosses have said. |
26,033,564 | Mohamoud Elmi stabbed PC Adam Koch and two worshippers in Ward End in Birmingham last June.
PC Koch and the two men, who were stabbed repeatedly, survived.
Elmi, 32, who was tried at Birmingham Crown Court, now faces a potentially indefinite period of detention in a secure hospital.
He is currently being treated at a secure hospital and will be sentenced by Mrs Justice Carr on Wednesday.
The court heard the defendant, who has paranoid schizophrenia, had declined treatment before the incident in the mosque.
Jurors deliberated for more than two days before returning verdicts that Elmi was not guilty of attempted murder by reason of insanity.
However, in reaching its decision, the jury ruled he had carried out acts that amounted to attempted murder and wounding.
Elmi's trial was told he had previously been treated for mental health problems but was discharged into the community before the attacks at the mosque.
The court heard the defendant, of Ward End Hall Grove, Washwood Heath, attacked worshippers on 15 June shortly after threatening two teenagers.
The prosecution said he raised a knife above Tahir Mumtaz, who was in a praying position, and repeatedly stabbed him.
Another man, Zakaria Bhayat, was injured when he tried to restrain Elmi, who then walked "calmly" into a washroom before returning to pray, it was said.
The trial was told PC Koch shouted to Elmi to warn him he had a Taser but Elmi approached him and then stabbed him several times despite the Taser being discharged.
Elmi was overpowered by other worshippers and a second PC who intervened, the prosecution said.
After the verdicts were returned on two counts of attempted murder and one of wounding, Birmingham and Solihull Mental NHS Foundation Trust confirmed an inquiry had been held into the care received by Elmi, who was discharged eight months before the stabbings.
The trust said its review highlighted "a number of lessons" for itself but said they had been acted upon.
Issues highlighted by the review included the need for greater involvement and input from families and GPs before and after patients are discharged.
Other areas of learning identified in the review centred on better record-keeping, particularly when patients were transferred from in-patient to community teams. | A man who stabbed a policeman and worshippers at a mosque was insane at the time of the offences, a jury has ruled. |
32,856,667 | He is joined by fellow midfielders Dale Keenan and Chris Dillon, plus defenders Ben Richards-Everton and Ryan Finnie.
Craigen, who joined Thistle from Edinburgh University, has made 30 appearances this season.
Keenan, the 20-year-old who arrived from East Fife in 2013, had made eight first-team appearances this term.
Richards-Everton signed from Tamworth last summer, but the 22-year-old England C cap spent the season on loan to Airdrieonians, making 19 appearances for the League One side.
Former Scotland Under-19 cap Finnie joined Thistle after leaving Rangers in January, but the 20-year-old failed to break into the first team at Firhill.
The 19-year-old Dillon did not break into the Thistle first-team and made one appearance this season on loan to Berwick Rangers. | James Craigen's three-year spell with Partick Thistle has ended, with the 24-year-old Englishman among five players being released by the Glasgow club. |
36,695,473 | Holders Arsenal safely navigated a tricky away tie at top-flight Reading, winning 3-1, while Women's Super League One leaders Manchester City won 8-0 at WSL 2 side Aston Villa.
Liverpool Ladies won the Merseyside derby at WSL 2 side Everton 1-0.
Sheffield FC Ladies beat Bristol City Women 2-0 in the only all-WSL 2 clash.
Chelsea, winners of the Women's FA Cup and the league title in 2015, fielded four senior England internationals in their starting XI, but were trailing 2-1 when their defender Niamh Fahey was dismissed late on.
Down to 10 players, Chelsea sent the game to extra-time with Millie Bright's stoppage-time goal before Beth England put them 3-2 up, but Deanna Cooper's leveller brought about a penalty shootout.
England winger Karen Carney and South Korea forward Ji So-Yun both missed penalties for Chelsea before Merrick Will struck the part-time side's final kick.
On Sunday, the remaining first-round ties see Doncaster Rovers Belles host Sunderland, Oxford United host Birmingham City and WSL 2 leaders Yeovil Town host Notts County Ladies.
Chelsea Ladies manager Emma Hayes: "The Bees put everything on the line for their team. It was a fantastic effort against a group of professional players and they deserve what they got from the game.
"It wasn't about who has the best individuals because that's clear. Ultimately the best team won because they took all elements of the game seriously and they respected the opponent."
London Bees substitute Merrick Will: "It was brilliant. It's great to beat Chelsea, a quality side like that, and go through to the next round.
"We came into it with not much pressure and I knew we could do it. We definitely went in there underestimated and I think that showed in our performance." | Chelsea Ladies suffered a shock Women's Continental Cup first-round exit as they lost 4-2 on penalties to second-tier London Bees after a 3-3 draw. |
36,908,975 | Media playback is not supported on this device
The 27-year-old, nicknamed 'Beef', broke into the world's top 100 by finishing eighth at Royal Troon.
That came three months after he won his first European Tour title with victory in the Spanish Open at Valderrama.
"At The Open I'd come off and maybe sign five or 10 autographs... now it's more like 40, 50, 60," Johnston told BBC Radio 5 Live. "It was crazy."
The Englishman is preparing to play in the US PGA Championship, which starts on Thursday.
"You've got to find the right balance," he said. "I love spending time and signing stuff. I think that is really important, but you have to find that balance.
"To have won the Spanish Open and come eighth at The Open... it's great, but there are seven people ahead of me, so it could be better."
Johnston has been grouped with the United States' Scott Piercy and Swede Alex Noren for the opening two rounds at Baltusrol in New Jersey.
The trio will tee off at 17:35 BST on Thursday. | Andrew Johnston knows he must balance his golf with new-found fame after becoming a cult hero at The Open. |
35,227,252 | The 31-year-old midfielder is England's most-capped player of all time, having represented her country 148 times.
Williams was part of the squad that finished third at last year's World Cup and was awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours list.
"Fara is a great competitor and a fantastic character, too," said Gunners boss Pedro Martinez Losa.
Media playback is not supported on this device
"She is a player with huge experience at club and international level, and her reading and understanding of games is fantastic."
Williams, who has also had spells at Chelsea, Charlton and Everton, helped the Reds win the FA Women's Super League title in 2013 and 2014.
Arsenal have not disclosed the length of her contract, but Williams tweeted she had signed with the north London side for two years.
This is a big coup for Arsenal and their fans.
With three World Cups, three European Championships and the London Olympics under her belt, 31-year-old Williams will add plenty of experience to their midfield.
Arsenal claimed the Continental Cup in 2015. Making a signing like this shows great intent as Arsenal look to win their first league title since 2012.
But it's another blow for Liverpool, whose slide continues.
Champions in 2013 and 2014, Liverpool finished second bottom in the WSL last season and Williams has now become the seventh player to leave the club in the transfer window. | Arsenal Ladies have signed England international Fara Williams from Liverpool Ladies. |
38,870,786 | The incident happened at about 15:45 GMT on Saturday on College Hill, Llanelli.
Dyfed-Powys Police said the silver people carrier, which may have damage to its front bumper, had gone before officers arrived.
The motorcyclist was taken to hospital with a head injury, but his condition is unknown. | A search is under way for the driver of a car which left the scene of a crash with a motorbike in Carmarthenshire. |
34,653,774 | 27 October 2015 Last updated at 18:33 GMT
Twenty-year-old Anna Kenny went missing in Glasgow, in August 1977, and her body was found in Argyll two years later.
Her death has been linked to Angus Sinclair, who was convicted of the World's End murders last year.
BBC Scotland's Home Affairs Correspondent Reevel Alderson reports. | The unsolved murder of a woman is to be re-investigated by detectives - almost 40 years after the crime. |
40,113,233 | Gemma Whyley, 28, was one of two coaches involved with the Welsh Paracheer Unified Freestyle Pom team that won gold at the ICU Cheerleading Championships in Orlando, Florida.
A quarter of the team has physical disabilities.
Ms Whyley said: "Winning Wales' ever first gold in cheerleading was a dream come true."
"The build-up from January this year was pretty intense but all the hard work paid off in the end.
"It's something we'll all remember for the rest of our lives." | A Swansea coach has helped lead a Welsh team to glory at an international cheerleading competition. |
36,138,247 | Six bodies of murdered citizens have turned up in the Zambian capital Lusaka in the last month.
It was widely reported that the victims had been mutilated and were missing their hearts, ears and private parts.
At the heart of the matter lay the darkness of ritual killings - when people are murdered for their body parts in the malevolent belief that in the hands of powerful sorcerers, these organs can be employed as charms to enhance political ambition and improve the lot of individuals in the pursuit of business and money.
While no African imagination is bereft of these tales, the practice of ritual murder has been shocking because of the frequency of its occurrence.
Albinos have borne the brunt of it in Burundi, Tanzania and now Malawi - where just this week police arrested 10 men for allegedly killing a 21-year-old albino woman.
Farai Sevenzo:
"Afrophobia is our xenophobia; it appears to be as African and as regular as ritual murders and deserves to be shunned"
Other cases of ritual killings have been reported from Nigeria to South Africa.
As a short cut to riches and influence, ritual murders have never been proven to work or they would have long replaced the tried paths of education, ambition and sweat.
What they do instead is polish "Heart of Darkness" labels for constant use on a continent awaking to her full potential and the promise of a 21st Century free of superstition.
The consequences of these murders were to prove far more serious for President Edgar Lungu's Patriotic Front (PF) government.
The residents of Lusaka's townships of Zingalume, George and Matero - where the bodies were discovered - attacked the police with stones for not doing enough to protect them from the ritual murderers.
But far more insidious enemies have been stalking Zambia's poor - hunger and unemployment.
The collapse of the Zambian copper trade as well as the kwacha currency and the onset of the southern African drought could easily be detected in the motives of the subsequent riots which saw xenophobic attacks on foreigners in Lusaka's high-density suburbs.
The rioters took what they could to eat and blamed foreign shopkeepers for the ritual murders.
The "foreigners" under attack had spilled over the borders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and then into Zambia after the Rwandan genocide in 1994.
They were mainly Hutu refugees who had stayed on in Zambia, despite the UN refugee agency declaring Rwanda a safe destination for their return back in 2013.
There is nothing glamorous about being a refugee - for 22 years some 6,000 Rwandans have wandered stateless in Zambia without passports and legal status.
They then mingled with the locals in townships just like Zingalume, which are by no means upmarket addresses, and set up little shops to trade and survive.
It is in xenophobia's nature to point the finger of blame at those foreigners who own something, who show evidence of money where there is none to be found.
The former Rwandans found themselves seeking shelter in churches and assurances for their safety from the Zambian government with more than 700 displaced after two days of rioting.
In the short and dangerous history of xenophobia in South Africa and now Zambia, the word "foreigner" invariably refers to black Africans, not to the Portuguese escaping Lisbon's meagre prospects for the oil fields of Luanda, or the Chinese who run Zambia's copper mines, supermarkets and chicken farms.
Afrophobia is our xenophobia; it appears to be as African and as regular as ritual murders and deserves to be shunned.
Zambia's history of welcoming Africans without a home is legendary.
South Africa's African National Congress (ANC) was based in former President Kenneth Kaunda's Zambia as they fought apartheid, as were Zimbabweans fighting white-minority rule in what was then Rhodesia.
At the centre of President Lungu's dilemma is the economic crisis now gripping Zambia as copper mines fold and the rains refuse to fall.
Youth unemployment and a rising cost of living seems more likely to be the roots of future riots, not ritual murders.
A Global Hunger report has grouped Chad, the Central African Republic and Zambia as the "three most hungry countries on the global hunger index".
Mr Lungu became president in January 2015 following a rushed poll necessitated by the death in office of Michael Sata.
Zambia's gloomy economic outlook has him trying to put out fires on many fronts as the country prepares for general elections due in August 2016.
The move to deploy soldiers to the townships is being seen as a calculated government plan towards voter intimidation, not a means to restore security.
It is unlikely that any amount of soldiers on the streets will make this an easy ride for the PF government.
History records only too well how this nation responds to hunger.
Thirty years ago Mr Kaunda, Zambia's founding president, tried to face down riots that had began in the mining towns of Kitwe and Ndola at the doubling of food prices.
By June 1990 the riots had reached Lusaka, the soldiers sent to quell them attempted a coup and Mr Kaunda was to be defeated at the ballot box by 1991.
The ritual killings may have left six citizens dead and mutilated, hundreds of refugees displaced and soldiers on the streets; but as long as the economic crisis continues to grip Zambia, further riots may come to Lusaka sooner than the rains.
More from Farai Sevenzo: | In our series of letters from African journalists, film-maker and columnist Farai Sevenzo considers the implications for Zambia of recent riots. |
35,449,888 | About 496kg (1,093lb) of cannabis resin was recovered by officers searching the garage in the Springburn area on Friday morning.
The arrested men, aged 41 and 28, have been charged with drug offences.
Det Ch Insp Kenny Gray said it was a "significant seizure of controlled drugs destined for our streets". | Two men have been arrested after police seized drugs with a street value of about £618,000 from a garage in Glasgow. |
19,785,689 | The Institution of Mechanical Engineers says liquid air can compete with batteries and hydrogen to store excess energy generated from renewables.
IMechE says "wrong-time" electricity generated by wind farms at night can be used to chill air to a cryogenic state at a distant location.
When demand increases, the liquid air can be warmed to drive a turbine.
Engineers say the process to produce "right-time" electricity can achieve an efficiency of up to 70%.
IMechE is holding a conference today to discuss new ideas on how using "cryo-power" can benefit the low-carbon economy.
The technology was originally developed by Peter Dearman, a garage inventor in Hertfordshire, to power vehicles.
A new firm, Highview Power Storage, was created to transfer Mr Dearman's technology to a system that can store energy to be used on the power grid.
The process, part-funded by the government, has now been trialled for two years at the back of a power station in Slough, Berkshire.
More than hot air The results have attracted the admiration of IMechE officials.
"I get half a dozen people a week trying to persuade me they have a brilliant invention," head of energy Tim Fox told BBC News.
"In this case, it is a very clever application that really does look like a potential solution to a really great challenge that faces us as we increase the amount of intermittent power from renewables."
Dr Fox urged the government to provide incentives in its forthcoming electricity legislation for firms to store energy on a commercial scale with this and other technologies.
IMechE says the simplicity and elegance of the Highview process is appealing, especially as it addresses not just the problem of storage but also the separate problem of waste industrial heat.
The process follows a number of stages:
IMechE says this process is only 25% efficient but it is massively improved by co-siting the cryo-generator next to an industrial plant or power station producing low-grade heat that is currently vented and being released into the atmosphere.
The heat can be used to boost the thermal expansion of the liquid air.
More energy is saved by taking the waste cool air when the air has finished chilling, and passing it through three tanks containing gravel.
The gravel remains cool until it is needed to restart the air-chilling process.
Highview believes that, produced at scale, their kits could be up to 70% efficient, and IMechE agrees this figure is realistic.
"Batteries can get 80% efficiency so this isn't as good in that respect," explains Dr Fox.
"But we do not have a battery industry in the UK and we do have plenty of respected engineers to produce a technology like this.
"What's more, it uses standard industrial components - which reduces commercial risk; it will last for decades and it can be fixed with a spanner."
In the future, it is expected that batteries currently used in electric cars may play a part in household energy storage.
But Richard Smith, head of energy strategy for National Grid, told BBC News that other sorts of storage would be increasingly important in coming decades and should be incentivised to commercial scale by government.
He said: "Storage is one of four tools we have to balance supply and demand, including thermal flexing (switching on and off gas-fired power stations); interconnections, and demand-side management. Ultimately it will be down to economics."
Mr Dearman, who also invented the MicroVent resuscitation device used in ambulances, told BBC News he was delighted at the success of his ideas.
He said he believed his liquid air engine would prevail against other storage technologies because it did not rely on potentially scarce materials for batteries. "I have been working on this off and on for close on 50 years," he told BBC News.
"I started when I was a teenager because I thought there wouldn't be enough raw materials in the world for everyone to have a car. There had to be a different way. Then somehow I came up with the idea of storing energy in cold.
"It's hard to put into words to see what's happening with my ideas today."
John Scott, from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), added: "At present, pumped-hydro storage is the only practical bulk storage medium in the British grid.
"However, locations are very restricted," he told BBC News. "In the future, if new storage technologies can be deployed at a lower cost than alternatives, it would benefit the power system."
A spokesman for the Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) said it would shortly launch a scheme to incentivise innovation in energy storage. Other grants are available from Ofgem.
Follow Roger Harrabin on Twitter: @RogerHarrabin | Turning air into liquid may offer a solution to one of the great challenges in engineering - how to store energy. |
39,867,690 | Evha Jannath fell out of a circular boat on the Splash Canyon attraction during a school trip to Drayton Manor Theme Park in Staffordshire on Tuesday.
The pupil, from Leicester, was rescued from the water and taken to hospital but pronounced dead a short time later.
A statement released by Evha's family said their "world was torn apart" following her death.
For the latest on this and other Staffordshire stories
They described her as "a beautiful little girl who was full of love and always smiling".
"Words cannot describe the pain and loss we feel, we are devastated that we will not see our beautiful little girl again."
Police said it was an "extremely difficult time" for Evha's relatives and the force was providing support.
The theme park remained closed for the day as "a mark of respect". The girl's school, Jameah Girls Academy in Leicester, was also closed.
In a statement, the Islamic day school asked that the Year 6 pupil's family and school community be given "time to grieve".
Head teacher Erfana Bora said Evha was a "lovely, sweet-natured girl [who] was loved by everyone at the school".
"We are trying to make sense of this terrible tragedy. Our thoughts and our prayers are with Evha's family," she added.
Prayers have been said for the girl at the Jameah Mosque in Leicester.
Staffordshire Police said a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation had begun.
The ride, which opened in 1993 and features up to 21 boats each with a capacity of six people, closed following the incident at the park near Tamworth.
It offers a "a wild ride" with "fast-flowing rapids" and riders must be at least 0.9m (3ft) tall to board, although those under 1.1m must be accompanied by an adult.
On Tuesday, park company director George Bryan, whose grandfather opened the site in the 1950s, said he was "truly shocked and devastated" by the death.
West Midlands Ambulance Service said it sent paramedics by land and air to the site.
A spokesman said crews discovered a girl "with serious injuries who had been rescued from the water by park staff".
She was flown to Birmingham Children's Hospital but was pronounced dead a short time later.
Zainab Mohammad said her 16-year-old sister, who was on the same school trip, was devastated.
"She came home, she spoke to mum and dad and she just went upstairs.
"She was devastated. She didn't want to talk about it. The school is not very big, everybody knows each other.
"We don't know what the cause is but what we really want is for the family to be able to grieve.
"A family member has been ripped from their family and it's a big loss. Everybody is in utter shock, there are no words."
Vikki Treacy told BBC 5 live her son fell in the water on the same ride in 2013.
She said Patrick, who was 10 at the time, "sort of stood up" for a photo and toppled from the boat.
The mother, from Rugby, said: "When you are queuing up, the loudspeakers are telling you the safety instructions, like please stay seated.
"[But] they're getting excited and giddy, they're not listening to a tannoy are they?
"[After he fell] I panicked and a woman... in the spectators' bit, hopped over a fence at the side and dragged him out.
"My son was in an area where the public could get to him. It's a dangerous ride. It really is.
"I'll never go back to the park. No way. Their aftercare was shocking."
Drayton Manor said it could not comment on the claims while the Splash Canyon investigation was ongoing.
A spokesman added: "The health and safety of our visitors is of paramount importance and we'd ask Vikki contacts us direct so that we can address her concerns."
Theme park enthusiast Ian Bell, who owns rollercoaster fan group Coasterforce, said rapids rides like Splash Canyon tended not to have seatbelts in case they capsized.
"They are fairly buoyant; they rarely capsize. They are very safe," he added.
Rides similar to Splash Canyon have been closed at other theme parks. Thorpe Park's Rumba Rapids was closed on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Alton Towers said it would be closing its Congo River Rapids ride as a "precautionary" measure.
In a statement the park said: "We are aware of the tragic events at Drayton Manor and our thoughts are with the family and all of those affected.
"Safety is our number one priority and, as a precautionary measure, the Congo River Rapids will be closed tomorrow and until such time as more details of the incident become available."
Health and safety lawyer Chris Green told BBC Radio 5 live he had been on the ride with his daughters and had never thought it could be dangerous.
He said the HSE would need to establish if the accident was work-related.
"They'd be firstly trying to understand from witnesses precisely how this has happened and that will determine whether it's them in conjunction with police, whether that's a report for the coroner or for other proceedings as well."
The death at Drayton Manor is thought to be the first at a UK theme park since 2004, when a 16-year-old girl fell from the Hydro ride at Oakwood theme park near Tenby, west Wales.
In June 2015, five people were seriously injured in a collision on the Smiler rollercoaster at Alton Towers, also in Staffordshire.
Mr Green said: "The Alton Towers scenario looked more perhaps as if something inevitably looked like it hadn't worked on the day. This one [at Drayton Manor] may be rather different."
In October 2016, four people died on a rapids ride at Australia's Dreamworld, on Queensland's Gold Coast. | An 11-year-old girl who was killed in a fall from a water ride has been named. |
38,718,066 | The nation's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has announced plans to "clean up" unauthorised internet connections.
The 14-month campaign will target the virtual private networks (VPNs) and dedicated lines many use to go online.
All these types of service must be officially vetted to keep operating, said the Ministry.
In its notice, the Ministry said China's net connection market was "disordered" and needed regulating.
In a bid to sort out the situation it said it was embarking on the long term plan to bring some order to the way people go online. Net connection firms and the other ways people get online would be scrutinised, it said.
China uses many different technologies to police what people say online and which sites they can visit. Many sites popular outside the country, such as Facebook and YouTube, are blocked or restricted to those behind what is known as China's "great firewall".
To get around that virtual edifice many people use VPNs, which are a secure connection between a device and another computer over the internet, to effectively connect directly to a computer outside China that handles traffic between them and the sites they want to reach.
Many businesses also use VPNs to help staff connect to corporate networks and to limit the amount of confidential data travelling over public networks.
The VPNs used by individuals and businesses, as well as dedicated leased lines, must now get official permission to operate.
The campaign is the latest in a long series of attempts by Chinese authorities to stop people using VPNs and other filter-busting systems.
Reporting on the crackdown, the South China Morning Post said the move was linked to wider efforts to manage the information available online ahead of a Communist Party congress which will see a "major reshuffle" of party leadership. | China is cracking down on the hi-tech ways citizens avoid official scrutiny of what they do online. |
35,729,914 | Ayeeshia Jane Smith died of a tear to her heart in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, in May 2014.
Post-mortem tests showed Ayeeshia had bruises on her head, neck and buttocks.
Her mother Kathryn Smith and her partner Matthew Rigby, from Nottingham, deny murder, causing her death and child cruelty.
Det Sgt James Brady, from Staffordshire Police, told Birmingham Crown Court that Miss Smith had told him Ayeeshia had suffered three "overheating fits" since 2014.
She also told him the child suffered from alopecia, the court heard.
On the day of Ayeeshia's death Mr Brady said Miss Smith had left the child on the potty and went into the kitchen.
"Mum went into the kitchen to get some juice and returned back and found the child with blue lips and fitting," he said.
Christopher Hotten QC, prosecuting, asked if Miss Smith had presented the fits as being similar to those the child had suffered previously.
Mr Brady said: "Yes, it was described as the same as before, implying it was the same as the previous fits."
A pathologist told the jury "out of 100 children [of the same age and build], 98 would be heavier" than "thin" Ayeeshia.
On examination, Ayeeshia was found to have a bleed on the brain in the months before her death, linked to an incident in which Ayeeshia was hospitalised after collapsing in February 2014.
Further injuries were also discovered, including a large bruise to her back and buttocks and bruising to her left eyelid and left leg.
The trial continues. | A 21-month-old girl who died after sustaining "car crash-like injuries" had suffered an "overheating fit" on the day of her death, a court was told. |
36,663,674 | It was commissioned by the Inniskillings Museum in Enniskillen.
The window at St Macartin's Cathedral honours those who served in the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and the 6th Inniskilling Dragoons.
It commemorates those who died, those who survived and their families.
Some who returned from the trenches faced a lifetime of physical and psychological trauma.
The window will be dedicated on Friday at an ecumenical service of reflection to commemorate the anniversary of the Battle of the Somme.
St Macartin's Cathedral contains the Inniskilling Regimental Chapel, where the standards that once rallied the troops and list past battle honours, including The Somme, are laid up.
World War One was only the third occasion that both Inniskilling regiments shared the same battlefield since they were raised to defend Enniskillen in 1688 from the forces of the Catholic King James II.
Dean of Clogher Kenneth Hall said: "The men and women who fought for their country are to be honoured with gratitude.
"They gave their lives for a cause they believed to be true, and by installing this commemorative stained glass window we remember their sacrifice.
"But also we need to remember the effect that that has had on so many who fought and survived and had to live with varied and mixed emotions."
"War endeavours to bring peace and justice, but true peace can only be found in the God of Peace in whom we should place our trust and in whose name this window will be dedicated."
The Sunday service from St Macartin's Cathedral on 3 July reflecting on the centenary of the Battle of the Somme will be broadcast live on BBC Radio Ulster at 10:15 BST. | A stained glass window commemorating the sacrifice of the Inniskilling Regiments that fought in World War One has been installed at a County Fermanagh cathedral. |
40,585,612 | Poland's Maciej Bodnar was caught in the final 300 metres in Pau, having led for the rest of the 203.5km route.
German Kittel surged passed his rivals, with Dutchman Dylan Groenewegen second and Edvald Boasson Hagen third.
Froome leads by 18 seconds overall from Italy's Fabio Aru and is 51 seconds ahead of Romain Bardet in third.
Britain's Daniel McLay finished fifth in the stage, with compatriot Ben Swift in ninth.
"It's perfect at the moment," said Kittel. "The race [for the green jersey] is not over but I've used all my chances that I've got so far."
Quick-Step rider Kittel was the firm favourite to win in Pau, having claimed his fourth stage in imperious fashion on Tuesday.
Once again the 29-year-old German had enough time to raise his arm aloft, signifying his five stage wins, as he coasted over the line, his rivals only able to draft in behind him.
Kittel's team-mates Jack Bauer, Philippe Gilbert and the particularly impressive Julien Vermote all did extended turns at the front of the peloton late on to reel in Bodnar and hold off rival sprint trains.
"When you're on your top level as a sprinter, it's like playing Tetris and you're just trying to find the gaps," said Kittel.
"I've not made a mistake and again I could just jump from wheel to wheel.
"It's really nice to give the team a victory because my team all worked hard - they're champions and they're killing it for me."
Kittel is now just one behind the six stages won in 2009 by Britain's Mark Cavendish - who crashed out of this year's race - and could surpass that tally, with three of the remaining stages potentially ending in a sprint finish.
Although riders in the breakaway will look to take victory on Stages 16 and 19, both of which feature several categorised climbs, it is tough to see anyone beating Kittel on the final stage sprint down the Champs Elysees.
He also holds a likely insurmountable lead in the green jersey points competition, with a total of 335 so far, 133 ahead of Australia's Michael Matthews.
With many riders aiming to have a relatively calm stage before the challenges of the Pyrenees this week, a three-man group of Bodnar, Frederik Backaert (Wanty-Groupe Gobert) and Marco Marcato (Team UAE Emirates) were allowed to attack from the off and quickly establish a lead of four minutes.
The peloton seemed to have the breakaway in check throughout, never permitting the gap to grow too large and a simple catch looked to be close when the gap fell to 30 seconds with 30km to go.
However, the gap held for another 5km and Bodnar then attacked, leaving Backaert and Marcato behind and restoring his lead to over one minute.
The sprinters' teams responded but Bodnar - a gifted time trial rider - drew on every reserve to still lead into the final kilometre only to be swept up with around 250 metres to go, eventually rolling over the line in 54th place.
"I am disappointed because I was caught in the last 250 metres and it was my best day and I wanted to win for my team, for Peter Sagan [who was disqualified after stage four] and my dad who died two months ago," Bodnar told ITV4.
"The last 20km was my best time trial but I'm not happy about today - I can be happy about my legs but not about the result."
Team Sky's Froome was well protected by his team-mates throughout to easily claim the 51st yellow jersey of his career, moving him into fourth outright on the all-time list behind Eddy Merckx (96), Bernard Hinault (75) and Miguel Indurain (60).
Britain's Simon Yates (Orica-Scott) also remains in the best young rider's white jersey but other general classification riders were caught up in crashes.
Bardet, fifth-placed rider Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) and two-time champion Alberto Contador (Trek-Segafredo) all fell and had to be paced back to the peloton by team-mates.
Fuglsang suffered two "very small fractures" according to his team, one in his left wrist, which he broke five years ago, and another in his left elbow. However, Astana stated that Fuglsang will start Thursday's stage 12 in spite of his injuries.
The Dane's team-mate Dario Cataldo was forced to abandon after being caught up in the same crash, with scans later showing the Italian suffered a small fracture in his left wrist.
While none of Froome's rivals lost time, they will be frustrated to have endured nervy moments on a seemingly benign stage before a summit finish on Thursday's stage 12.
The 214.5km stage sees five categorised climbs in the final 100km and more than 3,000 meters of ascending should help shake up the general classification.
Stage 11 result:
1. Marcel Kittel (Ger/Quick-Step Floors) 4hrs 34mins 27secs
2. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned/LottoNL-Jumbo) Same time
3. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor/Team Dimension Data)
4. Michael Matthews (Aus/Team Sunweb)
5. Daniel McLay (GB/Fortuneo-Oscaro)
6. Davide Cimolai (Ita/FDJ)
7. Andre Greipel (Ger/Lotto Soudal)
8. Nacer Bouhanni (Fra/Cofidis)
9. Ben Swift (GB/Team UAE Emirates)
10. Danilo Wyss (Swi/BMC Racing)
General classification after stage 11:
1. Chris Froome (GB/Team Sky) 42hrs 27mins 29secs
2. Fabio Aru (Ita/Astana Pro Team) +18secs
3. Romain Bardet (Fra/AG2R La Mondiale) +51secs
4. Rigoberto Uran (Col/Cannondale-Drapac) +55secs
5. Jakob Fuglsang (Den/Astana Pro Team) +1min 37secs
6. Daniel Martin (Ire/Quick-Step Floors) +1min 44secs
7. Simon Yates (GB/Orica-Scott) +2min 02secs
8. Nairo Quintana (Col/Movistar Team) +2min 13secs
9. Mikel Landa (Spa/Team Sky) +3min 06secs
10. George Bennett (NZ/LottoNL-Jumbo) +3min 53secs | Marcel Kittel won his fifth stage of this year's Tour de France with victory on stage 11, as Britain's Chris Froome retained the leader's yellow jersey. |
28,192,584 | Abdul Rakib Amin, who is believed to be 26, was seen urging western Muslims to join the fighting in the jihadi film.
He has now spoken to ITV's Good Morning Britain.
He said: "I left with the intention not to go back, I'm going to stay and fight until the Khilafah (rule of Islam) is established or I die."
Amin said: "I left the UK to fight for the sake of Allah to give everything I have for the sake of Allah.
"One of the happiest moments in my life was when the plane took off from Gatwick Airport, I was so happy, as a Muslim you cannot live in the country of Kuffars (disbelievers).
"I didn't know how to fight with weapons before, so everyone has to go to a training camp, and after the training camp you go to an Islamic training camp."
It is understood he attended Sunnybank Primary and St Machar Academy in Aberdeen.
The original 13-minute video, There Is No Life Without Jihad, was posted by accounts linked to Isis. | The Aberdeen man who appeared in a recruitment video for the Islamic militant group Isis has said he is prepared to die for what he believes. |
11,606,228 | The current rate of destruction is estimated to cost the world trillions of dollars every year, and the damage will only get get worse unless wide-ranging measures are taken to stop it.
The reason is simple - population growth is the main driver behind those factors that are causing biodiversity loss.
There are currently about 6.7 billion people living on Earth, and this number is projected to grow to 9.2 billion by 2050 - that's roughly the population of the UK being added to the planet every year.
This means we'll need 70% more food, according to the United Nations (UN), just one of the many additional pressures on Earth's finite resources.
If left unchecked, these pressures will lead to the ever-faster destruction of nature, which could cost the world $28.6tn (£18.2tn), or 18% of global economic output, by 2050, according to the UN-backed Principles of Responsible Investment and corporate environmental research group Trucost.
That's about twice the current output of the US, the world's biggest economy.
So what can be done?
A vital step has already been taken - for the first time in history, we now have at least a rough idea of the economic cost of depleting the earth's natural resources.
This not only means that governments, businesses and consumers can understand the gravity of the problem, but it also means the value of nature can be factored into business decisions.
As Will Evison, environmental economist at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), says: "No-one is saying we should just stop converting pristine land, just that the value of the environment is recognised".
For example, a study on the conversion of mangroves to commercial shrimp farms in southern Thailand estimated the net economic returns at $1,122 per hectare a year.
The conclusion, at least for the shrimp farmer, is clear - there is an economic benefit of converting the mangroves.
But once the wider costs of the conversion - what economists call externalities - are taken into account, a very different conclusion is reached.
The economic benefits from the mangroves of collecting wood, providing nurseries for offshore fisheries and protection against storms total $10,821 a hectare, far outweighing the benefits of converting them into a shrimp farm.
There are a number of initiatives, some already introduced and some in the pipeline, that are specifically designed to ensure that the economic value of nature is recognised.
One example is reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, or REDD, under which forest owners are paid not to cut down trees. A number of governments across the world have committed hundreds of millions of dollars to these projects.
Another is habitat banking, the market for which currently stands at around $3bn in the US, where companies that degrade natural areas are forced to restore nature elsewhere.
Trade in forest conservation obligations in Brazil and ground-water salinity credits in Australia have also proved successful.
Alongside these schemes and those like them, there are various compensation arrangements that make those causing environmental damage pay for it, just like carbon credits that currently exist.
Exemptions from these various taxes, charges and fees, as well as subsidies, are also used to encourage environmentally responsible behaviour.
There is also growing pressure for companies to begin incorporating the costs of the damage that they do to the Earth's natural resources into their profit and loss accounts.
Only by incorporating these costs into their accounts, many argue, will companies be forced to reduce their impact on the natural world.
"Directors' bonuses don't have to be included [in company accounts] from a pure profit and loss point of view, but they are. Environmental externalities should be the same," says Pavan Sukhdev, a career banker and team leader of the United Nations' The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (Teeb) study.
"This is not a straightforward process and needs standard methodologies accepted by everyone, but it could be achieved within 10 years."
The next step would be to incorporate environmental assets into national accounts.
But many companies already do acknowledge the costs of biodiversity loss.
A survey conducted by PwC earlier this year found that 27% of chief executives were either "extremely" or "somewhat" concerned about biodiversity loss, although there was a large disparity between those operating in developed economies and those in emerging markets.
Indeed many multinational companies have made significant investments in protecting the natural resources upon which their success depends.
These include investments to mitigate the impact of tighter regulation, such as shipping giant Swire's decision to buy up swathes of rainforest to offset the possible introduction of pollution taxes in the shipping industry.
Indeed those companies that are well prepared for more stringent regulation, and have made the necessary investment in protecting the natural assets that serve them, will gain an important competitive advantage.
But it's not just a question of risk mitigation - there are also opportunities for companies that act in an environmentally responsible manner.
Brewing giant SABMiller has made considerable investments in reforestation in Columbia and South Africa, as well as setting stringent targets for reducing water consumption - commitments, it says, that helped the company secure licences to brew in Australia, "because the authorities trust that we will be water efficient", says Andy Wales, the brewer's global head of sustainable development.
Contrast this with mining group Vedanta, which has been denied permission both to expand its aluminium operations and to mine bauxite in India after campaigners claimed the company had ignored the needs of indigenous peoples.
Companies also recognise that they need to react to increasing customer awareness of environmental issues.
For example, another survey conducted by PwC in May found that more than half of UK consumers were willing to pay between 10% and 25% more for goods up to £100 to account for their impact on the natural world.
Such changing consumer attitudes mean that more and more companies are investing in reducing their impact on nature.
For example, the world's biggest retailer Walmart has introduced sustainability criteria as part of its official product sourcing process.
Coffee giant Starbucks has also invested millions of dollars in protecting natural resources because "we know maintaining biodiversity makes a difference to our coffee drinkers" according to Tim McCoy, the company's head of communications.
Natura, the Brazilian cosmetics group with a turnover of $2.4bn, has committed to sourcing products sustainably from natural sources in order to appeal to consumers, while French energy group GDF Suez has invested in conserving biodiversity on its landfill sites purely as part of its "reputational risk management".
Google Maps has even launched a service that allows users to track changes in forest cover across the world.
Not everything some companies say about their environmental commitments can be believed, but the fact that they are saying it at all is what's important, says Mr Sukhdev.
"Once you get away from denial, you pass through a phase of understanding and then one of empty rhetoric before you arrive at action. The stage of empty rhetoric is part of the process."
And those companies that do take action will win out in the long run.
The costs of failing to protect the Earth's natural resources and the services they provide, and the price of failing to grasp the opportunities that investing in nature present, are simply too great for those that do not.
This is the third in a series of three articles on the economic cost of human activity on the natural world.
The first looks at the full impact of the degradation of the natural world on the global economy - both on business and consumers.
The second looks at the direct costs to businesses, both large and small. | Slowing down the destruction of the Earth's natural resources is essential if the global economy, and the businesses that drive it, are to prosper long term. |
37,459,298 | Striker Marquis gave Doncaster a seventh-minute lead when he latched onto a long ball down the middle and rounded David Forde to slot into an empty goal.
It was the third home game in a row in which Pompey had fallen behind and Williams cleverly clipped over his shoulder to double the lead.
Pompey hit back hard and Carl Baker's powerful dipping effort from the edge of the area needed a top save from Marko Marosi to tip over before Doncaster left-back Cedric Evina almost fired into his own goal.
Listen to Doncaster boss Darren Ferguson speaking to BBC Radio Sheffield
Pompey were given a first-half lifeline when Joe Wright bizarrely hooked Gareth Evans' wayward cross into Baker's path and the winger thumped in.
Conor Chaplin failed to crane his header into an open goal, Baker dragged a long ball onto the bar and Curtis Main air-kicked under the bar.
But the best chance was kicked off the line by Andy Butler after Gary Roberts had headed towards goal as Pompey fell to a second straight defeat.
Report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Portsmouth 1, Doncaster Rovers 2.
Second Half ends, Portsmouth 1, Doncaster Rovers 2.
Attempt missed. Michael Doyle (Portsmouth) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right.
Corner, Portsmouth. Conceded by Matty Blair.
Attempt missed. Gary Roberts (Portsmouth) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left following a corner.
Corner, Portsmouth. Conceded by Andy Butler.
Attempt missed. Carl Baker (Portsmouth) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high from a direct free kick.
John Marquis (Doncaster Rovers) is shown the yellow card.
Amine Linganzi (Portsmouth) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Joe Wright (Doncaster Rovers).
Cedric Evina (Doncaster Rovers) is shown the yellow card.
Foul by Carl Baker (Portsmouth).
Andy Williams (Doncaster Rovers) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Corner, Portsmouth. Conceded by Jordan Houghton.
Foul by Curtis Main (Portsmouth).
Jordan Houghton (Doncaster Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Carl Baker (Portsmouth).
Cedric Evina (Doncaster Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt blocked. Gary Roberts (Portsmouth) header from the left side of the six yard box is blocked.
Attempt saved. Andy Williams (Doncaster Rovers) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Substitution, Doncaster Rovers. Harry Middleton replaces James Coppinger.
Attempt saved. Curtis Main (Portsmouth) left footed shot from very close range is saved in the centre of the goal.
Carl Baker (Portsmouth) hits the bar with a right footed shot from very close range.
Substitution, Portsmouth. Curtis Main replaces Conor Chaplin.
Delay in match (Portsmouth).
Substitution, Doncaster Rovers. Niall Mason replaces Riccardo Calder.
Matthew Clarke (Portsmouth) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by John Marquis (Doncaster Rovers).
Attempt missed. Christian Burgess (Portsmouth) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left following a corner.
Corner, Portsmouth. Conceded by Cedric Evina.
Attempt missed. Milan Lalkovic (Portsmouth) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right.
Attempt blocked. Andy Williams (Doncaster Rovers) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Andy Butler (Doncaster Rovers) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Conor Chaplin (Portsmouth) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Andy Butler (Doncaster Rovers).
Substitution, Portsmouth. Amine Linganzi replaces Danny Rose.
Substitution, Portsmouth. Milan Lalkovic replaces Kal Naismith.
Attempt missed. John Marquis (Doncaster Rovers) left footed shot from the right side of the box is close, but misses to the left.
Corner, Doncaster Rovers. Conceded by Michael Doyle.
Attempt blocked. Conor Chaplin (Portsmouth) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. | First-half goals from John Marquis and Andy Williams helped Doncaster to a 2-1 win against Portsmouth at Fratton Park. |
28,654,147 | Now Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan have been jailed for life after being convicted by Cambodia's UN-backed tribunal of crimes against humanity.
The verdict comes more than three decades after the Khmer Rouge's fall. Under the regime, up to two million Cambodians died from execution, overwork and starvation.
The pair are also on trial for genocide. The cases are being tried separately to accelerate proceedings because the defendants are elderly.
Two other defendants were on trial - Ieng Sary has died and Ieng Thirith has been declared unfit to stand trial.
Born to a corn farmer and a seamstress, Nuon Chea was second in command to Pol Pot.
Serving as chief ideologist, he is believed to have played an integral part in shaping the Maoist regime's radical thinking.
Prosecutors say Nuon Chea was one of a small group behind policies that drove city residents into forced labour and starvation in the countryside, and used systematic violence against perceived enemies of the regime.
After the Khmer Rouge fell, he moved with its remaining fighters to strongholds in north-west Cambodia until in 1998 he was granted a pardon by Prime Minister Hun Sen as part of a peace deal.
However, after international pressure, he was arrested in 2007 and subsequently put on trial.
When the trial opened in November 2011, International Co-Prosecutor Andrew Cayley said the control exercised by the regime's top leaders "over all aspects of Cambodian society was frightening, pervasive and complete".
"The accused were informed of everything, from the number of couples married each month, to how much it rained, to the identity of persons who complained about the party's cooperative programme and lack of food.
"If the accused wanted an orange from Pursat, it would be picked and delivered to them. But if a parent sought to pick some fruit or catch a fish for a starving child, they would be arrested, reported to Angkar [the regime] and sent for re-education.
"Death might come swiftly, but not swiftly enough to spare the torture."
The crimes that occurred were not "random events attributable to rogue cadres" or solely to be blamed on Pol Pot, the prosecutor went on.
"These crimes were the result of organised plans developed by the accused and other CPK [Khmer Rouge] leaders and systematically implemented through the regional, military and government bodies they controlled."
Nuon Chea denied the charges against him, saying as the trial ended that he never ordered Khmer Rouge cadres "to mistreat or kill people, to deprive them of food or commit any genocide".
Responding to testimony from relatives of those who died, he said: "As a leader, I must take responsibility for the damage, the danger to my nation."
"I feel remorseful for the crimes that were committed intentionally or unintentionally, whether or not I had known about it or not known about it."
Khieu Samphan served as Cambodian president from 11 April 1976 to 7 January, 1979.
He was brought up in southeast Svay Rieng province and educated in France, where he became a prominent member of a leftist Khmer student intellectual group in the 1950s.
During his time in office, Khieu Samphan was the public face of regime and accompanied overseas diplomats on official visits.
Like Nuon Chea, he is accused of helping sculpt some of the regime's deadliest policies as one of its top leaders.
"He publicly endorsed taking measures against the enemies of the revolution in a way that suggests knowledge and support of the policy of executing purported enemy agents," Stephen Heder and Brian Tittemore wrote in their book, "Seven Candidates for Prosecution".
But Khieu Samphan says he should not be held responsible.
"It is easy to say that I should have known everything, I should have understood everything and thus I could have intervened or rectified the situation at the time,'' he told the court.
"Do you really think that that was what I wanted to happen to my people? The reality was that I did not have any power," he said. | They were once considered the Khmer Rouge's most powerful leaders after Pol Pot. |
36,476,504 | India's entry into these groups will give it easier access to technology for research and advancement.
President Obama made the statement at a meeting with India Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington.
The two leaders also signed agreements to boost co-operation in trade, military ties and climate change.
Mr Modi and Mr Obama also signed an agreement to enable US-based Westinghouse Electric Co to start building six reactors in India.
The US and India will "remain invested in each other's prosperity", they said.
There was no immediate Pakistani reaction to Mr Obama's expression of support for India joining the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
But hours before the White House meeting, Pakistan's military and civilian leaders held urgent talks and said they noted "ongoing regional developments and inimical designs against our stability and prosperity".
Pakistan, India's arch-rival, also wants to join the NSG, with the backing of its ally China, but fears India's entry will block its chances.
It has watched India's improving relations with its other neighbours with growing unease.
Iran's Chabahar port, which is being developed in collaboration with India and Afghanistan, is seen as a security threat in Pakistan. The port will end India's quest for overland access to the Middle East and Central Asia, something Pakistan has successfully blocked since independence.
Tuesday's meeting was Mr Modi's seventh with Mr Obama since becoming prime minister in 2014.
A joint statement issued after the meeting said both countries "share common climate and clean energy interests" and are "close partners" in the fight against global warming.
The leaders also promised to ratify the Paris Agreement in their respective countries "as soon as possible this year".
India is the world's third-largest greenhouse gas emitter after China and the United States.
"Noting that the US-India defence relationship can be an anchor of stability and given the increasingly strengthened co-operation in defence, the United States hereby recognises India as a major defence partner," the statement read.
Next on the agenda for the Indian prime minister is an address to a joint session of the US Congress on Wednesday.
Analysts say that the speech is significant because it "completes the circle of rehabilitation" for him. | US President Barack Obama has backed India's entry into the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCG) and Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). |
35,134,218 | Christopher Meli, 20, was found dead near houses at Glasvey Close. Detectives said he had suffered a sustained and vicious assault.
Police said two girls aged 16 and 17 and a 17-year-old boy were released on police bail pending further enquiries.
On Tuesday, three teenagers appeared in court charged with Mr Meli's murder. | Three teenagers arrested over the murder of a man in west Belfast's Twinbrook estate at the weekend have been released on bail. |
30,699,600 | Three men and woman died when the Super Puma crashed off Shetland in 2013.
The BBC Scotland news website revealed last year an order was being sought at the Court of Session to access the data, which is normally retained by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch.
The hearing is now set to start on 19 May.
It is a rare legal move.
Helicopter passengers Sarah Darnley, from Elgin, Gary McCrossan, from Inverness, Duncan Munro, from Bishop Auckland, and George Allison, from Winchester, lost their lives.
The lord advocate, Scotland's top prosecutor, is seeking the order for disclosure of the voice recorder data recorder under the Civil Aviation (Investigation of Air Accidents and Incidents) Regulations 1996.
Section 18 covers disclosure of relevant records, and the Crown can act if it believes it to be in the public interest.
A Crown Office spokesman told BBC Scotland: "Following the helicopter crash off Sumburgh on 23 August 2013 in which four people died, Crown Office commenced its investigation into the cause of the deaths.
"As part of that investigation Crown Counsel instructed that a petition be lodged at the Court of Session with the aim of recovering material held by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch.
"The process by which such material can be recovered is set out in statute. A hearing has now been fixed to commence on 19 May.
"The nearest relatives have been updated regarding this development. As this is a live investigation it is not appropriate to comment further."
A total of 18 people were on board when the Super Puma crashed on its approach to Sumburgh. | A hearing over legal action to obtain cockpit voice recorder data from accident investigators after a fatal helicopter crash is to be held in May. |
31,831,601 | Sweden acted after Saudi Arabia blocked a speech by the Swedish foreign minister to the Arab League.
On Wednesday, the Saudi Foreign Ministry described Margot Wallstrom's remarks as "offensive" and a "blatant interference in its internal affairs."
The decade old defence deal was worth millions of dollars in Swedish arms exports and was due to expire in May.
The Swedish foreign ministry confirmed that Saudi Ambassador Ibrahim bin Saad Al-Ibrahim was being withdrawn due to the country's criticism of the Kingdom's record on "human rights and democracy."
Ms Wallstrom is an outspoken critic of the Gulf state, previously describing it as a "dictatorship".
On Monday, Ms Wallstrom posted online a copy of the speech she was due to give to the Arab League in Cairo.
In the wide-ranging speech she highlighted Sweden's commitment to international human rights. She also advocated the benefits of democratic progress, and called for members to "focus attention on women's rights."
She described freedom of religion and expression as "fundamental rights".
In February, Ms Wallstrom told the Swedish parliament that Riyadh violated women's rights and criticised the flogging of activist and blogger Raif Badawi. | Saudi Arabia has recalled its ambassador after Sweden ended a weapons deal between the countries on Monday. |
39,766,135 | A single electricity market operates across the island of Ireland.
The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee says Brexit "potentially challenges the future viability" of that arrangement.
The all-island market is possible because the UK and Ireland are both members of the Internal Energy Market (IEM).
All EU members participate in the IEM along with Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein.
Participation requires alignment with EU rules including industrial emissions regulations and restrictions on state aid.
The UK government will have to decide whether to remain in the IEM, withdraw entirely or negotiate a new bilateral relationship.
The NIAC says the government "should give particular consideration" to how any changes to the UK's relationship with the IEM will affect Northern Ireland.
It says withdrawal would be significant for Northern Ireland as a smaller, less efficient market would likely mean higher electricity costs.
It adds that the government "may wish to seek a special status or derogation" for Northern Ireland.
It calls for long-term policy clarity as soon as possible.
The NIAC inquiry heard there is "a clear desire from electricity market stakeholders in Northern Ireland to retain the existing market arrangements". | The UK government may wish to seek "special status" for Northern Ireland's electricity market after Brexit, a group of MPs has said. |
25,083,483 | The report says despite negative perceptions there is "no evidence" the shops cause "High Street decline".
Councils should "do more to support charity shops", the report adds.
The rising number of charity shops has led to calls to limit their numbers, but the report says the benefits they bring are "often unrecognised".
In August, the Mail on Sunday said research showed there had been a 30% increase in the number of charity shops in Britain since 2008 - taking the total to more than 10,000.
There have been calls for a cap on charity shop numbers, and the removal of tax concessions and business rate relief they currently benefit from.
Ally Paget, a researcher at Demos and the author of the report, said charity shops themselves must do more to tackle "negative public perceptions" and highlight the "huge contributions they make to communities".
"It is a real shame that the multitude of benefits offered by charity shops is so often unrecognised and under used, especially in this time of austerity," she said.
"Local authorities can and should do more to support charity shops at a business level, and to draw on the capacity of charity shops to spur local regeneration."
The report says charity shops make a "colossal" environmental contribution by reusing items, reducing the UK's CO2 emissions by an estimated 3.7 million tonnes per year - "roughly equivalent to the entire carbon footprint of Iceland".
Demos said its research showed charity shops keep shoppers on high streets.
"Our analysis and our public survey results suggest that the growth of charity shops on the High Street is a symptom, rather than a cause, of High Street decline," the report adds.
It says data showed charity shops "do not increase rents for other shops" and "do not prevent small and medium-sized businesses from opening" on high streets.
The research also found charity shops help combat unemployment, with more than 80% of volunteers saying they were using their shifts to gain retail experience as a path to paid employment.
The report recommends that job centres should promote volunteering in charity shops to more jobseekers.
Charity Retail Association figures show the shops employ 17,300 paid staff and have 210,000 volunteers in total.
The report says charity shops help tackle health and social problems, particularly social isolation.
Many staff surveyed by Demos said their shops often acted as a form of community centre for older and vulnerable people to simply "drop in" for a chat.
Demos conducted a poll of 2,200 members of the public, as well as around 150 charity shop managers and 150 volunteers.
Some 91% of volunteers cited socialising and meeting new people as a benefit of volunteering, and 61% felt their volunteering led to improved physical and mental health.
Warren Alexander, of the Charity Retail Association, said charity shops not only raise "vital money" for good causes but also "bring huge value to their local communities". | Charity shops boost local business, combat unemployment and even help tackle social isolation, according to a report by the think tank Demos. |
38,594,058 | The group. which includes Lloyds Bank, the Halifax and Bank of Scotland, said it had suffered problems across all its brands on Wednesday.
At one point the bank assured customers that the glitch had been resolved.
However, customers are reporting that they are unable to access online and app banking on Thursday morning.
One customer tweeted: "Haven't been able to access the site or app for over 36 hours now - is anything being done about this?"
The banking group has not revealed what has caused the problems, but did say it was not the result of a cyber attack.
"We're aware of intermittent errors and are looking to resolve ASAP. Apologies for any inconvenience caused," it has tweeted.
Lloyds Banking Group has 22 million current account customers. Nearly six million actively used Lloyds Bank digital services, the bank said, with 2.5 million log ons per day, including 75% from a mobile or tablet, at Lloyds Bank specifically. | Customers of Lloyds Banking Group have expressed frustration at a second day of problems with online and app banking. |
30,392,163 | Fleur East's version of the track was called "one of the top three performances" in X Factor history by Simon Cowell.
The live recording shot to the top of iTunes on Monday, prompting Ronson's label to rush-release the original.
Some bookmakers have suspended bets on the song reaching Christmas number one.
Ladbrokes stopped taking bets late on Monday night. Other bookmakers slashed their odds, with William Hill offering 7/1, making Uptown Funk its third favourite for the festive top spot, after The X Factor Winner's single and Band Aid 30.
Featuring Bruno Mars on lead vocals, Uptown Funk is the first single from British producer Ronson's fourth album, Uptown Special.
Inspired by the feel-good funk of the 70s and 80s - including acts such as The Gap Band, The Time and the Tom Tom Club - it was already available in several countries around the world.
But the UK release was being held back until the new year.
Cowell said he had decided to give the song to Fleur East for Saturday's X Factor, after he first heard it the previous week.
The performance earned her a place in this weekend's final, where she will compete against Ben Haenow and Andrea Faustini for this year's title.
Her cover was outselling the likes of Taylor Swift and Take That on Monday morning. It has now been leap-frogged by the "official" version, with the song occupying both the number one and number two position in the iTunes download chart.
Ronson's record label, Columbia UK, is part of Sony Music along with Simon Cowell's label Syco. | The release date of Mark Ronson's single Uptown Funk has been brought forward by five weeks after an X Factor cover topped the iTunes chart. |
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