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40,014,990 | The 29-year-old spent five years in the second tier with Nottingham before joining Albion last summer.
"Given the philosophy and culture that the coaches have created, for me the decision to join is a perfect fit," he told the club website.
"The Pirates are clearly ambitious both on and off the field and I can't wait to get started." | Championship side Cornish Pirates have signed Plymouth Albion back row Rupert Cooper on a one-year contract. |
36,206,897 | He he took a drink of the city's filtered water to "show it was safe".
The visit was prompted by a letter the president received from eight-year-old resident Amariyanna Copeny.
A change in water supplier in 2014 sparked the crisis, with nearly 100,000 people exposed to high levels of lead, sparking an outcry.
Mr Obama declared a state of emergency for the city in January and ordered federal aid for the crisis.
"Filtered water is safe, and it works," he said during a discussion with officials in Flint.
"Working with the state and the city, filters are now available for everyone in the city."
More than 40% of Flint residents are impoverished and more than half are black.
Residents must use faucet filters or bottled water as a result of the crisis.
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder has been criticised for his handling of it and two state employees in the environmental department have been charged with misleading the US government about the problem.
And a Flint employee is being charged with altering water test results.
Mr Snyder was booed by the crowd at a high school where Mr Obama is due to deliver remarks later.
"Let me begin by saying I understand why you are angry and frustrated. I want to come here today to apologise," he said.
Protesters gathering near the school are chanting "Flint lives matter", arguing that state officials' response to the water situation was not enough.
The Michigan Senate approved $128m (£88m) in aid for Flint on Wednesday.
Some of that money will go towards replacing lead pipes connecting water to customers. | President Barack Obama has sipped a glass of filtered water on a visit to the Michigan city of Flint, which has been wracked by a public health crisis. |
39,523,529 | The visitors almost caught the nervous hosts cold, with a dangerous Andy Halls cross creating early problems before Oliver Norburn went close from distance.
Chris Holroyd saw a spectacular overhead kick crash back off the crossbar just before the break as the hosts continued to be pushed back.
But Gozie Ugwu got the vital breakthrough for Woking after 61 minutes, firing home from the spot after Kane Ferdinand was brought down in the box, and the win keeps them out of the drop zone on goal difference.
Match report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Woking 1, Macclesfield Town 0.
Second Half ends, Woking 1, Macclesfield Town 0.
Substitution, Macclesfield Town. Danny Whitehead replaces Ollie Norburn.
Substitution, Macclesfield Town. James Thorne replaces Jack Mackreth.
Substitution, Macclesfield Town. Mitch Hancox replaces Luke Summerfield.
Substitution, Woking. Charlie Carter replaces Ismail Yakubu.
Goal! Woking 1, Macclesfield Town 0. Gozie Ugwu (Woking) converts the penalty with a.
Danny Whitaker (Macclesfield Town) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Substitution, Woking. Gozie Ugwu replaces Jamie Lucas.
Second Half begins Woking 0, Macclesfield Town 0.
First Half ends, Woking 0, Macclesfield Town 0.
First Half begins.
Lineups are announced and players are warming up. | Woking kept pace with their National League survival rivals with a 1-0 win over Macclesfield. |
15,771,531 | The move came at a summit of the 10-member group in Indonesia.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa told the BBC the decision was unanimous.
He said member states believed that Burma had made significant progress down the path of democracy.
The announcement came as Burma's pro-democracy party appeared poised to rejoin the country's political process.
The leadership of the Asean regional grouping rotates on an annual basis, but Burma was not allowed to take the top position last time because of its human rights record.
Some critics say it is still too early to award the high-profile role to Burma, where between 600 and 1,000 political prisoners are thought to remain behind bars.
By David LoynBBC International Development Correspondent, in Rangoon
We met for an interview in a plain wooden house. Aung San Suu Kyi said that it was one sign of reform that the interview could take place at all - the first time the BBC has been given a visa for such a trip.
She said she was confident that remaining political prisoners will soon be released, a confidence that may come from her recent talks with President Thein Sein, who she described as a good listener; he is widely credited with the pace of reforms.
She has offered to try to negotiate a peaceful end to several ethnic conflicts that have become worse this year. But she said that the continuing conflicts should not be allowed to get in the way of restoring democracy.
Her party, the National League for Democracy, is now likely to support a decision to run in by-elections, a year after they boycotted a national vote.
She is certain to be one of the candidates her party puts forward for by-elections in about 50 parliamentary seats, made vacant when MPs were appointed as ministers.
But Mr Natalegawa said it was important to recognise that the situation had changed.
"It's not about the past, it's about the future, what leaders are doing now," he said. "We're trying to ensure the process of change continues."
Ko Ko Hlaing, chief political adviser to the Burmese president, said Asean had welcomed Burma as a responsible leader.
"Be assured that we are now growing into a democratic society and we will do all our responsibilities and duties as a responsible government, reflecting the desires of the Myanmar (Burmese) people," he said.
But US President Barack Obama, speaking before the decision was announced, said more was needed from Burma.
"Some political prisoners have been released. The government has begun a dialogue. Still, violations of human rights persist," he said in a speech to the Australian parliament.
"So we will continue to speak clearly about the steps that must be taken for the government of Burma to have a better relationship with the United States."
Burma held its first elections in two decades a year ago - polls which saw military rule replaced with a military-backed civilian-led government.
The new leadership then freed pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest and has opened dialogue with her.
Her National League for Democracy party is to meet on Friday to decide whether to rejoin the political process.
It boycotted the 2010 polls because of electoral laws that banned its leaders - former political prisoners - from standing as candidates.
This law and another that required registered parties to "safeguard" the military-written constitution have now been changed.
Ms Suu Kyi told the BBC she expected most of her party to support a decision to run in forthcoming by-elections. | Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) have agreed that Burma can chair the regional bloc in 2014, amid some signs of reform in the country. |
34,208,050 | Governor Jerry Brown and other senior lawmakers had included the proposal in a climate change bill, but were forced to retreat amid growing opposition.
State senate leader Kevin de Leon, who supported the cut, accused oil firms of deploying "scare tactics".
The leaders have vowed to push ahead with other reforms, including boosting renewable electricity use.
"I'd say oil has won the skirmish, but they've lost the bigger battle," Mr Brown said.
"I'm more determined than ever to make our regulatory regime work for the people of California - cleaning up the air, reducing the petroleum and creating green jobs."
The plans to require a 50% reduction in petroleum use in motor vehicles by 2030 were met with fierce opposition from business groups and oil companies, who warned of negative consequences for California's economy.
Mr De Leon said the industry had a "singular motive" and accused it of creating a "multibillion-dollar smoke screen" to deter lawmakers from voting for the legislation.
Republicans, along with many moderate Democrats, had resisted the proposal.
Catherine Reheis-Boyd, president of the Western States Petroleum Association, welcomed Wednesday's decision to cut the emissions target from the bill.
"Today's announcement was an acknowledgement that California's energy future, economic competitiveness, and environment are inextricably linked," she added.
California is the second-biggest producer of carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels among US states.
Mr Brown pledged to move ahead with the two remaining components of the climate change bill, aimed at increasing renewable electricity use and improving energy efficiency in buildings.
The issue has been a key priority for the governor during his final term.
He is expected to attend the United Nations climate change conference in Paris in November. | California has dropped plans to halve petroleum use in vehicles by 2030, after intense oil industry lobbying. |
37,999,647 | The company said the practice, which sees certain trains given the green light to miss out stops, was being curtailed due to "customer feedback".
Trains will now stop at all scheduled stops between the hours of 08:00-09:00 and 17:00-18:00.
ScotRail said that out of 59,000 trains that ran over a four-week period, stop skipping only affected 222 trains.
Consumer group Transport Focus said passengers had the right to expect the destination that appeared on their ticket was the one they would be taken to.
Spokesman Robert Samson said: "What would make the problem better is that if the infrastructure in the system improved to such a level that stop skipping was not part of the solution.
"Just now, performance is hovering just below the 90% mark. We want to see that performance improve and that involves cutting down on signalling or other infrastructure issues."
The news comes after the ScotRail Alliance franchise, operated by Dutch firm Abellio, was severely criticised for delayed, cancelled and over-crowded services.
A ScotRail Alliance spokesman said the number of services affected by stop skipping was "miniscule".
He added: "In a tiny number of occasions each month we have to take action to recover the service after some kind of incident.
"Late trains have a knock-on effect on other services behind them, so taking action to get everything back on time is important. If we don't, then disruption affects more and more people.
"What we have decided to do is to make sure that we protect the services that carry the most number of people.
"These are the busy commuter routes that operate during the peak."
The spokesman said that action to correct late-running trains would now take place outwith peak hours.
He said that the chance of large scale disruption as a result was "minimal".
Scottish Labour's transport spokesman Neil Bibby said: "There is nothing more frustrating for passengers than paying over the odds for tickets on overcrowded trains that are often late running, only for the train to fly by their stop. Hundreds of trains have been missing stops and thousands of passengers have been affected.
"Passengers want to see improvements across the board and this pledge cannot be an excuse for failure if ScotRail does not hit its key performance targets again." | ScotRail is to stop late running trains from skipping stops to improve punctuality during rush hour. |
36,055,569 | James Taylor, 26, revealed last week he had been diagnosed with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) and could no longer play.
Professor David Kelsell said Taylor's news and cheaper genetic testing would make others want to get checked out.
Footballer Fabrice Muamba suffers from a similar heart condition.
Live updates and more from Nottinghamshire
Professor Kelsell, who carries out research funded by the British Heart Foundation, said: "After what's happened to James, people will want to know if they are at risk.
"Genetics is changing dramatically and we now have this ability to analyse everyone's genome quite cheaply.
"It could be that everyone's genome is analysed when they are young and it could be used to highlight conditions like ARVC.
"But, of course, even if someone tests positive it doesn't necessarily mean that the person will definitely develop the dangerous cardiac condition."
More than 60,000 people in the UK could be carrying the faulty gene which forced Taylor to retire, researchers have said.
What is ARVC?
Professor of clinical cardiology, Sanjay Sharma is also the consultant cardiologist for the Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) sports cardiology clinic.
He explained the condition to BBC Radio 5 live:
The British Cardiovascular Society (BCS) also thinks the Taylor case will help to publicise the dangers of heart conditions among people who are fit and healthy.
Professor Clifford Garratt, vice president of the BCS, said: "There have been previous cases that have been well publicised, but not of this condition.
"Young athletes can have heart conditions, different from the more common coronary artery disease.
"They are just as serious, and in fact more serious."
Taylor, the son of former professional jockey Steve, made his first-class debut for Leicestershire against Worcestershire in April 2008 and joined Nottinghamshire before the 2012 season.
The batsman played the first of his seven Test matches for England against South Africa at Headingley in 2012. He averaged 26 and his top Test score was 76 against Pakistan in November 2015.
Taylor's one-day international debut came in 2011 against Ireland. He averaged 42.23 in 27 ODIs, scoring seven 50s and one century - 101 against Australia in September 2015.
At the time of his retirement, Taylor had the fourth-highest limited-overs average - including international and domestic matches - in history. | The retirement of an international cricketer could lead to all young people being tested for heart problems, a leading professor has said. |
17,986,753 | Abbott Laboratories encouraged its sales teams to market Depakote for uses that were not approved by regulators, the US justice department said.
The drug should be used in epilepsy and bipolar disorder cases.
However, it was sold to treat conditions such as dementia and autism.
According to a US justice department statement, Abbott maintained a specialised sales force to market the drug in nursing homes.
It said the drug could be used for the control of agitation in elderly dementia patients, despite the absence of any credible scientific evidence that Depakote was safe and effective for that use.
The illegal conduct was not the product of "some rogue sales representatives," US Attorney Timothy Heaphy said. The company engaged in the strategy from 1998 to at least 2006, he said.
Reuben Guttman, a lawyer who represented some of the company whistle-blowers, said that Abbott had preyed on two vulnerable categories of patient - the elderly and children.
The company "violated basic norms of health care and ethics", he said.
The company also marketed Depakote to treat schizophrenia, but clinical trials failed to demonstrate that the drug was any more effective than anti-psychotic drugs in treating the condition, according to court papers.
Abbott Laboratories will now pay $800m to federal and state governments, $700m in criminal penalties and a further $100m to resolve consumer protection issues.
The company has also agreed to a five-year probationary period to ensure that there is no repeat of the misconduct. | A US drug company has agreed to pay out $1.6bn (£1bn) after improperly marketing a mood-stabilising drug in a settlement thought to be the largest of its kind involving a single drug. |
38,177,117 | Russia was suspended in November 2015 by the IAAF and the ban has twice been extended meaning athletes missed the Rio Olympics.
They are now set to also miss March's European Indoors in Belgrade.
This extension comes despite Russian President Vladimir Putin approving a law criminalising doping in sports.
In his annual Kremlin speech to parliament and the nation, President Putin said that Russia's new anti-doping programme would be ready in early 2017, so that athletes could qualify to take part in August's World Championships in London.
Although Rune Andersen, the head of the International Association of Athletics Federations Taskforce looking into the steps Russia is taking to combat doping, says the country's athletics federation (Rusaf) has made further progress on the matter since June, it has refused to put any dates on a timescale for a return to the fold.
The final report by Canadian law professor Richard McLaren into Russia's state-sponsored doping programme, is due to be released on 9 December and Andersen said the Taskforce would return to Russia in January to assess the response to it before reporting to February's IAAF Council meeting.
"At that time it hopes to be able to identify a clear roadmap and timetable for Rusaf's reinstatement," said the Norwegian.
In the meantime, Russian athletes can still apply to the IAAF doping review board to compete if they can demonstrate they have undergone a testing system, as the US-based long jumper Darya Klishina did successfully for the Rio Games. | Athletics' governing body the IAAF has decided to extend Russia's ban from international athletics competitions for state-sponsored doping. |
37,539,176 | The FTSE 100 index closed 84 points up at 6,984, a rise of 1.2% on the day.
The pound dropped 1% to $1.284, and was down 0.8% at 1.146 euros.
"There is still a great degree of uncertainty surrounding what Brexit negotiations will involve," said Ana Thaker, at broker PhillipCapital UK.
Among the biggest risers on the London market were Intercontinental Hotels, up 3.1%; Travis Perkins, also up 3.1%; Anglo American, up 2.9%; and Schroders, up 2.7%.
In the FTSE 250, shares in asset manager Henderson Group rose 17% after it said it had agreed to merge with US investment management company Janus Capital.
The deal will create a company managing more than $320bn in assets and was described by both sides as a "merger of equals". | (Close): UK shares closed up sharply while the pound fell after Theresa May said the UK government would, by next March, start the process to leave the EU. |
19,999,536 | The "model cities" project was backed by President Porfirio Lobo, who said it would attract foreign investment and create jobs
By 13 votes to one, Supreme Court judges decided that the proposal violated the principle of sovereignty.
Demonstrators celebrated the decision outside the court in Tegucigalpa.
"This is great news for the Honduran people. This decision has prevented the country going back into a feudal system that was in place 1,000 years ago," said lawyer Fredin Funez.
The government proposal to create some 20 "special development zones - as the new cities were officially called - was approved by Congress last year.
The Supreme Court has now ruled that the law approved in Congress is unconstitutional, as it violates the territorial integrity of Honduras, as well as the sovereignty of the government.
"I am sad. All the Congress wanted was to give jobs to all Hondurans," said Congress speaker Juan Orlando Hernandez.
An American company was expected to invest US$15m in the initial phase of construction of the first city, on the Caribbean coast, the AP news agency says.
President Lobo said thousands of jobs would be created in the impoverished Central American country,
Honduras also struggles with violence. It has the world's highest murder rate - 92 murders per 100,000 people - according to the UN.
The inspiration for his "model cities" were Singapore, Macao and Hong Kong, Mr Lobo said.
But the opposition has accused him of being a traitor and trying to sell the country to foreign companies.
Last month, well-known human rights lawyer Antonio Trejo was killed after speaking out against the project.
He was shot dead by unknown gunmen outside a church on the outskirts of Tegucigalpa.
Hours earlier Mr Trejo took part in a televised debate in which he accused politicians of using such projects to raise campaign funds. | The Honduran Supreme Court has ruled unconstitutional a project to build privately-run cities, with their own police and tax system. |
40,034,749 | They said it would be "prudent to await additional evidence... that a recent slowdown in the pace of economic activity had been transitory".
Markets have been expecting a rate rise at the Federal Reserve's June meeting.
The dollar dipped following the release of the minutes.
It was down by nearly 0.2% against the Dollar Index, a basket of foreign currencies.
Most officials on the Federal Open Market Committee of rate setters still expect to raise interest rates "soon".
Gus Faucher, economist at Pennsylvania-based PNC Financial Services, said he was surprised to see the dollar fall.
He thinks new economic reports since the meeting, including jobs, bolster the case for a rate rise. He's calling for a June increase and a second one by the end of the year.
"I think the data we've gotten since the meeting have indicated that those factors were indeed transitory, so given all of that, I would expect to see a rate increase," Mr Faucher said. "This is in line with expectations."
Some members of the Federal Reserve committee believe the global outlook has brightened, according to the minutes.
But "significant uncertainty" remains about the policies the government is likely to adopt under President Donald Trump, they said.
Amid the housing and financial crisis, the Federal Reserve lowered interest rates to boost the economy. They remain at record lows, with the committee raising rates just three times since the crisis, most recently in March.
The officials are also divided about what action they should take in the future.
Some members said there might be need for a more gradual approach to raising interest rates, noting that inflation has failed to accelerate as expected.
Others said more rapid action would be appropriate if, for example, wages started to rise or there were large changes to other US policies.
The minutes also signalled the Federal Reserve remains on track to trim its nearly $4.5 trillion portfolio, much of it in US treasuries and mortgage-backed securities, starting this year.
The holdings are a legacy of actions taken after the financial crisis, when the bank bought up securities to boost the economy, a move known as quantitative easing.
The bank's holdings have been steady in recent years.
Members said they would maintain current policies but expected to discuss in more detail how to start winding down the portfolio at their next meeting in June. | US central bank policymakers want to see proof the country's economic slowdown is temporary before they raise interest rates, according to minutes of their latest meeting. |
34,897,393 | Officers arrived at the Jaipur Art Summit on Saturday following complaints that the life-size cow floating in the air was offensive to Hindus.
They detained two artists for a few hours, while Hindu activists brought the installation down.
Activists say the raid is a sign of growing religious intolerance in India.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje tweeted on Sunday that she was "saddened" by the incident, and the police commissioner of Jaipur also apologised.
She said the chief of the local police station was "removed and I have spoken to the artist personally".
Artist Siddhartha Kararwal had called his life-size cow effigy Bovine Divine, and had created it to highlight the plight of Indian cows that scavenge and choke on plastic bags.
But some people complained the cow looked as if it had been hanged, and that the model insulted the animal, which Hindus revere as a symbol of life and sustenance.
Some Hindu activists brought the installation down, but garlanded and blessed the cow before it was seized by police.
The police briefly detained two other artists, Chintan Upadhyay and Anish Ahluwalia, who protested against the move, leading to social media outrage.
The director of the art summit Pratap Sharma told The Indian Express newspaper that they don't plan to reinstall the work.
"We don't want to hurt anyone's sensibilities again, so we are not going to install the work again," he said. | Police in India's Rajasthan state have apologised to artists for raiding an exhibition featuring a polystyrene cow dangling from a helium balloon. |
30,765,674 | The turnout is nearly double that of the largest demonstration by anti-Islamists Pegida, held last Monday.
Saturday's counter-demonstration observed a minute's silence for the 17 victims of this week's terrorist attacks in France.
The next Pegida protest in Dresden will be held on Monday.
Some analysts say that numbers may grow as a result of the violence in France.
Demonstrators at the counter-rally on Saturday - which was jointly organised by the government of the state of Saxony and the city of Dresden - were joined by Saxony State Premier Stanislaw Tillich.
"Thirty-five thousand people [have] attended this event, and they made clear that they love this city and that they're proud of this city, and that this is a tolerant and cosmopolitan city," he said.
Likewise Dresden Mayor Helma Orosz urged supporters of Pegida (Patriotic Europeans against the Islamisation of the West) to change their minds and join the campaign against racism.
"I believe that this is a clear sign that our society is standing together, and furthermore that we're not forgetting those who are afraid, those who might march with Pegida on Monday," she said.
"We're not abandoning them, we're inviting them to come to us."
One unnamed protester told the BBC that the object of the demonstration was to make clear that Dresden was "a tolerant city open to anyone".
Pegida has been condemned by many mainstream politicians and large counter-demonstrations have also been held in Berlin, Cologne and Stuttgart. | About 35,000 people have marched through the German city of Dresden in protest against recent so-called anti-Islamisation rallies, organisers say. |
20,900,614 | The list, which aims to showcase the best new acts for the year ahead, was compiled using tips from 213 UK-based critics, broadcasters and bloggers.
Now in its 11th year, previous winners include Michael Kiwanuka, Jessie J, Adele, Mika, Ellie Goulding and Keane.
BBC Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens said Haim had a "contagious enthusiasm".
Discover the top five acts
Watch the top 15 acts on the Sound of 2013 site
How the list is compiled
"Haim have an unapologetic passion for music that shines in their songs," he said. "They're brilliant musicians who have a real talent for tunes that merge their tales of growing up in the 21st Century with a classic songwriting ability."
The sisters have already supported British artists Florence and the Machine and Mumford and Sons live.
Este, Danielle and Alana Haim, who are aged between 21 and 26, started playing music as children when their parents enlisted them into a family covers band.
The sisters all play guitar, drums and sing and are still occasionally known to pull their mother and father on stage.
Haim's songs pay homage to feelgood, freewheeling '70s rock and anthemic '80s synth-pop, gaining a modern sheen by borrowing rhythms from contemporary R&B.
The 213 tastemakers - ranging from music magazine editors and newspaper critics to influential bloggers, DJs and radio and TV producers - each named their favourite three new acts.
They were free to choose performers from any country and any musical genre.
Artists who had scored a UK top 20 single or album before 11 November 2012 were ineligible, as were those already well-known to the UK public - for example by featuring in the final stages of a TV talent show or already being a member of a successful band.
The tips were compiled into a longlist of the top 15 artists, which was published in December, and the top five have been revealed this week.
In second place were London R&B duo AlunaGeorge, with uncompromising New York-based rapper Angel Haze in third. Birmingham soul singer Laura Mvula was fourth and Glasgow electro-pop outfit Chvrches completed the top five.
It is the first time that the top five acts have all been female or fronted by women.
Este Haim said: "It's the craziest thing to think we're on a list with so many amazing artists. This year the five bands that were in the list were all female fronted, right?
"We love the UK - the last time we were there, we were there for almost a month and a half. The UK is like a second home."
NME magazine's new music editor Matt Wilkinson, who took part in the poll, said Haim "have a knack for writing amazingly catchy singles, they're a killer live band and they talk the talk miles better than most other new bands".
"It's a rare and exciting combination," he added.
Michael Kiwanuka was top of the Sound of 2012 list. The London troubadour sold 500,000 copies of his debut album Home Again around the world last year and was nominated for the Mercury Prize.
The other previous winners are: Jessie J (Sound of 2011), Ellie Goulding (Sound of 2010), Little Boots (Sound of 2009), Adele (Sound of 2008), Mika (Sound of 2007), Corinne Bailey Rae (Sound of 2006), The Bravery (Sound of 2005), Keane (Sound of 2004) and 50 Cent (Sound of 2003).
Other artists in the top five in previous years include Frank Ocean (Sound of 2012), The Vaccines (Sound of 2011), Marina and the Diamonds (Sound of 2010), Florence and the Machine (Sound of 2009), Foals (Sound of 2008) and Plan B (Sound of 2006). | Haim, a trio of Californian sisters who have been compared to Fleetwood Mac, have come top of the BBC Sound of 2013 new music list. |
26,963,723 | The Digital Media Initiative (DMI) was intended to move the BBC away from using and storing video tape.
But it was scrapped, with almost no results, after five years of development.
After investigating the demise of the project, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has branded the programme "a complete failure".
Chairman Margaret Hodge said the BBC needed to "overhaul" its approach to such projects, to "safeguard licence fee payers' money".
The BBC originally approved DMI in 2006. It was supposed to produce new editing tools, an online archive of the BBC's programmes and a new database.
Technology company Siemens was hired to develop the project in February 2008, and it was expected to be completed the following year.
However, after a series of delays, the project was brought in-house, There it floundered until last May, when the BBC's incoming director general, Tony Hall, admitted it had "wasted a huge amount of licence fee payers' money".
The gross estimate of the amount spent on DMI was £125.9m, although the BBC claims to have recouped £27.5m of that.
The BBC's technology chief, John Linwood, was sacked in July 2013 over the project's demise.
A previous report, by the National Audit Office (NAO), blamed "confusion and a lack of planning" for the failure.
It said that senior executives failed to take control of the project when it ran into trouble and "did not appear to appreciate the extent of the problems until a late stage".
The PAC published its own findings on Thursday. It reiterated several of the points raised in earlier reports and criticised the BBC for its failure to alert MPs of the problems.
"When my committee examined the DMI's progress in February 2011, the BBC told us that the DMI was... absolutely essential... and that a lot of the BBC's future was tied up in the successful delivery of the DMI," said Ms Hodge.
"The BBC also told us that it was using the DMI to make many programmes and was on track to complete the system in 2011 with no further delays.
"This turned out not to be the case. In reality the BBC only ever used the DMI to make one programme, called Bang Goes the Theory.
"The BBC was far too complacent about the high risks involved in taking it in-house. No single individual had overall responsibility or accountability for delivering the DMI and achieving the benefits, or took ownership of problems when they arose."
A BBC spokesman said: "Tony Hall was right to scrap the DMI project when he took over as director general last year. As we said at the time, the BBC didn't get DMI right and we apologised to licence fee payers.
"Since then we have completely overhauled how these projects are delivered so that there is crystal clear accountability and transparency."
A spokeswoman for the BBC Trust, the corporation's governing body, said: "As we have said before, this represented an unacceptable loss to licence fee payers.
"Acting on the conclusions of previous reports into DMI, we have strengthened reporting to the Trust so that problems are spotted early and dealt with quickly.
"We are also carrying out follow up reviews once projects are completed to make sure the lessons from DMI are being implemented." | The BBC was "far too complacent" in its handling of a failed IT project that cost licence fee payers £98.4m. |
36,273,151 | Wednesday's demonstration was the first public glimpse of Hyperloop, a system that could send people and cargo through tubes at the speed of sound.
Executives hope in five years' time people will be able to travel from Los Angeles to San Francisco in 30 minutes.
"It's real. It's happening now," Hyperloop CEO Rob Lloyd said.
Tesla co-founder Elon Musk first pitched the idea in 2013, urging others to take up the proposals as he and his company developed electric cars and solar energy technology.
The technology uses levitating pods that move through a low-friction environment with electricity and magnets. The pods are designed to travel at more than 700 mph (1,120km/h).
Hyperloop hopes to start moving cargo by 2019 and people by 2021. However, huge logistical and technological hurdles remain.
The plan has detractors including James Moore, director of the University of Southern California's Transportation Engineering Program.
"I would certainly not say nothing will come of Hyperloop technology," Mr Moore told the Associated Press. "But I doubt this specific piece of technology will have a dramatic effect on how we move people and goods in the near term." | An early test of Hyperloop - a proposed high-speed transport system - has accelerated a sled to 116 mph (187km/h) in 1.1 seconds in the Nevada desert. |
38,470,384 | Payments to members of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) union included £55,000 to a teacher assaulted by a pupil.
It was said to have happened when the teacher attempted to calm the pupil.
Many payouts were due to injuries caused by accidents.
They included £12,000 for a knee fracture caused by tripping over a metal door wedge and the same amount for a broken arm caused by slipping on black ice in a school car park.
Another award was £12,500 for back pain caused by carrying a heavy box without handles.
The total payouts to EIS members for the year reached £608,925.
EIS general secretary Larry Flanagan said: "This year's figure of over £600,000 in compensation for teachers and lecturers injured at work demonstrates that there is still a long way to go towards the aim of eliminating workplace injuries in our schools, colleges and universities.
"The most common cause of injuries continues to be accidents such as slips, trips and falls.
"These are also the types of incidents that are entirely avoidable with correct adherence to appropriate health and safety procedures in the workplace.
"Schools, colleges and universities will never be entirely risk-free but it is essential that all facilities are as safe as possible for learners and staff alike."
Mr Flanagan denied the payouts were an indication of a compensation culture.
He said the compensation amounts would be reduced if insurance firms took less time to admit liability. | Teachers and lecturers across Scotland were paid more than £600,000 in compensation for injuries - including from assaults and accidents - at work in the past year. |
18,412,306 | The draft agreement would improve energy, water and food security in poorer countries, phase out fossil fuel subsidies and boost ocean protection.
But with three days of negotiations left, only 20% has been agreed.
One source close to the talks told BBC News that negotiators had been talking about punctuation, not principles.
The summit is widely seen as a crucial opportunity for leaders to put the global economy on a more sustainable footing.
The draft agreement - titled The Future We Want - is riddled with deletions, many instigated by the US and many by the G77/China bloc of developing nations.
Russia, Japan, the EU and other parties have also objected to key clauses.
The draft has been criticised in some quarters as being too lenient on businesses, especially major banks and commodity corporations.
"The Rio Earth Summit will not bring about the Future We Want, it will provide a stark and distressing reminder of the present we have," said Kumi Naidoo, executive director of Greenpeace International.
"A world in which public health, human rights and sustainable development are subordinate to private profit, shallow national interest and 'business as usual'."
There is also a row over the proposed sustainable development goals (SDGs), which would seek to relieve poverty and improve health, education and jobs in developing countries, but along environmentally and socially sustainable lines.
Some aid agencies fear this will result in a watering down of the key commitment to helping people out of poverty, contained in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
There is also a lack of agreement on whether the SDGs should commit rich countries to curbing their consumption of natural resources, in order to leave more for the poor.
In a widely-circulated editorial, former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, who now runs Green Cross International, contrasted the "optimism and hope" of the Rio Earth Summit 20 years ago with the "cynicism and despair" surrounding this one.
"I feel bitter when I look at the cavernous gulf between rich and poor, the irresponsibility that caused the global financial crisis, the weak and divided responses to climate change, and the failure to achieve the MDGs," he said.
"The opportunity to build a safer, fairer and more united world has been largely squandered."
The eight rounds of formal and informal preparatory talks since the beginning of the year have been bedevilled by problems of substance as well as of process.
Some Western nations, especially the US, appear unwilling to give ground on anything that would help rival up-and-coming economic powers, in particular China.
They, meanwhile, are reluctant to countenance any language that could put a brake on their development.
The summit also falls in a difficult political period, with the US presidential election due later this year, an impending change of Chinese leadership, and many nations struggling under various financial issues.
Following the close of the preparatory negotiations this coming Friday, there will be four days of informal dialogues and other meetings before heads of government and ministers begin the summit proper next Wednesday.
There is widespread disappointment among activists that scores of leaders including the UK's David Cameron, Germany's Angela Merkel and US President Barack Obama have chosen to stay away.
The US has however confirmed that its delegation will be led by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. | The final round of negotiations leading up to next week's Rio+20 summit begins on Wednesday with countries very much at odds on key issues. |
39,206,932 | The men, aged 18 and 20, were attacked in Holland Street at about 03:00 on Sunday after leaving Bar Budda in Sauchiehall Street.
They were taken to Glasgow Royal Infirmary for treatment.
The suspects, who were white and in their late teens to early 20s, ran to Sauchiehall Street after the incident.
Most of the suspects were wearing dark clothing, though one was wearing a white long-sleeved shirt.
Det Con Graham Morrison said: "There are several bars and clubs in this area so I'm sure there will have been lots of people milling around despite the hour.
"I am appealing to motorists, taxi drivers and anyone else who was in the area at the time of the incident to contact us.
"In particular, I would ask anyone with any dashcam footage to pass it to police as the footage could provide vital information about the incident or the suspects." | Two men have been injured after being seriously assaulted by four men in Glasgow city centre after a night club altercation. |
35,807,163 | The policy is part of a plan to create a transport system that "works for commuters".
The party also wants bus services to be regulated in an effort to protect important but unprofitable routes.
The Scottish government said it was already rolling out plans for an integrated smart card.
The other main political parties will set out their transport policies ahead of the Holyrood election on 5 May.
Scottish Labour said its plans would be compulsory, apply to all transport operators and would be rolled out within the first year of a Scottish Labour government.
People would be able to use contactless credit or debit cards to pay for the smart card by the end of the next parliament, it said.
The Scottish government announced plans for an integrated Saltire Card - similar to London's Oyster card - in 2012, which the government said were now being rolled out.
Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale said the Scottish transport system was currently a "patchwork of services" which had left many areas "with no decent provision".
She added: "That's why we will legislate for an integrated transport system with regulated bus services and one smart ticket that can take you across Scotland.
"People should be able to travel the length and breadth of our country with one card in their pocket. In 2012, we were told this wasn't far off, but in 2016 we're still waiting.
"London has had a single smart card for 13 years and have recently started taking payments using contactless credit and debit cards. The technology exists - all we need is the political will to deliver it."
Statistics published in January showed the number of people using public transport in Scotland over the last nine years had fallen by 6%, while traffic on the country's roads went up by 2%.
Transport Minister Derek Mackay said: "Labour have missed the bus with these out-of-date proposals.
"We are already rolling out national smart card plans across ScotRail, introducing systems so the same cards can be used on ScotRail and the Glasgow subway and working with our bus and ferry companies to ensure the Saltire national concessionary travel cards used by 1.9 million travellers are usable across the transport network."
He said 35% of bus journeys were already made using smart cards and by 2019 more than 60% of rail journeys would be made by smart card.
"Scotland is strides ahead of anywhere else in the UK as it is bringing together multiple operators, with multiple fares systems," Mr Mackay added.
"Comparisons to London, where there is one service provider with a single fares system are quite simply misleading - and demonstrate a fundamental lack of understanding of smart ticketing systems."
The Scottish government has said it invests more than £1bn annually in public transport and other sustainable transport options to encourage people out of their car.
It has also committed to a £5bn programme of investment in Scotland's railways by 2019, and has said it invests £250m every year through the Bus Service Operators Grant and Concessionary Travel scheme. | Labour has set out proposals to create a single "smart ticket" that would cover all transport services across Scotland. |
39,882,016 | The White House has cast a memo written by him on Tuesday as the impetus for the move.
But critics say the 52-year-old Harvard graduate, with a reputation as straight-shooting and non-partisan, has been sucked into providing cover for Mr Trump to push out a man he desperately wanted rid of.
Mr Comey was leading the FBI investigation into alleged Russian interference in the November presidential election, including whether there was co-ordination between the Trump campaign and Russia.
And Mr Rosenstein is overseeing that probe, because his own boss, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, has recused himself from it after a row over contacts with the Russian ambassador to the US.
Indeed, senior Democrats say they believe Mr Comey had approached the deputy attorney general to request more resources for the investigation just days before the memo was written - although the department of justice has dismissed this as "false".
Mr Rosenstein received overwhelming bi-partisan support when the Senate voted 94-6 in favour at his confirmation hearing in April.
Before that, he had served as Maryland's chief federal prosecutor under President George W Bush.
Unusually, he was kept on under President Barack Obama and became the longest-serving US attorney with a 27-year-long career spanning five administrations.
The former Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler described him in a recommendation letter in February as "totally by-the-book and completely apolitical".
And in that vein, Mr Rosenstein's memo comprises a litany of criticism over Mr Comey's failure to follow rules and procedures.
He said it was "wrong" of him to "usurp the attorney general's authority" in announcing his conclusion that the investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails should be closed without prosecution.
And he said Mr Comey's decision to hold a press conference, where he "laid out his version of the facts for the news media as if it were a closing argument, but without a trial" was a "textbook example of what federal prosecutors and agents are taught not to do".
But Democrats - and others - say the Trump administration, which had previously praised Mr Comey's actions, is using the memo as a smokescreen.
Former Deputy Attorney General Donald Ayer, who was quoted in the memo, described the "firing based it seems entirely on Comey's mishandling of the Clinton investigation" as "a sham".
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"The deputy [attorney general] should realise that his correct assessment of those mistakes is now being used to justify firing for a very different reason," he said in a statement.
So did President Trump ask Mr Rosenstein specifically to investigate Mr Comey's conduct?
When White House press secretary Sean Spicer was asked, he initially said "it was all him" - of Rosenstein - but then corrected himself.
"I guess I shouldn't say that.... no-one from the White House. That was a DOJ [Department of Justice] decision," he said.
However, the Washington Post, citing unnamed White House officials, says Mr Trump called Mr Sessions - an ally of his - and Mr Rosenstein to a meeting on Monday and told them to explain in writing the case against Mr Comey.
Former justice department official Eric Columbus is among those noting that Mr Rosenstein stopped short of specifically recommending that Mr Comey be fired.
He suggested on Twitter that Mr Rosenstein "thought Comey screwed up but didn't want him fired with Russia investigation pending... yet Sessions wanted a memo on Comey's sins, and Rosenstein felt he had to oblige his boss."
The deputy attorney general must now decide what to do about growing demands from Democrats - and an unusually direct approach from the New York Times editorial board - to appoint an independent special prosecutor to investigate the Russia allegations.
Whatever the inside story, it all renders somewhat ironic another line in Mr Gansler's recommendation letter for Mr Rosenstein.
"Rod understands the importance of staying out of the political limelight." | After just two weeks in office, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein finds himself suddenly at the centre of the storm over President Donald Trump's sudden sacking of FBI Director James Comey. |
36,332,198 | Valerie Deakin, 74, of Udimore, East Sussex, died when an Audi crashed into the Costa branch in Westerham, Kent, on Christmas Eve.
Kent Police said the man had received a court summons for causing her death by dangerous driving.
He will be charged at Sevenoaks Magistrates' Court on 5 July.
Two men and two women were also taken to hospital after the crash. Another woman was treated for minor injuries. | An 86-year-old man accused of killing a woman who died when a car ploughed into a coffee shop has been summoned to appear in court. |
33,092,862 | Countries are working towards options to limit greenhouse gas emissions from 2020 in time for a crunch Paris summit.
The UN said progress had been made towards streamlining the text of a new agreement at talks in Bonn.
Environmental groups said ''difficult issues'' such as finance and emissions cuts had yet to be addressed.
The 11-day meeting is designed to pave the way towards a new global deal on climate change to be signed in Paris at the end of the year.
Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, said ''step-by-step progress'' had been made towards countries' understanding of the text of the agreement and how to move forward.
Laurence Tubiana, special representative for the Paris climate conference, said the talks had been useful and had gained the trust of parties.
''I'm feeling optimistic after these two weeks,'' she said. ''We should not be frustrated and disappointed.''
However, The World Resources Institute said progress had been ''slow'' and did not match strong signals for ambitious climate action from outside the negotiations.
And Samantha Smith of WWF said that there was growing concern over ''what is needed and what is being promised on finance and emissions''.
''After difficult negotiations, all countries have said that more ambitious, immediate emissions cuts are needed and these commitments must be a clear outcome of the Paris talks,'' she said.
''However, that work needs to speed up too if we are going to avoid the very worst impacts of climate change.''
Delegates will return to Bonn in August and October for more rounds of climate talks, before the summit in Paris at the end of the year.
The key task now is to revise the draft agreement before it reaches heads of state.
Countries are expected to agree to a plan for the co-chairs of the UN climate negotiations to produce a ''clear and concise'' version of the text.
Scientists say ambitious action is needed to avert the most severe impacts of climate change.
So far, more than 30 countries have pledged to limit emissions of greenhouse gases, with around 150 smaller countries yet to set goals.
Analysis suggests these do not go far enough to keep global warming below 2C.
Environmental groups point to key developments outside of the negotiations that are adding momentum towards Paris.
They include moves by business, such as Ikea giving $1bn to expand renewable energy and climate adaptations in developing countries.
G7 leaders have also signalled the need for action with a call for greenhouse gas emissions cuts and a move towards a low carbon future. | International talks in Bonn have made progress towards a new global deal on climate change, says the UN, amid calls from NGOs for a faster pace. |
14,808,673 | Moot Hill, in Driffield, is being marketed more for the surrounding grazing land than the remains of the motte and bailey castle it may contain.
Archaeologists believe a castle, which is now just a large mound, was built in about 1071.
Excavations in the 19th Century by local archaeologist JR Mortimer revealed Saxon relics, including bits of swords, spears and a bronze axe.
Owner James Hood, a retired farmer who bought the land in 1973, disputes archaeologists' theories and claims an excavation in the mid-70s revealed nothing.
Mr Hood said: "It was supposed to be a burial mound, then they decided it was a motte and bailey castle.
"You wouldn't build a castle without foundations whatsoever."
The auctioneers describe the two acre site as a "a large parcel" of land suitable for grazing horses and other livestock.
It has a guide price of £30,000.
The site is protected by an English Heritage listing which states that the site is of national importance.
If it was a castle then on the mound, or motte, there would once have been a wooden defensive wall and a tower.
The large enclosure was known as a bailey.
Documents from the early 13th Century refer to an abandoned bailey at Driffield.
Mr Mortimer was a local anthologist who excavated many burial mounds and other features.
He died in 1911 but left more than 66,000 artefacts and his collection is now at the Hull and East Riding Museum in Hull. | An ancient scheduled monument is going up for auction in East Yorkshire. |
34,149,834 | The 40-year-old A338 Bournemouth Spur Road needs to be rebuilt as its foundations are crumbling.
Lane closures and a reduced speed limit will be in place during the works, which start at 20:00 BST.
Drivers have been advised to plan their journeys and, if possible, use alternative routes.
A series of overnight road closures are also planned as the dual carriageway, which normally carries about 59,000 vehicles a day, is prepared for construction work.
The first full closure takes place on the northbound carriageway from 20:00 BST to 06:00 on Monday.
Dates for further overnight closures can be seen on the Dorset councils website.
Passengers for Bournemouth Airport and patients due at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital are being advised to allow extra time for their journeys
The hospital said if patients were late for appointments due to the traffic delays they faced having their appointment postponed.
The work will be carried out on the dual carriageway 24 hours a day, six days a week, Dorset County Council said.
The new road will be given a new surface layer in an attempt to reduce traffic noise.
A 1m (3ft) hard strip to give extra space for cars to move over for emergency vehicles or in case of breakdowns will also be added.
The £22m scheme, which is due to finish by 31 May 2016, has been funded by the Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership. | Motorists are being warned of significant travel delays as nine months of roadworks begin on the main route into Bournemouth. |
36,274,885 | Rea, 29, dominated last year's championship as he took 14 wins in his first season with the Kawasaki team.
The Northern Irishman has a 35-point lead in this year's championship.
"Our objectives and way of working are very well matched so it makes perfect sense to extend this for two more seasons," said Rea. | Defending World Superbike champion Jonathan Rea has signed a two-year contract extension with his Kawasaki Racing Team. |
40,090,660 | North Wales Police said a 19-year-old man died at the scene in Bethel Place, Connah's Quay.
Officers were called to the incident at about 20:00 BST on Monday and said there was likely to be a number of people in the area at the time as there is a pub nearby.
A 48-year-old man is being held in custody. | A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder following a fatal stabbing in Flintshire. |
30,963,478 | After a slow start from United, Daley Blind set up Robin van Persie to break the deadlock with a precise finish.
Radamel Falcao followed up Angel Di Maria's shot to make it 2-0 before Wes Morgan headed into his own net to cap a miserable first half for the Foxes.
Leicester belatedly replied through Marcin Wasilewski's late header.
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Louis van Gaal's side were not at their best but they did not have to be against a Foxes side who offered little in attack.
United let slip a 2-0 lead and were beaten 5-3 when these sides met at King Power Stadium in September, but there was never a hint of a similar fightback from the Foxes this time.
Leicester concentrated on frustrating their hosts in the early stages and that game-plan was working until Andrej Kramaric allowed Blind to steal possession after a United attack had broken down.
Blind looked up and released Van Persie, who was given the benefit of the doubt by the linesman and adjudged to be onside before he expertly steered the bouncing ball past Mark Schwarzer.
Up until then, United had struggled to find any fluidity in their attacks and barely threatened Schwarzer's goal.
But the Foxes' 42-year-old goalkeeper was beaten again five minutes later after Van Persie sent Di Maria running clear.
Schwarzer did well to keep out the Argentina forward's shot, but Falcao beat two defenders to slide in to turn home the loose ball from close range.
Leicester's collapse was completed in the 44th minute when Blind met Wayne Rooney's corner at the near post, and Morgan could only direct his attempted clearance past Schwarzer and into the net.
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With the game won, United did not push forward for more goals after the break and they did not have much defending to do either.
The hosts were given a scare when a sloppy back-pass from Phil Jones almost let substitute David Nugent in, but David De Gea was alert to the danger and cleared.
Even when Wasilewski headed home his first Foxes goal - in his 51st game for the club - with 10 minutes to go, there seemed little chance of any late drama.
Another Leicester substitute, Marc Albrighton flashed a shot over the bar from the edge of the area, but United held on comfortably.
The victory moves them above Southampton, at least until the Saints host Swansea on Sunday.
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal:
"I'm very happy because of the positive result. We lost the last home match so we had to show to our fans that we are coming back again.
"I liked my team in the first half. In the second half we tried to kill the game because we know what happened at Leicester when we were also 1-3 ahead and we lost the game.
"But in second half we played the ball too much backwards, and that I do not like that as you always need to keep your eyes open for the pass forward.
"But we also have to learn to kill the game, we may have done that more than we wanted, but it is a learning process."
Leicester manager Nigel Pearson:
"It was a difficult game for us. We are playing against very good side, to concede three goals in a really short space of time put us up against it.
"The first goal is offside but I can't complain too much as we were beaten by a very, very good side.
"In the second-half we have at least shown a bit more resilience and managed the ball a bit better. I think that was our problem in the first half.
"It was a difficult game for our front players today. We didn't give them the service they needed. Our forwards spent more time working defensively. We didn't create enough pressure to make it more difficult for them in the first-half." | Manchester United scored three first-half goals to easily beat bottom side Leicester and move up to third place in the Premier League table. |
39,179,098 | "Flare your nostrils, and get closer to the sources of the odours," says artist and designer Kate McLean, as we seek out the subtle smell of snowdrops.
"Normally you'd breathe in for one and a half seconds, so we're quite slow like that, whereas a dog will sniff much faster."
Sniffing and flaring as we go, Kate is taking me on a "smell walk", a guided ramble around London's streets and green spaces to detect the dominant whiffs and odours.
There is some serious science behind our scented stroll.
Kate is a part of a team that has published a research paper on the connections between smells and cities.
"When you are smell walking, you are often looking for the source of the odour, so the whole of our study was based on odour sources and what people actually noticed at and in specific environments," she explained.
"We then looked at the words and the descriptors that came from that and compared them to social media and with that we found that there were correlations between what people were actually describing in their photographs."
Armed with a "smell dictionary" that evolved from the city walks, Kate and the team analysed millions of images on Flickr and Instagram.
They then used the geographical information from these smell related images, dubbed "smellfies", to build the smell maps of London and Barcelona.
Clicking on a street on the London map allows you to zoom in and see how people have described the area, using terms related to emissions, nature, food, animals or waste.
So where people have tagged pictures with words including "cars" or "petrol" or "exhaust", these would be classified as emissions-related in the system and the map would show more red.
But can something built on people's subjective impressions of what they're smelling bear any relationship to objective data on air quality?
"Some people might say you're using social media, it's biased so you're just capturing most of the hipsters in East London," said Daniele Quercia, the computer scientist from Bell Labs who led the study.
"To double check we collected air quality indicators for each street sector for London and we looked at the relationship between these indicators and the profile from the smelly maps."
"We found that when there's a lot of nitrogen dioxide, then there are a lot of traffic emission related words. So, more or less the methodology works - there is a relationship between air pollution and the smelly maps."
There's growing scientific recognition of the power of our noses. A study in 2014 claimed that humans can discriminate at least 1 trillion olfactory stimuli.
While most of our nasal abilities are a bit more mundane, well trained noses can do important jobs in detecting air pollution.
In the Chinese city of Guangzhou, a team of "smell specialists" have been recruited to identify harmful pollutants in the air.
According to the People's Daily Online, air samples from different parts of the city are captured in sealed plastic bags. Sniffing the contents, the experts identify both the cause and scale of the dirty air.
So can the nasal-based information gleaned from smell walks also be put to practical uses?
Daniele Quercia says that the smelly maps could be used to change the way we work and play.
"If you go for a run next to a street full of traffic, it's the worst possible thing you can do - when you run your blood pressure goes up and your ability to absorb air pollution is far higher than if you were walking.
"But you could have technologies that would design a run for you next to nature based smells, and maybe smells that are more energising than calming. If you want to rest a bit you can do that on a public bench, where you have lavender which is a more calming smell."
A mobile phone app that would suggest walking or running routes for you based on smell based air quality information is in the works.
Other researchers are also building devices based on our nasal abilities.
When the Disney Corporation sent an exhibition of its archive material to China last year, officials were concerned about Beijing's notoriously dirty air.
Air pollution is bad for humans but it can also prove disastrous to works of art, causing damage at much lower levels.
So Disney turned to Professor Ken Suslick from the University of Illinois and his opto-electronic pollution detector, an array of carefully calibrated dyes that change colour when exposed to different odours.
"One shouldn't underestimate the importance of one's own nose, we do take it for granted but it is not a quantitative tool," said Prof Suslick,
"It's very difficult for human beings to accurately quantify what the concentration of different odorants are, and having a simple colour-o-metric based response allows us to do things in a quantitative fashion and that's an extremely useful tool."
Prof Suslick and his team discovered that the wooden crates in which the artworks were transported were at least as large a problem in terms of threat from the air as was the exhibition centre itself.
New devices to help in the fight against air pollution are coming on to the market all the time, including this portable air monitor being developed at the University of Leicester to help gather precise data at a personal scale.
But back in Regent's Park, smell walker Kate McLean says that relying on technology alone in big cities would be a big mistake. Common, nasal sense has a big role to play.
"The technical equipment is always going to be valuable for odour monitoring, for pollution control for large factories, but in terms of the moving, shifting smell-scape which most cities are, then the human nose can contribute just as much if we decide to contribute in the same we do to traffic reports," Kate says.
"We can all become smell-meisters, there's nothing specialist about it, any single one of us can do it. Just get out there - go sniff!"
Follow Matt on Twitter and on Facebook. | In Regent's Park in central London I am down on the grass, sniffing the air like a dog. |
37,023,251 | Mirroring its success Stateside, cinemagoers ignored critics who dismissed it as "boring and unfunny" and "the worst of the worst".
It took £11.2m over the weekend, knocking last week's number one, Finding Dory, into second place.
In the film, Will Smith and Margot Robbie team up with a gang of villains.
Jared Leto, Cara Delevingne, Karen Fukuhara and Viola Davis play other anti-heroes.
The latest Jason Bourne film also dropped a place to third in its second week of release.
Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Roald Dahl's BFG, starring Oscar winner Mark Rylance, took fourth spot, with Star Trek Beyond in fifth.
Suicide Squad was the only new film in the top 10.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram, or email [email protected]. | DC Comics' super villain movie Suicide Squad has proved it could be a hit on both sides of the Atlantic as it topped the UK box office on its debut. |
39,293,279 | According to a new study the world's spiders eat up to 800 million tonnes of insects every year.
That's the same amount of meat and fish that humans eat over twelve months.
It might seem like spiders are greedy but actually they are helping humans and saving us from disease-carriers and pests like flies and insects.
As well as being incredible hunters they are also food for lots of other animals like birds and lizards.
Scientists estimated that there are a total of 25 million tonnes of spiders on Earth.
Then they worked out how much food the spiders need to survive.
There are around 45,000 different species of spider.
The University of Basel carried out this study with the hope that these incredible figures make people appreciate spiders more.
So the next time you see one maybe you'll look at it in a new light. | Lots of people are scared of spiders, even some Newsround presenters, but they are actually really helpful creatures. |
38,546,497 | Interior ministry spokesman Saad Maan was quoted as saying a security guard fired on a suspicious vehicle and the driver then blew it up.
It is not yet clear who was behind the blast, but so-called Islamic State (IS) has claimed recent attacks targeting Shia Muslims in the city.
IS is under pressure from an Iraqi government offensive in the north.
Iraqi special forces and their Shia militia allies have been trying to drive IS from its stronghold in the northern city of Mosul. They entered eastern districts in November but IS have since slowed their advance towards the centre.
The Baghdad explosion happened at the main vegetable market, Jumila, in the primarily Shia Sadr City district.
A similar attack took place on 2 January. A suicide car bomb hit a busy square in Sadr City, killing 35 people. | A car bomb in Iraq has struck a market in eastern Baghdad, killing at least 11 people and injuring dozens more. |
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The Canadian has won two league titles in over 300 games for the Giants since his arrival in 2011.
"The passion that the fans bring to our games makes me and the team want to continue to play hard for them," said Keefe on Wednesday.
"That has been the driving force for me to come back."
Keefe has scored 56 goals and added 74 assists - good for 130 total points in his Belfast career.
He added: "After my first season here, winning a league championship along with my experience of the fans and the city, I have been hungry to continue to bring trophies back to the city."
"We need to get on the right track starting early next season so we can get off to a good start and get the ball rolling." | Belfast Giants captain Adam Keefe has signed a new deal which will see him remain with the SSE Arena team for the 2016-2017 Elite League season. |
33,074,657 | Paul Grigson returned to Jakarta on Monday, the Australian government said.
His removal was the first time Australia had recalled an ambassador in response to the execution of its nationals by a foreign government.
Convicted drug traffickers Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were executed by firing squad on 29 April.
At the time, Prime Minister Tony Abbott described the execution as "cruel" and "unnecessary".
Ministerial visits from Australia to Indonesia were also suspended in April but the government on Wednesday did not say if this decision had also been reversed.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said in April the recall was intended "to register our displeasure at the way our citizens have been treated".
Chan and Sukumaran were the ringleaders of a 2005 plot to smuggle 8kg of heroin from Indonesia to Australia. They were arrested in Bali - along with seven others who received long jail terms - and sentenced to death.
As the execution neared a campaign was mounted by Australian officials to save Chan and Sukumaran, who had reportedly rehabilitated during their decade behind bars in Indonesia.
Several high-profile Australian politicians also appealed to Indonesia to spare their lives.
But Indonesian Attorney General Muhammad Prasetyo defended the executions, saying his country was fighting a "war" on drugs. President Joko Widodo also turned down clemency requests.
The impact of the recall was played down by Indonesian officials and last month Vice-President Jusuf Kalla said he expected Mr Grigson back within weeks.
"In one month they will be sent back to Jakarta," he said, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Chan and Sukumaran were among eight people from several countries executed by firing squad on the prison island of Nusakambangan.
Brazil's government also expressed its "deep dismay" at the execution of one of its citizens, Rodrigo Gularte.
But the execution of a Philippine woman, Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso, was called off at the last minute. | Australia's ambassador to Indonesia has returned to Jakarta, five weeks after he was recalled in protest over the execution of two Australians. |
35,037,327 | The event was organised by Russian state broadcasters and it is being streamed online.
Places that feature in the novel were chosen as settings for some chapters, including the Borodino battlefield, where in 1812 Napoleon's troops fought the Russians.
War and Peace was published in 1869.
The novel - one of Russia's greatest works of literature - follows the lives of aristocratic Russian families during the French invasion in the early 19th Century.
Readers include schoolchildren, sports personalities, scientists and armed forces staff.
Cosmonaut Sergei Volkov is joining in from aboard the International Space Station.
Count Tolstoy's former home at Yasnaya Polyana is one of the venues - where Vladimir Tolstoy, a great-great-grandson of the writer, will take part in the reading. The estate is about 200km (124 miles) south of Moscow.
The scale of the book reading "has no parallel in the whole world", say organisers at the website voinaimir.com.
"The geography of the project is immense - from Kaliningrad to Kamchatka, from Franz Josef Land [in the Arctic] to London and Paris," they say. | Russian film stars, a cosmonaut and French actress Fanny Ardant are among 1,300 people reading Leo Tolstoy's epic War and Peace live on the internet - a 60-hour marathon spread over four days. |
18,469,904 | Listeners can hear it in seven parts on Saturday, following the story of Leopold Bloom's journey through Dublin.
The five and a half hour dramatisation, by Robin Brooks, features Henry Goodman as Leopold Bloom.
On "Bloomsday" fans celebrate the landmark modernist novel and all things Joycean on 16 June.
Many of the locations mentioned in the book still stand in Dublin, the writer's home city.
For many enthusiasts, the day is mostly about getting dressed up and going on their own odyssey around the Irish capital, retracing the footsteps of the book's main characters Leopold Bloom and Stephen Daedalus and enjoying a pint or two of Dublin's most popular stout.
Named after lead character Leopold Bloom, the day usually includes walking tours, street theatre, period dress, music and traditional Joycean food.
But there are also many organised events, such as musical performances, street theatre, cycle rides, tours, museum exhibitions.
The BBC dramatisation features Andrew Scott as Stephen Dedalus, Niamh Cusack as Molly Bloom and Stephen Rea as the Narrator.
Some 25 actors have taken part and the music includes new recordings of songs by Irish soprano Daire Halpin.
Ulysses is regarded in some literary circles as the greatest modernist novel of the 20th century.
Producer Jeremy Mortimer said the Radio 4 dramatisation was "a delight" and had given him a new insight into the book.
"I had read the book but when I came back to it I realised that I had skimmed over the surface of it and I had no idea of the depth of this book," he said.
Mark Lawson is broadcasting live from various Joycean landmarks in Dublin to set the book in its local and historical context.
The scheduling of the drama throughout the day roughly corresponds with the order of events in the book.
Each part of the dramatisation will be made available as a free download for two weeks from the time of broadcast.
Irish radio station RTE broadcast every word of Joyce's novel in 1982 over a period of 29 and a half hours. | A dramatisation of James Joyce's Ulysses is being broadcast on BBC Radio 4 to mark this year's Bloomsday, the day when the book's events take place. |
37,414,191 | Kim Jong-un, the country's leader, asked scientists and engineers to make preparations for a satellite launch as soon as possible, KCNA reported.
It is the latest in a series of missile-related tests this year.
Meanwhile, the US and China have agreed to step up co-operation at the UN to address the North's fifth nuclear test.
The underground nuclear test, conducted earlier this month, is thought to be the country's most powerful yet.
North Korea regularly makes claims about the progress of its nuclear and missile programmes, but analysts say most of them are impossible to independently verify.
US and Chinese officials have started discussions on a possible UN sanctions resolution as a response, unnamed diplomats were quoted by the Reuters news agency as saying.
But Beijing has not said directly whether it will support tougher steps against Pyongyang, the agency added.
China is North Korea's main ally and trading partner, but has grown increasingly intolerant of its military actions and Kim Jong-un's aggressive rhetoric.
Its support for toughened sanctions is crucial if they are to have any impact, but Beijing has repeatedly said that such steps are not the ultimate answer for the issue.
Kim Jong-un supervised the test at the country's Sohae satellite-launching site, KCNA reported.
That is where the country launched a rocket in February, reportedly carrying a satellite.
The engine tested would give the country "sufficient carrier capability for launching various kinds of satellites, including Earth observation satellite at a world level", the report added.
Mr Kim, KCNA said, called for more rocket launches to turn the country into a "possessor of geostationary satellites in a couple of years to come."
This was seen by observers as an indication that Pyongyang might soon launch another long-range rocket.
The North insists its space programme is purely scientific in nature but the US, South Korea and even China say the rocket launches are aimed at developing inter-continental ballistic missiles.
UN Security Council resolutions ban the state from carrying out any nuclear or ballistic missile tests. | North Korea has carried out a "successful" ground test of a new rocket engine to launch satellites, state media says. |
33,265,241 | The bill known as the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), or more commonly "fast-track", makes it easier for presidents to negotiate trade deals.
Supporters see it as critical to the success of a 12-nation trade deal known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
The 60-38 vote was the product of rare Republican-White House collaboration.
The bill now awaits Mr Obama's signature.
The authority means that Congress may only vote up or down on finalised trade agreements, not amend them.
The Obama administration and many business organisations say the legislation is necessary so that trade negotiators can win lower trade barriers for US-made goods on international markets.
This fast-track bill brings the president a step closer to concluding the TPP deal with 11 other nations to remove or reduce barriers to trade and foreign investment.
What is the Trans-Pacific Partnership?
There are also trade talks between the US and the EU that could be expedited.
Both deals have been opposed by trade unions and many Democrats, forcing the White House to forge an alliance with congressional Republicans.
"We were really pleased to see President Obama pursue an idea we've long believed in," said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a long-time White House foe, who once said his top priority was making Mr Obama "a one-term president".
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, a Republican, said the bill was "the most important bill that will pass the Senate this year".
The bills's passage - made all but inevitable after it cleared a more stringent procedural hurdle on Tuesday - incensed many Democrats.
Speaking before Wednesday's vote, Senator Sherrod Brown said the bill would lead to "corporate handouts, worker sell-outs" in the way that he said the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) and other deals have done over the past two decades.
Organised labour and environmental groups have been some of the most vocal critics of the trade agreements, saying that they harm the environment and endanger US jobs.
However, Mr Obama and Republican leaders say that the agreements make it easier for US goods to reach global markets.
Less than two weeks ago, House Democrats and their leader, Rep Nancy Pelosi, turned against the bill in a vote that appeared to - at least temporarily - derail the president's trade agenda.
Following that, Republican leaders reworked elements of the bill and passed with large Republican and modest Democrat support. | Legislation key to US President Barack Obama's trade agenda has been approved by the US Senate, just two weeks after it appeared to have failed. |
32,088,570 | The 240-acre Gedling Country Park, which is already home to wildlife including birds, muntjac deer and hares cost £1.1m to convert.
MP Vernon Coaker, who has pushed to open the park since the colliery shut in 1991, described it as a "green lung" for the area.
There are plans to open a visitor centre on the site in the future.
Gedling Borough Council and the Friends of Gedling Country Park worked together to redevelop the land, including removing derelict buildings and potentially hazardous waste.
Friends chairman Terry Lock said there are more than 100 bird species at the site.
"We've had muntjac reported here. I've seen a badger sett, we've got foxes, hares and it'll develop as time goes on," he said.
He said it will be a "couple of years" before funds are raised to open a visitor centre and heritage centre in the park.
Gedling MP Mr Coaker said: "It's beautiful now but what it will be like in a few years' time when it's even more established?
"It's a green lung for Gedling, a green lung for the city and something everyone can enjoy."
The park, which contains greenery, paths and lagoons as well as a solar farm, officially opens with a day of events starting at 11:00 GMT.
Conservationists had argued the site should be left undisturbed as it was a breeding ground for rare birds. | A former Nottinghamshire colliery has been transformed into a country park which is due to officially open later. |
38,173,794 | Jones has accused Australia of "illegalities" in the set-piece, and said at a function last night that Australia "can't scrummage".
"He's done that to take the heat off his own scrum," Cheika said.
"It's the oldest trick in the book. At the end of the day what goes on on the field is what's going to count."
Listen: I've made bad selection choices - Jones
Australia, who lost 3-0 at home to England during the northern hemisphere summer, head to Twickenham on Saturday having made four changes to the starting XV that lost to Ireland last weekend.
During the June series down under some Australian observers criticised England's scrum, and Jones has replied in kind before Saturday's match.
Jones will also meet with referee Jaco Peyper before the game, but Cheika says he is undecided whether he will do the same.
"We'll decide [later] whether we will go or not," Cheika said.
"I think we're probably better off letting them have their own meeting and see if they can influence the referee.
"I don't think there's anything I can do to influence the referee, I think I'm better off staying quiet."
England are on the verge of equalling a record run of 14 straight wins, but stopping them making history is not a source of motivation for Australia, according to Cheika.
"We are not into rugby to try and spoil someone else's party. We are trying to have our own," Cheika continued.
"I think they have played fantastic this year, they have smashed it." | Australia coach Michael Cheika says Eddie Jones' digs at the Wallaby scrum are designed to deflect attention away from England's frailties in that area. |
36,398,662 | The claim: Leaving the European Union would make pensioners worse off.
Reality Check verdict: The predictions are based on the Treasury's economic model, which may or may not turn out to be right. There are also things about leaving the EU that could be good for pensioners.
It is based on the report that the Treasury brought out earlier in the week, which predicted very bad things for the economy in the two years after a vote to leave.
The Treasury modelled a "shock scenario" and a "severe shock scenario".
The latest document reckons that somebody receiving the full basic state pension would be £137 worse off in real terms by 2017-18 in the former case and £142 worse off in the latter.
The basic state pension is protected by the triple-lock, which means it rises by inflation, average earnings or 2.5%, whichever is the highest.
So what would be best for people on the basic state pension would be for inflation to be low and earnings to be high, because then they get a bigger increase in the pension, while their spending power is not eroded by inflation.
The pension for 2016-17 went up by 2.9% while the Office for Budget Responsibility predicts that inflation will be just 0.9% over that period.
For 2017-18, the OBR reckons the state pension will rise by 2.5% while inflation will be 0.6%. In both years, the pension would rise by considerably more than inflation, increasing the spending power of pensioners.
The Treasury report predicted that there would be higher inflation and lower wages if the UK left the EU, so it is no surprise that could be seen as being bad news for pensioners.
The research goes on to look at what effect the predicted fall in share prices, house prices and company profits would do to the incomes of pensioners with savings, investments or annuities and found it would be negative.
So, in order to accept these figures, you first have to accept the economic model on which it is based, and we have discussed in the past the problems of economic modelling. This model is in the economic mainstream - almost all serious forecasts predict that uncertainty in the first two years would lead to problems for the economy.
But actually, the impact on pensioners is somewhat harder to predict. For example, leaving the EU might well lead to an increase in the amount the government has to pay to borrow money, which should in turn increase the rates offered for the annuities that provide incomes for people who have saved for their retirement.
Similarly, if inflation rises post-Brexit then the Bank of England might have to raise interest rates, which would be good news for pensioners with savings.
Read more: The facts behind claims in the EU debate | The government has said what it thinks would happen to pensioners if the UK left the European Union, and concluded that they would be worse off. |
35,457,280 | The Mumbai police Twitter account, launched in December, has turned into a social media sensation, mainly because of its witty tweets.
Ahmed Javed, who retired as the Commissioner of Mumbai Police last week, told the BBC that the wit and humour on the feed was a "conscious decision".
"We decided to bring in humour because that goes well [with the followers]. We also wanted to address a larger number of people, specially the youth," he said.
Mr Javed said he wanted his force to become "more accessible" for the city's residents, but he knew that "a dry and boring [Twitter] account would fail to catch the attention of the youth".
He added that the police had achieved what "it had set out to do on Twitter".
The account has been posting tweets about several issues, but their campaign against drugs has attracted the most attention.
But the Mumbai police is not just receiving appreciation for its tweets, it's getting some interesting responses as well. "We wanted people to get involved and there have been funny responses to our Tweets. We wanted to take serious subjects and package them in a way that the message goes through and people also like them. This was the end result we had in mind," Mr Javed said.
Mr Javed said that the content on their Twitter accounts comes from a joint team of police officers and external consultants.
"We debate and discuss our tweets before posting. We also discuss how to build specific campaigns like #Avoiddrugs and #followtrafficrules," he said.
The police also ran a Twitter campaign against cyber crimes.
And they also found innovative ways to warn people about violence against women. | You don't always associate the Indian police with humour, but that is no longer the case in the western city of Mumbai. |
40,895,282 | The heat was the result of long-term global warming and a strong El Niño weather phenomenon, the report said.
Global surface and sea temperatures, sea levels and greenhouse gases levels were all at record highs, it added.
The report comes after President Donald Trump announced plans for the US to quit the 2015 Paris climate accord.
Mr Trump has previously dismissed climate change as "a hoax".
The international report, State of the Climate in 2016, was compiled by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and is based on contributions from nearly 500 scientists from more than 60 countries.
It says that 2016 surpassed 2015 as the warmest year in 137 years of recordkeeping.
"Last year's record heat resulted from the combined influence of long-term global warming and a strong El Niño early in the year," the report said.
"The major indicators of climate change continued to reflect trends consistent with a warming planet."
During an El Niño, a band of unusually warm ocean water develops in parts of the Pacific. The phenomenon affects the climate globally, disrupting weather patterns.
The report said that levels of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and nitrous oxide - all the major greenhouse gases that drive global warming - had risen to new heights.
Global annual average atmospheric CO2 concentration was 402.9 parts per million (ppm) which surpassed 400 ppm for the first time in the modern atmospheric measurement record and in ice core records dating back as far as 800,000 years, the NOAA said.
"Climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing humanity and life on Earth," it added. | A report compiled by a US government agency has confirmed that 2016 was the warmest year on record and the third year in a row of record global warmth. |
36,541,583 | Funded by the UK government, the RRS Ernest Shackleton normally carries out support work for the British Antarctic Survey (BAS).
But this summer the ice breaker has been chartered to accompany a luxury liner's voyage in the Arctic.
Critics say it's inappropriate for a vessel dedicated to science to support tourism in such a fragile area.
Global warming has seen a rapid rise in the number of ships travelling through Arctic waters in recent years.
The Northwest Passage - a short cut from Asia to Europe through the Canadian Arctic - first became fully clear of ice in the summer in 2007.
Since then only a handful of ships have travelled the route - 17 in 2015, according to the US Coast Guard.
This summer the Crystal Serenity aims to become the biggest passenger ship yet to attempt to sail through the famous route.
Starting in Alaska, the 32-day voyage will see the 1,700 passengers and crew travel 1,500km across the top of Canada, ultimately ending in New York.
Berths on the 14-deck luxury liner are not cheap, starting at around $20,000 per person and running up to $120,000 for a deluxe stateroom.
While the route is accessible to ships, it is not ice-free and the company behind the voyage has chartered the ice breaker, RRS Ernest Shackleton, from the British Antarctic Survey.
The Shackleton is normally used as a logistic support and research ship for UK scientific activities in the Antarctic.
Critics say that a vessel normally dedicated to science shouldn't be enabling tourism in an area like the Arctic, acknowledged by many to be one of the most vulnerable areas to climate change.
"There is a significant tension between the science and environmental mission of the Shackleton and its participation in an exercise in tourism that has an enormous per capita carbon footprint," Prof Michael Byers from the University of British Columbia told BBC News.
Prof Byers, who holds a chair in global politics and international law, was invited on the trip to give a series of lectures to passengers. He refused, as he believes this summer's trip will only encourage others.
"This voyage is a significant contribution, at least on a per capita basis, to climate change by people who are going to see an ecosystem before it is destroyed by climate change. I find that irony quite terrible," he said.
In a statement, the British Antarctic Survey said it had chartered the Shackleton to Crystal Cruises, the company behind the trip, as the ship would not be deployed in the Antarctic at that time.
"Cruise ship tourism in both polar regions is well-regulated," it said.
The Crystal Cruises brochure says that as well as increasing the safety of passengers, the Shackleton will also "offer a platform from which guests will be able to disembark for landings in the wilderness, kayak in scenic coves, take guided zodiac (inflatable) cruises and view the vast Arctic wilderness from above from one of the two helicopters".
According to BAS, the charter is to "provide operational support to Crystal Serenity as well as the facility to carry additional expert guides and crew. Specialised safety equipment will be onboard. Zodiacs and helicopters are operated by Crystal".
Crystal Cruises say they are taking every precaution to ensure a minimal impact on a fragile environment.
The ship and the ice breaker will both use low sulphur, garbage will be stored or incinerated on board, and waste water won't be discharged until the ship is at least 12 nautical miles from shore.
While environmentalists applaud these efforts they are also concerned that the presence of the RRS Ernest Shackleton is bolstering the appeal of the trip and encouraging tourism on a wider scale.
"It is a concern," said Marcie Keever from Friends of the Earth in the US.
"I'm glad they have the backup safety wise, it feels a little bit like they are putting a gloss on it, they have got something reputable to escort them, it gives them more legitimacy, it doesn't feel very good," she said.
One of the features of this year's voyage will be visits to small and remote communities in the Arctic during visits to port. Prof Michael Byers says this one of the most unappealing aspects of the journey.
"They (local populations) have endemic tuberculosis, sky high rates of diabetes, with people who are living in poverty and desperation," he said.
"The people who are coming off the cruise ships are not in the 1%, but in the 0.1% of the world's financial elite, it is another example of just how extreme this particular voyage is."
Crystal Cruises say they are planning another trip through the Northwest Passage in 2017.
Follow Matt on Twitter @mattmcgrathbbc and on Facebook. | Concerns have been raised about the participation of a UK science vessel in an Arctic tourist voyage. |
29,980,841 | The men behind Do They Know It's Christmas are expected to announce the line-up on Monday for Band Aid 30.
Bob Geldof and Midge Ure first gathered a group of musicians together in 1984, raising £8m for famine relief in Ethiopia.
Do They Know It's Christmas was recorded again in 1989 and 2004.
Geldof and Ure will be hoping to gather some of today's most popular music acts including One Direction, Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith.
It is thought the money raised will go towards the fight against Ebola in West Africa.
The original track featured the voices of George Michael, Bono from U2, Duran Duran and Bananarama, among others.
The single was the catalyst for the cross-continent Live Aid concerts in London and Philadelphia, which raised more than £40m.
The 1989 incarnation of Band Aid was produced by the Stock, Aitken and Waterman stable, largely featuring their artists such as Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan and Sonia.
Band Aid 20, marking 20 years of the record, included the likes of Coldplay, Dizzee Rascal, Ms Dynamite, Will Young and Robbie Williams.
Bono, Sir Paul McCartney and George Michael from the original record returned for the collaboration, which was released to raise money for Sudan's troubled Darfur region. | Plans are under way to pull together a host of music stars to create the fourth incarnation of the Band Aid charity single. |
30,576,515 | Levi-Blu Cassin suffered "catastrophic" internal injuries at his West Midlands home in February 2013.
Parents Danielle Cassin and Mark Piper were convicted of causing or allowing his death - but cleared of murder.
Levi-Blu's grandmother Angela Cassin said: "Nine years for a baby's life - that's absolutely disgusting."
Judge Mr Justice Goss, sentencing, told the pair they were "selfish, neglectful and manipulative".
Cassin, 27, of Frensham Close, Chelmsley Wood, and Piper, 31, of no fixed abode, were on Friday found guilty of causing or allowing the death of their son.
They were cleared of his murder and manslaughter at Birmingham Crown Court.
Both gave differing accounts of what happened in the hours leading up to Levi-Blu's death and effectively blamed each other for his injuries.
The court was told that post-mortem examinations revealed the toddler's duodenum - where the small intestine meets the stomach - was split in two.
He was was found at the flat his parents shared in Nightingale Avenue, Chelmsley Wood on 20 February 2013.
Sentencing Cassin, Judge Goss told her she "repeatedly lied to, or deceived" those seeking to protect her son.
He said: "You concealed the violence in your relationship and you chose to permit Levi to be exposed to all the attendant risks."
Her failure to address her drug habit meant she put her own "selfish interests above all else", he added.
Sentencing Piper, the judge said: "There is no indication you had your son's interests at heart."
He was a father more interested in playing on his Playstation than in caring for his son.
During their trial, evidence was also presented that showed Levi-Blu sustained less serious injuries two or three weeks before his death.
However, medical experts told the jury it was likely the toddler suffered the fatal injury about 12 hours before his death.
Jurors were told Ms Cassin took heroin and crack cocaine and had wanted to go out "on a session to get drugs" the night her son died.
Mr Piper was described in court as a man "with a propensity to attack children", with one ex-girlfriend saying he had been violent towards her and her son.
Judge Goss said Levi-Blu was "stamped on or kicked" with "very significant force required" to inflict the injuries that killed him.
"Levi would have been in pain, very upset and distressed," he said.
His family must "live with the anguish of not knowing what happened to him".
Solihull Local Safeguarding Children Board has confirmed a serious case review is being carried out and is expected to be published in the spring.
Speaking outside court, Levi's grandmother, Angela Cassin, said: "Nine years for a baby's life - that's absolutely disgusting.
"It's not justice - we don't even know what happened to him."
His aunt, Kirstie Cassin, added: "I don't want people to even think about [those] two.
"Levi was the most special little boy - all he brought us was joy and all he suffered was heartache and pain, and nobody is paying."
Inspector Bob Sutton, from West Midlands Police, said: "Throughout the investigation and trial [Levi's parents] have continued to conceal the truth.
"As parents they were in a unique position of trust and care - they did not meet their responsibilities." | A "selfish and manipulative" couple who both denied delivering the fatal blow that killed their toddler son have each been jailed for nine years. |
35,239,245 | The Peak District National Park Authority has raised £60,000 by selling 7.54 hectares (18.6 acres) of woodland in separate plots
The new owners, who include a family and a woodland fancier, face restrictions on the use of the plots.
Another six plots of woodland will be marketed in the next few months by an estate agent.
The first woodland plots sold were in Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire and were former rubbish sites, quarries or plantations.
Sarah McKay, from the authority, said: "We feel we have done what we can with the woodland.
"We've established or improved them and we feel it is time to return them to the community, at a time where we are also reducing our liabilities in terms of the budget reductions we have to make."
More updates and news from Derbyshire
"The sales will allow us to focus on the protection, improvement and maintenance of our remaining woodlands.''
The Woodland Trust said it would monitor the situation, adding the new owners were subject to the same planning regulations as national parks.
The parkland plots were located near Chapel-en-le-Frith, Hathersage, Newhaven and Baslow in Derbyshire, Wildboarclough in Cheshire and Wetton in North Staffordshire.
All national parks have been facing large cuts in grants - the Peak District authority has lost £3.5m in funding since 2010 - a reduction of 36.5%. | A national park has sold off six small woodlands to "reduce liabilities" at a time of budget cuts. |
38,237,250 | Sacha Parkin admitted he wrote to SNP MP Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh and also named a young child he said he wanted to abuse.
The 46-year-old, from Perth, was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for three years.
He was also banned from owning more than one computer and mobile phone.
Perth Sheriff Court heard that Parkin had also written in the email: "I'm not being funny. Why are you and your colleagues, including Nicola Sturgeon, being so stupid?"
The police were called in and Parkin was arrested. He told officers he was trying to get help for people who needed it.
Parkin admitted sending an offensive email to Ellen Forson, for the attention of the MP, in which he outlined his sexual attraction to children.
Fiscal depute Lisa Marshall previously told Perth Sheriff Court: "The complainer is the office manager at the SNP office in Alloa and works with Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh.
"Miss Forson contacted the police after receiving the email from the accused, which had the subject heading 'How the SNP can help reduce child sexual exploitation.'
Sheriff William Wood prevented further details of the email, which is understood to contain graphic content, being read out in open court.
The court was told that Parkin had recently been diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome and was now undergoing mental health treatment for his difficulties.
In March this year, Parkin was given a community payback order after he admitted telling the NSPCC charity helpline he had fantasies about abusing and murdering children.
Parkin later told police he was "struggling to control" his thoughts and wanted support. | A paedophile sent a graphic email to an MP offering his expertise to help tackle child sexual exploitation, a court has heard. |
30,552,144 | The man, Yang Teng, said a Beijing court had decreed that the Xinyu Piaoxiang clinic would have to pay him 3,500 yuan ($560; £400).
The decision has been hailed as a legal milestone by gay rights bodies.
Homosexuality has not been classified as a mental illness in China since 2001 but anti-gay prejudice remains common.
Mr Yang said the procedure involved him being told to have sexual thoughts about men at the same time as receiving electric shocks.
He said that there were also attempts at hypnosis and that the procedures harmed him both mentally and physically.
Mr Yang, also known as Xiao Zhen, told reporters he had agreed to the therapy following pressure from his parents.
However, he previously told the BBC that he underwent the treatment in order to gather evidence for the court case.
"I'm going to take this verdict and show it to my parents so they can see a Chinese court said homosexuality isn't a mental illness," Mr Yang told AFP.
"Someone needs to step up because we must stop such severe transgressions," he added.
The court did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the media. However, Mr Yang and his lawyer have briefed several journalists.
The amount awarded by the court did not cover damages for Mr Yang, but did reimburse his "treatment" costs, reports said.
Analysts suggest that attitudes towards homosexuality in China have been slow to evolve because of the one-child-policy as well as heavy societal pressure on young people to get married and produce a family heir.
Correspondents say attitudes are changing however, with an annual gay pride event taking place in Shanghai. | China has ordered a psychiatric clinic to pay compensation to a gay man who was given electric shocks in an attempt to make him heterosexual. |
34,561,591 | The second leg in Lobamba should have been played on Tuesday but was postponed for what Fifa said were 'logistical reasons' after reports in Swaziland had said the Djibouti squad were stranded in Kenya.
Swaziland's progress to the next round was almost certain after their emphatic 6-0 win in the first leg.
The hosts made sure of the victory in a much tighter home leg at the Somhlolo National Stadium.
Sandile Hlatjwako put the hosts ahead early in the game with a sixth minute strike.
Djibouti made their presence felt with an unexpected equaliser 16 minutes later through Mohamed Issa Liban.
But Sandile Hlatjwako got his second of the game in the 43rd minute to further boost Swaziland's aggregate advantage.
With no more goals in the second half, Swaziland secured an 8-1 win overall to advance to the next knock-out round where they will play Nigeria. | Swaziland are through to the next round of 2018 World Cup qualifying after a 2-1 victory over Djibouti on Saturday, to win 8-1 on aggregate. |
35,026,593 | The car overturned at the Forgan roundabout on the Tay road bridge at about 08:50.
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said firefighters used hydraulic cutting gear to remove the trapped driver from the car.
Only one vehicle was involved in the crash. The woman was taken to Ninewells Hospital where she is being treated for her injuries. | A woman has been cut free from her car after a crash on the A92 in Dundee. |
32,763,804 | The station, which will serve the town centre, is part of an £11.5m project funded by the Welsh government.
Delivered by Network Rail, it features a new station building, 150m platform to fit up to six carriages, a car park, a waiting shelter and bicycle storage.
The 07:38 BST Cardiff Central to Ebbw Vale Town was the first train to arrive at 08:41 BST.
The station is located on the Ebbw Vale to Cardiff line and will be served by the existing hourly service.
Transport Minister Edwina Hart said: "The Ebbw Vale railway line is very popular, with some 300,000 journeys annually.
"Together with our investment in the track, the new Ebbw Vale Town station will improve access to jobs and services for more people along this busy route." | The first train is pulling into the newly reopened Ebbw Vale town train station on Sunday. |
32,025,647 | He told BBC Wales that the stress of two months of negotiations led to him suffering a heart attack 48 hours after the deal was finally struck.
In a new report on coalitions, Mr Morgan said stable deals depend on securing the backing of party members.
He advised leaders to "take your time".
The report - Working Together - has been published by the Electoral Reform Society as opinions polls suggest another hung parliament after the general election in May.
Writing in the report, Mr Morgan said many Labour members "profoundly distrusted" Plaid Cymru, but had to "ventilate the steam" of their "intense dislike" to reach agreement.
"Coalition is not abhorrent, and it doesn't make a country ungovernable," he wrote.
Mr Morgan said "legitimacy and negotiation" were key to successful coalitions, recommending special party conferences be held to agree the manifesto promises being dropped for the sake of a deal.
His hospital admission shortly after the 2007 coalition deal was said at the time to have been for "gastric problems".
Plaid Cymru ministers served in a coalition government with Labour in Cardiff Bay from 2007 to 2011.
Cardiff Central Liberal Democrat MP Jenny Willott, who has served as a junior minister in the UK coalition government, said in the report they had proved it could work.
"There have been problems between the parties, but they have been resolved and the Government has held together to the very end," she said. | Former First Minister Rhodri Morgan has admitted that coalition negotiations with Plaid Cymru after the 2007 assembly election "could have been fatal" for him. |
37,234,400 | Most UK police can retire at 60, but new rules mean Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) officers will have to work to 65 in future.
The Civil Nuclear Police Federation (CNPF) said it has been left "dismayed" and wants ministers to "intervene".
There are some 1,250 CNC officers guarding nuclear sites around Britain.
The CNPF has said officers could not fully protect the public from terrorism if they worked beyond 60.
The changes to the pension ages for the force were brought in as part of the Public Service Pensions Act 2013.
The standard retirement age for almost all police forces is 60, with many able to leave on a full pension in their 50s.
But under the new laws affecting public service workers - due to take effect next April - CNC officers will have to work until they are 65, and eventually 68, to receive their pension.
The CNPF had asked the High Court to rule that its officers should be exempt from the retirement age rise.
That claim was contested by the Civil Nuclear Police Authority (CNPA).
But the case was dismissed at the High Court in London on Wednesday by Mrs Justice Nicola Davies.
CNC officers - almost all of whom carry firearms - protect nuclear sites and nuclear material in transit across the UK.
The Public Service Pensions Act 2013 created an exemption for those working for a "police force" but the judge said, in legal terms, the CNC officers were not "members of a police force" - unlike almost every other police officer in the UK.
She said the CNC was a police force in the "wider and colloquial" sense but there were "distinct and distinguishing differences" compared to forces governed by the Home Office.
She pointed out that the CNCPA, which had opposed the courtroom challenge on legal grounds, shared the CNPF's view that 60 would be a better retirement age for policy and operational reasons.
But she said the High Court was "not concerned" with policy arguments - the "sole issue" was whether the CNC was a police force as defined in law by the new Pensions Act.
In her ruling the judge referred to comments made by lawyers representing the government that "no final decision" had been made on the terms of the CNC's future pension scheme.
CNPF chief executive Nigel Dennis has said it is almost physically impossible for a CNC officer to serve beyond the age of 60.
Speaking after the ruling, he said the court's decision left ministers with a "major headache".
"If we cannot get a more reasonable decision then I suspect an imposed unattainable retirement age will soon lead to difficulty in recruiting and in retaining our highly trained police officers." | Representatives of a police force which protects British nuclear sites have lost a High Court challenge over a new pension scheme. |
32,215,568 | Sheen will star in the biopic In High Places, which will tell the story of the mountaineer's ill-fated expedition to Mount Everest in 1924.
Mallory was last seen near the summit with fellow climber Andrew 'Sandy' Irvine. His body was found in 1999.
Kelly Macdonald will play Mallory's wife Ruth, and Andrew Scott, best known as Sherlock's Moriarty, will also star.
He will appear as Mallory's friend and fellow climber Noel Odell, reported Screen Daily.
Writer and director James McEachen described the biopic as "an epic story about the uncompromising nature of character and the sometimes overwhelming power of dreams."
He said: "I have been fascinated by George Mallory for as long as I can remember. That led directly to my own Himalayan climbs in the 90s, including leading an expedition to 27,766 foot Makalu in 1992.
"It was this direct experience that gave me a deep-seated respect for the bold imagination and war-hardened bravery that Mallory and his companions displayed in their quest for the summit of Everest - long before the age of Gore-Tex and titanium."
Shooting is due start in South Tyrol, India, London and Cologne later this year. | Michael Sheen is set to play British climber George Mallory on the big screen. |
38,179,767 | She first became a household name in 2005 when she finished as the second runner-up in Super Girl, a Chinese TV singing contest similar to Pop Idol.
She made a lasting impression with her impressive vocal range and was even nicknamed the "Dolphin Princess" - "dolphin notes" is Chinese slang for being able to hit the high notes.
Although she is yet to make an impact internationally, she regularly performs English-language tracks and was once even a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show.
But the music video of her latest single "Dust My Shoulders Off", an upbeat track produced by Timbaland, may help her get one step closer to her dream of international stardom.
Its success will be critical for Zhang, being the first single from her first English-language album, scheduled for release in April. It has had more than 5.8 million views on YouTube and the single reached top five in the iTunes chart, a first for a Chinese artist.
The video parodies iconic art pieces, from Edvard Munch's The Scream to Johannes Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring and has delighted viewers with its creativity and humour.
"I am a Chinese singer, but this song targets the English-speaking audience. The video needs to be about something that people across different cultures can understand," Zhang told the BBC.
She and production staff spent 48 hours non-stop shooting the video, and it was not a comfortable experience.
"I was painted over and over again throughout the production. It was painful to remove the makeup. My face was swollen after we finished the shooting for the second painting."
But it is a sharp contrast to videos from most Chinese-language artists.
"Stars have to be beautiful or sexy in Chinese-language music videos, or the stars' dance moves have to be shown clearly," said the video's Taiwanese director, Liao Jen Shuai.
"I told her that I have to let the audience remember your cool and fun personality. I have to let them know you are a brave singer who loves challenges. To break into the US market, this is the thing that matters."
This represents a more sophisticated approach, but does it mean that the time is ripe for a Chinese breakthrough in the Western music industry?
"Historically, it's been really difficult for international artists to make a global impact," said Mark Mulligan, a music industry analyst with media consultancy firm Midia.
He points out that streaming eased access for international artists who sing in English - some Swedish musicians found success like this. But there is a downside.
"It makes everybody essentially just look like American-style artists," he added.
Many of Zhang's songs are ballads and she has become known in China for her emotive performances.
"Artists have to ask themselves who they are, what they represent and what kind of unique qualities they have. It is not a must for artists to copy everything from Western stars," said Joanna Huang, former vice-president of international record company EMI in the China region.
She points out that Asian record companies, including Korean and Japanese ones, did try to try to crack the international market by hiring big-name producers and releasing English albums, but to little effect.
She thinks integrating unique cultural elements into music production may be part of the answer.
She cites the example of Babymetal, a Japanese metal band featuring three teenage girls. Even though the band caters to a niche market, it has been received positively by Western audiences.
"Metal does not originate from Asia. But they manage to mix the kawaii [cuteness] and heavy metal elements together."
Music industry insiders say artists like Zhang have to craft a clever strategy.
Appearing on reality television shows and chat shows and synchronising music with apps are some ways Chinese artists can get "in front of Western audiences who otherwise wouldn't otherwise find you", Mulligan said.
But Huang also sees opportunities in the expansion of China's technology and entertainment businesses and suggests that singing theme songs for upcoming films is one way of getting a foothold.
Zhang is already the voice of a promotional song for upcoming blockbuster The Great Wall.
More collaboration with expanding telecommunication companies is also an option that could see phones and tablets made by Chinese manufacturers carrying their music - and this has already started happening.
For Joanna Huang, this is the moment to strike.
"Over the last century, there has never been a better moment for Chinese-speaking music stars to try breaking into the global market."
Additional reporting by Zoe Chen | Jane Zhang is a pop megastar in China but her latest single breaks the mould of China's pop industry and could help her become its first global superstar, writes Grace Tsoi of BBC Chinese. |
35,647,886 | Dutt was sentenced for firearms offences linked to the 1993 Mumbai blasts which killed 257 people and injured 713.
He was convicted of buying firearms from the bombers but said the weapons were necessary in order to defend his family during the Hindu-Muslim rioting of 1993.
The actor was moved to the Yerwada jail in May 2013 to finish his five-year jail term.
But owing to his good behaviour and positive activities like running a radio programme, he was recently granted a remission of 144 days.
His early release, however, has sparked outrage with critics saying that Dutt had already been granted an unreasonable number of parole and furlough leaves owing to his celebrity status.
Meanwhile, there is intense interest in the media about his life inside the jail.
Dutt lived in a 8x10ft (2.4m x 3m) cell and wore the white uniform of prisoners. He had a 100 sq ft garden in front of his cell, where he was allowed to stroll under the watchful eyes of four guards.
According to a former fellow inmate, the actor had been resigned to his fate of the unavoidable jail time, but knew he could be released early if he behaved well.
He was lodged in a high-security cell next to the "faansi" ward, which houses prisoners on death row, and was generally not allowed to interact with other prisoners owing to security concerns.
If he walked to the common area, he would be accompanied by four policemen. If he interacted with other prisoners, the conversations would be listened into.
"I would speak to him often as I was working as the librarian at the prison," said the former inmate.
"Baba, as he is affectionately known, would borrow at least two books every week. He used to read extensively, mainly Hindi literature from Munshi Premchand."
The former inmate added that the actor would "remain immersed in newspapers".
"He had little else to do. In the common area, we had one TV set for every 150 prisoners. But since Baba's cell was a high-security one, he did not have that luxury," he added.
Hitesh Jain, Dutt's lawyer, said that the actor also developed a "spiritual inclination" during his time in the prison.
"He was doing a lot of spiritual reading. These are the things which keep a person encouraged, and provide strength to pass the whole term," said Jain.
Speaking about his daily schedule, officers at the Yerwada prison said that Dutt would wake up at six in the morning. He would take a shower after which he would be served tea and breakfast.
The jail staff would then bring him material to make bags from newspapers. He would spend most of his mornings working, earning 45 rupees (47p; 66 cents) for 100 bags. A little before noon, he would be taken to the radio studio where he would present a programme on 'Radio YCP' (Yerwada Central Prison), the jail's internal radio station.
Soon after, policemen would escort him to the common area where he was allowed to interact with other prisoners and exercise with them.
He would then return to his cell at around 14:00, have lunch and remain there for an hour before again hosting his programme on the radio station.
Dinner would be served by 17:30 and the actor would stay locked in his cell from 18:00 until the next morning.
His radio programme was popular among the inmates.
"He would write his own scripts, and would usually speak about reforms during his radio sessions," a jail officer said.
"He would speak about prison life, how the prisoners could survive it, and how their rehabilitative processes should be once they leave prison."
The officer added that the actor would often repeat his dialogues from popular Munnabhai films and play songs to entertain his listeners.
The actor definitely made some fans with his radio skills.
"Baba might be a big deal outside those prison walls, but inside, he was one of us. He even met my wife and mother during one of their prison visits," the former fellow inmate said.
"My family was elated on meeting him, but to me, and to all of us prisoners, he was ordinary. Prison does that to you. The barracks snatch your worth and render you ordinary, irritatingly ordinary, even if you are a superstar."
Puja Changoiwala is a Mumbai-based independent journalist. Her book on crimes in Mumbai will be published later this year | When actor Sanjay Dutt left a prison in the western Indian city of Pune on Thursday, he walked away with some experience of making paper bags and being a radio disc jockey. |
36,449,027 | The photographs, scarves and videos tell the remarkable story of Leicester City's rise from relegation candidates to champions of England.
Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: "The organisers set about in 45 days to put together this amazing exhibition."
The free-to-enter show runs until September.
Tracing the journey month by month, it explores how people around the world reacted to the unlikely success of the team, who were 5,000-1 outsiders to win the Premier League Trophy at the season's outset.
Archivist John Hutchinson said he used photos and social media posts from during the season to retell the story.
"We enjoyed collecting the memorabilia and we have more than 50 items from the season from signed shirts to Captain Morgan's rum (named after Leicester City captain Wes Morgan) to Claudio Ranieri's bell through to clapper boards.
"You can relive the whole fairytale season again … after 132 years we have been waiting a long time for this so come in and enjoy it," Leicester City club ambassador Alan Birchenhall said.
He said there was also an area for people to add to the exhibits over the summer with their drawings, photos and stories.
"I have never known a season like this. What has happened has been truly historic and this exhibition really captures that magnificent achievement." | An exhibition of memorabilia from Leicester City's Premier League winning season has opened in the city's New Walk Museum. |
38,800,083 | Ibrar Ali, from Selby, North Yorkshire, was injured by a road-side bomb in Iraq and lost his lower right arm, but re-trained and returned to active service.
He was part of the Walking with the Wounded trip which trekked to the South Pole with Prince Harry in 2013.
The seven-day challenge finished on Manly beach, Sydney, Australia.
The endeavour had started on 23 January in Antarctica.
Mr Ali, originally from Rotherham in South Yorkshire, who left the Army in 2013, finished alongside RAF veteran Luke Wigman.
Mr Ali finished the challenge with a final four-hour marathon as the sun was rising over Manly beach, he wrote on social media.
"All the support from family and friends has kept us moving when our bodies really wanted to give up", he said.
Mr Ali added: "For Luke and I to complete this shows that rehab works but it needs to be better. That's why I did this crazy challenge - to get word out about the DNRC for current and future servicemen and women."
The challenge involved 295km of running and 59 hours of flight time.
Marathon locations
Money raised through the challenge is to help fund the Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre, being built near Loughborough that is to open in 2018. | A former army captain has run a marathon on every continent in a week to raise funds for an armed forces rehabilitation centre. |
34,061,901 | The local authorities in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Highland, Orkney and Shetland are to hold a summit aimed at addressing the issue.
Ministers and officials from the Scottish government and the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) are among those also involved.
Councils have already tried individual initiatives to ease the problem.
Launching the initiative ahead of the 7 October summit, the councils said the challenge had been recruiting and retaining "sufficient numbers of high-quality teachers to provide the best possible education" for pupils.
This is in the face of low application numbers for teaching jobs, and rising pupil numbers.
The objective of the new drive is to find a resolution to teacher recruitment and retention on a local and national level.
Consideration will be given to issues such as whether pay weighting should be introduced for those in the north and north east, similar to that given in London, and a national campaign to promote teaching.
The event has been led by Aberdeen City Council.
Council Leader Jenny Laing said: "Many councils in the north and north east of Scotland are experiencing higher than normal levels of teacher shortages - particularly at senior management levels.
"Whilst not yet at crisis levels it is nevertheless a serious issue that we want to tackle now to protect the interests of pupils.
"We urge the Scottish government to work with us on finding a solution at a national level. This is a case where one-size does not fit all councils."
In 2013, Aberdeenshire Council sent staff to Canada and Ireland to try to recruit new teachers.
Last year, Aberdeen City Council offered to pay the tuition fees of staff who want to become primary school teachers in a bid to tackle the shortage.
And earlier this month, the first teachers took advantage of an offer of free accommodation for six months to teach in Moray.
The council teamed up with a local developer to provide 10 new two-bedroom properties for new recruits.
The local authority said there had been a significant increase in the number of applicants for teaching posts.
A Scottish government spokesman said: "We are committed to ensuring schools have the right number of teachers with the right skills.
"That is why we acted to safeguard teacher posts for the next year by committing a £51m package of funding for Scotland's local authorities to maintain teacher numbers and pupil-teacher ratios at 2014 levels in 2015-16.
"In each of the last four years the Scottish government has also increased student teacher numbers.
"We welcome the opportunity to engage with local authorities to discuss potential further action to address the issue of teacher recruitment. We look forward to receiving the invitation to the summit and a representative from the Scottish government will attend."
The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) welcomed the announcement of the joint summit.
General secretary Larry Flanagan said: "The EIS is willing to engage constructively with councils to explore ways to improve processes for teacher recruitment and retention.
"Attracting teachers to some parts of the country - for example rural or remote areas or areas with a lack of affordable housing - is an ongoing challenge for a number of local authorities.
"While pay and conditions for teachers will continue to be agreed nationally through the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers, it is open to local authorities to explore additional incentives or other means of attracting qualified teachers to come and work in their schools."
And Scottish Parent Teacher Council executive director Eileen Prior said of the news: "Our children deserve no less."
There are a number of possible explanations for the problems in northern Scotland.
For example, the cost of housing in some parts of the north east - an important factor in the overall cost of living - may deter people from moving there if they know their salary would go further in another part of the country.
In rural areas, it can be a challenge to find the right person for any skilled job.
Young people from rural areas who want to become teachers will usually have left home at 18 to study - many may simply not fancy returning to a rural community, at least while they are in their 20s or 30s.
It is important to distinguish between the drop in the overall number of teachers in Scotland in recent years and the all-too-real challenge some councils face filling advertised vacancies.
Read more from Jamie | Six councils in the north east and north of Scotland have united to tackle teacher shortages in their schools. |
36,514,110 | It is unusual for any Formula 1 boss to openly admit their team have made an error; and from Ferrari's Maurizio Arrivabene - any Ferrari team principal, for that matter - it is rarer than most.
But after the Canadian Grand Prix, there was no mistaking Arrivabene's message when he was asked about the fateful strategy decision that probably cost Sebastian Vettel victory in the Canadian Grand Prix.
"We overestimated the degradation of the tyres," Arrivabene said. "This is the reason we called him in. It was the wrong decision."
And so it was.
It has been a frustrating start to the season for Ferrari, who have talked themselves up - and been talked up by Mercedes - but, before the weekend in Montreal, had only flattered to deceive.
Around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, though, they finally looked like the real deal.
Vettel missed out on pole position by less than 0.2 seconds, and had to be content with third on the grid behind Mercedes team-mates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. But he was optimistic of a decent race, and his blistering start made a win look on.
It was the sort of start that helped form the legend of one of Ferrari's biggest heroes, Gilles Villeneuve, back in the late 1970s and early '80s - on a completely different scale than every other car on the grid.
The new rules introduced this year, restricting the assistance drivers can receive from both the pit wall and in the car, have made this sort of disparity possible again.
Hamilton is suffering at one end of the spectrum; Vettel benefiting at the other. And in Canada, the four-time champion got off the line as if powered by a rocket, and was past both Mercedes within 100 metres or so.
From there, he tried to run the start of the race as he did in his Red Bull days - build a quick lead with a blistering first couple of laps and then hold it, eking out the tyres, keeping his rivals at arm's length.
Hamilton admitted to being impressed by the Ferrari's initial pace, but a fastest lap by the world champion on lap three made it obvious it would not be that easy. And from there Hamilton was comfortably able to sit within 1.5 seconds of the Ferrari - the smallest margin a driver can allow before risking wrecking the fragile Pirelli tyres.
Still, track position is critical in F1, especially between cars that are relatively evenly matched, even on a circuit on which overtaking is as common as it is in Montreal.
Critically - and oddly - Ferrari chose to surrender it.
It made sense on a micro level - the virtual safety car was enforced while Jenson Button's smoking and broken McLaren-Honda was recovered, and Ferrari took the opportunity afforded by everyone being held to a slow pace to make a pit stop that as a result would cost less time than normal.
But on a macro level, it was a misjudgement.
Hamilton did not stop - and would only do so once. So to get the lead back and win the race, Vettel would now have to a) pass the two Red Bulls while also trying to close down Hamilton's lead; b) prevent Hamilton from closing in on him after the Briton's sole pit stop when the Mercedes would have fresher tyres; and c) catch and then pass a fundamentally faster car in the final stint of the race.
That was always going to be a long shot.
There were echoes here of the first race of the season in Australia, when Vettel was again leading unexpectedly after a stunning start, and Ferrari again chose to surrender it.
Back then it was by switching to super-soft tyres when the race was stopped, forcing themselves to stop again, while Mercedes went for tyres that would get them to the end of the race.
If Vettel was cross at losing his second potential win in seven races, he hid it very well.
"We have very strong people on board making decisions and I don't want them to be criticised," he said.
"With hindsight it is always very easy, but I will always defend what we did."
It's not hard to see at times like this why Ferrari love Vettel. Like Michael Schumacher before him, he believes that if hard words are to be said, it should be behind closed doors; anything else is counter-productive.
Ferrari technical director James Allison - who has worked with an elite group of drivers that includes Schumacher and Fernando Alonso - recognises this as one of Vettel's greatest strengths.
"I have worked with two guys who really, really understand the value of being in a team and one was Michael and the other is Sebastian," he told BBC F1's Tom Clarkson last season.
The positives for Ferrari go beyond Vettel's attitude, though. Most importantly, they were genuinely quick again, even if not quite on Mercedes' pace.
It has been an odd season for the Maranello team. Mercedes have always insisted their concern about Ferrari is genuine, saying the car has real speed, but that circumstances had prevented them showing it.
You could see what they meant. First there was the strategy bungle in Australia. Then in Bahrain an engine failure on the formation lap for Vettel and a bad start for team-mate Kimi Raikkonen put them out of the fight for victory.
In China, Vettel and Raikkonen collided at the first corner; in Russia, Vettel was taken out on the first lap by Red Bull's Daniil Kvyat. In Spain, they bungled Vettel's strategy trying to pass the Red Bulls.
But the longer it has gone on, the more it has looked like Ferrari were not quite there.
They would appear to be quick in practice, only for Mercedes to stretch ahead in when it mattered.
In both Spain and Monaco, they mysteriously lost pace in qualifying, blaming not getting the difficult-to-manage Pirelli tyres in the right operating window.
Their understanding of the tyres' vagaries does seem behind that of Mercedes - and perhaps this led to their mistake on Sunday.
Before Canada, Ferrari's average qualifying deficit to Mercedes was only 0.075secs less than it had been in 2015 - and was a still-massive 0.779secs.
For Montreal, they introduced a new turbo, and it seemed to make a big difference, Vettel qualifying only 0.178secs off pole, and was strong - if not quite Mercedes fast - in the race.
"We desperately wanted to win," Vettel said. "We didn't, but we showed the car is quick, it has potential. We are moving forward with a lot of confidence. The team is on a great path."
It will take more races to judge whether Canada was a one-off. But at least Ferrari have something to hang on to again.
"Look where the car and engine were in 2014 and look where we are now," Vettel said. "The team is making immense progress and we are challenging an opponent who two years ago was supposed to be untouchable. There will be a point when we start to be ahead."
Four weeks ago, Lewis Hamilton had just crashed out of the Spanish Grand Prix with team-mate Nico Rosberg and was staring down the barrel of a 43-point deficit in the championship with nearly a quarter of the season gone.
Two races later, that deficit has been cut to just nine points, after two very different but equally-impressive victories in Monaco and Canada.
In both, Hamilton owed his win to a stroke of fortune - in Monaco, a bungled pit stop by Red Bull; in Montreal, a strategic blunder by Ferrari.
But in each case, Hamilton still had plenty to do, and has performed his task with the sort of judgement and expertise that befits a three-time world champion.
Even after falling nearly two race wins behind Rosberg after a troubled first four races, there was always the sense that somehow Hamilton would come through in the end this year.
That now looks a much less arduous task than it did after Rosberg's four opening victories, even if there are pot holes ahead for Hamilton.
The turbo and hybrid failures he suffered in qualifying in China and Russia mean he is already short of engine parts and by inevitably exceeding his permitted allowance, he will receive grid penalties at some point.
But he has now taken pole at every race in which he has not suffered a mechanical problem in qualifying; and won two straight in impressive style.
"I'm really overwhelmed to think just how difficult this season was before these last two races," he said.
"I'm super-focused. I felt that was one of my best races for a while, maybe not as good as the last one, but I'm still really happy with it." | The starkness of the comment was striking. |
32,154,635 | Today the Liberal Democrats set out their proposals to treble paternity leave. They believe it is good for families and good for businesses.
And they took Nick Clegg to a soft play area in Scotland to ensure nice pictures to go along with the story.
However, when the Liberal Democrat leader was interviewed, paternity was one of the last subjects he was asked about.
Door knocking
Instead the first question centred on Nick Clegg's own parliamentary seat.
A poll by the Conservative peer Lord Ashcroft has suggested that the Liberal Democrats are currently trailing behind Labour in Sheffield Hallam, and that Mr Clegg could be in danger of losing his place in the Commons.
He was quick to fire back saying he was sure he would retain his seat.
"I am confident but not complacent that I am going to win," Mr Clegg insisted.
"And I will be out knocking doors this weekend."
It is a reminder that this is not one election - hundreds are being held across the UK and every constituency matters. Particularly when it is your own.
Both Nick Clegg and the UKIP leader Nigel Farage know they face battles to get elected.
But both also have a responsibility to be seen supporting their party's candidates and drumming up support more widely around the country.
In the case of Nick Clegg he has been very busy, travelling to key areas in England, Scotland and Wales in the first few days alone.
It is all part of the Lib Dems' plan for their big yellow battle bus to clock up a lot of miles between now and polling day.
The campaign team wants Mr Clegg to be the most "visible and accessible" of the party leaders.
He is viewed as a key asset as they try to improve their wider poll ratings.
In the last election he made a particular mark in the televised leaders' debates - cast your mind back if you can to a time when they talked about 'Cleggmania'.
As he prepares to face the cameras again Nick Clegg is working out a strategy for the studios.
'Watchable spectacle'
At this election there will be seven leaders involved in the next debate rather than three. And in his own words the Lib Dem leader is not the "new kid on the block".
"I hope it will be a watchable spectacle," he says. "Although seven politicians talking over each other might not be."
If Nick Clegg is right in his view that newcomers tend to do best there will be plenty of other leaders vying for the spotlight.
The deputy prime minister may be best presenting himself as an established and now experienced political figure, a calm presence in the centre of the pack.
But with so many on the stage it will be much harder for any one leader to stand out. Election campaigns are tricky things for any party to plan.
What are the top issues for each political party at the 2015 general election?
Policy guide: Where the parties stand | Weeks of opportunities to sell your message but you are always at the mercy of the news agenda. |
33,215,534 | Media playback is not supported on this device
The British number one played superbly to win 6-3 6-4 in just 64 minutes at the Aegon Championships in London.
Murray, the top seed, had earlier finished a rain-delayed semi-final, beating Viktor Troicki 6-3 7-6 (7-4).
"I played better as the week went on and hopefully I can continue that into Wimbledon," the 28-year-old said.
"I tried to play each point and come up with some great shots. I had to play that way if I wanted to win today."
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The Scot also won the title in 2009, 2011 and 2013, and he will hope to repeat his effort of two years ago when he went on to make it a grass-court double at Wimbledon.
"It's great preparation obviously, but I think it has only happened six times where someone has won Queen's and gone on to win Wimbledon," Murray added.
"There are no guarantees that winning here gives you a Wimbledon title."
He can head to the All England Club in confident mood after dismantling the big-serving game of 6ft 8in Anderson.
Having resumed his semi-final against Troicki at 11:00 BST with the score at 3-3, the Briton wrapped that match up in a clinical 65 minutes and returned two hours later to face Anderson.
The South African, ranked 17th, had looked impregnable on serve as he made it through the draw but he found Murray's returns just too testing.
Anderson made 78% of his first serves in the opening set but even that was not enough as Murray broke in game four, a brilliant backhand winner setting up the chance before Anderson netted a volley.
A forehand winner made it 4-1 after just 17 minutes, and a ferociously focused Murray pumped his fist before heading to his chair.
There was simply no let-up as he closed out the first set and proved similarly clinical when his chance arose in the second.
A clever finish at the net and a thumping forehand return opened the door at 2-2, and break point was converted with a lob followed by a drop shot that was verging on the cruel.
On he pressed, producing another beautiful lob and and a heavy backhand winner to move to the verge of victory.
A swinging serve out wide completed a masterful display and brought Murray his 34th career title, and his fourth at the venue where he claimed his first ATP match win 10 years ago.
"I need to train well the next five, six days, prepare as well as I can," said Murray. "It gives me that little bit of confidence going in there.
"It's been a really good start, but it's a long way to go before Wimbledon even starts, and then all sorts of things can happen during Slams."
Media playback is not supported on this device | Andy Murray joined the likes of John McEnroe and Boris Becker as a four-time Queen's Club champion with an impressive victory over Kevin Anderson. |
39,730,103 | Ramush Haradinaj, 48, is wanted by Serbia for alleged war crimes in 1999.
Detained on a Serbian arrest warrant as he flew into France in January, he was released on condition that he did not leave the country.
A court in Colmar in eastern France ruled on Thursday that he was now free to leave France.
The decision prompted delight among the former prime minister's supporters outside the court as well as in Kosovo's capital, Pristina.
Kosovo Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj said he was grateful to France for handling the case but criticised what he called Serbia's "ill-intended allegations".
Serbia called an immediate cabinet meeting to discuss the court's decision, which cannot be appealed.
The case has heightened tensions between Serbia and Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008.
Ramush Haradinaj, now an opposition leader in Kosovo, was arrested by police at Basel Mulhouse Freiburg airport, close to the Swiss and German borders on 4 January.
Serbia has accused the former Kosovo Liberation Army commander of overseeing a campaign of torture and murder against ethnic Serbs during the 1998-99 conflict.
He has been tried and acquitted twice at the UN tribunal at The Hague, although Serbia said it had further evidence involving civilian murders which it was asked to hand to the French court.
Mr Haradinaj has consistently denied the allegations, and stepped down as prime minister after just 100 days to face the charges. | A French court has refused to extradite a former prime minister of Kosovo who served as a rebel commander during the conflict with Serbia. |
37,296,490 | The budget airline will run two flights a week from Glasgow International to Lisbon, Valencia, Zadar (Croatia) and Palanga (Lithuania).
The new twice-weekly route from Glasgow Prestwick will be to Barcelona Girona.
There will also be five new routes from Edinburgh Airport to Barcelona Girona, Ibiza, Milan, Porto and Vigo.
Ryanair said the new routes would help deliver about two million customers per year and support about 1,500 jobs at Glasgow and Prestwick airports and 1,800 jobs at Edinburgh Airport.
The airline said it would also add six new summer routes next year from Glasgow International to Alicante, Brussels, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Malaga and Sofia.
It is also increasing the frequency of flights to Berlin to six times a week.
From Prestwick, Ryanair will also increase the frequency of summer 2017 services to Ibiza, Palma and Tenerife.
A new summer route to Warsaw will leave Edinburgh Airport three times a week, and there will also be more flights to Palma, Rome and Tenerife. | Ryanair has announced new routes flying from Glasgow International, Prestwick and Edinburgh for its summer 2017 schedule. |
37,884,016 | Gabon will host the Africa Cup of Nations in January but its domestic footballers are unhappy with their working conditions.
"Our objective remains the same - that's to say, a strike if the players aren't listened to," Remy Ebanega, who heads up Gabon's footballers union (ANFPG), told BBC Sport.
The new season was set to start on 5 November.
Ebanega says that several players have received anonymous threats in recent days.
These have come to their mobile phones from unregistered numbers.
Chief among the ANFPG's four main demands is the back payment of salaries dating from present day back to 2013.
The ANFPG also wants to see the introduction of a standard contract for players, a charter for professional players and the introduction of a litigation chamber.
Some league players say they have gone 11 months without being paid.
Players from the club in question, Akanda FC, protested outside the house of their club president last week, so prompting the president to accuse them of trespassing.
On Friday - Erwim Nguema, Rodrigue Moundounga and Vladimir Aworet - were called before a court in Libreville where they were advised as to how they could conduct their protests in future.
Several players from other clubs went along to show their support to the players.
Gabon is an oil-rich nation with one of Africa's highest GDPs per capita.
The 2017 Nations Cup hosts suffered a set-back to their preparations on Friday, when it was confirmed that Jorge Costa had been removed as Gabon's national coach.
Technical director, Jose Antonio Garrido, takes charge on a temporary basis. | The start of the Gabon league championship has been delayed until 19 November but the threat of a local player strike remains. |
28,277,287 | The 26-year-old Belgium international has signed a three-year deal.
Pocognoli has won 12 caps but was not selected for the World Cup after missing the final six weeks of the season through injury.
West Brom head coach Alan Irvine said: "He's joined us with a real hunger to prove himself at Albion and get back into the international set-up."
Pocognoli won the Dutch title with AZ Alkmaar and has also played for Genk and Standard Liege in Belgium.
Irvine added: "Sebastien is an experienced left-back who has played at a high level for many years."
He becomes the club's fourth summer signing, after deals for Craig Gardner,Joleon Lescott and Chris Baird. | West Bromwich Albion have signed left-back Sebastien Pocognoli from Hannover 96 for an undisclosed fee. |
39,016,477 | Wits, who are challenging for the Premier League title in South Africa, scored first after 27 minutes from a Daine Klate free-kick to level the aggregate score.
Sifiso Myeni then made it 2-0 on the day, 3-2 overall with a second goal for Wits a minute after half-time, although a goal from Saint-Louisienne's Philean 12 minutes from time gave the visitors hopes of pulling off a shock victory.
Cuthbert Malajila proved to be Wits' hero, scoring a decisive goal with four minutes remaining to seal a victory for the hosts, and earn them a tie against Egypt's Al Ahly in the round of 32.
In the pick of the other second leg results on Saturday, Tanzania's Young Africans also progressed, despite being held to a 1-1 draw by Ngaya Club of Comoros. The Tanzanians had done enough in the first leg to go through 6-2 on aggregate.
Zanaco of Zambia were 1-0 winners at APR of Rwanda to secure their place in the next round after their home leg had ended 0-0.
Significant prize fund
The African Champions League has an increase in total prize money this year, soaring from $5.7m (£4.6m) to $10m, a 119.30% increase.
The group phase - where the cash kicks in - has been expanded from eight to 16 clubs with participants guaranteed at least $550,000 (£440,000) each.
For clubs dreaming of going all the way and succeeding where Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa did last year, the "carrot" is a $2.5m (£2m) first prize.
Sundowns are among nine clubs given byes on merit into the round of 32, with record eight-time champions Al Ahly another. | South African Premier League side Bidvest Wits overturned a 2-1 deficit against Reunion's Saint-Louisienne to win the home leg of their African Champions League preliminary round tie 3-1 and advance 4-3 on aggregate. |
38,582,711 | The former CEO of Exxon Mobil told his Senate confirmation hearing the intelligence report on Russian tampering "clearly is troubling".
His comments came after Senator Marco Rubio pressed Mr Tillerson to admit Mr Putin's role in the cyber-breach.
Mr Tillerson's reported good ties with Mr Putin have alarmed some in the US.
The 64-year-old former corporate titan faced tough questions from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday.
In a heated exchange, Mr Rubio grilled him on whether intelligence reports about Russia's involvement in hacks on the US election were accurate and if Mr Putin had directed the attacks.
Mr Tillerson said he had no inside information on the detailed intelligence about Russia's hacking, but he had read the declassified US report released last week on the issue.
The Florida senator suggested that Mr Putin was responsible for war crimes because of Moscow's support for Syrian President Bashar Assad and bombing of Aleppo.
But the Texan multimillionaire told Mr Rubio he would not describe Mr Putin as a war criminal.
"I would not use that term," Mr Tillerson said. "Those are very, very serious charges to make and I'd want to have much more information before reaching that conclusion," he added.
The Florida senator - who was one of Mr Trump's rivals for the Republican nomination - said he had "serious concerns" about Mr Tillerson as America's top diplomat.
In other testimony: Mr Tillerson said:
It looks like secretary of state nominee Rex Tillerson has his work cut out for him if he wants to win the support of Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio.
In a blistering 10 minutes of questioning, the former presidential candidate, who was once belittled by Donald Trump as "little Marco", peppered the president-elect's chosen man with a series of questions about his views on Russia.
Mr Tillerson's answers clearly didn't satisfy Mr Rubio, who said they were "discouraging", as he shook his head throughout the exchange.
Given the narrow majority Republicans have in the Senate, if Mr Rubio - and a handful of other Republicans - fail to back Mr Tillerson, his nomination could be on shaky ground.
In fact, the Florida senator, through his position on the confirmation committee, could join forces with Democrats to delay or even derail Mr Tillerson's bid to be secretary of state before it reaches a vote in the full Senate.
With Mr Trump's relations with Russia in the US political spotlight over the past few days, it's Mr Tillerson's nomination that may be in the greatest jeopardy.
While Mr Tillerson was grilled by senators in Washington DC, up in New York Mr Trump was rejecting claims that Russian intelligence agencies have compromising information about the president-elect.
In his first news conference in nearly six months on Wednesday, at Trump Tower, Mr Trump dismissed the allegations against him as "fake news" and "phony stuff" crafted by "sick people".
Russia has called the allegations "pulp fiction" and a "clear attempt to damage relations".
In his Senate statement, Mr Tillerson warned that Americans should be "clear-eyed about our relationship with Russia".
"Russia today poses a danger, but it is not unpredictable in advancing its own interests. It has invaded Ukraine, including the taking of Crimea, and supported Syrian forces that brutally violate the laws of war.
"Our Nato allies are right to be alarmed at a resurgent Russia," he continued, adding: "But it was in the absence of American leadership that this door was left open and unintended signals were sent.
It is Mr Tillerson's connections to Russia that have drawn the most flak in recent months.
He has forged multi-billion-dollar deals with Russia's state oil company, Rosneft, spoken out against international sanctions imposed on Moscow and in 2013 was awarded an Order of Friendship by the Kremlin. | It is a "fair assumption" that Russian President Vladimir Putin was behind US election hacks, secretary of state nominee Rex Tillerson has said. |
39,020,393 | It happened on the Newtownards-bound carriageway, at the junction with the Green Road, at about 23.20 GMT on Saturday.
Three men were also taken to hospital but their injuries are non-life threatening.
Two men, aged 22, were arrested. One remains in custody.
The vehicles involved were a red Audi and a blue Renault.
Insp Jonathan Francey appealed to anyone who witnessed the collision or who saw either of the vehicles involved travelling in the area before the collision to contact police. | A woman in her 30s is in a critical condition in hospital after a crash involving two cars in Bangor, County Down. |
35,559,439 | The US researchers analysed nearly 1.4 million users of the open source program-sharing service Github.
They found that pull requests - or suggested code changes - made on the service by women were more likely to be accepted than those by men.
The paper is awaiting peer review.
This means the results have yet to be critically appraised by other experts.
The researchers, from the computer science departments at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and North Carolina State University, looked at around four million people who logged on to Github on a single day - 1 April 2015.
Github is an enormous developer community which does not request gender information from its 12 million users.
However the team was able to identify whether roughly 1.4m were male or female - either because it was clear from the users' profiles or because their email addresses could be matched with the Google + social network.
The researchers accepted that this was a privacy risk but said they did not intend to publish the raw data.
The team found that 78.6% of pull requests made by women were accepted compared with 74.6% of those by men.
The researchers considered various factors, such as whether women were more likely to be responding to known issues, whether their contributions were shorter in length and so easier to appraise, and which programming language they were using, but they could not find a correlation.
However among users who were not well known within the community, those whose profiles made clear that they were women had a much lower acceptance rate than those whose gender was not obvious.
"For outsiders, we see evidence for gender bias: women's acceptance rates are 71.8% when they use gender neutral profiles, but drop to 62.5% when their gender is identifiable . There is a similar drop for men, but the effect is not as strong," the paper noted.
"Women have a higher acceptance rate of pull requests overall, but when they're outsiders and their gender is identifiable, they have a lower acceptance rate than men.
"Our results suggest that although women on Github may be more competent overall, bias against them exists nonetheless," the researchers concluded.
Despite various high profile initiatives, tech firms continue to face challenges in terms of the diversity of their staff, in terms of both gender and ethnicity, particularly in more technical careers.
Just 16% of Facebook's tech staff and 18% of Google's are women according to figures released in 2015.
However the researchers' findings are still encouraging, computer scientist Dr Sue Black OBE told the BBC.
"I think we are going to see a resurgence of interest from women in not only coding but all sorts of tech-related careers over the next few years," she said.
"Knowing that women are great at coding gives strength to the case that it's better for everyone to have more women working in tech.
"It was a woman - Ada Lovelace - who came up with the idea of software in the first place, we owe it to her to make sure that we encourage and support women into the software industry," Dr Black added. | Computer code written by women has a higher approval rating than that written by men - but only if their gender is not identifiable, new research suggests. |
40,157,450 | Alexander Perepilichnyy, 44, collapsed and died while jogging near his home in Weybridge, Surrey, in November 2012.
Traces of a chemical linked to a plant-based poison were found in his stomach.
Mr Perepilichnyy, a commodity dealer and trader, had been helping a specialist investment firm uncover a $230m (£150m) Russian money-laundering operation shortly before his death.
The inquest will try to establish if he was unlawfully killed and, if so, who may have been responsible.
His widow Tatiana Perepilichnaya gave evidence at the Old Bailey behind a screen in order to protect her identity.
The mother of two denied her husband had fallen out with an "organised crime syndicate in Russia" and said they moved to England for a change of lifestyle.
"I know if there were any threats or problems Alexander would have told me.
"In 20 years of marriage Alexander never had bodyguard or security, so our life in Russia and our life in England never varied. It's the same."
She said she was unaware of a man taking out an advert in Russia in 2011 accusing her husband of cheating him out of "a lot of money".
Mr Perepilichnyy was a dealer on the Russian stock exchange, the court heard.
Mrs Perepilichnaya said: "I just knew he was interested in that business. I didn't know what commodity meant."
The Russian was originally thought to have died of natural causes, but traces of a chemical that can be found in the poisonous plant Gelsemium elegans were later found in his stomach.
At an earlier hearing, Hermitage Capital Management claimed Mr Perepilichnyy may have been killed for helping it uncover hundreds of millions of US dollars in a Russian money-laundering operation.
A pre-inquest review in January 2016 was told Mr Perepilichnyy's death had parallels with the murder of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko.
Another hearing in June of the same year was told Interpol had been investigating Mr Perepilichnyy's suspected previous involvement with Russian criminal gangs.
The inquest is expected to last three weeks. | The widow of a Russian whistleblower who may have been poisoned has told an inquest he never feared for his life. |
34,445,975 | The warning comes in a report by David Hinchliff who investigated the deaths in Corfu in 2006 of Bobby and Christi Shepherd, from Horbury near Wakefield.
An inquest jury ruled in May they were unlawfully killed by a faulty boiler.
In his new report, Mr Hinchliff says: "There is a risk that future deaths will occur unless action is taken."
The document, which has been sent to senior government ministers, travel agents group Abta and the Federation of Tour Operators, says the government must push for a new EU-wide safety standard.
He also called for:
The inquest jury also ruled that travel firm Thomas Cook had breached its duty of care after seven-year-old Christi and six-year-old Bobby were overcome by fumes while on holiday with their father and his partner at the Louis Corcyra Beach Hotel in October 2006.
Mr Hinchliff said Thomas Cook should lead the way with improving safety and raising awareness across the industry.
Thomas Cook said in a statement: "As a company we are now reviewing his report and the suggestions he has made for both the wider travel industry and for Thomas Cook.
"We will continue to work with the travel industry and ABTA to identify possible improvements that may be appropriate for implementation across the industry.
"We are already working with Sharon Wood [the children's mother] on a new initiative to raise awareness about carbon monoxide in order to tackle some of the issues head on."
An ABTA spokesman added: "We have received a copy of the coroner's report regarding the inquest into the deaths of Bobby and Christi Shepherd and are reviewing it in detail.
"We will consider the points raised in the report very carefully and we will provide feedback to the coroner by the date requested."
Mary Creagh, the family's MP in Wakefield, said: "I welcome the fact the coroner is pushing the UK government to institute new carbon monoxide standards in the UK and across Europe and is also pushing the holiday industry to better protect travellers."
The Labour MP said 43 holidaymakers had died of carbon monoxide poisoning since Christi and Bobby's deaths.
"The family's dearest wish is that this sort of tragedy does not happen to anybody else," said Ms Creagh. | More tourists could die from carbon monoxide poisoning unless the government and holiday industry do more to protect them, a coroner has said. |
34,687,862 | Now, after a 3-1 defeat that sent Chelsea towards the bottom of the Premier League after their sixth loss in 11 games and left Liverpool fans singing "you're getting sacked in the morning", the grim statistics and questions are piling up around Mourinho.
Not in the eyes of Mourinho himself. He was asked after the loss whether he thought this would be his final game in charge and his instant response was: "No."
While all eyes turned towards Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, who always has the final word on these matters, Mourinho insisted his immediate plan was to go home "to find a sad family".
He then wanted to watch the Rugby World Cup final between Australia and New Zealand - before mapping out Sunday's training session for the midweek Champions League meeting with Dynamo Kiev at Stamford Bridge.
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Abramovich is the great unknown factor in the debate surrounding Mourinho and whether he has any future at Chelsea. The Russian oligarch has never hesitated to act in the past, but here he is dealing with a manager who brought Chelsea the title only six months ago.
And yet, there has been an unease around Mourinho since the start of the season, from the delayed return to pre-season that appears to have left his players off the pace, through the row with team doctor Eva Carneiro on the opening day of the campaign against Swansea when she angered him by going on to treat Eden Hazard, on to a run of results unprecedented in his glittering career.
Mourinho has cut a troubled, tormented figure at odds with authority once more, recently fined £50,000 by the Football Association and given a one-match suspended stadium ban after comments about officials following the 3-1 home loss to Southampton.
While those within Chelsea's boardroom may raise an eyebrow and have concerns about potential damage to the club's image - coach Silvino Louro and midfielder Nemanja Matic were also sent off at West Ham - the bottom line is results, and three defeats in a week is hardly a safety net for Mourinho as he clings to his job.
The loss to Liverpool, something that always causes Mourinho particular pain, came after that defeat at West Ham and the Capital One Cup exit on penalties against Stoke. It was by far the most damaging because these are games Mourinho has specialised in winning.
Chelsea are a results-driven club under a results-driven owner. That title win a few months ago may buy Mourinho time but no manager survives consistently poor results under Abramovich, irrespective of past record and reputation.
Mourinho can at least count on the backing of Chelsea's fans. They chanted his name loudly and at length after Christian Benteke's goal confirmed this latest loss, making it clear who they want in charge and that they still believe Mourinho is "The Special One".
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The mood at Stamford Bridge in the immediate aftermath of defeat was calm - particularly in the light of Abramovich's recent backing for the manager.
This was the first time Abramovich has ever made such a move and Chelsea's owner was 100% behind the man he brought back. It was a pledge made with real commitment.
But it was also clear results had to improve and it may yet be that the next two or three league games may be the tipping points rather than this loss.
Even then it may not be a case of Mourinho being dismissed. This is, of course, a possibility but it may even be that Abramovich could offer further backing to his manager when the transfer window opens in January.
The lack of unrest among the paying public may play in Mourinho's favour as Abramovich makes his calculations.
There is also no suggestion that the relationship between manager and owner has broken down, as it did when Mourinho left Chelsea in September 2007.
Abramovich, however, has never appeared the sentimental sort and there can be no doubt this wretched, totally unforeseen sequence of bad results has put Mourinho in danger.
As Chelsea's fans filed into Fulham Broadway it was all still up for grabs.
Again this is a question that would no doubt figure in the considerations within Chelsea's boardroom as they pore over the future direction of the club.
There may be, as Liverpool are experiencing now with Jurgen Klopp, a bounce from a fresh face in the technical area - but Chelsea are currently under the command of one of the finest and most successful coaches in the world.
Would replacing Mourinho, with his proven track record of success, improve Chelsea long-term? Would it not simply be an act of panic after the first run of this kind in a great manager's career?
The difficulty Mourinho currently has to deal with is that, because of his own successes, this is a scenario with which he has never had to contend - namely providing the sort of guidance and approach that moves a team out of trouble from near the bottom of the table.
It is new territory for Mourinho but it would be an insult to his intelligence and ability to suggest this was beyond him. There is no guarantee of a meaningful, long-term uplift should they get rid of him.
Chelsea would be in danger of acting in haste and repenting at leisure.
This would be another factor very much in Mourinho's favour if Chelsea owner Abramovich is seriously contemplating a change.
Pep Guardiola has always been favoured by Abramovich but he is not going to leave Bayern Munich in mid-season and Chelsea's modus operandi, with that willingness to change managers with regularity, may not be to his liking.
The same would surely apply to Atletico Madrid's Diego Simeone, a talented but hugely combustible character who might not reduce the stress levels should he take over from Mourinho. He is unlikely to leave La Liga at this stage of their season.
Carlo Ancelotti is currently available after leaving Real Madrid but would the man who brought a historic Premier League and FA Cup double to Chelsea in 2010 really want to work for the club again after being unceremoniously sacked at Goodison Park at the end of the following season, having failed to deliver silverware? Probably not.
Klopp would have been right in the frame but that ship has sailed now after he was snapped up by Liverpool following the sacking of Brendan Rodgers.
When Mourinho left in 2007, Avram Grant stepped out of the shadows to succeed him but it was regarded as the work of Chelsea's experienced players to guide them to the 2008 Champions League Final, where they lost to Manchester United on penalties.
So would Chelsea seriously consider sacking Mourinho then going down the "interim manager" route that brought them success before?
Guus Hiddink won the FA Cup in 2009 after a spell as temporary coach following the sacking of Luiz Felipe Scolari, while Rafael Benitez won the Europa League in 2013 after replacing Roberto Di Matteo, who had won the Champions League only six months before his dismissal.
Hiddink, 68, is available now but is damaged goods after a failed spell in charge of the Netherlands. He is not likely to figure in any potential discussions.
The names of former manager Andre Villa-Boas and ex-Liverpool boss Rodgers, who worked as a youth coach at Chelsea, have also been mentioned but they cannot carry any real weight.
This surely still leaves Mourinho as the strongest option in a fight he insisted he was ready for, even after defeat by Liverpool.
New Liverpool manager Klopp described himself as "The Normal One" when asked to compare himself to "The Special One" Mourinho on the day of his appointment.
The problem for Mourinho is that defeats like this are now becoming normal - and they must improve.
While Klopp was a blur of animated activity in the technical area throughout Saturday's game, Mourinho cut a subdued figure, only bursting into life at perceived injustices.
Mourinho gave fourth official Lee Mason a quizzical glance and a few words when Klopp confronted him face-to-face on several occasions, clearly questioning what would happen if he behaved in a similar manner.
He was also visibly infuriated, with great justification, when Liverpool's Lucas escaped a second yellow card for a blatant trip on Ramires having already been booked.
As Klopp high-fived his backroom staff after Benteke made it 3-1, there was almost an air of desperation about Mourinho as he clapped his hands in an attempt to galvanise his beaten players - but like a hapless driver trying to start a car with a flat battery.
He then stood with his hands in his pockets as the formalities of defeat were played out.
Mourinho side-stepped a series of questions about his future in his immediate after-match interview - but showed small flashes of the old defiance in a later briefing, insisting he will fight on and he does not expect to lose his job.
As history tells us, that is a matter for Roman Abramovich. | Chelsea's meeting with Liverpool at Stamford Bridge was billed as the game manager Jose Mourinho must not lose if he wanted to keep his job. |
36,088,709 | Two teams of celebrities will meet on 5 June to raise money for Unicef.
Mourinho will be assisted by Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce, with Soccer Aid co-founder Robbie Williams as coach.
"I want to be the first one to win the Soccer Aid trophy for both teams," said the Portuguese, who coached Rest of the World to a 4-2 win in 2014.
"Sam and I will make a very good partnership and it will be a great feeling for Claudio to finally lose a match."
Ranieri, manager of Premier League leaders Leicester City, added: "It is a great honour that Robbie Williams has asked me to manage the Rest of the World XI and I'm looking forward to helping them defend their title." | Jose Mourinho will manage England against Claudio Ranieri's Rest of the World side for this summer's Soccer Aid match at Old Trafford. |
10,327,921 | A huge police operation was mounted and three weeks after her disappearance in February 2008, the youngster was found hidden in the base of a divan bed in a flat in Batley Carr.
She was being held by her stepfather's uncle, Michael Donovan.
The subsequent arrest of Donovan and the child's mother Karen Matthews led to one of the most notorious cases of child abuse.
In court it emerged the pair had planned the kidnap in order to claim a £50,000 reward being offered by a national newspaper.
The schoolgirl had been "drugged, subdued and hidden from public view".
Matthews, then 33, was convicted in December 2008 and jailed for eight years for her part in the kidnapping.
Donovan, who was aged 40 at the time, was given the same prison sentence.
After the trial it emerged the abuse and neglect of Shannon started long before she went missing.
The BBC's Panorama programme learnt the youngster was well known to Kirklees social services and had been put on the "at-risk" register years before she disappeared.
The programme claimed she was later removed from the register because she was not considered to be at risk of significant harm.
Former neighbours said they had raised concerns about the family with social services but nothing appeared to be done.
Matthews' cousin Vicky Saunders, who contacted the authority on two separate occasions, said: "To me I feel let down with it."
She added: "They could have done more to help Karen but they weren't there for her."
Claire Wilson, a former neighbour when Matthews lived at Batley Carr, said: "We just kept reporting it but nothing seemed to be getting done.
"We were saying that something's going to happen to those children. How can you leave them in those conditions because the house was filthy, it stank."
Now 17 months after the investigation was first launched, Kirklees Council has published a long-awaited report looking at whether the kidnap could have been prevented. | When nine-year-old Shannon Matthews vanished after a swimming trip with her school in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, her mother pleaded hysterically for her "beautiful, princess" daughter's safe return. |
36,027,169 | The 17-year-old boy was arrested after a 34-year-old man was shot in the shoulder outside the Jolly Roger pub in All Hallows Road, Easton on Saturday.
A 15-year-old boy and a man, 29, also arrested on suspicion of the same offence were bailed on Monday.
Police are continuing to appeal for witnesses to contact them. | A third person arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following a shooting outside a pub in Bristol, has been released on bail. |
32,270,655 | Police took the security measure after shots were heard near the seat of the US Congress.
Police also investigated a suspicious package, thought to be the gunman's suitcase, on the lower west terrace of the Capitol building.
Congress is not in session so there were few lawmakers about.
However, the annual Cherry Blossom festival and sunshine attracted tourists.
Those inside the building were reportedly told to stay there and visitors outside to take cover.
"Confirmed: self-inflicted gunshot by neutralized subject," Capital Police spokeswoman Kimberly Schneider said in a statement.
There appears to have been no sign of terrorist intent, according to police.
Nearby streets were cordoned off as an investigation continued.
It was the latest in a series of security incidents in Washington DC in recent years.
In 2013, a woman tried to drive her car past a security gate at the White House. She was shot dead in the subsequent car chase. | The US Capitol in Washington DC was in lockdown for nearly two hours after a gunman shot himself outside the building on Saturday afternoon. |
20,209,275 | The funeral for Mohammed Rafia was held at a military hospital in the capital with soldiers carrying his coffin.
He had gone missing from the north-eastern Barzeh area on Friday night.
Mr Rafia's family received his body on Sunday. They said there were bullet wounds in the head, neck and shoulder.
The 30-year-old actor had become well-known across the Arab world for his role in a TV series about Syria under French colonial rule.
That, though, was several years ago when Syrian TV was challenging Egypt and Lebanon with the quality and popularity of its shows and films.
But since the uprising against Mr Assad began last year, he became known for something else - his very public support for the Syrian leader.
On YouTube, Mr Rafia can still be seen backing the Syrian government line in eloquent English that the protesters and opposition fighters are nothing but terrorists.
That is why he was killed - both his friends and enemies say.
An extremist rebel group says it killed him, though this cannot be verified.
Opposition sources accuse him of passing information to the government. Some even say he was a member of the feared shabiha - the paramilitaries that have carried out many atrocities in the name of the government.
Other opposition groups have distanced themselves from his killing.
His family and friends say he simply wanted peace and hated the killing on both sides.
His death is another sign of the abyss of personal hatred and violence into which Syria has fallen. | The funeral has been held in Damascus of a well-known Syrian-born Palestinian actor, believed to have been killed by rebels because of his support for President Bashar al-Assad. |
34,647,501 | Pascal Fauret and Bruno Odos were arrested in 2013 in the Dominican resort of Punta Cana.
Police said their plane was carrying 26 suitcases stuffed with 680kg (1,500lb) of cocaine.
The two pilots and two other Frenchmen on board were found guilty of drug trafficking. They denied the charges.
According to French news channel BMFTV, the pilots had previously worked for the French navy and were helped by former intelligence agents to leave the Dominican Republic.
The channel said that the ex-intelligence agents helped the pilots, who were under house arrest, reach a boat off the Dominican coast.
From there they sailed to the French Antilles and then flew to Paris.
The French government said it had nothing to do with their escape.
The pilots' lawyer, Jean Reinhart, told AFP news agency that Fauret and Odos had returned to France "not to flee justice but to seek justice".
Mr Reinhart said the two were not "escapees" as they had not escaped from jail.
They had been barred from leaving the country but had not been sent to prison because they were appealing against their convictions, Mr Reinhart explained.
He said that Fauret and Odos had contacted the French magistrate in charge of their case and were keen to clear their name.
Fauret and Odos along with Nicolas Pisapia and Alain Castany were about to leave the Dominican Republic on board a Dassault Falcon 50 jet when the suitcases full of cocaine were discovered on board.
Six months after the four were arrested, 22 people were detained over a massive cocaine haul found on an Air France flight from the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, to Paris. | Two French pilots who were sentenced by a court in the Dominican Republic to 20 years in prison have fled the country. |
30,126,954 | National Express stops at almost 1,200 bus stops across the country, but 436 have so many restrictions they prevent drivers from using their lifts to carry wheelchair users aboard.
This means that some disabled people are left unable to travel by coach.
Disabled People Minister Mark Harper says the situation is "unacceptable".
He is now leading calls for councils to make bus stations and stops more accessible.
Obstacle course
"It is simply unacceptable that in the 21st Century more is not being done to make coach stations and stops more accessible to disabled travellers," he said.
"There is little point in making sure buses themselves are accessible if those who operate the places where people are collected from are not doing what they can to help.
"This isn't just about doing what's right - it's also about recognising the business case - as disabled people and their household have an annual spending power of £200 billion."
The entire National Express fleet of 550 vehicles is wheelchair accessible - meaning wheelchair users can be carried at the front of their coaches.
Wheelchairs are brought on to the coach using a lift which requires a clear space for a three metre extension from the side of the vehicle.
But at a third of bus stops, objects - such as lamp-posts, bollards, railings, public seating or signs - prevent the lift from operating.
Wheelchair user David Redgewell, 47, from Alvestone, in Gloucestershire, said the lack of accessibility at some bus stops had forced him to change buses and added many hours to his trips.
"A business trip from Bristol to Perth took 14 hours instead of 12 because I had to change in Glasgow as the coach parking bays in Perth were too shallow for the lift to be used," said the disability issues campaigner.
"When I went from Bristol to Ilfracombe in June, I had to take a detour via Barnstaple because Ilfracombe doesn't allow a disabled ramp to be lowered. And in London I couldn't get to Earls Court directly because there isn't access for the coach lift.
"It can be very frustrating and annoying because often the coaches are accessible, but the bus stops are not."
Tom Stables, National Express managing director said: "We carry millions of passengers every year and are absolutely committed to getting people where they want to go whatever their circumstances.
"We hope that with the backing of the government that more station and bus stop owners will listen and take action in this crucial area."
Local authorities have a legal responsibility to comply with the Equality Act by making reasonable adjustments for disabled travellers.
Some 84% of buses and coaches in England meet new regulations to make them properly accessible to disabled people - ahead of a deadline by 2020.
Virtually all London's 8,500 buses are now fully low-floor accessible. | More than one third of bus stops used by the UK's main coach operator cannot accommodate wheelchair users, despite its fleet being able to carry them. |
39,197,969 | Thomas has been replaced by The Only Way Is Essex star Lydia Bright just days before Sunday's finale.
He had been set to battle it out with Olympic gymnast Louis Smith, Paralympic medallist Kadeena Cox, and Emma Parker Bowles to be crowned champion of the winter sports competition.
The 42-year-old is the fourth celebrity to withdraw from this year's series.
Model Caprice suffered an illness, Olympian Sir Bradley Wiggins broke his leg and Vogue Williams pulled out before an episode even aired.
A Channel 4 spokeswoman said: "Gareth Thomas has withdrawn due to personal reasons."
Bright replaces Thomas as she was the last to be eliminated. | Former Wales rugby international Gareth Thomas has quit Channel 4 show The Jump for "personal reasons". |
36,940,756 | The researchers, at the University of Dundee, analysed medical records from more than half a million British women.
They argue the operations could directly affect fertility or there may be a "behavioural" explanation.
Experts said the findings might lead to new treatments, but advised women not to have their tonsils and appendix taken out unnecessarily.
The study found that for every 100 pregnancies in women who had had no procedures there were:
One of the researchers, Dr Sami Shimi, said most doctors were wrongly taught that having an appendix removed damaged fertility.
He told BBC News: "This [study] is very important in reassuring young women that appendicectomy will not reduce their chances of future pregnancy.
"More importantly, looking at both the appendix and tonsils together, this study confirms beyond doubt that removal of inflamed organs or organs likely to suffer from repeated inflammation, in women, improves their chances of pregnancy."
Explaining the findings, published in Fertility and Sterility, is more of a challenge.
One biological possibility is that regularly infected tonsils or appendixes raise levels of inflammation in the body, which affects the ovaries and womb.
The Dundee team favour a behavioural explanation such as women enjoying more "liberal sexual activity", being both more likely to get pregnant and have pelvic inflammatory disease, which could lead to an appendix being removed.
More research is needed to figure this out.
Prof Allan Pacey, from the University of Sheffield, told the BBC: "This is an interesting paper which suggests that surgical removal of the appendix or tonsils (or both) in young women is associated with an increase in their fertility later in life.
"There are several explanations which may account for these observations, one of which is that the removal of these tissues makes an alteration to their immune system which has an impact to some aspect of the reproductive process (such as how their embryos implant in the womb).
"If true, this may ultimately give doctors and scientists some new ideas for novel drugs or therapies to enhance women's fertility.
"But to suggest that infertile women have their tonsils or appendix removed as a way of improving their chances is a step too far at this stage."
Follow James on Twitter. | Women who have had their appendix or tonsils removed appear to be more fertile, a 15-year study suggests. |
37,470,974 | The 22-year-old played two first-class and seven T20 matches in 2016, having signed a professional deal in June.
Walter, who took the new ball in the latter stages of the T20 Blast, has taken eight wickets across all formats.
"It has always been a dream of mine to play for Essex," Basildon-born Walter told the club website.
"I haven't been part of the staff for long, so the opportunity to do that for a further year was something I jumped at." | Essex all-rounder Paul Walter has signed a contract extension, keeping him with the Division Two champions until the end of the 2018 season. |
37,889,002 | Newcastle's 2-1 victory was their seventh consecutive league win and strengthened their position at the top of the table.
But Warnock felt Cardiff should have had a late penalty after defender Sean Morrison was fouled by Aleksandar Mitrovic.
"It's an absolutely nailed-on penalty and I'm so disappointed," Warnock said.
"The linesman is 20 yards away, the referee is quite close and we're all waiting for him to point to the spot and the linesman gives a free-kick the other way.
"At this level officials have got to be better educated to know when a penalty's given.
"There were a few contentious decisions that didn't go for us but all credit to the players, I thought they were super.
"When you see the effort that my team put in and to be let down by people who should know better."
Goals from Christian Atsu and Yoan Gouffran gave Newcastle a 2-0 half-time lead.
Cardiff had chances, with Craig Noone, Rickie Lambert and Sol Bamba all failing to hit the target from promising positions before Peter Whittingham scored with 13 minutes left.
"I thought we looked a good decent side in the second half," Warnock added.
"They [Newcastle] started to panic and we had some good chances.
"You could tell the relief when the whistle goes because they knew only one team was going to score in the second half. We deserved better."
The Bluebirds, who are a point above the relegation zone, resume their Championship campaign at home to high-flying Huddersfield Town on Saturday, 19 November. | Cardiff City "deserved better" from their Championship game at Newcastle United, according to boss Neil Warnock. |
28,981,684 | So who will benefit from this policy, how did it come about and are schools ready?
All state-funded schools in England, including academies and free schools, will have a legal duty to offer free meals for all children in Reception to Year 2, under the Universal Infant Free School Meals policy.
Until now around 367,000 children in this age group whose parents are on benefits or earn less than £16,190 have been eligible for free school meals.
Under the new policy an extra 1.55m children will be entitled to a free hot meal every lunchtime, bringing the eligible total to more than 1.9m youngsters
The scheme is expected to save parents about £400 per year per child.
Schools are legally required to provide meals that comply with the government's School Food Standards which are intended to ensure children get the nutrition they need across the school day.
The guidelines to schools say the government expects that pupils will routinely be offered a hot meal option.
"Where schools are not in a position to offer hot options from September 2014, they should be working towards doing so as soon as possible."
The government says schools should offer free school meals to all infant pupils but will not be expected to make take-up mandatory.
Schools will still have the freedom to set their own policies on packed lunches, says the guidance.
The government has budgeted for an 87% uptake of the lunches - but Schools Minister David Laws has told the BBC this might be lower to begin with as parents of more fussy eaters decide whether their children will eat them. Some may decide to continue to provide a packed lunch every day.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg launched the plan at last autumn's Liberal Democrat conference.
Free school meals for all pupils up to age 11 were recommended in a review of school food for the government by the founders of the Leon restaurant chain.
They said packed lunches were nearly always less nutritious than cooked meals, adding that free lunches for all children would raise academic standards.
The Department for Education has promised the meals will be fully funded by central government. It says this year it will pay a flat rate of £2.30 for each meal taken by newly eligible pupils.
The government is also spending £150m to improve kitchens and dining facilities.
In addition small schools will get £22.5m to extend or improve kitchen facilities.
In May the then education secretary Michael Gove and schools minister David Laws denied reports of a rift within the coalition over the policy.
In a joint article for The Times newspaper they said the plans had "cross-party support".
Earlier reports suggested senior officials at the Department for Education feared the money for upgrading kitchens was insufficient.
Leaked emails suggested officials believed school kitchen improvements would cost £50m more than the £150m allocated, with a knock-on effect on wider school budgets.
In March a former adviser to the education secretary called the idea "dumb" and a "bad gimmick". Dominic Cummings said it had not been properly thought through or costed and would cause chaos.
Schools minister David Laws countered that a serious amount of work, including pilots, had gone into the policy.
In July a survey by BBC Radio 5's Drive programme asked all 152 councils in England about their budgets for implementing the policy.
Of the 99 that replied, 34 said they did not have enough money for the scheme despite being told it was fully government-funded.
Some local authorities said they were having to raid their maintenance budgets while others were passing costs on to the schools themselves.
Essex County Council has reported a £3m shortfall while 190 schools in Leeds are being asked to help find half the cost of the shortfall in the city.
One Leeds head said he had been planning to spend the money on tablet computers for pupils but would not now be able to do so.
In April a BBC Daily Politics investigation found more than 2,700 schools in England would not be ready to serve the free hot meals.
Freedom of Information figures obtained by the BBC suggested more than 1,700 schools had no kitchen at all. So their hot meals will have to be delivered by external caterers or cooked at nearby schools and transported.
Some may offer cold food such as sandwiches to begin with - though the guidelines say that schools should be working towards providing hot meals.
Some schools said they lacked big enough dining rooms so lunchtimes would have to be staggered.
Others said they used their halls for PE at lunchtime and the new meals policy would mean an end to these activities.
Mr Clegg says that although some English primary schools may have "some difficulties" in providing the meals he insists that the scheme is "well-funded" and "well-researched".
He has said pilots in Durham and Newham have shown the policy not only saves families money but has a dramatic educational impact, particularly on poorer children who are not receiving free school meals.
Mr Clegg also believes free school meals for all infant schoolchildren have a "very significant social impact because it gets children sharing lunch together during the middle of the school day".
Money is being provided for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to emulate the English scheme, but as education is a devolved issue, it is up to people running schools in each country to decide whether to spend the money on free lunches.
The Scottish government has decided to provide free school meals for all children in Primary One to Three from January 2015, following trials in five local authority areas.
In Wales all primary schoolchildren are entitled to a free school breakfast.
A review of school food for the Department for Education recommended all primary pupils should get free school meals.
Co-author Henry Dimbleby has said he hopes Mr Clegg's announcement will "be the first step on the road to free school meals for everyone".
The National Union of Teachers also wants the policy to be extended to all primary pupils.
General secretary Christine Blower says children "do not stop being hungry at seven years of age". | From this term, all infant pupils in England's schools will be entitled to a free hot meal at lunchtime every day. |
21,069,750 | They say it is a result of significant increase in loss of human lives from attacks by wild animals.
The problem is especially acute in buffer zones between human settlements and national parks.
In recent years, Nepal has developed a successful protection programme for many endangered species.
The Chitwan National Park in southern Nepal has more than 500 rhinos, up from half that figure few years ago, and more than 125 tigers.
The Bardiya National Park in the west now has more than 80 elephants, almost 10 times as many as there were in the 1990s.
In the Himalayas, the numbers of endangered species like snow leopards and red pandas have been growing as well.
And the country has nearly 24% of its land area as protected areas, including national parks, conservation areas and wildlife reserves.
With all these achievements in nature conservation, however, Nepal has also witnessed a rising number of human deaths and property losses because of wildlife.
In the last five years, more than 80 people have been killed by wild elephants while 17 of the animals died in retaliatory killings, according to forest ministry officials.
Last month, local people in Chitwan, southern Nepal, staged a strike and demanded that a rogue elephant be killed after it had taken the lives of three people.
A few months ago, a leopard in western Nepal caused terror as it killed more than a dozen people within a matter of weeks.
In eastern Nepal, herds of wild elephants continue to rampage, demolishing human settlements and raiding crops.
Meanwhile, common leopards are increasingly attacking children and livestock in the hilly region.
Further north, in the trans-Himalayan region, locals continue to complain about snow leopards preying on their livestock.
Although forest ministry officials are yet to compile the latest data on these losses, they do admit that such incidents have gone up remarkably.
"Before, we used to record about 30 human deaths because of wildlife attacks annually but in the past few years the figure appears to have risen significantly," said Forest Ministry spokesman Krishna Acharya who, until recently, headed Nepal's Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation.
He added: "The time has now come for us to determine how many such wildlife species we can have in our protected areas."
WWF's Nepal country director, Anil Manandhar, said the problem had become quite serious.
"This is now something that could become the biggest threat and setback for Nepal's success in wildlife conservation," he explained.
Wildlife experts say human settlements known as buffer zones around national parks have become flashpoints for human-wildlife encounters.
"The numbers of rhinos and tigers are increasing in the national park and they are moving out in search of food and space. Meanwhile, the increasing human population needs more of the natural resources available, and that competition creates conflict," said Mr Acharya.
Most of Nepal's national parks and protected areas are either in the Himalayan region or in the Tarai area, the southern plain land that border India.
Yet, wildlife-related loss of lives and properties are also increasingly being seen in the mid-hill region, geographically located between the Himalayas and Tarai plain land.
Conservationists point at the growing number of attacks on children and livestock by common leopards because this region has seen huge success in community forestry.
"We have been hearing complaints from farmers that community forests have more wildlife than in some national parks and therefore they are suffering losses of lives and properties," said Yam Bahadur Malla, country director for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Nepal.
He also suggested it was necessary to scientifically demarcate the boundaries of national parks, as some species involved in the attacks were sometimes found outside the existing boundaries.
Forest ministry officials, however, said the chances of expanding existing protected areas were very slim because Nepal had already made huge swathes of land available for nature conservation.
Mr Acharya said the details of plans to limit wildlife growth were yet to be worked out but he added that one of the ideas would be to relocate some of the wildlife species.
"We have listed nine such species that can be trans-located from where there are quite many of them to where there are very few and such species include animals involved in conflicts with humans," he said.
Mr Acharya also hinted that Nepal will now not commit to protect more wildlife than the amount its protected areas could sustain.
"For instance, we have said we will double the number of tigers to 250. But as we cannot expand our protected areas, we will not be able to commit more than that," he said.
"Nor can we add new conservation areas." | Officials in Nepal have said they will now have to put a cap on the growth of wildlife including endangered species like tigers and rhinos. |
37,882,652 | The National Star College, which operates in south west England, has opened its first Welsh college in Mamhilad, near Pontypool.
SNAP Cymru says sharing its expertise could improve provision elsewhere.
It could also mean people were not forced to move in order to continue their education, the charity added.
The further education college offers a specialised sensory-based curriculum for young people with complex and multiple learning disabilities, with an emphasis on learning through the creative arts.
Speaking to the Newyddion 9 programme, Lindsay Brewis from SNAP Cymru said the expertise of National Star, which has its main campus in Gloucestershire, should be used as a "resource for the community".
She said: "We need every single further education college to learn from centres of excellence such as National Star College and take up some of their methods and techniques - take forward their ideas and put them into practice locally, so that for the vast majority of young people with additional needs and disabilities, the local college will be the best college."
Making sure young people could received their education locally was crucial, she added.
"When these young people lose the link with their community, we do them a grave disservice," she said.
Morgan Jones, who lives near Corwen, Denbighshire, left Wales aged 16 to go to the National Star campus in Cheltenham.
He has returned and now lives in Ruthin, where he works at Denbighshire council's computer technology department.
He told Newyddion 9 going to the college "changed his life" and helped him get a job, as well as letting him live independently.
"I've always said I wanted my mum and dad to be parents, and not carers," he said.
But he added he would have liked to have had his education closer to home.
"There is demand in Wales for a place like National Star," he said. "Certainly, I would have liked to stay in Wales." | A disability education charity says a specialist college for young adults with additional learning needs could help boost resources in Wales. |
38,877,091 | Flight QR920 landed on Monday after 16 hours and 23 minutes, slightly quicker than expected.
The Boeing 777-200LR jet was showered with water cannons on arrival - a tradition for airlines on new routes.
Carriers like to talk up these records, but how are they measured and do they really matter?
Longest (time) or furthest (distance) are the two key distinctions to make, but it's not as simple as it might sound.
Qatar Airways' new route maybe the longest by time. But the 14,535km (9,032 miles) trip is not the longest existing flight by distance - a claim currently held by Air India's Delhi to San Francisco route which is 15,127 km.
The distance between two cities doesn't vary for airlines of course, but they might choose to take alternate routes. For example, a carrier might choose to avoid flying over certain countries which can alter how far a plane flies from point A to point B.
But regardless of the route, flight time is dependent on headwinds or tailwinds.
For example Qatar's return leg form Auckland to Doha is is expected to take about 18 hours because of headwinds.
"The longest flying time doesn't always correspond with the longest distance," says Ellis Taylor of Flightglobal.
"Of course, from a passenger perspective, the flying time is probably the best measurement."
Record-breaking flights may make headlines. But new long-haul flights mean nothing if they're treated as a standalone route, says Mr Taylor. Rather, it's what a new route brings to the airline's existing network.
"On its own, it wouldn't be viable to fly between Auckland and Doha, but Qatar is focusing on the passengers from Auckland going on to Europe, Africa, the US or elsewhere," says Mr Taylor.
"In that light, even though it may take some time for the route to stack up from a profit perspective, it may help the economics of its wider network."
Historically, most of the major long-haul routes have been serviced by legacy airlines like Singapore Airlines and Australia's Qantas.
But adding new routes have allowed newer airlines like Qatar, and perhaps most notably Emirates, to expand their business very rapidly.
"It's also about reach for Middle East airlines striving to outdo each other," says Geoffrey Thomas of Airlineratings.com.
Longest flight records will continue to change hands as airlines launch new routes, and the range capability of aircraft improves.
Last year, for example, Qantas revealed it would fly direct between Perth and London from March 2018, a flight that will take 17 hours.
The price of fuel and the types of planes which airlines buy will be the determining factors in opening new routes
"With the arrival of the 777-8X in 2022, new records such as flights from Sydney to New York and Sydney to London will be set," says Mr Thomas. "The 777-8X will be the ultimate long haul airliner."
But remember, for routes to be viable, they also require people to buy tickets.
That depends on passengers being willing to sit in their seats for 16, 17 or maybe 18 hours at a time. How long that desire will last (especially for travellers cramped up in economy) is something airlines will monitor carefully. | Qatar Airways has launched what it says is the longest current non-stop commercial route, after completing a journey from Doha to Auckland. |
22,539,500 | The off-spinner, 30, has been named in the squad for this week's double header at The Grange in Edinburgh.
He is currently tied with John Blain on 41 wickets.
Gordon Drummond is in the 13-man pool after relinquishing the captaincy and Freddie Coleman is included after making 64 against Essex on Sunday.
New captain Kyle Coetzer skippers the side, with Preston Mommsen, who has scored 130 runs in two games against Hampshire and Essex in the YB40 without being dismissed, as vice-captain.
Five of the six players cleared to represent Scotland through a change in the rules on eligibility in January are selected.
All-rounder Rob Taylor is included after performing well for Leicestershire, while there is a place for Northamptonshire wicketkeeper David Murphy.
Matt Machan, Neil Carter and Iain Wardlaw will also be looking to make an impact.
"It will be an immense honour and a fantastic occasion which will fill me with pride leading out my country against a cricketing powerhouse like Pakistan," said Coetzer.
"More importantly though, we are seeing this as a great opportunity to showcase our skills and test ourselves against one of the best teams in the world."
The second one-dayer takes place on Sunday.
Scotland squad: Kyle Coetzer (capt), Preston Mommsen (vice-captain), Richie Berrington, Neil Carter, Freddie Coleman, Josh Davey, Gordon Drummond, Majid Haq, Moneeb Iqbal, Matt Machan, David Murphy (wk), Rob Taylor, Iain Wardlaw. | Majid Haq will have the opportunity to become Scotland's leading wicket-taker in one-day international matches on Friday when they face Pakistan. |
39,132,678 | The University of Cambridge team used two types of stem cells and a 3D scaffold to create a structure closely resembling a natural mouse embryo.
Previous attempts have had limited success because early embryo development requires the different cells to coordinate with each other.
The researchers hope their work will help improve fertility treatments.
It could also provide useful insights into the way early embryos develop.
However, experimentation on human embryos is strictly regulated, and banned after 14 days.
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Once a mammalian egg has been fertilised, it divides to generate embryonic stem cells - the body's "master cells".
These embryonic stem cells cluster together inside the embryo towards one end, forming the rudimentary embryonic structure known as a blastocyst.
The Cambridge team, whose work is published in the journal Science, created their artificial embryo using embryonic stem cells and a second type of stem cell - extra-embryonic trophoblast stem cells - which form the placenta.
Lead researcher Prof Magdalena Zenricka Goetz said: "We knew that interactions between the different types of stem cell are important for development, but the striking thing that our new work illustrates is that this is a real partnership - these cells truly guide each other."
However, the researchers say their artificial embryo is unlikely to develop into a healthy foetus as it would probably need the third form of stem cell, which develops into the yolk sac that provides nutrition.
The same team recently developed a technique that allows blastocysts to develop in the lab up to the legal limit of 14 days in the UK.
They have already grown these artificial mice embryos to the equivalent stage, and they are now working on using the same technique to develop artificial human embryos.
If they are successful, it could open the door to experimenting on embryos beyond the current 14-day limit.
Prof Jonathan Montgomery, an expert in health care law, at University College London, said: "It wouldn't, obviously, be within the current regulatory framework, although we would need to think carefully about how we should oversee it.
"It is early days, but if they do manage to not only create the partnership that's needed to get started but also the nutrition that's needed to sustain it, you could see that we are contemplating the opportunity of developing human embryos for quite a substantial period in vivo."
Prof Robin Lovell-Badge, of The Francis Crick Institute, said some structures seen in early embryos had failed to develop.
This, and other problems, would need to be solved before the technology could be developed further.
He also said it was unlikely that human equivalents could be developed because the necessary cells from human embryos were not available. | Scientists have created "artificial embryos" using stem cells from mice, in what they believe is a world first. |
38,841,198 | The 46-year-old victim suffered serious abdominal wounds in the attack early on Tuesday morning at the Britannia Hotel on Dialstone Lane in Offerton.
She was taken to hospital where she remains in a "serious but stable" condition, police said.
The 47-year-old man was arrested in Leeds on Thursday and is being held in police custody for questioning.
Ch Supt Wayne Miller said officers "believe this was an isolated incident... but our investigation continues as we follow a number of lines of inquiry".
"I would urge anyone who may have been staying at the hotel or was in the area at the time to contact us," he added. | A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder over the shooting of a woman at a hotel in Stockport. |
13,502,845 | The region is often described as "oil-rich", but after the 2009 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling in The Hague, most of the oil fields now fall outside Abyei's borders.
It does still produce oil, but the real issue here is more ethnic than economic.
Abyei is claimed by a southern group, the Dinka Ngok, and northern nomads, the Misseriya.
The Misseriya spend part of each year grazing their cows in the area as part of a great trek into greener pastures which takes them deep into South Sudan, which is due to formally become independent from the north in July following decades of conflict.
There are several prominent Dinka Ngok in both the Sudan People's Liberation Army, which fought for the south's independence, and in the SPLM, its political wing.
Armed groups of Misseriya were often used as a proxy army by Khartoum during the civil war.
The north fears alienating the Misseriya, who also live in the combustible neighbouring state of Southern Kordofan.
So both Khartoum and Juba have strong reasons to care about a seemingly insignificant patch of land.
Tensions in Abyei grew once a referendum scheduled for January on whether to join the north or the south did not take place.
There was no agreement on whether the nomadic Misseriya were eligible to vote.
A string of clashes followed, but this latest incident, involving direct confrontation between the northern and southern armed forces, is by far the most serious.
Following what they described as a "southern ambush" on their men on Thursday, the northern army seized control of Abyei town, the capital of a disputed border region, on Saturday.
To drive the point home about who is now in charge, President Omar al-Bashir issued a decree dissolving Abyei's joint administration, which was headed by a southerner.
The US and the UN condemned what they essentially characterised as a southern provocation followed by a northern over-reaction.
The UN Security Council made it clear these events would not affect southern independence on 9 July.
But nobody can say for sure whether it will be a peaceful divorce.
There are three main scenarios for what could happen next:
The most likely is that the north will keep control of Abyei.
They would start from a very strong position in the negotiations about the region's future, which would please the Misseriya.
However the south might be able to score some negotiating points since Abyei was taken by force.
A second possibility is that the northern troops will withdraw after some time.
The UN Security Council said a northern official, Amin Hassan Omar, made this commitment to it.
If this is the case, the northern armed forces will have shown their superiority, not least in terms of equipment, over the south.
The northern army rolled into Abyei with numerous tanks, following aerial bombardments and shelling, easily dispersing a numerically inferior opposition.
This reinforced the prevailing wisdom in Sudan that the southern armed forces do not have the technology or training to fight a conventional battle with the north.
That is perhaps a useful message for the north to hammer home, in the light of the charged negotiations taking place on Abyei, as well as on other issues like economic resources, and in particular oil.
The last possibility is a return to all-out conflict.
US Senator John Kerry, who has visited Sudan several times, describes the country as "ominously close to the precipice of war".
This could be triggered by a southern military response to the northern takeover of Abyei, or further northern moves.
But the initial southern public statements have been cautious, calling on the UN to get Khartoum out of Abyei, rather than threatening to counter-attack.
The southern army is stretched, as it has to deal with several rebellions, including in Unity State just over the border from Abyei.
The south firmly believes Khartoum is funding the rebellions, a charge the northern authorities have always denied.
Campaigner John Prendergast of the US-based Enough Project sees domestic political reasons why Khartoum might want to fight.
He says the influential former head of National Security, Nafie Ali Nafie, has won an internal struggle for control of President Bashir's National Congress Party's direction.
"Nafie is escalating in Darfur, Abyei, and throughout the south, seeking to address Khartoum's political problems with military force," he told the BBC.
"If the Security Council fails to grapple with this trend, we will see full-scale national war in Sudan by the time the south becomes an independent state on July 9th."
Influential Sudanese journalist Mahjoub Mohamed Salih goes further.
"What is now taking place [in Abyei] is by all standards a war between two countries," he wrote.
He believes the solution is to give the region a special status under President Bashir and Southern President Salva Kiir, and remove all armed elements from it other than UN peacekeepers.
The African Union mediation lead by former South African President Thabo Mbeki will undoubtedly have its own ideas on how to end the crisis too.
The US has already explicitly linked progress on Abyei to removing Sudan from the list of countries it believes sponsors terrorism.
But northern politicians believe the US has gone back on several promises to improve its relationship with Khartoum in the last few years, weakening US leverage.
Whatever happens next in Abyei and in north and South Sudan, there is no doubt the clash between the two armed forces has brought the spectre of a devastating new war considerably closer.
Journalist Mahjoub Mohamed Salih asks the question on everyone's mind.
"Shall we now sacrifice peace for which we paid so dearly for a limited piece of land in which both sides have undeniable rights?" | Abyei town may not look like much - a few low brick buildings scattered amongst thatched huts and dusty tracks - but this normally sleepy place is raising fears of a new Sudanese war after northern forces seized control over the weekend. |
40,863,787 | The Bears reached 361 in their second innings after a 97-run stand from Keith Barker (62 not out) and Chris Wright (41), leaving the hosts 327 to win.
Chris Woakes and Barker then tore through Middlesex's top order with three wickets each to leave them 45-6.
Steven Finn hit an entertaining 31, but Middlesex were all out for 136.
Under the stewardship of new sport director Ashley Giles and first-team coach Jim Troughton, Warwickshire had previously endured a nightmare Division One campaign, including four defeats by an innings.
However, the return of Woakes, after two months out with a side strain, provided a welcome boost for the Bears as the 28-year-old England all-rounder hit a half-century to go with his five wickets in the match.
There were also fine performances from debutant paceman Ryan Sidebottom, who took 4-29 in the first innings, on his first-ever visit to Lord's, and a career-best knock of 71 from 21-year-old batsman Matthew Lamb.
Despite taking 19 points from the capital, Warwickshire still face an uphill battle to avoid relegation, sitting 31 points behind sixth-placed Middlesex.
The hosts' plight was not helped by opener Nick Gubbins batting at eight after suffering a hamstring injury in the warm-up, but it mattered little as five of their top six batsmen made single figures.
Their hopes of retaining the County Championship title now appear to be over, with leaders Essex holding a huge points advantage over the London side.
Warwickshire first-team coach Jim Troughton told BBC WM:
"The Great Escape tune was playing in the dressing-room after the game. We know we have a lot to do but we showed what we are capable of. It's a great win for us - but it's just one win and we need to follow it up.
"When we turned up and saw the pitch we knew it would be lively and far from a typical Lord's pitch, but to bowl them out in a session in their second innings was a brilliant effort. it really was the stuff of dreams for Ryan Sidebottom, who bowled very well and fully deserved his wickets.
"In the morning Barks and Wrighty batted really well to build our advantage and, with bad weather around and the forecast bad for tomorrow, we were even starting to think are we going to have to pull out here?
"But it worked out perfectly. Woakesy showed his class and Barks with the new ball was pretty much unplayable. And an hour after the game ended it was raining." | Warwickshire finally claimed a first County Championship win of the season with a 190-run victory over defending champions Middlesex at Lord's. |
35,221,168 | In cities like Sheffield and Hull almost a third of workers can expect higher wages, the living standards think-tank says.
But it fears that could see "one wage towns" where employers cope with higher salaries for their most junior staff by failing to put up pay for more experienced workers.
The Office for Budget Responsibility has said the policy could cost 60,000 jobs.
Paul Harrison, managing director of Sheffield coach firm Central Travel, told the Today programme: "I believe long term we'll probably have to lay people off unless we can put up prices with schools and colleges."
The minimum wage for over-25s will be raised to around £9 by 2020. The Treasury describes this as a National Living Wage.
The Resolution Foundation was mentioned by the Chancellor George Osborne when he announced the higher wage in the summer budget.
It wants city regions that are to be given extra powers - like Manchester and Sheffield - to help businesses with planning and skills shortages.
Share of workers affected by 2020
Hull - 31%
Sheffield - 28%
London - 14%
Oxford - 13%
The Foundation's head Torsten Bell said many firms didn't know how to respond, and local politicians needed to take action.
He said: "They should be focusing on raising awareness in local businesses in their area, particularly in those businesses most affected."
A government spokeswoman said: "The independent Office for Budget Responsibility expects the National Living Wage to cost business just 1% of corporate profits. This will be offset by cutting corporation tax to 18% and reducing national insurance contributions for smaller firms."
Several large employers including Sainsbury's and Lidl have pledged to put up pay before the new rules come in. | Politicians must act to make sure a higher minimum wage does not leave thousands stuck for years on the lowest possible pay, according to the Resolution Foundation. |
37,832,754 | The video, filmed by the 27-year-old Smith but leaked to the media in September, showed him laughing while retired gymnast Luke Carson mimicked Islamic prayer practices.
Smith, who won pommel horse silver at Rio 2016, later said he was "deeply sorry" for his "thoughtless actions".
Carson was given a reprimand.
Smith, who won pommel horse silver at the Rio Games earlier this year, is one of Britain's best known gymnasts and won the BBC show Strictly Come Dancing in 2012.
He is currently taking a break from the sport and is touring as a guest celebrity on the Keep Dancing stage production.
British Gymnastics chief executive Jane Allen said her organisation had "no choice but to act responsibly" when dealing with Smith and Carson.
"It is regrettable that following a historic summer of achievement, the organisation finds itself in this difficult position with two high-profile members in breach of our standards of conduct," she said.
"Whilst both individuals showed remorse following the incident, we hope they use their profile to have a positive impact on sport and communities."
Former British gymnast Craig Heap, who captained England to Commonwealth Games team gold in 1998 and 2002, said he feared for Smith's safety after he revealed he had received death threats.
Heap also said he worried about Smith's "errors of judgement".
"We all do daft things," said Heap, now a pundit for BBC Sport.
"The problem is, when you become as successful and as famous as he is, there is always someone wanting to sell a story. When you are in a position of being a role model to young people, you have got to be extra careful."
British Gymnastics said Smith's ban was a "cumulative penalty" because of a previous breach of its rules on conduct.
He was reprimanded in June for posting an image on social media of an American gymnast, who was 16 when the photograph was taken, accompanied by a comment British Gymnastics said was "unbefitting to a participant".
In April, he apologised for questioning the judging at the British Championships, where he was beaten to pommel gold by Max Whitlock.
The Briton missed last month's Olympic and Paralympic celebrations to visit two London mosques "to learn more about the Muslim community".
Smith said he had previously been "ignorant to people's religion" and added on Facebook that it was his responsibility "as someone of sporting influence" to exercise freedom of speech "in good taste".
Carson's reprimand will stay on his record for two years, but the 27-year-old from Northern Ireland, who retired in 2015, is still able to coach. | Four-time Olympic medallist Louis Smith has been given a two-month ban by British Gymnastics for appearing to mock Islam in a video. |
37,476,088 | Louise Wright, 29, was cycling to work when she was dragged under Adam Haywood's beer delivery truck in July 2014.
Prosecutors said Haywood, 31, from Whitwell in Derbyshire, failed to check his mirrors before turning left at traffic lights in Nottingham.
He was found guilty of causing death by careless driving by a majority verdict.
He was given an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and has been banned from driving for two years.
A judge also ordered him to do 150 hours of unpaid work and pay £1,500 in costs.
Speaking after the verdict, Ms Wright's mother Sharon Brown said: "Nobody is a winner in this. It is just tragic what has happened. I do feel the right verdict has been reached and the sentence was fair.
"I don't get to spend any more time with her, I don't get to spend a future with her, I don't get to witness her being a wife, a mother, I don't get to be a grandmother.
"Just one short moment in time, one lapse of concentration. You think to yourself, 'what if?'. If she'd just chosen a different route... we might not be here.
"Just one short moment and it's changed everything."
Judge Jonathan Bennett said he had to "balance justice and mercy".
"There are no winners in this particular case," he said.
The trial at Derby Crown Court heard how Haywood had stopped at the lights when Miss Wright cycled down the left side of his lorry and waited near the front of his vehicle.
Jurors were told it is not illegal for a cyclist to come up the inside of a lorry, but the Highway Code recommends not to do so.
The prosecution claimed Miss Wright would not have realised Haywood intended to turn left as he did not have his indicators on.
Mr Haywood told the jury he could not remember if he had put on his indicators, but that was his normal practice.
Jurors were told there is nothing in law to say that a driver must indicate, but the Highway Code says they should.
In his evidence he claimed he checked his mirrors before turning left but did not see Miss Wright, and he believed she must have been in his blind spot.
Miss Wright was killed instantly in the accident, which happened at the junction of Lower Parliament Street and Pennyfoot Street in Nottingham city centre on 3 July 2014. | A lorry driver has been found guilty of killing a cyclist who was dragged under the wheels of his truck at a junction. |
39,783,204 | Media playback is not supported on this device
The Sharks make six changes, with 23-year-old prop James Flynn starting for the first time this season.
Bath, who need a bonus-point win and fourth-placed Leicester to get nothing at Worcester in order to reach the play-off spots, make four changes..
Luke Charteris, Anthony Watson and Nathan Catt are all absent.
They miss out along with Semesa Rokoduguni, so Matt Banahan, Beno Obano, Dave Attwood and Tom Ellis come in.
With Flynn starting at loose-head prop for Sale, Ross Harrison switches to tight-head.
Andrei Ostrikov returns in the second row with Ben Curry coming in at flanker and captain Josh Beaumont starting.
In the backs, Bryon McGuigan starts on the wing in place of Josh Charnley and Johnny Leota replaces Mark Jennings at inside centre.
Phillips, 34, - who announced his retirement in April - makes his final appearance at scrum-half while Magnus Lund and Peter Stringer are on the bench ahead of their departure from the club at the end of the season.
Bath director of rugby Todd Blackadder told BBC Radio Bristol:
"It would be really nice to make the play-offs but we are relying on someone else. You want your destiny in your own hands.
"But there's a lot of pride at stake for us. Sale are going to want to win too. We are playing for the club and personal pride.
"We have got to raise the bar this summer and set better standards for ourselves."
Sale: Haley, Solomona, James, Leota, McGuigan, MacGinty, Phillips, Flynn, Webber, Harrison, Evans, Ostrikov, B Curry, T Curry, Beaumont (capt).
Replacements: Neild, Pope, Ferreira, Nott, Lund, Stringer, Jennings, Charnley.
Bath: Homer; Banahan, Clark, Tapuai, Brew; Priestland (co-capt), Fotuali'i; Obano, Brooker, Knight, Stooke, Attwood, Ellis, Louw (co-capt), Faletau.
Replacements: Batty, Marfo, Palma-Newport, Garvey, Grant, Cook, Ford, Fruean.
For the latest rugby union news follow @bbcrugbyunion on Twitter. | Former Wales and British and Irish Lions scrum-half Mike Phillips makes his final appearance for Sale Sharks before his retirement this summer. |
39,974,811 | Taking questions in a live BBC Wales Ask the Leader special at Rhos, near Wrexham, he admitted that people needed better paid jobs.
He added that millions of the poorest people were being taken out of tax by an increase in the personal allowance.
Mr Cairns said his party was committed to supporting vulnerable people.
"Getting a job is absolutely the best way out of poverty," he said.
"But also I recognise that people need better paid jobs and the national living wage gave close to a seven percent increase to the lowest paid over the last year - so that is a positive step."
Mr Cairns said the commitment to increase the personal tax allowance to £12,500 by 2020 "will take millions of the poorest people, poorest earners, out of paying tax altogether".
The Welsh secretary also insisted Theresa May was the best person to negotiate the right Brexit deal for the whole UK economy with the remaining European Union member states.
"There could be 27 nations lining up to oppose us and on that basis we need a strong leader in order to be challenging them," he said.
Mr Cairns also backed the prime minister's pledge to hold a free vote of MPs on fox hunting and that he supported ending the ban.
"I will vote to repeal the ban because it doesn't work as it is," he said. "Even Tony Blair who was the prime minister who committed to introducing it says he regrets it".
He added: "I think there's a whole host of things that we can do that would be more effective in achieving what people want to achieve".
There is no doubt what this election is about for the Conservatives. Theresa May has repeated "strong and stable" and it does not seem as though she will stop any time soon. The prime minister is determined to make this election about Brexit and how a vote for the Tories means a vote for her to have a "strong hand" at the negotiating table with the EU. An added dimension to this election is the potential for the Conservatives to make significant gains in Wales.
Recent polling data from the Wales Governance Centre suggests the Conservatives may be on course to become the largest party in Wales, a huge electoral breakthrough which would see the Labour Party losing its position as the dominant party in Wales, which it has held since 1922.
More from Nye | Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns has defended the UK Government's record on poverty, saying he believed the best way out of it is to "get a job". |
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