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The former Burton boss was replaced by Gianfranco Zola at St Andrew's after more than two years with the Blues.
Rowett, 42, left Birmingham seventh in the Championship, only outside the play-off places on goal difference.
"I am extremely disappointed that my time as manager of Birmingham City has come to an end," said Rowett in a League Managers' Association statement.
"I felt we were only halfway through the project and I strongly believed we were on course to achieve our objectives."
Birmingham lost 2-1 at home to Brighton in their first match under Zola on Saturday.
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank the players, fans and everyone at the club for their support and hard work during my time at Birmingham City," added Rowett.
"I wish them well for the future and look forward to my next challenge in the game." | Gary Rowett says he is already looking forward to his next managerial job after being sacked by Birmingham City. | 38357372 |
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Carter, who clipped a first-minute chance onto the roof of the net, gave the Gunners a deserved early lead with a fine solo run and curled finish.
Asisat Oshoala then spurned three good chances to double Arsenal's lead.
Fran Kirby wasted Chelsea's best opening in front of a record Women's FA Cup final crowd of 32,912.
The England striker lacked direction with her first-half strike after running through, allowing goalkeeper Sari Van Veenendaal to save at the near post.
Ji So-Yun also went close after the break, shooting wide following their first corner after 70 minutes but the Gunners were excellent value for the victory.
Arsenal's greater mobility, movement in midfield and high-pressing was key to their fast start.
Jordan Nobbs, Fara Williams and Carter were key in denying space and stopping the supply line to Chelsea's front four.
Holding duo Katie Chapman and Drew Spence were constantly harassed and crowded out, meaning last year's Wembley matchwinner Ji was starved of possession.
The high-tempo approach set the tone for Arsenal's impressive display and the margin of victory - against a Blues side who had won all seven of their matches so far this season - should have been greater.
Carter's sensational first-half strike was a fitting way to win an intriguing final in front of a record crowd.
Some nimble footwork saw her cut inside Hannah Blundell and send a glorious strike curling into the far post.
But the Gunners wasted numerous chances to avoid a nervy finale.
The most notable opportunities fell to the otherwise excellent Oshoala, who wasted two good chances when through on goal, and Josephine Henning, who headed wide from a corner after the interval.
Ultimately Carter's eye-catching goal was enough but Kelly Smith's contribution was just as vital.
The England legend's inclusion raised a few eyebrows but her composure and quality shone through.
The 37-year-old was increasingly influential, finding and creating space in the centre of the pitch and picking out willing runners time and time again.
At the other end Chelsea's key player Ji, and her fellow attackers Kirby, Karen Carney and Gemma Davison were peripheral figures.
Kirby should have scored when Chelsea had their best spell just after going behind, and Davison made several dangerous runs, but the end product was lacking and Arsenal were not to be denied.
Arsenal and England defender Casey Stoney: "It's probably the greatest moment in my career.
"I'm so proud of my team today, we stepped up and we won it.
"We got our tactics spot-on and we deserved to win it today."
Arsenal club captain Kelly Smith: "The team were outstanding today, from the first minute to the last minute we really turned up.
"We wanted the cup back and we're really pleased with how the performance went.
"This is the cup that we all want to be involved in and an occasion like this is an unreal experience and one I'll cherish for the rest of my life."
Match ends, Arsenal Ladies 1, Chelsea Ladies 0.
Second Half ends, Arsenal Ladies 1, Chelsea Ladies 0.
Corner, Chelsea Ladies. Conceded by Daniëlle van de Donk.
Attempt missed. Francesca Kirby (Chelsea Ladies) right footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left.
Attempt blocked. Gemma Davison (Chelsea Ladies) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Bethany England.
Substitution, Arsenal Ladies. Leah Williamson replaces Asisat Oshoala.
Bethany England (Chelsea Ladies) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Daniëlle van de Donk (Arsenal Ladies) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Bethany England (Chelsea Ladies).
Alex Scott (Arsenal Ladies) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Bethany England (Chelsea Ladies).
Asisat Oshoala (Arsenal Ladies) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Asisat Oshoala (Arsenal Ladies).
Ana Borges (Chelsea Ladies) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Attempt missed. Asisat Oshoala (Arsenal Ladies) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.
Attempt blocked. Danielle Carter (Arsenal Ladies) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Jordan Nobbs.
Attempt blocked. Bethany England (Chelsea Ladies) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Attempt blocked. Ji So-Yun (Chelsea Ladies) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Substitution, Chelsea Ladies. Bethany England replaces Millie Bright.
Substitution, Arsenal Ladies. Dominique Janssen replaces Fara Williams.
Substitution, Arsenal Ladies. Daniëlle van de Donk replaces Kelly Smith.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Sari van Veenendaal (Arsenal Ladies) because of an injury.
Attempt missed. Ji So-Yun (Chelsea Ladies) right footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses the top right corner. Assisted by Gilly Flaherty with a headed pass following a corner.
Corner, Chelsea Ladies. Conceded by Casey Stoney.
Offside, Arsenal Ladies. Fara Williams tries a through ball, but Vicky Losada is caught offside.
Fara Williams (Arsenal Ladies) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Millie Bright (Chelsea Ladies).
Attempt missed. Vicky Losada (Arsenal Ladies) right footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the left following a corner.
Corner, Arsenal Ladies. Conceded by Hannah Blundell.
Attempt missed. Josephine Henning (Arsenal Ladies) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Fara Williams with a cross following a corner.
Corner, Arsenal Ladies. Conceded by Katie Chapman.
Corner, Arsenal Ladies. Conceded by Ana Borges.
Attempt saved. Asisat Oshoala (Arsenal Ladies) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Kelly Smith with a through ball.
Attempt missed. Eniola Aluko (Chelsea Ladies) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Ji So-Yun.
Foul by Kelly Smith (Arsenal Ladies).
Hannah Blundell (Chelsea Ladies) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt blocked. Hannah Blundell (Chelsea Ladies) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Corner, Arsenal Ladies. Conceded by Katie Chapman.
Substitution, Chelsea Ladies. Eniola Aluko replaces Karen Carney. | Danielle Carter's goal delivered a record 14th Women's FA Cup trophy for Arsenal as they dominated holders Chelsea at Wembley Stadium. | 36281818 |
Cook, 50, had a year left on his deal at Pompey, after promotion in his second full season at Fratton Park.
Portsmouth had offered a lucrative new contract to Cook, but the former Wigan player opted for the relegated Championship club instead.
He replaces interim boss Graham Barrow, who left the Latics on Monday.
"It was only a minute ago at Portsmouth we were winning the league and we really did think our future was going to be there. But the way things have transpired with new ownership coming in that isn't the case," Cook told the Wigan club website.
"The challenge at Wigan is exciting. It's been such a quick transition, it will take a little bit of time to sink in but like every manager I want to get to work right away, get to know the squad, the staff and everything about the club as quickly as we can which will hopefully see us start the season strong."
Pompey have also lost assistant Leam Richardson, after he moved to the DW Stadium with Cook, having worked with him at Accrington Stanley, Chesterfield and Portsmouth.
Wigan's head of medical Mick Rathbone, interim first team coach John Doolan and first-team fitness coach Jimmy Barrow have left the club.
Cook's track record of taking clubs forward, as he did with both Chesterfield and Portsmouth, bodes well for Wigan as they seek an immediate second-tier return.
He inherits a squad that came back down to League One just 12 months after promotion, on the back of two managerial departures within the same season.
Gary Caldwell, whose appointment brought the League One title to Wigan after relegation in 2014-15, left in the October and his successor Warren Joyce lasted a further four months with just six wins from 24.
Portsmouth's first steps towards returning to the heights of their Premier League days were realised under Cook's stewardship.
With his departure confirmed, BBC Radio Solent understand former Wolves and Millwall manager Kenny Jackett tops Pompey's shortlist of managers to replace Cook.
But whoever comes in could become part of a new era after the Pompey Supporters Trust voted in favour of a takeover by former Disney chief executive Michael Eisner. | Wigan Athletic have appointed Paul Cook as manager on a three-year-contract after agreeing a compensation package with League Two champions Portsmouth. | 40093234 |
The Potters midfielder scored in the 2-2 draw on 6 October but came off after the break in Vienna.
Allen was ruled out of Sunday's 1-1 draw against Georgia after scans showed the extent of the injury.
"We're still checking on Joe, he hasn't trained with the group yet," the former Wales manager said.
"We would have given him an extra day's rest but he trained with Wales and that's probably compromised him a little bit so they have to be a little bit careful in that regard."
Hughes' side face Sunderland at home on Saturday, hoping to pick up their first win in the Premier League this season, but the Stoke boss hopes the summer signing from Liverpool will be fit to feature against the Black Cats.
"We've just got to be a little bit careful with him; unfortunately he probably did a little bit too much with the Welsh squad," Hughes said.
Hughes later spoke at a press conference about Allen's injury and was asked if the player would be fit to face Sunderland.
"Joe Allen is doubtful, but we are hopeful on him," replied Hughes.
"He has had a bit of discomfort, which is probably down to the workload he has put in.
"He has had a busy summer and is now playing week in, week out, which maybe he hasn't done for a while.
"You can see the amount of work he puts in on the pitch, so we have to be a little bit careful with him."
The Football Association of Wales declined to comment when contacted by BBC Wales Sport. | Stoke City manager Mark Hughes says Joe Allen was "compromised" on Wales duty after he picked up a hamstring injury in their draw against Austria. | 37647443 |
Eight of the so-called "K6" boxes will replace modern ones following a £25m revamp of Hull city centre for the City of Culture arts festival.
The cast-iron kiosk was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott to mark the Silver Jubilee of King George V in 1935.
Unlike the red ones elsewhere, Hull's boxes are cream coloured as the local phone company is independent from BT.
More on this and other Hull stories
Adam Fowler, from the City of Hull and Humber Environment Forum, said he welcomed the return of the K6.
"Cream telephone boxes are instantly recognisable as uniquely Hull," he said.
"They are a proud symbol of the city and an expression of our culture."
Mr Fowler added that a number of the existing K6 boxes in Hull are Grade II-listed "as buildings of national architectural and historic importance".
Cathy Phillips, from phone operator KCOM said the company was asked by Hull City Council to reinstate the "iconic" kiosks. | Several historic cream-coloured telephone boxes are being put back on Hull's streets. | 38635768 |
The 28-year-old striker scored four goals in eight National League appearances after during his two-month loan from Woking earlier this year.
He has previous Football League experience with Cambridge United and has also played for Forest Green Rovers, Lincoln City and Boreham Wood.
He is Maidstone manager Jay Saunders' first signing ahead of next season.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Delano Sam-Yorke has joined Maidstone United on a permanent deal after a successful loan spell this season. | 39861939 |
AMC Networks said production on the eighth season of the hit zombie TV series was "temporarily" shut down after Wednesday's "tragic" accident.
A coroner in Georgia confirmed Bernecker died of blunt force trauma in hospital in Atlanta.
The stuntman's other credits include Black Panther, Logan and the 2015 version of Fantastic Four.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who plays Negan in The Walking Dead, paid tribute on Twitter. "Deep sorrow today, and for every tomorrow," he wrote.
"Love, respect, and condolences to johns family, and friends. He will be forever missed."
Kellan Lutz, a star of the Twilight film series, remembered Bernecker as "one of the best, most talented stuntmen I have ever been blessed to work with."
A statement posted by the LifeLink Foundation, an organ donor network, said: "The family of John Bernecker is heartbroken to confirm that John has passed away from injuries sustained earlier this week.
"Although devastated by their loss, John's loved ones have ensured his legacy will live on, not only through the personal and professional contributions he made during his life, but also by their generous decision to allow John to save lives as an organ donor."
The Walking Dead showrunner Scott M Gimple said: "Our production is heartbroken by the tragic loss of John Bernecker.
"John's work on The Walking Dead and dozens of other movies and shows will continue to entertain and excite audiences for generations. We are grateful for his contributions, and all of us send our condolences, love, and prayers to John's family and friends."
AMC said Bernecker's family had decided that he would be removed from life support following organ donation.
"We are deeply saddened by this loss and our hearts and prayers are with John's family, friends and colleagues during this extremely difficult time," the network said in a statement.
The actors' union SAG-AFTRA described Bernecker's death as "heartbreaking".
It added: "The safety of our members is paramount. We will work with the authorities and closely monitor their investigations into this tragic incident."
The programme stars Andrew Lincoln, Danai Gurira, Norman Reedus and Cohan as the survivors of an epidemic that has wiped out much of humanity after a zombie apocalypse.
Based on the comic books by Robert Kirkman, the show is due to return to screens in October.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | Stuntman John Bernecker has died after suffering a fall on the set of The Walking Dead. | 40606244 |
In a 1,800-word statement, "John Doe" reveals he has never worked for a spy agency or a government.
He starts the statement by citing "income equality" as a motive.
The Panama Papers have shown how some wealthy people use offshore firms to evade tax and avoid sanctions.
The papers belonged to the Mossack Fonseca law firm. It denies any wrongdoing and says it is the victim of a hack.
The papers were investigated by hundreds of investigative journalists, including from the BBC, who worked in secret with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) for months.
The documents have revealed the hidden assets of hundreds of politicians, officials, current and former national leaders, celebrities and sports stars.
They list more than 200,000 shell companies, foundations and trusts set up in tax havens around the world.
The John Doe statement came shortly before US President Barack Obama delivered an address on the economy, in which he cited the Panama Papers as highlighting the problem of corruption and tax evasion.
He said the US would require banks to identify those behind shell corporations. Mr Obama said his administration's actions would allow it to do a better job of making sure people paid taxes.
Although the name John Doe is used, the gender of the source has not been revealed.
In the statement, The Revolution will be Digitized, John Doe starts by saying: "Income equality is one of the defining issues of our time."
He adds: "Banks, financial regulators and tax authorities have failed. Decisions have been made that have spared the wealthy while focusing instead on reining in middle- and low-income citizens."
He goes on to say: "Thousands of prosecutions could stem from the Panama Papers, if only law enforcement could access and evaluate the actual documents.
"ICIJ and its partner publications have rightly stated that they will not provide them to law enforcement agencies.
"I, however, would be willing to co-operate with law enforcement to the extent that I am able."
But he adds: "Legitimate whistleblowers who expose unquestionable wrongdoing, whether insiders or outsiders, deserve immunity from government retribution."
Responding to speculation about his or her identity, John Doe's statement says: "For the record, I do not work for any government or intelligence agency, directly or as a contractor, and I never have.
"My viewpoint is entirely my own, as was my decision to share the documents with Suddeutsche Zeitung and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), not for any specific political purpose, but simply because I understood enough about their contents to realise the scale of the injustices they described."
John Doe says that global judicial systems have "utterly failed to address the metastasizing tax havens spotting Earth's surface".
He says: "I decided to expose Mossack Fonseca because I thought its founders, employees and clients should have to answer for their roles in these crimes, only some of which have come to light thus far.
"It will take years, possibly decades, for the full extent of the firm's sordid acts to become known."
Panama-based Mossack Fonseca says it was hacked by servers based abroad and has filed a complaint with the Panamanian attorney general's office.
It says it has not acted illegally and that information was being misrepresented. | The anonymous source behind the leak of the Panama Papers has spoken for the first time, offering to help law authorities make prosecutions in return for immunity. | 36232142 |
It follows Royal British Legion research showing working-age veterans are at greater risk of depression, chronic health conditions and poverty.
The Families of Veterans' Support Service will be launched by Barnardo's Cymru at the Senedd on Thursday.
The Welsh Affairs Committee estimated 250,000 veterans could be in Wales.
Research also showed those who experienced difficulties - such as school expulsion or having parents with drug or alcohol problems - before entering the military were more likely to be experiencing difficulties now.
"Service families are often faced with unique challenges ranging from family members returning home with a combat injury or illness such as post traumatic stress disorder, to children having to adapt to a succession of new schools, disrupting their education and limiting their opportunities to sustain long term friendships," the charity's Dr Sam Clutton said.
Work will take a "whole family approach", from therapy and counselling for veterans in prison to support aimed at building "resilience" in children and their families.
The project is part funded by £433,000 from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund. | Support is to be unveiled for veterans who find it hard to adjust, are caught in the criminal justice system or are at risk of falling into crime. | 38908731 |
The 79-year-old made her name in the Forsyte Saga and recently appeared in BBC One soap opera EastEnders, but had to withdraw after a short stint.
Her agent said Tyzack, who is thought to have had cancer, "died peacefully at home" on Saturday with her family by her side.
A statement issued by her agent said the actress "will be greatly missed by her family and friends".
It said she will be remembered for "her outstanding contribution to the world of theatre, film and television and for the support and inspiration she gave to young actors".
"Maggie faced her illness with the strength, courage, dignity and even humour with which she lived her life," it said.
Brian Blessed, who starred with Tyzack in I, Claudius, told the BBC: "She was one of the most natural and great actresses of our times and also one of the greatest actresses I've ever worked with.
"She completed a huge array of work over the years in TV, film and theatre and it's such a terrible loss. She should have been made a Dame 10 times over."
Michael Grandage directed her in The Chalk Garden three years ago.
"I was fortunate enough to work with Margaret Tyzack at the Donmar where, according to many critics, she gave one of the greatest performances of her career in The Chalk Garden," he told the BBC.
"She brought an extraordinary depth to the role as well as her impeccable comic timing. There was a lot of herself invested in Mrs St Maugham - a lack of sentimentality, a great pragmatism, incredible loyalty and a huge heart. We will all miss her."
Tyzack, who was awarded the CBE last year, was best-known for her classical stage roles and won numerous awards for her stage work including two Oliviers and a Tony.
The actress landed the role of Winifred, Soames's sister, in The Forsyte Saga in 1967.
The programme became so popular vicars complained it affected attendance at Sunday evening services.
Tyzack also played Sir Derek Jacobi's mother Antonia in Roman saga I, Claudius.
She won a Tony award in 1991 for her role opposite Dame Maggie Smith in Lettice and Lovage and was seen at the National Theatre in 2009 alongside Dame Helen Mirren in Phedre.
In April, it was announced that Tyzack was to join EastEnders to play Lydia Simmonds, the maternal grandmother of Albert Square regular Janine Butcher.
Bryan Kirkwood, executive producer of EastEnders, said: "I'm so sad to hear the tragic news about Margaret.
"Even though we only worked together for a brief time, Margaret made a great impact with EastEnders. She was a fabulous actress and an inspiration to us all and she will be sorely missed.
Our thoughts are with her family."
Tyzack won an Olivier award for best actress for her performance as Martha in the National Theatre's revival of Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf in 1981.
In 2008, she picked up another Olivier for her role as the eccentric Mrs St Maugham in Grandage's revival of Enid Bagnold's The Chalk Garden at the Donmar Warehouse in London with Penelope Wilton.
After her Olivier win, she spoke out about the lack of roles for older women in theatre and television.
She also appeared in several films including Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey and A Clockwork Orange and Woody Allen's Match Point.
Her other TV credits include Midsomer Murders, Rosemary and Thyme, Doc Martin and Quatermass. | Actress Margaret Tyzack has died after a brief illness, her agent has said. | 13936252 |
GDP grew at an annual pace of 0.7%, down from a rate of 2.1% in the final three months of last year.
The Dow Jones fell 23.47 points to 20,957.86, while the S&P 500 was down just 0.57 points to 2,388.20.
Strong results from tech companies pushed the Nasdaq to another record.
The tech-focused index closed at a record high on Thursday, and as trading began on Friday it added another 17.27 points to 6,066.20.
Shares in Google owner Alphabet helped to lift the Nasdaq, rising 4.3% after it reported a 29% increase in first quarter profits to $5.43bn.
Qualcomm shares fell 3.2% after an escalation in the dispute between itself and Apple. The chipmaker said Apple was withholding royalty payments until a legal spat between the two is settled.
Shares in Starbucks fell 3% after the coffee chain's quarterly revenues fell short of expectations and it cut its full-year profit forecast. | Wall Street had a steady start to the day, despite the latest growth data indicating the US economy grew at its slowest pace for three years in the first quarter of 2017. | 39747533 |
US Ambassador Richard Morningstar met the pro-democracy activists and said he was "troubled by the government's reaction to protests this year".
The chief prosecutor linked the project to a youth movement called N!DA, seven of whose members have been arrested.
The US ambassador condemned the arrest and interrogation of young activists.
"I was particularly disappointed to hear that authorities closed Free Thought University's office just last night," he said, adding that as "a friend of Azerbaijan" he wanted to see "government engagement with citizens, especially its young citizens, to address their legitimate concerns".
The chief prosecutor's office denied that the university had been closed, but said its officers had seized documents from the project.
The university's founders insist that it has "no affiliation with any other organisation".
Seven N!DA activists are being held on charges of possession of drugs and firearms, which can incur a penalty of five to eight years' imprisonment.
Local television broadcast confessional videos of the accused, who said they had wanted to "cause trouble" and throw petrol bombs at the police.
There have been several unusually big street protests in Azerbaijan this year - an election year for President Ilham Aliyev. Human rights groups have accused his government of stifling dissent and harassing journalists.
Crowds in the capital Baku twice protested against a rise in non-combat deaths in the army. They were dispersed by police using baton charges and water cannon.
Senior members of the ruling party have sharply criticised youth activists who organise on social networking sites, calling them "radical" and "wayward". | The US government has criticised Azerbaijan for acting against a Western-funded pro-democracy project called the Free Thought University. | 22124075 |
The PM said 22,000 such offenders had been deported since 2010, but that "too many obstacles" hampered the process - including human rights legislation.
But shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said "tough talk" from the government was simply "not enough".
A report found the number of foreign prisoners in the UK had gone up. Last year £850m was spent managing them.
The National Audit Office (NAO) report found the increase in foreign national offenders (FNOs) had occurred despite a near tenfold increase in officials working on their cases.
There were 12,250 FNOs in the UK at the end of March this year, the report found.
Officials estimated that between January 2009 and March 2014, 151 left prison without being considered for deportation and one in six in the community - 760 convicted criminals - had absconded.
Addressing the issue at Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Cameron said the government was "making progress" on a "difficult issue to get right".
"The report is very clear that, since 2013, for the first time we've got a proper cross-government strategy to deal with this," he added.
But said there remained "too many obstacles in the way in terms of human rights legislation that we need to change".
Taking an urgent House of Commons question, Home Secretary Theresa May said the issue had "beset successive governments".
She said the main problem the government faced was around "litigation" - saying appeals by offenders had increased by 28%.
"The countless appeals and re-appeals lodged by criminals attempting to cheat the system cost us all money and are an affront to British justice," she said.
And pointing the finger at the previous Labour administration, she said the Home Office "did not prioritise the removal of foreign national offenders before 2005".
However, shadow home secretary Ms Cooper said fewer foreign criminals were being deported each year than in 2010 - despite the prime minister labelling it a "major priority".
Dominic Casciani, BBC home affairs correspondent
There have been six commitments or legislative changes since 2006 which ministers have claimed would lead to more removals of foreign national offenders - but the performance hasn't improved. So what's to blame? Ministers, officials, bureaucracy or human rights law?
The law is part of this picture - but the frank reality is that removing some FNOs is legally extremely difficult if they have a genuine and provable connection to the UK - such as British-born children.
But page after page of the NAO report shows there have been huge bureaucratic failings - missing case files, officials from different parts of government incapable of sharing information. Some 35 offenders stayed last year because somebody forgot to take their passport to the airport. Another seven removals failed because nobody had booked them a plane ticket.
That's why many, many critics say the real problem is the dysfunctional nature of an immigration service that, in the infamous words of former Home Secretary John Reid, is not fit for purpose.
"It's no good blaming appeals and human rights because the NAO has found that over a third of failed removals were the result of factors within the Home Office's control," Labour's Ms Cooper told MPs.
"Failure to fill in the forms, failure to get the papers there, failure even to book the plane tickets that were needed."
The government was "simply not doing enough", she added.
BBC assistant political editor Norman Smith said the Commons exchanges had been a "pretty ugly blame game" with a lot of "finger pointing".
And Tania Bassett, of the National Association of Probation Officers, said "massive" cuts to the Ministry of Justice's budget had led to ongoing issues with "failing IT systems and antiquated systems of processing data and offenders".
She added: "The Ministry of Justice, in terms of working with foreign national prisoners, has actually very little contact with the Home Office, and we need a government policy that actually brings those two systems and those two departments much closer together." | David Cameron has said the "buck stops with me" when it comes to deporting foreign criminals from the UK. | 29726764 |
Twenty-eight of the UK's finest trees have been unveiled by the Woodland Trust to compete in the European tree of the year contest.
There were almost 200 nominations from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The winner will be chosen in a public vote.
And it will go on to compete in the European tree of the year contest.
The Birnam Oak in Perthshire is thought to be the last survivor of the ancient medieval oakwood mentioned in Macbeth.
It is believed Shakespeare was inspired when he visited the area in 1599 as part of a troupe of travelling players.
The oak had to endure flooding after Storm Desmond, and had some branches removed earlier this year, but needs more work.
The Craigends Yew in Houston, Renfrewshire, is one of the largest and oldest in Scotland.
It is thought to be up to 700 years old. The circumference of the tree's crown is 100m (328ft).
The Bicycle Tree at Brig o' Turk, in the Trossachs, is a sycamore which self-seeded in the late 1800s.
It sprouted up near a blacksmith's workshop and has devoured a number of items including an anchor and a horse's bridle.
It gets its name from the bicycle embedded in it, which legend has it was left hanging over a branch by a local man who went off to serve in the First World War, never to return.
Local people have succeeded in getting a preservation order on the tree.
The Morinda Spruce is in Hopetoun near Edinburgh.
This tree was planted in 1824 from a seed collected in the Himalayas which was then grown into seedlings and grafted on to Norway Spruce roots by the Earl of Hopetoun's head gardener James Smith.
The "Ding Dong" Tree is found at Prestonpans Primary School in East Lothian.
It is a copper beech which the school's head teacher said was so woven into the life of the school it was almost like having a member of staff.
Its name comes from a tig game invented by pupils which involves the tree. Its canopy makes it an outdoor classroom and it is the subject of many science and art projects.
Niel Gow's Oak in Dunkeld, is a tree that inspired the famous fiddler.
According to legend, he wrote many of his strathspeys and reels, while his patron the Duke of Atholl would stand on the other side of the River Tay listening to the music. | Trees including a bicycle-eating sycamore and an oak that inspired a famous fiddler are on the shortlist of Scotland's favourite trees. | 37400353 |
Oriel Mostyn was described as "a civic landmark of national importance to Wales" at the presentation at the event in Wrexham.
Meanwhile, Caernarfon artist, Bedwyr Williams and photographer Helen Sear of Risca won fine art medals.
Visitor numbers to the Eisteddfod on the first day were 17,881, while 1,586 attended Friday's opening concert.
The gallery at Mostyn reopened in March 2010 after a £5.1m refurbishment.
Warrington-based Ellis Williams Architects added two new galleries to the existing ones in the Grade II listed building.
They were given a brief to design "simplicity, subtlety and sophistication plus one or two surprises".
Mhairi McVicar, judge and lecturer at the Welsh School of Architecture, said the result was "highly ambitious and beautifully executed".
She said: "We were impressed by the way natural light had been brought into the building and the gallery spaces link together seamlessly, not only providing the ideal environment for exhibits, but clearly a highly enjoyable and uplifting space for visitors."
The competition, sponsored by the Design Commission for Wales, also highly commended the new WISE building at the Centre for Alternative Technology at Machynlleth, which was recognised for its "extraordinarily high quality".
Bedwyr Williams, who won a fine art medal, was praised for his eclectic and subverted work which gave a "positive spin" to rural sub cultures in Wales.
These included green wellies - carved and stuffed with straw - a photo of a farmer gazing up a mountain road and a makeover of the cover of a smallholders' publication.
"Bedwyr Williams is mixing the traditional and contemporary in way that needs no prior knowledge of art history or over-conceptualised clap-trap," said medal selector Steffan Jones-Hughes.
"It is right that an artist of his stature and a major player in contemporary British art is recognised by the National Eisteddfod of Wales at this time."
Helen Sear's photos were called "visually beautiful" but "unsettling" and which make the combination of the ordinary into something quite extraordinary" by the judges.
Meanwhile, the Eisteddfod is also hosting an exhibition of the work of locally-born photographer Geoff Charles.
He worked for local newspapers in Wales and England during the late 1920s and early 30s and then returned to his home town of Wrexham in the mid 1930s.
Without Words covers images taken by Charles over 40 years, which are now held by the National Library of Wales.
"There are recurring themes associated with the day to day to meet the diet of expected stories, but there are also images as questions as to what Wales was, is and might be," said exhibition curators Russell Roberts and Peter Finnemore. | A modern art gallery in Llandudno has won the national Eisteddfod's gold medal for architecture. | 14357992 |
Dale Pryde, 20, admitted climbing over fencing before running towards Mr Wallace at Hampden Park.
He also pled guilty to punching a Rangers fan and hitting another with a chair.
Pryde, of Greendykes, Edinburgh, was ordered to wear a tag for three months and carry out 250 hours of unpaid work.
Passing sentence at Glasgow Sheriff Court, sheriff Kenneth Hogg said he noted that Pryde was "deeply remorseful" although he said that his actions "merited the jail".
He added: "A footballer, no matter which team they play for, does not go on to a pitch to enable somebody at a later stage to run on and attempt to assault them - that's lunacy."
The court had heard how Pryde assaulted Jordan Gilmour by punching him on the head after the match that saw Hibs beat Rangers 3-2.
Pryde also admitted assaulting Megan Boyd by hitting her on the body with a chair during the same incident.
Defence lawyer Susan Walker said: "He's a Hibs supporter, he was overtaken by the occasion and behaved completely inappropriately. He completely accepts that."
She told the court Pryde drank too much and had "experimented with cocaine" at the time.
Ms Walker said: "He appears to have expressed genuine remorse and shame about his behaviour."
Thousands of Hibs fans jumped the barriers at the final whistle after their team won its first Scottish Cup Final in 114 years.
A number of Rangers fans also came on to the pitch.
More than 100 people have since been arrested and charged. | A Hibs fan who tried to punch Rangers player Lee Wallace during the pitch invasion that followed last year's Scottish Cup Final has avoided jail. | 39446695 |
The annual inflation rate as measured by the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rose to 0.6% in July from 0.5% in June, the Office for National Statistics said.
More expensive alcoholic drinks and hotel rooms also helped to increase the CPI rate, the ONS said.
The Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure of inflation rose to 1.9% in July from 1.6% in June.
July's RPI inflation rate sets the cap for how much regulated rail fares in England, Scotland and Wales can rise by next year.
Separate figures from the ONS suggested that the fall in the value of the pound since the UK's referendum vote to leave the EU had increased the cost of imports for manufacturers.
Input prices faced by manufacturers rose 4.3% in the year to July, compared with a fall of 0.5% in the year to June.
The most dramatic rises came in the cost of imported food materials, which rose 10.2%, and the price of imported metals, which rose 12.4%.
In addition, the prices of finished goods leaving the factory gate were 0.3% higher than a year earlier, the first annual increase since June 2014.
"There is no obvious impact on today's consumer prices figures following the EU referendum result, though the Producer Prices Index (PPI) suggests the fall in the exchange rate is beginning to push up import price faced by manufacturers," said Mike Prestwood, head of prices at the ONS.
However, Samuel Tombs, chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, said the fall in sterling was "entirely responsible" for the rise in CPI inflation to the highest rate since November 2014.
Against the dollar, the pound is some 13% below its level in the run-up to the referendum and 10% lower against the euro.
"Sterling's depreciation ensured that pump prices rose by 0.7% month-to-month even though dollar oil prices declined," he said.
"As a result, we continue to think that CPI inflation will hit 3% in the second half of 2017."
As prices for companies rise, the pressure to keep down costs may be bad for wages, according to Howard Archer, chief UK and european economist at IHS Global Insight.
He said: "Companies may well look to clamp down on workers' pay as they strive to save costs in a more difficult environment and as imported input prices are lifted by the weakened pound.
"Meanwhile, a likely softening labour market and reduced consumer confidence will dilute workers' ability and willingness to push for higher pay awards."
And even if inflation looks set to rise above the government's target of 2%, he believes the Bank of England is still likely to lower interest rates further to stimulate growth.
Mr Archer said he expected the Bank to take interest rates down to 0.10% in November from it current level of 0.25% and said: "It is notable that the MPC considered taking interest rates down to just above zero at their August meeting and that a majority of members thought there was a case to do so." | Rising fuel prices helped to push the UK's inflation rate higher last month, according to official figures. | 37092745 |
The 30ft (9.1m) male sperm whale died at Hunstanton on Friday after a rescue attempt failed.
It is thought to be from the same pod as three whales washed up in Skegness.
King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council said the guards would stop people touching the whale or removing parts from the body.
The carcass is to be cut up and removed from the beach.
Read more on this story and others from Norfolk
At the weekend crowds stood close to the whale at Hunstanton, with some touching and stroking it.
Brian Long, from the borough council, took his son to see it on Sunday.
"It can nurture an understanding that you just don't get from seeing a picture in a book or on the television," he said.
"[But] we don't want to see people scavenging, as has happened before."
The council will employ a contractor that specialises in the disposal of animals to remove the body, which is estimated to weigh about 30 tonnes.
"Because of its size and weight, it needs to be removed section by section and it's not pleasant at all," said Mr Long.
Scientists from the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme investigate all whale, dolphin and porpoise strandings in the UK and have taken samples from the carcass.
Programme organiser Rob Deaville said they will test the skin, blubber, teeth and blood to ascertain cause of death.
This then determines how the body is disposed of, either by incineration or disposal in landfill.
The council said it had consulted with Public Health England and was warning people not to touch the whale or allow dogs to come into contact with it.
Water quality may have been affected, so shellfish should not be collected and eaten and anyone taking part in water sports should seek medical advice if they feel unwell.
Sperm whales are deep sea mammals and do not belong in the shallow waters of the North Sea.
About five or six sperm whales are stranded in the UK each year. | Security guards have been employed to prevent people from "scavenging" from the carcass of a sperm whale that got stranded on a Norfolk beach. | 35395107 |
Beginning with a massive impact that left a disc of material swirling around the proto-Earth, it predicts how our satellite clumped together over time.
By splitting this process into two phases, it is the first model to account for some crucial differences between Moon and Earth rocks.
The work appears in Nature Geoscience.
In general, the Earth and Moon are remarkably alike in their mineral make-up. This has led scientists to propose that the smash-up that eventually spawned the Moon was caused by a Mars-sized interloper made of surprisingly similar stuff to Earth.
But there are some noteworthy differences, which Moon origin models have struggled to account for.
"One of the key differences, that's been known since the Apollo sample return, is that the Moon is much more depleted in so-called volatile elements - those that vaporise easily as you heat up material," said Dr Robin Canup, the new study's lead author, from the Southwest Research Institute in Colorado, US.
"And the origin of this depletion has been essentially unknown."
These volatile elements, it is worth noting, are not things we think of as wet and wispy here on Earth; Dr Canup and her colleagues were looking primarily at metals like zinc, potassium and sodium - which are volatile in the context of Solar System formation.
To address the problem of the Moon's missing volatiles, Dr Canup's team added temperature and chemical models to a framework they had already developed for the physical dynamics of how the Moon assembled from the magma disc.
In the very first months and years after the collision, about half the Moon's mass was crunched into a ball at the fringe of the disc, which at that stage surrounded the fledgling Earth like Saturn's rings. Because this early material came from the edge of the rings, it was cool and contained a good mix of volatile elements.
But subsequently, the outer half of the Moon was formed by molten material slapping on to the expanding satellite from the inner portion of the disc.
This stuff, according to Dr Canup's new model, was too hot for volatile elements to condense with it. So the Moon's outer layers - where all the rocks we've sampled come from - ended up "volatile-poor".
"What we find," she told the BBC, "is that the initial half of the Moon, say 50% of its mass, may well have retained its volatile species. But for the last half, as that material accreted on to the Moon, it was consistently too hot to contain the volatile species."
After accumulating these two layers, the model suggests that the Moon swung further away from the Earth. This is a key aspect of the findings, Dr Canup explained, because it locks the discrepancy in place.
"The Moon's orbit expands enough to turn off its accretion, before the inner disc gets cool enough for the volatiles to condense.
"So by the time they do condense, they're scattered on to the Earth rather than swept up by the Moon."
Dr Mahesh Anand, a planetary scientist at the Open University in the UK, said the research was "very elegant" and thorough, and offered an excellent match for some - but not all - measurements of lunar chemistry.
"It is a good way of explaining a Moon that is volatile depleted," he told BBC News. "But I also feel that you need a number of other processes to have affected these volatiles afterwards - before the Moon completely solidified - in order to reconcile all of the observations that we are making in the laboratory."
For example, Dr Anand said, there are discrepancies in the isotopes of zinc found in Earth and Moon rock, as well as the question of how much water there is - and was - on the Moon.
"But until now, nobody had tried to build so many aspects into one model," he said.
In a commentary for Nature Geoscience, Prof Steve Desch from Arizona State University said this latest view of the Moon's origin was one of the most complete yet.
"No other model of the Moon's formation is as comprehensive, or is as capable of making such detailed predictions about the Moon's composition," he wrote.
Prof Desch also compared the new Moon model to Chinese "mooncakes" or yue bing, traditionally baked for an Autumn festival. These cakes have a moist filling baked inside a dry pastry.
Just like these cakes, he suggested, the Moon may have required a "two-step recipe".
Follow Jonathan on Twitter | A new model of the Moon's formation suggests it developed in two distinct stages, producing inner and outer layers with different compositions. | 34765789 |
Jonray Sánchez-Iglesias from Portishead ran the Casamia restaurant in Westbury-on-Trym with his brother Peter.
The pair were named chefs of the year in the Good Food Guide 2015, and were described as "two little geniuses" by top chef Gordon Ramsay in 2010.
Hundreds of people attended the funeral at St Mary Redcliffe church. | The funeral has been held of a chef who ran a Michelin-starred restaurant in Bristol, who died of skin cancer at the age of 32. | 34906066 |
Emma Caresimo, 40, from Magor, was "horrified" after a bailiff arrived at her home and threatened to tow her car.
She said the "upsetting" ordeal was for an offence committed by someone with her maiden name from Liverpool.
Wigan council said the court instructed the bailiff while HM Courts & Tribunals Service blamed "human error".
Mrs Caresimo said she was at home with her three-year-old son when the bailiff clamped her Volkswagen Golf, which he told her was worth £3,700.
"I said 'I have never been to Wigan and I don't smoke' but he wasn't having any of it. He didn't believe me and said he'd heard it all before," she explained.
"He said he would take the clamp off only if I paid the outstanding fines of £650. I had no other choice; it was awful."
Mrs Caresimo called the police who, on arrival, said the bailiff was working within the law.
"They should not be able to get the wrong person like this, it's very distressing," she said.
Paul Barton, assistant director of operational services at Wigan council, said: "Following an unpaid fixed penalty notice last year we issued court proceedings to an Emma Smith with a Liverpool address.
"We prosecuted under this Liverpool address and have never issued any proceedings to a Welsh address or instructed any court or bailiff to visit a Welsh property."
An HM Courts & Tribunals Service spokeswoman said: "As a result of human error HMCTS wrongly took enforcement action against an individual with the same name and date of birth as an offender.
"We are deeply sorry for any distress caused by this regrettable incident and have arranged for the money to be refunded. We have taken steps to avoid this happening in future." | A Monmouthshire woman was forced to pay a £650 fine for dropping a cigarette butt in Wigan - despite not smoking and never visiting the town. | 35822623 |
2 May 2016 Last updated at 18:09 BST
The influential musician died after collapsing on stage while performing in Ivory Coast.
He will be buried on Wednesday.
The BBC's Maud Jullien reports from DR Congo's capital, Kinshasa. | Thousands of mourners are attending the first day of official commemorations in the Democratic Republic of Congo to mark the sudden death of music star Papa Wemba. | 36185681 |
The 29-year-old former Marseille centre-back will join Ivory Coast's Gervinho at the Chinese club, after he signed from AS Roma on Wednesday.
"Looking forward to 'absolute beast defender' Mbia fully showing his strength," the club said on twitter.
Mbia wrote on his Twitter page: "Proud to join Hebei China Fortune, ready for this adventure. Let's go." | Cameroon captain Stephane Mbia has signed for Hebei China Fortune from Turkish club Trabzonspor. | 35438889 |
The government today introduced its Data Retention Bill in a surprise move.
The bill would give law enforcement agencies access to two years' worth of customer "metadata" without a warrant.
The government says the laws could be used to target illicit downloading of movies or music, and make it easier to identify suspected paedophiles.
"Access to metadata plays a central role in almost every counter-terrorism, counter-espionage, cyber security, organised crime investigation," Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull told parliament.
He said criminal investigations had been hampered by authorities' lack of access to metadata.
The bill does not clearly define metadata but the government said it would not include the content of calls or emails, web browsing history or website addresses.
At a press conference, Australian Federal Police Commissioner Andrew Colvin said the scheme would help crack down on online copyright infringement.
"Illegal downloads, piracy, cyber crimes, cyber security, all these matters - our ability to investigate them is absolutely pinned to our ability to retrieve and use metadata," the commissioner said.
The bill is the second part of the government's national security reforms. On Wednesday, the Senate passed its "foreign fighters" bill that will allow the government to suspend passports at short notice and make it an offence to travel to certain areas without a valid reason.
There are concerns the bill would impinge on people's privacy but Attorney-General George Brandis said at the press conference the bill was not about granting security agencies greater powers.
"It is about consistent laws about metadata," he said. Mr Turnbull added that the bill did not aim to create new classes of data to be retained.
The Greens, Liberal Democrat Senator David Leyonhjelm and independent Senator Nick Xenophon are not expected to support the bill. The Labor party wants more community consultation before the bill is passed.
Meanwhile, Mr Brandis has sought to address concern that a new law carrying a prison term for those revealing information about certain secret operations - known as "special intelligence operations" - could hit journalists.
The attorney-general said the move was aimed at "a Snowden-type situation", referring to the US National Security Agency whistleblower who leaked classified information.
The law has sparked major concern from Australian media outlets.
Opposition leader Bill Shorten on Wednesday wrote to Prime Minister Tony Abbott, saying the legislation had the "potential to impinge upon public interest reporting on national security issues''.
Mr Brandis said a safeguard would be added giving the attorney-general of the day a veto over prosecutions of journalists.
"It's a very powerful, practical safeguard for a minister, who is a practising politician, to assume personal responsibility for authorising the prosecution of a journalist,'' he said. | Data about phone and computer use will be kept by telecommunications companies for two years if a bill introduced to the Australian parliament is passed. | 29828677 |
He said he did not want gay people to be "excluded from a great institution", but would not force any groups to hold ceremonies in their places of worship.
Ministers will reveal their response to a consultation next week. MPs will be given a free vote on the issue.
The Church of England said it would study the proposals but was firmly against same-sex marriage.
In a statement, the Church said: "We believe that redefining marriage to include same-sex relationships will entail a dilution in the meaning of marriage for everyone by excluding the fundamental complementarity of men and women from the social and legal definition of marriage.
"Given the absence of any manifesto commitment for these proposals - and the absence of any commitment in the most recent Queen's Speech - there will need to be an overwhelming mandate from the consultation to move forward with these proposals and make them a legislative priority."
The Church said its stance was not a "knee-jerk resistance to change", but was "motivated by a concern for the good of all in society".
Mr Cameron's proposals have also angered some Tory MPs who have opposed the change in the law.
Bob Blackman, MP for Harrow East, warned there will be "outrage throughout the country" and a "clear backlash" against David Cameron's proposals.
He told BBC News: "Marriage is between one man and one woman and so changes to the definition of marriage are not appreciated and not strongly supported."
By Mike WooldridgeNews correspondent, BBC News, London
When consultations were first held on the proposal to change the law to provide for same sex marriage, the Church of England predicted that it would be divisive and said it reflected a failure to understand that marriage was more than a ceremony.
After the prime minister's latest statement on this issue , the Church insisted that its concern was for the good of all in society - including upholding the potential in a marriage between a man and a woman of "the fruitfulness of procreation".
The Church argues that it cannot be accused of "knee-jerk resistance to change".
There are elements in the Church - and in some other religious institutions - that would be more in favour of same sex marriage.
The Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement said no faith and no denomination should be forced into performing a marriage for a same sex couple - but if it was in keeping with their theology they should not be deprived of the opportunity of doing so.
The debate looks set to intensify.
He said he was against teachers "being forced to say same sex relationships are the equivalent of heterosexual relationships" - something he said would happen if the move become law.
Labour and the Lib Dems have yet to decide whether to join the Conservatives in granting their MPs a free vote on the issue, although the majority of MPs in the three parties are thought likely to back it.
But Mr Blackman predicted the legislation could face "an interesting challenge" in the House of Lords.
Conservative MP Stewart Jackson tweeted that the Bill would be "massacred in the Lords", adding, in a swipe at the prime minister: "Arrogant Cameron knows best."
Mr Cameron said: "I'm a massive supporter of marriage and I don't want gay people to be excluded from a great institution.
"But let me be absolutely 100% clear: if there is any church or any synagogue or any mosque that doesn't want to have a gay marriage it will not, absolutely must not, be forced to hold it.
"That is absolutely clear in the legislation.
"Also let me make clear, this is a free vote for Members of Parliament, but personally I will be supporting it."
The government's initial consultation document said it would not be possible for a same-sex couple to get married in church and other religious premises.
Under the new proposals, due to be outlined next week by Equalities Minister Maria Miller, religious organisations which do not want to host same-sex weddings will be given an absolute guarantee they will not be forced to do so.
But Whitehall sources say the best way to make the guarantee "water-tight" is to allow religions to opt in to hosting same-sex ceremonies if they want to.
Labour leader Ed Miliband and deputy prime minister Nick Clegg also support gay marriage in church.
Mr Clegg said: "It's very important to remember that in our plans we're not going to force any church or any religious denomination to hold same-sex marriage ceremonies if they don't want to but I do think it's time that we allow any couple, no matter who they are, to marry if that's what they want to do."
Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: "I hope David Cameron will not be deterred by opposition within his own party and beyond.
"We need the government to move forward with an early debate in Parliament so the issue doesn't stall."
The Church of England and Roman Catholics, among other denominations, have voiced opposition to same-sex marriage.
But some religious groups, including Quakers, Unitarians and Liberal Judaism, are in favour of gay marriage and are thought likely to apply to be allowed to stage ceremonies.
Paul Parker, recording clerk for Quakers in Britain, said: "For Quakers, this is an issue of religious freedom and we don't seek to impose this on others."
Benjamin Cohen, of Out4Marriage, which backs same-sex weddings, said he was "delighted" by Mr Cameron's announcement.
"Legislation must give individual religious organisations the freedom to decide for themselves whether to hold same-sex marriages.
"None should be forced to, but those that wish to must be given the rights to do so."
Colin Hart, campaign director for the Coalition For Marriage, which opposes same-sex marriage, said: "The decision to press ahead with the profoundly undemocratic proposals to rewrite the traditional meaning of marriage is deeply disappointing and regrettable.
"What is even more alarming is the PM has gone back on his promises that churches will be protected.
"The suggestion that by creating an 'opt-in system' you somehow prevent churches, mosques and synagogues being sued is risible. This is now made much more likely." | David Cameron wants churches in England and Wales to be allowed to conduct same-sex marriage ceremonies. | 20642428 |
The 24-year-old has 55 goals in 93 La Liga games since joining from Santos for a reported fee of £48.6m in 2013.
Manchester United and Paris St-Germain were linked with the Brazil forward, whose current deal ends in 2018.
Barca president Josep Bartomeu said: "In the next few days we will finalise an extension." Neymar added: "Very happy to continue living this dream!"
Neymar has also scored 46 goals in 70 appearances for his country.
While at the Spanish club, he has secured two La Liga titles, two Copa del Rey trophies and the 2014-15 Champions League.
Barcelona were forced to pay a £4.3m fine in June because of mistakes in Neymar's transfer from Santos in 2013. | Neymar will stay at Barcelona and is set to sign a new five-year contract, according to his agency NN consulting. | 36674845 |
The Cherries battled back from 2-0 down at half-time and 3-1 behind with 15 minutes to go, with Nathan Ake's 93rd-minute winner sealing a famous win.
Sadio Mane scored the Reds' opener when he controlled Emre Can's ball over the top, held off Ake and poked home.
The visitors looked in control when Divock Origi went past Artur Boruc and curled home their second from a narrow angle.
Bournemouth brought on Ryan Fraser in the 55th minute and that proved to be the turning point of the game. Seconds later James Milner brought him down in the area and Callum Wilson scored the penalty.
Can put the Reds 3-1 up with a 20-yard curling effort but Fraser scored his first Premier League goal when he tucked home after Wilson's cross had hit the heels of Benik Afobe.
Centre-back Steve Cook got Bournemouth level when he controlled Fraser's cross, swivelled and volleyed home.
It looked like the drama was over until the third minute of injury time when Loris Karius spilled Cook's shot and Ake tapped home into an empty net.
20 mins (0-1): Liverpool open the scoring through Mane, who pokes the ball past Boruc
22 mins (0-2): Surely game over already, as Mane wins the ball off Harry Arter and finds Jordan Henderson, who plays in Origi, with the Belgian guiding the ball into an empty net after Boruc came flying out of his box
45 mins: At half-time, Liverpool are cruising and look set to make it 12 Premier League games unbeaten
56 mins (1-2): Bournemouth are back in this, as Fraser takes the ball past Milner with his first touch and gets brought down. Wilson sends Karius the wrong way from the spot
64 mins (1-3): The threat of a comeback is short-lived, as Mane takes the ball off Ake and pulls it back to Can to curl home. Five minutes later, Mane comes off with the job seemingly done
72 mins: Liverpool are inches away from going 4-1 up, as Boruc holds Milner's corner, but almost takes it back past his line. Goal-line technology shows it was millimetres from being 100% across the line.
76 mins (2-3): Fraser gets Bournemouth back in it, as he converts Wilson's cross, which had been mis-controlled into his path by Afobe
78 mins (3-3): Cook scores a brilliant goal, as he takes the ball with his back to goal, before turning and smashing home
90 mins: Origi almost wins it for Liverpool, but he fires over from close range
90+3 mins (4-3): Absolute scenes. Bournemouth win it as Karius makes a total mess of Cook's shot and Ake has an open net to tap into
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Before the game, Football Association panel member Howard Wilkinson told BBC Radio 5 live's Sportsweek that Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe had been considered for the England job.
Results like this will do nothing to harm his chances when newly appointed Gareth Southgate eventually goes, although that is if Howe is not too successful for international management next time it comes around.
Having said that, he could not have imagined his introduction of Fraser, an uncapped 22-year-old Scottish winger, early in the second half could have worked out so well.
The Cherries could have been forgiven for crumbling when they went 2-0, and especially 3-1, down. History was not on their side.
In all previous nine games against the Reds, stretching back to 1927, they had drawn two - in the FA Cup in 1927 and 1968 - and lost the other seven, including the replays to those games.
But they never gave up, and move into the top half of the table with these three points.
The Reds were looking for a victory which would make it 12 league games unbeaten and equal their best start to a Premier League season.
It would also have taken them second, one point behind leaders Chelsea, the parent club of match-winner Ake.
And midway through the second half, it appeared the story of the game was going to be a good performance and deserved win for Liverpool.
Manager Jurgen Klopp, who is without injured forward Philippe Coutinho for several weeks, admitted his side had thrown it away.
One boost was Adam Lallana's return from three weeks out with a groin injury, although he replaced Mane just before the start of the implosion that has left them four points off in-form Chelsea.
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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp: "We opened the door and they ran through and scored some wonderful goals. So that's the deserved result.
"It doesn't feel too good right now but sometimes we need it. Of course this can help us. No road is without rocks and stones.
"It's three points, no more. You cannot be champions in December.
"We are not ice skating, it's not about how it looks. I know we can play football. Nothing is decided at 2-0. The boys know now we gave it away - only because of us Bournemouth came back. It was our mistake to let them back in the game."
Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe: "It was a great game, obviously from our perspective because we won. Liverpool were excellent in the first half and we knew their quality. It took our substitutes to make an impact and liven us up. Ryan Fraser deserved that opportunity today.
"It would have been easy for our players to give up and see out time, but our group knows not to give up. We scored at the right time, and the easy thing when you equalise is to sit back and defend that but thankfully the lads kept going.
"In the second half we looked like scoring every time we attacked. For this club and everyone involved, it's made for a very special day. These days are huge for us. We'd never been in the Premier League until last season so we're making history for the club."
Bournemouth are away to Burnley, whom Howe managed in between his two Cherries reigns, on Saturday (15:00 GMT) in the Premier League. Liverpool host struggling West Ham the next day (16:30 GMT).
Match ends, Bournemouth 4, Liverpool 3.
Second Half ends, Bournemouth 4, Liverpool 3.
Georginio Wijnaldum (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Benik Afobe (Bournemouth).
Divock Origi (Liverpool).
(Bournemouth) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Goal! Bournemouth 4, Liverpool 3. Nathan Aké (Bournemouth) left footed shot from very close range to the centre of the goal.
Attempt saved. Nathan Aké (Bournemouth) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Attempt saved. Steve Cook (Bournemouth) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Jordon Ibe.
Attempt missed. Adam Lallana (Liverpool) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Divock Origi.
Attempt missed. Divock Origi (Liverpool) right footed shot from the centre of the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Dejan Lovren with a headed pass following a corner.
Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by Nathan Aké.
Offside, Bournemouth. Harry Arter tries a through ball, but Benik Afobe is caught offside.
Corner, Bournemouth. Conceded by Jordan Henderson.
Emre Can (Liverpool) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Emre Can (Liverpool).
Ryan Fraser (Bournemouth) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Emre Can (Liverpool).
Benik Afobe (Bournemouth) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt blocked. James Milner (Liverpool) header from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Jordan Henderson with a cross.
Attempt missed. Jack Wilshere (Bournemouth) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left following a corner.
Corner, Bournemouth. Conceded by Loris Karius.
Attempt saved. Benik Afobe (Bournemouth) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Foul by Roberto Firmino (Liverpool).
Adam Smith (Bournemouth) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Goal! Bournemouth 3, Liverpool 3. Steve Cook (Bournemouth) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Ryan Fraser with a cross following a set piece situation.
Foul by Dejan Lovren (Liverpool).
Ryan Fraser (Bournemouth) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Goal! Bournemouth 2, Liverpool 3. Ryan Fraser (Bournemouth) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Benik Afobe.
Attempt blocked. Benik Afobe (Bournemouth) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Substitution, Bournemouth. Benik Afobe replaces Dan Gosling.
Foul by Emre Can (Liverpool).
Adam Smith (Bournemouth) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by Ryan Fraser.
Corner, Bournemouth. Conceded by Loris Karius.
Attempt saved. Ryan Fraser (Bournemouth) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Callum Wilson.
Substitution, Liverpool. Adam Lallana replaces Sadio Mané because of an injury.
Attempt missed. Harry Arter (Bournemouth) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left following a set piece situation.
Foul by Jordan Henderson (Liverpool).
Adam Smith (Bournemouth) wins a free kick in the attacking half. | Bournemouth completed one of the comebacks of the season to beat Liverpool for the first time in a sensational Premier League game. | 38121184 |
Even so, there has been particular turbulence in recent days as fears of a "civil war" among its adherents first grew and then subsided, although they have not gone away altogether.
On Sunday, the value of one bitcoin dropped to about $1,863 (£1,430) before bouncing back to $2,402 on Wednesday, according to data from the news site CoinDesk - still some way off a June high of $3,019.
Bitcoin risks becoming a victim of its success.
The popularity of the financial technology has caused transactions to be processed slower, with some users complaining of having to wait three days or more for confirmation of trades when the backlog was at its worst, in May.
Moreover, fees have also risen, hitting a high of $5 per transaction at the start of June.
That makes it too costly to justify its use for some purchases, such as buying a pint of lager in a Bitcoin-accepting pub.
There are ways around the problem, but the cryptocurrency's community has been split over which solution to adopt.
The risk is that Bitcoin could effectively split in two, with one type becoming incompatible with another, ultimately undermining confidence in the project altogether.
The issue is that Bitcoin's underlying technology has an in-built constraint: the ledger of past transactions, known as the blockchain, can have only 1MB of data added to it every 10 minutes.
To understand why, it's helpful to first understand how Bitcoin works.
To authenticate Bitcoin transactions, a procedure called "mining" takes place, which involves volunteers' computers racing to solve difficult mathematical problems.
For each problem solved, one block of bitcoins is processed. As a reward, the successful miners are given newly generated bitcoins.
An updated copy of the blockchain database is then copied to all the computers involved in the validation process, which are referred to as "nodes".
Bitcoin originally did not have the 1MB/10min blockchain limit, but the feature was added to help defend the technology against denial of service (DoS) attacks, which might overwhelm the blockchain by flooding it with tiny transactions.
Mining, by the way, has become a big business in its own right, with some companies investing in huge "farms" of computers dedicated to the activity. Several of the biggest are based in China.
Many of the miners have, in fact, favoured the so-called Bitcoin Unlimited solution.
They said that allowing them to increase the 1MB block size would speed up transactions and reduce transactions fees.
But this could also make mining more expensive, and impractical for small "mom and pop" operations, leaving it under the control of a handful of large corporations.
That is because more processing power would be needed to verify transactions.
Furthermore, additional data bandwidth and storage space would be needed to transmit and store the blockchain, since it would become much bigger.
Critics also say the move would make Bitcoin more vulnerable to hackers.
Moreover, some people are concerned that giving the miners power to vary the block size might undermine the principle of Bitcoin being decentralised, with no equivalent to a central bank running the show.
Some software developers have favoured reorganising the format of Bitcoin transactions to make the blockchain more efficient.
Specifically, they propose relocating " transaction signatures" - which unlock bitcoins so they can be spent - from within the blockchain to a separate file transmitted alongside it.
Doing so should make it possible to process transactions at double the current rate.
And as an added benefit, "node" computers could save on storage space by opting not to keep records of the oldest signatures.
This scheme is known as Segregated Witness, or Segwit.
However, critics say it would deliver only a temporary respite while adding an extra level of complexity.
It appears so.
A middle-ground solution - called Segwit2x - aims to start sending signature data separately from the blockchain later this week and then to double the block size limit to 2MB in three months' time.
An initiative called Bitcoin Improvement Proposal 91 (BIP 91) states that if 80% of the mining effort adopts the new blockchain software involved and uses it consistently between 21 July and 31 July, then the wider community should accept this as the solution.
The good news for those who like the idea is that close to 90% of miners appear to back the effort, according to Coin Dance, a Bitcoin-related statistics site.
Other plans exist to try again after August if the target is missed.
But a risk remains that if use of Segwit2x software never reaches the required threshold or that hardcore opponents refuse to buckle, then it could result in two different versions of the blockchain, and in effect two types of Bitcoin.
Such as schism could help rival cryptocurrencies, such as Ethereum, prosper and ultimately doom Bitcoin altogether.
One expert, however, said he believed that was an unlikely outcome.
"The vast majority of people in the Bitcoin community are opposed to splitting Bitcoin into two competing cryptocurrencies," said Dr Garrick Hileman, research fellow at the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance.
"Such a move would weaken Bitcoin's network effect advantage and sow confusion.
"It is much more likely that people who are dissatisfied with Bitcoin's direction will simply move on to something else, which is what we've seen in the past." | The value of the virtual currency Bitcoin has always been volatile. | 40654194 |
Health Secretary Vaughan Gething said the Specialist and Critical Care Centre near Cwmbran should open in 2022.
First proposed in 2004, the plans were put on hold in 2009 before being put back on the agenda a year later.
The new hospital, to be built at Llanfrechfa Grange, is part of a plan to modernise health services run by the Aneurin Bevan health board.
Mr Gething said the project had "strong support" locally and was a "positive step" in the drive to improve health care.
"I am confident that bringing together complex and more acute services on one hospital site will allow the local health board to secure a range of benefits which will improve the quality of care for patients," he said.
Existing acute services at the Royal Gwent and St Woolos hospitals in Newport, and Nevill Hall Hospital, Abergavenny, are likely to see changes when the new hospital opens, the Welsh Government said.
The new centre would also be expected to play a strong regional role, working with major hospitals run by neighbouring health boards in south Wales.
Tina Donnelly, director of the Royal College of Nursing in Wales, said the union was "pleased to see action has started to make this a reality".
"We look forward to seeing this new hospital benefit patients throughout south Wales whilst also relieving pressure from surrounding NHS services," she added.
The confirmation that this hospital will be built has been a long time coming.
It has been on the drawing board for so long, some feared it would never see the light of day.
But the hospital is a key part of plans to re-design how NHS services are delivered across south Wales.
So some more specialised services will be centralised in the new hospital, which will mean shifting them from two existing district general hospitals - the Royal Gwent and Nevill Hall.
The argument is that if specialist services such as A&E or children's care are spread too thinly, they are less safe.
It is also arguably easier to recruit doctors and fill rotas when these services are centralised on one site.
Similar arguments are being made in other parts of Wales but it is harder to convince people it is a good idea when there is no prospect of a brand new hospital being built. | Plans for a new £350m hospital in south Wales have been given the go-ahead, 12 years after it was first proposed. | 37822559 |
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Biles, 19, who has won 10 World Championship medals since 2013, scored 62.198 to win her second Olympic medal by a margin of more than two points.
Compatriot Alexandra Raisman got silver with Russia's Aliya Mustafina third.
Great Britain's Ellie Downie came 13th, narrowly missing out on becoming the best performing female British gymnast in an Olympic all-around final.
Biles, described by many as the greatest ever gymnast, had arrived in Rio as the overwhelming favourite for gold and the 4ft 8in athlete delivered in a big way.
Having already led the United States to victory in the team event, she turned the spotlight on her individual brilliance with a dazzling display of power, agility and gravity-defying moves.
She went ahead after the first of four disciplines with a score of 15.866 on vault, although she dropped back to second with 14.966 on the uneven bars, with Mustafina taking the lead at the halfway point.
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Biles then turned on the style with an acrobatic beam routine that included a stunning spin to score 15.433 before a floor routine to samba music packed with energetic tumbles, including the move that bears her name.
She scored 15.933 for that final routine and burst into tears when the victory was confirmed.
The United States have now won this event four times in a row, following victories by Carly Patterson in 2004, Nastia Liukin in 2008 and Gabrielle Douglas in 2012.
Biles has more chances for success in Rio as she is also in the vault final on Sunday, the beam final on Monday and the floor final on Tuesday.
Britain's Max Whitlock had won a bronze medal in the men's event on Wednesday, but Downie's medal hopes ended with a poor score on her third apparatus, the uneven bars, before she made another error on beam.
Find out how to get into gymnastics with our special guide.
Those mistakes saw her drop down from seventh to 13th, to miss out on emulating her sister Becky Downie, who came 12th in the all-around final at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
Seventeen-year-old Ellie Downie, the winner of the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year award in 2015, gained a total of 56.883 after scores of 14.300 on floor, 15.100 on vault, 13.783 on uneven bars and 13.700 on beam.
Gold medallist Simone Biles said: "I'm very excited and relieved, I've finally done it. You never know the feeling until it hits you.
"I'm not the next Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps, I'm the first Simone Biles. To me I'm just the same Simone."
Silver-medallist Alexandra Raisman added: "No-one goes into this thinking they can beat Simone.
"I'm sure most people don't go into it thinking they can beat Usain Bolt, so it's kind of the same thing.
"We are like sisters. I told her before today, I want you to win and I want second."
Great Britain's Ellie Downie said: "I was really happy with how floor and vault went. On bars I lost a bit of concentration, which is something I'll learn from.
"On beam I didn't feel nervous and the actual routine was really good but the landing I needed to focus more.
"It's mixed emotions knowing if I had gone clean I had a chance of a medal, which shows I'm right up there. That's a big positive to take out of these Games.
"It's been a bit of a rollercoaster experience but I'm very proud of what I've achieved."
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. | American gymnast Simone Biles produced a stunning performance to win the women's all-around Olympic gold medal. | 37021270 |
Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles are preparing to embark on human trials after promising results in rabbits.
Their drug reached brain cells and reduced muscle and movement problems.
The Stroke Association said it was the "first significant research" suggesting that the compound could aid stroke patients.
Turmeric has been used for centuries as part of traditional Indian Ayurvedic medicine, and many laboratory studies suggest one of its components, curcumin, might have various beneficial properties.
However, curcumin cannot pass the "blood brain barrier" which protects the brain from potentially toxic molecules.
The US researchers, who reported their results to a stroke conference, modified curcumin to come up with a new version, CNB-001, which could pass the blood brain barrier.
The laboratory tests on rabbits suggested it might be effective up to three hours after a stroke in humans - about the same time window available for current "clot-busting" drugs.
Chain reaction
Dr Paul Lapchak, who led the study, said that the drug appeared to have an effect on "several critical mechanisms" which might keep brain cells alive after a stroke.
Although strokes kill brain cells by depriving them of oxygenated blood, this triggers a chain reaction which can widen the damaged area - and increase the level of disability suffered by the patient.
Dr Lapchak said that CNB-001 appeared to repair four "signalling pathways" which are known to help fuel the runaway destruction of brain cells.
However, even though human trials are being planned, any new treatment could still be some time away.
Dr Sharlin Ahmed, from The Stroke Association, said that turmeric was known to have health benefits.
She said: "There is a great need for new treatments which can protect brain cells after a stroke and improve recovery."
"This is the first significant research to show that turmeric could be beneficial to stroke patients by encouraging new cells to grow and preventing cell death after a stroke.
"The results look promising, however it is still very early days and human trials need to be undertaken." | A drug derived from the curry spice turmeric may be able to help the body repair some of the damage caused in the immediate aftermath of a stroke. | 12409700 |
Williams dominated Formula 1 for much of the 1980s and '90s but have scored only one point this year.
Deputy team principal Claire Williams said: "We've done a lot of work this year in order to turn this team around and we want to tell the world that.
Williams is determined to come back and determined to fight for world championships again
"Williams are not satisfied with coming ninth in the championship."
She said Massa's decision to join the team alongside Finn Valtteri Bottas was the latest in a series of moves aimed at revitalising the former world champions.
They have already signed a deal to switch from Renault to Mercedes engines, taken on a new technical director in Pat Symonds, who has won world titles with Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso at Benetton/Renault, and further changes in engineering staff are on the way.
Williams said: "We've made some very clear decisions this year from announcing the Mercedes partnership to bringing in a new technical director in Pat Symonds, and this [signing Massa] is another piece of our jigsaw to tell the world that Williams is determined to come back and determined to fight for world championships again."
Williams said persuading Massa, a 32-year-old 11-time grand prix winner, to join "wasn't actually too hard a sell - it's so clear to see this team is made up of fighters and people who want to win F1 races".
Williams have been on a downward trend in recent years, halted only by an upturn in form in 2012, when they won their first race since 2004 thanks to Pastor Maldonado at the Spanish Grand Prix.
Massa has been signed as replacement for the Venezuelan, who is now likely to drive for Lotus but also has options at Force India and Sauber.
"Pastor has done a great job for Williams these three seasons and it's a shame he's leaving us, but he wants to go on and find a new challenge," said Williams, who described Bottas as "a real talent" and said partnering Massa with him is "really exciting".
Williams are in the middle of a recruitment drive aimed at strengthening the team. One of the new signings will be Massa's Ferrari race engineer Rob Smedley, who is joining ahead of 2014 in a more senior role overseeing race engineering.
Smedley has become famous for his down-to-earth radio communication with Massa in the past few years, including the notorious "Fernando [Alonso] is faster than you" message when Ferrari imposed team orders on their drivers at the 2010 German Grand Prix.
Asked whether Smedley had signed, Claire Williams said: "We're working very hard to address the problems we have in-house. We have some great talent in Williams but we need to make sure we have all the talent we need to perform right at the top.
"So I'm hoping that before the end of the season or maybe slightly after we'll be making some more announcements in a similar vein to this one [Massa]. Whether that involves a certain engineer or other engineers I can't tell you."
She emphasised that any deal with Smedley was independent of Massa.
"They don't come as a package," she said. "They come separately. They are very much their own people.
"So if Rob Smedley was to join our team, it has to be on his terms, and he has to be given a role he wants to do and that may or may not be Felipe's race engineer.
"Felipe is grown-up enough to join a team without bringing his race engineer with him." | Williams say signing Brazilian Felipe Massa from Ferrari is proof they are determined to return to winning ways after years of declining form. | 24905710 |
The Dow Jones lost 0.14%, or 29.58 points, to 20924.76 points. The S&P 500 shed 0.29% to 2368.39 while the Nasdaq Composite was 0.26% lower at 5833.93.
Pharma stocks fell after President Donald Trump said that he was planning "a new system" to increase competition in the industry and bring down prices.
Merck and Pfizer were among the top fallers, losing 1.05% and 0.77%.
Several hospital groups also fell sharply after Republicans announced a proposal to replace the Affordable Care Act.
Despite doubts about the bill's prospects, Tenet Healthcare lost 7.11% and Universal Health Services fell 2.24% over fears they could face cutbacks.
Shares in Snap, the owner of Snapchat, slid further as enthusiasm for the stock continued to wane.
Snap's shares had soared on Thursday last week when they made their debut, but on Monday they dropped 12%.
On Tuesday, they tumbled 9.8% to $21.44 following a lukewarm reception from analysts. | US markets closed lower after weak performances from pharmaceutical firms and private hospital groups. | 39197665 |
The official gross domestic product (GDP) figure though was smaller than the 7.1% drop economists expected.
The shrinkage was largely in response to a government sales tax, which held back consumer spending.
Japan's sales tax rose from 5% to 8% in April.
On a quarterly basis, the economy contracted 1.7% in the second quarter after a 1.5% rise in the first three months.
Private consumption, which makes up 60% of economic activity, was 5% down on the previous quarter.
The economy grew at an annualised rate of 6.1% in the first quarter of this year.
Recent retail sales and factory output figures both indicated a negative impact from the sales tax rise.
Marcel Thieliant, Japan economist at Capital Economics, said a rebound was expected in the coming months: "The collapse in economic activity last quarter was largely a result of the higher sales tax, and we still believe that the recovery will resume in the second half of the year.
"Consumers had brought forward spending ahead of April's increase in the consumption tax."
The Japanese government appears confident that its economy, the world's third largest, will pick up the pace later in the year.
In a statement issued after the GDP release, Economics Minister Akira Amari said: "Looking at monthly data during April-June, sales of electronics goods and those at department stores are picking up after falling sharply in April.
"The job market is also improving steadily. Taking these into account, Japan's economy continues to recover moderately as a trend and the effect of the sales tax hike is subsiding." | Japan's economy contracted by an annualised 6.8% in the second quarter of the year, the biggest fall since 2011 when it was devastated by an earthquake and tsunami. | 28767708 |
Most of them had hidden the migrants in their own cars, prosecutors say.
Car and van drivers, instead of lorry drivers, are increasingly being recruited by smuggling gangs.
The deputy prosecutor for the Calais region's main court said she saw between five and 10 smugglers from the UK every month.
Julie Colaert told the BBC's File on 4 programme that people from the UK now made up a quarter of those brought before the court - second only to smugglers from Eastern Europe.
"In the last two years we have seen more and more English smugglers," she said.
"Trafficking gangs are employing them to take people across in their own cars.
"The migrants pay a lot of money because it's sold as guaranteed passage to the UK."
She estimated that up to 100 people from the UK had been convicted by the court in the past 12 months.
She gave an estimated figure because, she said, in France it is illegal to record statistics by nationality.
In the most recent case, Basir Haji, from Preston in Lancashire, was sentenced to 12 months in prison.
He was caught at the Calais ferry terminal with two Iraqi men hiding in the boot of his car.
He admitted agreeing to smuggle them to the UK for £500 (698 euros).
The Iraqi men told the police that their families had each paid £4,500 for them to be transported to the UK.
Haji was convicted of trying to facilitate the entrance of foreign citizens in circumstances incompatible with human dignity.
Haji spoke to the BBC before he was taken to a prison south of Calais.
"I'm in debt. That's why I did it. I've been playing a lot of money in the casino," he said.
The judges suspected Haji may have successfully smuggled migrants into the UK on a previous day trip to Calais, in April.
Haji told the court there were three men above him in the smuggling network.
And he told the BBC he believed the head of the gang was based in England.
Julie Colaert said that the number of Britons charged with smuggling migrants across the Channel had increased significantly in the last two years.
In the past criminal gangs had hidden migrants in lorries, but now the use of private cars and vans was more common, as people believed they were less likely to be stopped or searched.
Europol, the European Union's law enforcement agency, has confirmed that organised criminal gangs and opportunistic individuals based in the UK are involved in smuggling illegal immigrants into the country.
The French lawyer who represented Basir Haji at his trial said the recruitment of people smugglers had evolved in recent years.
Emmanuelle Osmont said that mafia organisations were now targeting students with financial difficulties, and bar owners and shopkeepers whose businesses were struggling.
The criminals start by presenting people-smuggling as a means of making extra money.
"The first approach might be in a café," said Ms Osmont.
"They make friends... and bit by bit they become interested in them, asking them about their personal and professional situation.
"It can take weeks, but when they have formed enough of a bond, they present the human trafficking as a way of helping friends or family fleeing war or persecution."
The drivers recruited by the gangs earn between about £2,100 and £2,800 per trip.
Many may make one trip without being caught, but are stopped on a second or third attempt.
The sentences they receive range from six months to two years in prison.
According to Ms Osmont, the recruits know that their behaviour is illegal but are told that the risk of being caught is minimal.
But working with these mafia gangs, who are armed and dangerous, is risky in itself.
"They threaten people and their children. Once you start working with them, they'll never let you go," Ms Osmont warned.
File on 4: Ticket to Hide is on BBC Radio 4 at 20:00 BST on Tuesday, 23 June and available later via BBCiPlayer.
Do you regularly drive through Calais? Have you been affected by people smuggling from France to the UK? You can share your experiences by emailing [email protected].
If you are available to talk to a BBC journalist, please include a telephone number. | Up to 100 Britons are thought to have been jailed in France in the last year for trying to smuggle migrants through Calais to the UK, the BBC has learned. | 33226799 |
O'Keefe, who returned early from Australia's tour of Sri Lanka because of a hamstring injury, was ejected from a Sydney hotel on Saturday.
"I failed to uphold the high standards expected of a New South Wales and Australian cricketer and apologise to all concerned," said the 31-year-old.
"I take full responsibility for my actions and accept the sanction."
As well as being fined A$10,000 (£5,850), O'Keefe must attend counselling.
Australia are 2-0 behind in the Test series against Sri Lanka with only one match remaining.
There is also a five-match one-day series and a two-match Twenty20 series. | Spinner Stephen O'Keefe has been fined by Cricket Australia for "offensive behaviour" while intoxicated. | 37009017 |
The shrine is being built by Manoj Tiwary, a local film star, and will be opened to the public early next year.
Tendulkar retired from international cricket following India's victory over the West Indies in a Test in Mumbai last week.
Shortly afterwards he was awarded the country's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna.
Many of his fans in India describe Tendulkar as the god of cricket.
On Tuesday, Mr Tiwary inaugurated the 5ft 6in (167cm) deity of Tendulkar amid prayers at the site of the proposed temple in Atraulia village in Bhabhua district in Bihar.
The idol of the star, sporting a blue jersey with the World Cup in his hand, is made of marble.
The 6000 sq ft (557 square metres) temple will cost seven million rupees ($112,464; £69,805) and will contain idols of other cricketers such as Indian captain MS Dhoni and star batsman Yuvraj Singh.
Mr Tiwary hopes that Tendulkar will inaugurate the temple when it is ready.
"I decided to build the temple in my village soon after India won the World Cup cricket in 2011", he told the BBC.
"The temple will provide an opportunity to the lovers of cricket from around the world to pay their respects to these cricketers who are nothing short of gods in India."
Tendulkar bowed out of international cricket after his 200th Test match - 24 years and one day after his first.
He played in 664 international matches, scoring 34,357 runs and making 100 centuries. He scored almost 2,500 more Test runs than the second-placed batsman, Ricky Ponting. | Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar might soon be worshipped in a temple planned in his name in Bihar state. | 25013022 |
The National Corpus of Contemporary Welsh project hopes to document 10 million expressions and words of everyday slang and formal Welsh.
The first project of its kind, its aim is to capture Welsh, in all its forms, across generations and regions.
Speakers will be able to add their contribution via a new app.
It is hoped the corpus will further understanding of the many different Welsh dialects and regional variations, and help learners.
"If you are teaching the language, you need to be sure you are teaching the words most learners are likely to hear," explained Steven Morris of Swansea University.
"The corpus helps us understand which phrases and words are used most often."
Welsh regional dialect
fodan - girlfriend. Origin: north Wales
jaman - embarrassment. Origin: Caernarfon
shibwns - spring onions. Origin: south Wales valleys
nisied - handkerchief. Origin: old Glamorgan
ffroes - pancake. Origin: old Glamorgan
siop siafins - shambles. Origin: used across Wales
The project, which has been running for a year and concludes in 2019, also hopes to reflect how Welsh has responded to the digital age.
"People are coming up with new phrases all the time," Mr Morris said.
"It shows us the vitality of the language, in that it is being used in so many different ways."
Singer and BBC 6Music presenter Cerys Matthews said the corpus will be a "rich source of information for creative artists, software developers, translators, learners, teachers, policy makers, and anyone wanting to engage with the complexity, versatility and beauty of real, living, Welsh".
Cardiff University linguist Dr Dawn Knight said: "We want conversations - people sat around the table on a Sunday, having lunch.
"People can download the app and just record themselves." | Academics have made a plea for people to "give their Welsh" as part of the biggest ever corpus - or collection - of the language. | 39120536 |
Growing demand for groundwater is putting pressure on the resource while researchers struggle to accurately estimate the future supply.
But a team from Oxford University says that low-cost mobile sensors attached to pumps could solve the problem.
Their study shows that pump vibrations record the true depth of well water.
While fresh water from Africa's rivers and lakes is hugely important for people, it is dwarfed by the amount of groundwater available, estimated to be 100 times greater than the annual renewable fresh resource.
Groundwater lies in aquifers under the surface of the earth and is often extracted from wells by pumps. In many places these are simple devices, operated by hand.
In 2012 the Oxford research team started a trial in Kenya where hand pumps in 60 villages were fitted with data transmitters.
The idea was they would monitor the motion of the pump and the amount of water extracted on an hourly basis - if the pump wasn't working, a message was sent to a repair company and workers were dispatched to fix the problem.
The innovation cut the average repair time from over a month to less than three days.
Now the scientists have found another way to interpret the data from the accelerometers fitted to the pump handles.
They discovered that when the water is being drawn from a deep aquifer, it produces different vibrations than when the liquid comes from a shallow one.
"It's quite a simple and elegant solution to estimating groundwater and how it varies over time," co-author Dr Rob Hope from Oxford's School of Geography and the Environment told BBC News.
"In East Africa at the moment there's quite a severe drought, in South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya, and a lot of this might be dealt with earlier with these sorts of systems.
"If you can predict that groundwater levels are going down rapidly, rather than getting to problem and dealing, with it you can predict it much earlier on."
While the accelerometers and mobile data technology in the system is a fairly simple arrangement, the statistical analysis of the information is quite sophisticated.
Researchers took recordings of pumping lasting between 20 seconds and three minutes at different sites in Kenya and Oxford.
The scientists say the vibration value analysis is akin to the complex systems that monitor vibrations in aircraft.
"This project is a great example of using the latest developments in low-cost mobile sensors and machine learning," said lead author Dr David Clifton, associate professor of engineering science at Oxford.
"Working closely with development experts, we can help tackle water security, which is an issue of huge importance in the developing world."
There are now about 300 sensors installed across Kenya as an early warning system and some 15,000 people who are paying small premiums for rapid repairs. There has been very little damage or attempts to steal the technology in the communities in which they are installed, as people value the service.
The researchers believe the system can be rapidly scaled up and rolled out to other communities. With up to a million hand pumps dotted around Africa, they believe there is now a great opportunity to capture highly useful groundwater data.
When water falls as rain or snow, much of it either flows into rivers or is used to provide moisture to plants and crops. What is left over trickles down to the layers of rock that sit beneath the soil.
And just like a giant sponge, this groundwater is held in the spaces between the rocks and in the tiny interconnected spaces between individual grains in a rock like sandstone.
These bodies of wet rock are referred to as aquifers. Groundwater does not sit still in the aquifer but is pushed and pulled by gravity and the weight of water above it.
The movement of the water through the aquifer removes many impurities and it is often cleaner than water on the surface.
This "accidental infrastructure" could allow a network of hand pumps across the region to transmit data to the cloud to create a public dataset that would be widely used.
"Rather than just seeing these pumps as concrete and iron littered around Africa, these systems could be the little sentinels giving you this very valuable information," said Dr Hope,
"Mining companies, agriculture, institutional investors and communities could all benefit from this.
"I've been working in Africa for 15 years and I think it's one of the most exciting things that we've been working on and the results that we've had have been very promising."
The study has been published in the journal Environmental Modelling & Software.
Follow Matt on Twitter and on Facebook. | The simple up-and-down motion of hand pumps could help scientists secure a key water source for 200 million people in Africa. | 39077761 |
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"No-one's happy with a draw, but it took character to come back after going behind for the first time with five minutes left on the clock," he said.
"We got the good start we wanted, but then let them score 10 points in the last 10 minutes of the first half.
"We will digest the result and then assess how happy we are with it."
Ulster hooker Best added that although it was not the result Ireland wanted, "there are things we can be happy with".
"There are a lot of positives and we haven't lost, but we will take a quick look back on this to make sure we go forward," he continued.
"It is all about recovery because we have a short turnaround before going to France."
Ireland's South African-born debutant CJ Stander was named man of the match.
"It is a proud day for me and my family," said the 25-year-old flanker.
"The support from the Irish fans has been unreal and I was emotional during the anthems.
"It is mixed emotions. We could have done more perhaps, but we have a point on the board." | Ireland captain Rory Best admitted the 16-16 draw against Wales was not exactly how they wanted to start their defence of the Six Nations title. | 35517224 |
The Dons were promoted to the second tier for the first time last season.
"We have a wage cap and have always had one. I can well assure you our budget will be in the bottom three next year," Robinson told BBC Three Counties Radio.
"The chairman's trying to build a sustainable club and the way he's doing it has been sensational."
Robinson, whose only signing so far this summer has been Joe Walsh from Crawley, added: "We've been criticised for not spending a great deal but we've managed to achieve our goal of reaching the Championship.
"We know next year is going to be even harder - we believe that we can recruit the players we need but we'll never spend the money other Championship teams are doing."
Robinson's side are being linked with re-signing former loanees Will Grigg from Brentford and Chelsea's Lewis Baker, but the 34-year-old says the decision over the players' future is not theirs.
"We'd like Will Grigg, but what we want and what we can get are two different arguments. We know we're going to be bringing in strikers - we've already earmarked one or two.
"We'd love Lewis Baker. But he's not our player, so wherever he goes next season, we hope it's us, but it's out of our hands.
"I think we need six or seven - I'd like to sign some of my own. I'd like to bring in players who are 21, 22, 23 and bring them on, some experienced players and then add some young loans."
Goalkeeper David Martin, who made 47 appearances for MK Dons last season, is out of contract this summer, but his manager believes he will sign a new contract at Stadium:MK.
"I'm very confident we'll get Dave done. He got married two weeks ago and is away on his honeymoon," Robinson added.
"He had a tremendous season last season, kept an enormous amount of clean sheets and will have to do that again, even more so, in the Championship. Once we sit down and have a conversation, I'll be very surprised if we don't get that done."
Robinson was also quick to play down any heightening of expectations next season, adding staying up would be classed as successful.
"People are liking us to Wolves and Bournemouth - we're not on the same hemisphere as these teams," he said. "We can't do what these teams have done.
"We're going into a Championship with a different way of doing it, but we'll do it our way. Our way is a way our fans know, and hopefully the football club can again turn one or two heads." | MK Dons boss Karl Robinson says he feels he can get the players he needs despite having one of the lowest budgets in the Championship in 2015-16. | 33240575 |
The Community Security Trust (CST), which monitors anti-Semitism, recorded 1,309 incidents in 2016 - surpassing the previous high of 1,182 in 2014.
Mark Gardner, from the CST, said anti-Semites currently felt "emboldened".
Home Secretary Amber Rudd said the government was providing £13.4m to increase security in Jewish areas.
The CST, which works with police to gather data, said recorded incidents last year had increased by 36% on 2015.
More than three-quarters of all recorded incidents took place in Greater London and Greater Manchester, where the two largest Jewish communities in the UK are located.
According to the CST's report:
Mark Gardner, from the CST, said the increase could be partly explained by a greater willingness to report incidents to the police.
However, he said: "Racists, including anti-Semites, feel emboldened, feel encouraged, at this moment in time, for a whole range of reasons, to come out with their hatred.
"They used to keep it under the ground. Now they're coming out. A lid has been lifted off."
The CST, which has recorded data since 1984, said a perceived increase in racism and xenophobia following the EU referendum and greater discussion of anti-Semitism in the Labour Party could explain the rise.
Ms Rudd described anti-Semitism as a "deplorable form of hatred".
She said: "It is vital we ensure the safety and security of our Jewish community and this government will continue to do all we can to stamp out these vile attacks and encourage those who experience them to come forward."
Communities Secretary Sajid Javid added: "Anti-Semitism must be understood for what it is - an attack on the identity of people who live, contribute and are valued in our society.
Last year Labour held an inquiry into allegations of anti-Semitism in the party, following the suspension of MP Naz Shah and ex-London mayor Ken Livingstone.
Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson said the findings of the report were "extremely distressing", adding: "We must root out anti-Semitism whenever it takes place and wherever it exists, as a party and as a country." | Anti-Semitic hate crime in the UK increased by more than a third last year, with recorded incidents now at record levels, charity figures suggest. | 38836536 |
Chelsea's net outlay amounted to £38m - the fourth-highest in the Premier League - but Nathaniel Chalobah's move to Napoli took the number of Blues players out on loan to 33.
The club are not breaking any rules, and it is a pattern repeated across Europe, with Juventus reportedly owning an additional 58 players not in their first-team squad.
Chelsea's tally could rise even further with the emergency loan window - which opens on Wednesday - giving Football League clubs the chance to sign players for between 28 and 93 days.
Clubs can only register a squad of 25 players for the Premier League - and some have been accused of "abusing" the system by stockpiling talent to the detriment of rivals and the players themselves.
So why does a club recruit players in this way and what are the consequences?
Clubs might not like this analogy, but it can help to think of players in terms of property belonging to a landlord.
If you can afford to own 58 players rather than 25 and no-one is stopping you farming them out, it might make financial sense to do so, especially as big clubs aim to comply with Uefa's Financial Fair Play rules which cap spending in relation to income.
The hope is such players will improve and eventually reach the first team, as Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois did. He was bought for £5m from Genk in 2011, sent on loan to Atletico Madrid for three seasons, and broke into the Chelsea side last season.
Even if they don't, the club may hope that a player's value will increase as he matures. Chelsea sent Romelu Lukaku on loan to West Brom and Everton before making a £10m profit on him when he was sold to the Toffees in 2014.
Best of all for the club bean-counters is the fact the loan club will usually pick up the tab for the player's wages.
"We don't send players out because we are trying to recover money, we send them because we want them to play and develop," Chelsea technical director Michael Emenalo has said.
"We felt it is better for players at 18-21 to go on loan somewhere where they get visibility and good competition."
Former Tottenham and Liverpool director of football Damien Comolli also believes clubs have players' best interests at heart, giving them the opportunity to play at a higher level than the current under-21 league, which has drawn criticism for its lack of competitiveness.
Comolli told BBC Sport: "I think Chelsea act in good faith, that they are concerned with the progress of young players. The number of players on loan is amazing, but for me there is no foul play."
Chelsea are not the only club to loan players out in this manner, but with great wealth at their disposal, they are certainly more efficient than other Premier League clubs.
Manchester City enjoy similar financial backing to the west London team, yet despite spending a record £160m in this window, they have 14 players on loan, including two who have agreed permanent deals for next season.
Liverpool have 15 players on loan, while Arsenal weigh in with 12, having extended Carl Jenkinson's contract before loaning him back to West Ham for another season. Manchester United only have six players being paid elsewhere this season.
The only rules that teams need to abide by concern the number of domestic players they are allowed to loan in, which is limited to four in one season, two at any one time and one from a specific club.
There are advantages in loaning to rivals, though. Loan players cannot play against their parent clubs, so Chelsea winger Victor Moses, who signed a new four-year deal before being loaned out to West Ham, can now attempt to score against all of Chelsea's Premier League rivals - but not Jose Mourinho's team.
Then there is the wider issue of Premier League clubs scooping up young talent and farming them out to lower league teams.
Not only can this stunt the development of players who are changing clubs every season, according to a Comolli, but a Championship side might sell a player to a Premier League club and see them back on loan at a rival further down the track.
Hull midfielder Tom Huddlestone started his career at Derby and in 2005 was sold for £2.5m to Tottenham. A few months later he was back in the Championship on loan with Wolves.
Chelsea striker Patrick Bamford, 21, came through Nottingham Forest's youth system but two of his four loan deals since signing for the Blues in 2012 have been at fellow Championship sides.
The way clubs are using the loan system is an issue Uefa president Michel Platini is aware of.
The former France captain has said: "It is not possible that the best teams would have all the best players or competition itself is finished. We have to think about football in all of Europe, not only in two or three clubs."
Fifa also plans to scrap the emergency loan system after this season as it believes it affects "the sporting integrity of the competitions".
There is a cautionary tale for stockpiling, however. At one point, Italian side Parma had 226 players listed as affiliated to the club. Italian clubs can co-own players but with debts amounting to £54m, the club went bust in March.
Andros Townsend was loaned out to nine teams before making his Tottenham breakthrough - but according to his father it was the making of the 24-year-old.
The winger's emergence came at a similar time to fellow England internationals Harry Kane and Ryan Mason, and his father Troy believes the trio made the grade because they were a small group which the clubs had faith in.
He told BBC Sport: "Being educated in the game in the lower leagues helped Andros in his journey. Tottenham always showed an interest even when he was down at Yeovil as it can be quite difficult for a player if they feel detached from the parent club.
"With Chelsea having 33 out on loan, there will be some players coming back wondering if they have a future at the club and even in English football. For some of them they probably won't, and they are being loaned out because they will be sold somewhere down the line."
Comolli is more critical of Tottenham's approach, however. He believes that Kane, Townsend and Mason made their breakthrough in spite of how the club handled them and believes players benefit from a consistent philosophy rather different plans at numerous clubs.
"That was the opposite of what loans should be for," he added. "Can you imagine a business telling its employees to change company nine or 10 times before you are ready to come back to us? I think making that many loan moves is wrong."
Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Gordon Taylor admits the current system is "strange" and with clubs owning large pools of players, likens it to third-party ownership, which has been banned in Britain since 2009 and is now outlawed worldwide.
Like Fifa, Taylor's concerns also surround the integrity of competitions as well as opportunities for young players in England.
While Chelsea have five players on loan at Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem, eyebrows were raised in the 2012-13 season when the Pozzo family took over at Watford, then in the Championship, and brought in 12 players on loan from other clubs they also own - Italian side Udinese and Granada in Spain.
Taylor said: "If it becomes uncontrollable, and you think of Watford and their links with Italy, it invites scrutiny with regards to the integrity of the game.
"You don't want the winners of the competition to be the club that has the best relationships with another club and borrows their best youngsters."
Fortunately for English football, wholesale imports in the manner of those seen at Watford are relatively rare and the Hornets only have three loanees this season.
The Premier League's riches mean it is becoming more common to loan players the other way.
And Comolli believes Chelsea have actually made mistakes in loaning out and selling the likes of Kevin de Bruyne and Lukaku before they reached their true value to the team.
Townsend added: "Clubs need to trust their young talent. The loan system can be a good way but it can be abused.
"Victor Moses is still getting Premier League moves on the back of being a Chelsea player, but somewhere down the line younger players will not be getting those moves. They will be sent out on loan before they are sold off.
"That's where we have to look at curbing the loan rules, not to hinder the clubs but to benefit the players."
Additional reporting by BBC Sport's Mike Peter. | While the mind boggled at a record £870m Premier League spend during the summer transfer window, another statistic caught the eye from a club that was relatively prudent. | 34125476 |
A number of houses were evacuated after the improvised explosive device was found at a private property in the Bothar Bui area on Thursday morning.
The device, which was later confirmed to be viable, was made safe at the scene without the need for a controlled explosion.
It has been taken to a secure military location for further examination. | A bomb has been made safe by the Irish Defence Forces in Athy, County Kildare. | 33459355 |
It singled out the Borders as an example of good practice.
The commission looked at the cases of 200 people treated for mental health conditions under community-based compulsory orders.
Changes to the law have meant that fewer people are being kept for lengthy periods in hospital.
The Borders was reported to have made extensive use of treatment outwith hospital, and the report found evidence of good care planning and review of orders.
This was a new provision under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003.
Before it was implemented the report found that people did not think that community services were well enough developed to provide the care and support needed in the community.
Dr Cliff Sharp, Associate Medical Director said: "We have a lot of people treated in the community under the provisions of the mental health act, and our community teams work with the individuals to discuss their needs and put in place support to achieve the agreed goals.
''This includes discussing with the individual what needs to be in place for the order to be removed and working towards maintaining engagement and therapeutic relationships even when compulsory measures are necessary.''
Dr Donald Lyons, Chief Executive of the Mental Welfare Commission, said: "We hope that service providers use the messages in this report to help people to recover from serious mental illness.
''Good care, treatment and support must be accompanied by services to improve the person's overall quality of life.
''We continue to regard compulsory community treatment as a priority for our attention.
''We will look further at our findings from this report and our forthcoming work on crisis support and intensive home treatment''. | The Mental Health Commission for Scotland has praised efforts to treat a greater number of patients in the community. | 15305779 |
Neotrogla females insert the erectile organs into males' vagina-like openings.
The elaborate structure, dubbed a "gynosome", is used to suck out sperm and nutritious seminal fluids.
Copulation lasts an impressive 40-70 hours, the researchers report in Current Biology.
"Although sex-role reversal has been identified in several different animals, Neotrogla is the only example in which the intromittent organ is also reversed," said lead author Kazunori Yoshizawa from Hokkaido University in Japan.
The gender-bending insects were found in a cave in eastern Brazil and represent four distinct species in the Neotrogla genus.
Once inside a male, the membranous part of the female gynosome inflates. It has numerous spines which anchor the two insects together.
When the researchers attempted to pull a male and female apart, the male's abdomen was ripped from the thorax without breaking the genital coupling.
The unusual role reversal may have been driven by the resource-poor cave environment in which the bugs live, the researchers speculate.
Copulation provides a female with food as well as sperm - so it is advantageous for her to mate at a higher rate, they note.
The curious insects offer new opportunities to test ideas about sexual selection, conflict between the sexes, and the evolution of novelty.
"It will be important to unveil why, among many sex-role-reversed animals, only Neotrogla evolved the elaborated female penis," said Yoshitaka Kamimura from Keio University in Japan.
Their first task, they say, is to establish a healthy population of the insects in the lab. | Female insects with "penises" have been discovered in Brazil - the first example of an animal with sex-reversed genitalia, scientists say. | 27056809 |
It was a difficult and at times dramatic week. The family of the woman, known as Ms Dhu - her real name is not being used at her family's request - believes she would still be alive had she been white.
Whether Ms Dhu would have died if her skin was a different colour is one of the key questions the inquest at Perth's Central Law Courts is seeking to answer.
But after a week of testimony, where doctors strongly denied accusations of racism, it was announced that cross-examination of police would only take place in March 2016.
A central allegation is that police officers downplayed the seriousness of the infection that killed the 23-year-old while she was in custody in August 2014.
But Coroner Ros Fogliani said the police witness testimonies couldn't take place until March 2016 because the inquest had fallen too far behind schedule.
For Ms Dhu's family, this was a "betrayal".
"It's an insult to the family. It's a massive insult after what they've done to Ms Dhu," her uncle and family spokesman Shaun Harris said.
"By March the police are going to be testifying that they 'don't recall'. We've already heard it all this week and it's been 14 months. Imagine four more months."
The police have made no public comment yet.
This week it was the medical professionals who treated her who presented evidence. All of them denied that race played a role in their decisions.
After being arrested on 2 August 2014 on a warrant for unpaid fines, Ms Dhu was taken into custody at South Hedland Police Station, just outside the remote mining town of Port Hedland.
She soon began to complain of rib pain from an old injury she had re-fractured days before. Notes taken by the attending doctor at South Hedland Health Campus, Dr Anne Lang, attributed the pain to "behavioural gain" in her notes. Ms Dhu was returned to police custody.
The next day Ms Dhu was taken to hospital for a second time, and was this time seen by Dr Vafa Naderi. Again she was returned to custody on the basis that her pain was due to "behavioural issues".
One day later she was dead.
The inquest was shown CCTV footage of police dragging her limp and handcuffed frame to the door of her cell before carrying her by the arms and legs to the back of the vehicle that would take her to hospital for a third time.
The cause of death was severe staphylococcal septicaemia and pneumonia resulting from a broken rib. Nurse Caroline Jones was one of the hospital staff present on the day she died. She told the inquest that she believed Ms Dhu had no pulse when she was wheeled in through the hospital waiting room.
Giving testimony, Dr Lang admitted her notes were "unacceptable". She told that inquest that Ms Dhu had been a difficult patient to get answers from, but at no point did she believe Ms Dhu was "drug-seeking" or "faking it". She did, however, believe that her patient may be exaggerating her symptoms in order to get pain relief.
"I found her gait to be a little bit artificial, perhaps to be a little bit attention-seeking. But that didn't mean that I didn't think she had pain in her chest wall," she told the inquest.
She told the court she was haunted by Ms Dhu's death, but while she often asked herself what she would have done differently, she did not think spending more time with Ms Dhu at the time would have changed her thinking,
The head of the South Hedland Health Campus, Dr Ganesan Sakarapani, denied allegations of institutional racism at his hospital when he appeared before the inquest on Thursday,
"I would categorically reject that," he said. "At the regional and local level, the leadership has cultivated awareness and respect for our indigenous patients.
"We do not have a culture of institutional racism at our hospital," he said, also defending Dr Lang and Dr Naderi.
Dr Sakarapani said it was easy to criticise his doctors with the benefit of hindsight, but stressed they made a decision in a busy emergency room on a long weekend with a patient he understood to be unco-operative.
He did acknowledge that were defects in hospital procedure, but emphasised these were in the process of being addressed.
But earlier in the week, Dr Sandra Thompson, an indigenous health expert, testified that were Ms Dhu "a white, middle class person", more of an effort would have been made to find the cause of her pain.
Ms Dhu's family has no doubt that her race played a role in her death.
"She was treated like a dog," her father said during his testimony on the first day. The family said they would stage a protest on Friday next week.
The inquest will continue from Tuesday next week with more testimony from medical professionals. | The family of an Aboriginal woman who died in police custody after three visits to hospital have voiced their anger and disbelief as a crucial part of a painful inquest is delayed. | 34941035 |
The ex-Black Cats player, 54, returned as a coach in 2013 before first-team roles under Dick Advocaat, Sam Allardyce and David Moyes.
The club are managerless after Moyes' departure following relegation.
On Friday, Sunderland said their search for a new boss would be put on hold while negotiations with potential new owners were ongoing.
Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes was offered the role but rejected the opportunity in favour of staying at Pittodrie. | Sunderland assistant manager Paul Bracewell has left the club as they prepare for life in the Championship. | 40313694 |
Untreated, the condition can increase the risk of a stillbirth and other complications.
Most screening takes place at 28 weeks, but a University of Cambridge study of 4,069 women showed the foetus was already affected by then.
Charities said gestational diabetes was involved in a "significant number" of potentially avoidable stillbirths.
Gestational diabetes is common and affects up to 18 in every 100 pregnancies.
The extra sugar in the bloodstream acts as "baby fuel" leading to rapid growth inside the womb.
Most babies are normal and healthy but the condition increases the likelihood of a large baby, which can be difficult to deliver, suffering bone fractures.
The babies can also be at higher risks of obesity and diabetes later in life.
The study, published in the journal Diabetes Care, showed excessive foetal growth had already started by the usual time of screening.
Women testing positive for gestational diabetes at that 28-week stage were twice as likely as other mothers to have an abnormally large foetus.
Mothers who were obese as well as having gestational diabetes had five times the risk of a large foetus.
Prof Gordon Smith, one of the researchers, told the BBC News website: "The recommendations are that screening should take place at some point between 24 and 28 weeks, but in practice a lot screen at 28 weeks.
"Our findings indicate that it should be brought forward to 24 weeks and that would still be consistent with existing guidelines.
"And we should possibly be doing a second, earlier, screening test for early onset of the disease - but that needs further research."
There were no signs of large babies at 20 weeks.
Dr Daghni Rajasingam, from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: "This study emphasises the importance of early detection and diagnosis.
"There is growing awareness for the need to screen earlier, but further research should assess the ideal timing of screening and the impact this has on the child's health.
"It is important to emphasise that immediate changes to lifestyle, including a healthy diet and moderate levels of exercise, can have significantly positive effects on a woman and her baby's health."
Janet Scott, from the stillbirth charity Sands, said: "We know from recent enquiries that failure to screen for gestational diabetes currently plays a part in a significant number of potentially avoidable stillbirths at term.
"Good risk assessment is crucial to avoiding harm to mothers and babies and we welcome these important findings which have real potential to inform better antenatal care for these high-risk pregnancies."
Follow James on Twitter. | Tests for diabetes in pregnancy - which affects the developing baby - are taking place too late, warn scientists. | 35977202 |
This year will be "a more challenging time for British households" and "wages won't keep up with prices", he said.
He was upbeat about wage growth beyond 2017 - but only if the government secures a "smooth" exit from the EU.
It came as the bank trimmed UK economic growth forecasts for 2017 from 2% to 1.9% and held interest rates at 0.25%.
The bank, unveiling its Quarterly Inflation Report, also raised its forecast for inflation this year to 2.8% from its February forecast of 2.4%.
Interest rates are set by the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), which is tasked with keeping inflation at 2%.
Live: Bank of England inflation report - latest news and reaction
Kamal Ahmed: Short term negatives, long term positives
The Bank said the expected overshoot in inflation to 2.7% this year was "entirely" due to the impact of weak sterling and that raising interest rates would not be an effective way of tackling the increase in living costs.
Before last June's referendum the pound was trading at about $1.47. It is currently trading around $1.29 - some 12% lower.
The Bank also highlighted that its current forecasts were based on the assumption that "the adjustment to the United Kingdom's new relationship with the European Union is smooth".
Mr Carney characterised a "smooth" Brexit as the UK securing "an agreement about future trading arrangements and there will be a transition, or an implementation period, from the negotiation to that new agreement".
Lucy O'Carroll, chief economist at Aberdeen Asset Management, said: "The Bank of England is stuck between a rock and hard place. It has to base its forecasts on a view of the Brexit deal but, with so little to go on at present, it's not an easy judgement.
"To say that is far from certain is a huge understatement. Governor Carney acknowledges the risks, but the weight of uncertainty - and therefore frailty of the forecasts - does undermine the Bank's relatively positive message."
At the moment, Mr Carney said there was some evidence "that businesses are hesitating to bring in higher wage costs at a time of some uncertainty about market access and other costs that could be associated with the Brexit process, resulting in more modest wage settlements".
However, if business concerns ease over the process of exiting the EU, wage growth will accelerate.
Since the MPC's previous interest rate meeting in March, official figures have indicated that the economy is weakening. The economy grew by 0.3% in the first quarter of 2017, a sharp slowdown from the 0.7% growth rate in the final three months of 2016.
"The slowdown appears to be concentrated in consumer-facing sectors, partly reflecting the impact of sterling's past depreciation on household income and spending," the Bank said in its report.
It says that consumption growth will be "slower in the near-term than previously anticipated", but then forecasts that it will recover over the next two years as income growth picks up.
The Bank forecasts that average weekly earnings will grow at a rate of 2% this year, but rise to 3.75% by 2019.
If the UK economy follows the Bank's projections and begins to improve, it said monetary policy may need to be tightened.
At this month's meeting the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted 7-1 to keep the interest rate on hold.
Ben Brettell, senior economist at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: "Unsurprisingly interest rates were left unchanged, with just Kristin Forbes voting for a 0.25% rise to 0.5%. However, the Bank also warned that rates may have to rise sooner and faster than the market currently expects.
"It might not take much positive economic data to persuade further MPC members to join Forbes and vote to hike rates, though it should be noted that she is due to leave the MPC at the end of June." | Bank of England governor Mark Carney has warned of a consumer spending squeeze this year as inflation rises and real wages fall. | 39880844 |
Liberty Global, which also has a 10% stake in UK TV company ITV, has not formally announced its offer and has until 19 November to decide if it will.
The deal would allow Liberty Global to expand its reach in the Caribbean where it lacks a mobile phone presence.
Cable & Wireless said the deal could be a combination of cash and shares.
Liberty Global, which is owned by billionaire John Malone, has a strong foothold in Latin America and growing presence in the Caribbean.
Last month Liberty abandoned talks with Vodafone about a swap of business assets in Europe's mobile phone, broadband and TV markets.
In November 2014, Cable & Wireless paid $1.85bn (£1.2bn) for Columbus International, a fibre-based telecommunications firm that Mr Malone owned a stake in.
The deal gave the Liberty Global owner a 13% voting stake in Cable & Wireless.
Liberty Global operates in Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. In 2013 it bought Virgin Media expanding its presence in the UK. | Cable & Wireless Communication shares soared 21% after it confirmed it was in takeover talks with Virgin Media owner Liberty Global. | 34611352 |
Now researchers in China have looked at what impact gut bacteria have on people's weight.
They think that changing the type of bacteria found in the gut may be more effective at helping people to shed weight than cutting calories alone.
But can it really be as simple as that?
Experts warn we shouldn't ditch the cucumber sticks and hot yoga just yet.
The latest World Health Organization figures show there were more than 1.4 billion adults aged 20 or older who were overweight in 2008.
Of these, 200 million men and nearly 300 million women were obese.
Those numbers are rising - they have doubled since 1980.
Lab tests in mice found an association between bacteria and obesity, but trials with people are only just getting started.
In a clinical trial, published in the journal Microbiology Ecology, scientists in Shanghai studied 93 obese people who started with an average Body Mass Index (BMI) of 32.
They fed the volunteers supplements that promoted the growth of certain types of bacteria and reduced the levels of other bacteria in the gut, alongside a balanced diet.
At 30-day, nine-week and 23-week intervals, participants filled in a questionnaire about what they had eaten in the last 24 hours and were physically examined after overnight fasting. They were also weighed and measured.
People in the trial lost on average 5kg over nine weeks, and the 45% who carried on for 23 weeks lost on average 6kg. Their average BMI fell to 29.3.
One morbidly obese patient who was studied as a precursor to the trial lost 51kg, in six months - or about a stone every three weeks.
The paper says patients' levels of the C-reactive protein, linked to clogged arteries and damage to blood vessels in the heart, was also reduced during the trial.
But the study notes: "Admittedly, the self-controlled nature of this study does not allow to infer that all described effects are due to manipulation of gut microbiota."
Prof Liping Zhao, at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, worked on the study.
He says higher levels of toxin-producing bacteria, such as enterobacteria, in the gut can lead to insulin resistance, which means people would not feel full after eating one bowl of rice, instead needing five, 10 or 20 bowls to feel full.
"Their bodies were not telling them they are satisfied," he says.
Prof Zhao says changing the bacteria could switch on a gene which makes the body burn fat.
He says if a person is fed a calorie-restricted diet alone, their ability to lose weight could be impaired if their gut still contains high levels of the type of bacteria, which deactivates the gene that, he says, switches on fat-burning.
He adds: "It is about time to make the public see the kind of scientific evidence we have that really shows we can be confident that gut bacteria have a pivotal role in obesity."
But there are doubts about the drivers of the effect.
When looking at the ever-complex world of the bugs living inside us, and the nuanced way these bacteria interact with our bodies, there are concerns about adopting hard and fast rules about what does and does not work.
Dr David Weinkove, at Durham University, said the study was interesting.
But he said the study did not show whether or not changing the bacteria in the diet actually caused the weight loss, or was just linked to it.
Dr Weinkove adds: "What is interesting is whether the microbes can change your behaviour, and that is causing obesity. That is a really fascinating area."
Prof Sir Stephen Bloom, at Imperial College London, says: "There are 10 times more bacteria in the body than cells. We are basically trolleys carrying bacteria around so they can be fed."
He says there is "no question" that changing the bacteria in people's bodies can have significant effects. For example, he says, dysentery introduces different bacteria into the gut and causes weight loss.
Prof Bloom says it is very hard to "disentangle" what makes people lose weight when they are put on diets, as just changing what people eat tends to make them lose weight, as they are doing something different from usual.
He says people in China have different bacteria to those in the UK, so it is difficult to compare.
His advice is simple: "Eat less and take more exercise. If you eat less, you will always lose weight."
Dr Alison Tedstone, director of diet and obesity at Public Health England, says: "Overall, obesity is about eating more calories than we expend. There are many things that impact upon our gut bacteria, the key one being what we eat.
"While interesting associations are described in the study, there remain issues with the translation of the studies into meaningful advice for the general public."
She advises people to eat a "healthy, balanced diet", and be active to get to a healthy weight. | The search for the most successful way to shed the pounds seems never-ending. | 27116640 |
A former youth player at Chelsea - where Gradi was assistant manager - says he was assaulted by Eddie Heath, the club's chief scout, when he was 15.
Gradi, 75, denies any wrongdoing and says he will help the FA's review.
Heath, who has since died, has been accused by several people of abuse in the 1970s and 1980s.
The BBC understands that the FA, as part of its widened review into child sex abuse allegations, expects to question Gradi after the Independent reported that, in 1974, he went to see the parents of a youth player at Chelsea about a sexual assault.
The former youth player - who cannot be identified for legal reasons - told the newspaper: "He [Gradi] came to visit my parents and me to smooth it over.
"I remember him saying something like: '[With] Eddie, [football] is his life and he gets a bit close to the boys. I'm sorry if he's overstepped the mark in his fondness this time.'"
Chelsea are not known to have taken any action and Gradi has made no specific comments on this claim or his links with Heath.
In a statement on Friday, he said: "Aside from denying any wrongdoing, it would be inappropriate and unfair on all parties to comment piecemeal through the media at this time in connection with historical allegations.
"Suffice to say, I will do everything within my power to assist all investigatory authorities into what is becoming a wide-ranging and important enquiry into historical sexual abuse."
League Two club Crewe Alexandra have not yet responded to a request for comment.
The FA has given no indication about who will be spoken to as part of its review.
Gradi has previously said he "knew nothing" about the alleged abuse of young footballers by anyone connected with Crewe until 1994 and that he then co-operated with the authorities.
Despite failing to win any major honours in his management career, Gradi developed a reputation as a fine coach of young players, primarily at Crewe Alexandra.
Born in Milan, Italy he came to the UK as a child after the Second World War and went on to play football at non-league level, before becoming Chelsea assistant coach in 1971, aged 29.
He remained at the London club until 1976, before returning to Sutton United, who he used to play for.
Following spells as manager of Wimbledon and Crystal Palace, he began an association with Crewe in 1983 that now spans 33 years.
He was manager from 1983 to 2007, leading the team to the second tier of English football for the first time in 1997, and was awarded an MBE for services to football a year later.
Crewe's 11th-placed finish in their first year in the second tier remains the highest finish in the club's history.
During Gradi's tenure, the club won the PFA Bobby Moore Fair Play Trophy 12 times in 15 years.
Having had a spell as director of football, Gradi had a second stint as manager from 2009 to 2011 before returning to the overseeing role he still occupies.
In 2013, aged 72, Gradi became the oldest person appointed to Greg Dyke's FA commission charged with improving English football from the grassroots upwards.
Described by the National Football Museum as "one of English football's best developers of young players", Gradi's tenure at Crewe has seen internationals David Platt, Geoff Thomas, Danny Murphy, Seth Johnson, Robbie Savage and Dean Ashton emerge.
The National Football Museum inducted Gradi into its Hall of Fame in 2004, and he was given the Football League's outstanding contribution to football award in 2011.
The FA is supporting a hotline set up by the NSPCC. It is available 24 hours a day on 0800 0232642. | Crewe Alexandra director Dario Gradi has been suspended pending a Football Association investigation that will include looking into claims he "smoothed over" a complaint of sexual assault against a Chelsea scout in the 1970s. | 38279170 |
Kevin Nolan told the jury he had passed the details of a hamper salesman named "Mark Kingston" to club officials.
Stephen Ackerman is accused of selling hampers to players that never arrived under the alias Mark Kingston.
The 48-year-old, of Loughton, Essex, denies 19 fraud charges with the proceeds totalling more than £60,000.
Mr Nolan told Snaresbrook Crown Court he was the given the details of "a fella called Mark" by nightclub manager Scott Cummings.
The 34-year-old said he passed the details to player liaison officer Tim De'Ath telling him: "Mark sold luxury hampers and he would like to come into the training ground."
When asked by prosecutor Richard Milne if he was a "sort of a middleman", Mr Nolan replied "yes".
The former Leyton Orient boss said he paid £920 for two Harrods hampers and 25 bottles of champagne from a salesman who was in his mid-40s, had dark hair, and wore a grey flat cap.
However, he said he never received the items.
Former West Ham defender Joey O'Brien told the court he had paid £1,200 for two hampers and some rose champagne, but noticed two extra payments totalling £780 were also taken.
"I did not know anything about those on my bank statement until I checked," he said.
He described the salesman as "smartly dressed" and wearing a "smart watch".
Tim De'Ath, who has previously picked out Mr Ackerman in an identity parade, told the court he was not embarrassed about arranging for the salesman to come to the club.
"It was Mr Nolan that told me to get him in," he said.
When questioned by defence counsel Michael Gumulka about whether he could have mistaken Mr Ackerman for another man, Mr De'Ath answered: "I disagree with that 100%."
The defence argues that Mr Ackerman was not the man who purported to be Mark Kingston.
The trial continues. | West Ham's former captain acted as an inadvertent "middleman" in a Christmas hamper con in which fellow players lost thousands of pounds, a court has heard. | 36846222 |
Relatives of some of the men were at the service of dedication at Enniskillen Castle.
The event was also attended by the First Minister Arlene Foster.
The Victoria Cross, the highest award for bravery, was introduced in 1856 by Queen Victoria to honour acts during the Crimean War.
Each medal is made from the bronze of Russian guns captured at the siege of Sevastopol.
The 10 men from County Fermanagh received the award for their bravery in British military campaigns, including the Indian Mutiny of 1857, the Abyssinia Expedition, the Boer War and the First World War.
A commemorative centenary paving stone was also unveiled to Captain Eric Bell as part of a nationwide campaign by the government to honour those who received the Victoria Cross during the First World War.
Eric Bell was born in Enniskillen and was killed at the Somme in July 1916 as he attempted to organise a counter attack at Thiepval.
The campaign to permanently recognise their heroism was organised by Oliver Breen, who thought it was "a piece of lost history".
He has spent the past 10 years working to have the memorial erected and said the monument was built with the support of all sections of the community in Fermanagh.
"The men who won the VC's here, they're from both sides of the community," he said.
"It's a shared history and let's hope they will give us a shared future.
"I feel very proud that the lost history of Fermanagh, which most people don't know about, has now been resurrected."
Marie Flanagan, great-great-granddaughter of Corporal Michael Slevin, said she was "very proud" to honour his memory.
"Just remembering the dead and remembering why they died, I think that's very important. They died so that we could have a country to live in."
James Irwin's ancestor Charles Irwin fought in the Indian Mutiny of 1857.
"He was wounded in the shoulder and he stormed into a house to rescue some colleagues, despite being severely injured.
"As a result, his colleagues put him forward for a VC, which is a great honour to receive."
He said he and his family only became aware of the story about 15 years ago and described the unveiling of the memorial as "a very special occasion".
"It is very very important that we do remember the sacrifices they made," said Mr Irwin. | A publicly funded memorial to 10 men from County Fermanagh who received Britain's highest military honour has been unveiled in Enniskillen. | 36456105 |
The UK government recently announced changes to the way onshore wind energy schemes are supported.
Critics fear this could lead to some proposed schemes getting the axe.
Industry body Scottish Renewables said five Scottish councils could lose out on income if developments they have invested in do not go ahead.
The UK government announced last month that new onshore wind farms would be excluded from a subsidy scheme from 1 April 2016 - a year earlier than expected.
But there will be a grace period for projects which already have planning permission.
Energy firms had already been facing an end to subsidies in 2017.
The funding for the subsidy comes from the Renewables Obligation, which is funded by levies added to household fuel bills.
Making the announcement, UK Energy and Climate Change Secretary Amber Rudd said: "We are driving forward our commitment to end new onshore wind subsidies and give local communities the final say over any new wind farms.
"Onshore wind is an important part of our energy mix and we now have enough subsidised projects in the pipeline to meet our renewable energy commitments.
The Scottish government condemned the move.
Scottish Renewables, which promotes the industry, said five councils, had already invested more than £650,000 in site investigation and pre-planning work on publicly-owned wind farm projects.
Glasgow is one of the five local authorities. The other four were not identified in the survey.
The wind farms, if they go ahead, would bring in revenue to the councils over the next two decades.
The planned UK government changes mean many schemes could face delays or cancellation.
The survey - carried out by the Association for Public Service Excellence for industry body Scottish Renewables - also found that 30 jobs would be at risk if projects were scrapped.
Joss Blamire, senior policy manager at Scottish Renewables, said: "Given the pressures on local authority budgets, many have looked elsewhere for income.
"Renewables not only allow Scotland's cities and towns do their bit to cut the carbon emissions which are causing climate change, but also support almost 12,000 Scottish jobs.
"With the premature end of one renewables support scheme already announced last month and two others - Contracts for Difference and the Feed-in Tariff - the subject of significant uncertainty, councils have been left in limbo.
"That means more than £650,000 of public money which has already been spent, not to mention projected incomes in the tens of millions of pounds, could now be lost if the UK government doesn't urgently reconsider its position."
The survey, conducted between 6 and 10 July, found a total of 25 wind turbines were planned by the five Scottish councils who responded.
Glasgow City Council currently operates a single turbine at Cathkin Braes on the south edge of the city.
Plans for 11 more wind turbines on sites around the city were all at the pre-planning stage and the authority was about to commit £70,000 on feasibility studies to see if they could go ahead.
It is estimated that those plans could have brought in about £11m over the 20-year life of the turbines but the schemes are now on hold.
Glasgow City Council leader Gordon Matheson, who is also chair of the Sustainable Glasgow partnership, said: "Glasgow aims to lead the way in using new green technology in our city to improve the environment, create jobs and reduce our carbon footprint.
"Our wind turbine at Cathkin Braes, which is a joint venture between SSE and the council, pays a dividend to a local community trust to support local projects.
"I have also pledged that revenues from renewable projects will be directed to supporting Glasgow's affordable warmth strategy, with a particular focus on our most vulnerable residents.
"Our plans to increase the number of wind turbines in the city now face uncertainty due to recent policy changes and, due to these changes, the community benefits, which would help local people and their neighbours grow and prosper, are at risk."
APSE Energy is a local authority collaboration group on civic energy and renewables schemes, and carried out the snapshot survey on behalf of Scottish Renewables.
APSE Energy director Mark Bramah said: "Councils have invested a great deal of time, resources and money to bring forward projects which have the benefit of contributing to the sustainable energy mix of their localities and can generate significant revenues to support hard-pressed communities and local public services." | Scottish councils may lose out on more than £44m of income over the next 20 years if changes are made to wind farm subsidies, according to a trade body. | 33550487 |
The injured pair, in their 70s, are from the Bedford area and were hurt at about 10.30 BST on South Marine Drive near Bridlington Spa, East Yorkshire.
They are being treated at Hull Royal Infirmary, said Humberside Police.
The car driver, who is in his 50s and from Cyprus, has been treated for minor injuries at Scarborough Hospital.
Humberside Police is looking at the possibility the driver could have become unwell at the wheel and have appealed for witnesses. | Two people have been airlifted to hospital, one with life-threatening injuries, after being hit by a car that mounted the pavement. | 40543757 |
The freak weather ripped the guttering and tiles from roofs in Park Bottom, Illogan, in Cornwall and left them in a nearby field on Tuesday night.
Stunned residents described a "massive whirling noise" as windows were blown in and debris smashed into cars.
Weather experts said it was "plausible" that a tornado was whipped up during a severe storm.
The freak weather struck at abut 21:15 GMT, said John Budd, whose 6ft (1.8m) by 8ft (2.4m) wooden summerhouse was ripped from his garden.
"All of a sudden there was a loud roaring noise and then a bang," he said.
"I thought a plane had come down."
Mr Budd's summerhouse roof had been blown four houses down the street and landed in Trev Harris's garden after striking his conservatory and roof.
Roof slates were piled on the ground outside.
A large trampoline had also been catapulted four houses down the street.
Mr Harris said: "I said to my wife we have a shed-load of material in the garden and then I realised it was a shed."
Neighbour Dave Crabtree said: "There was an almighty sound of the wind whistling. The window was vibrating and all the glass shattered into the living room.
"It went everywhere. It missed my wife Lynne by an inch or two."
BBC weatherman Kevin Thomas said: "It sounds like a tornado; the clues are the roaring sound and the localisation of the damage and the fact that weighty objects have been picked up."
A lightning strike blasted a hole in the roof of a house in Hayle during the storm.
Snow caused hazardous driving conditions in Cornwall, especially around Launceston, and the A3074 near Lelant was closed after high winds brought down trees and power cables. | A suspected tornado threw a summerhouse roof some 300ft (90m) through the air and left a trail of destruction. | 30809491 |
Wales and Iceland have excelled in the competition despite this being the first time they have qualified.
Wales face Portugal on Wednesday in the semi-final, while hosts France eliminated Iceland in the last eight.
"I think there will be a boom in those countries and we will see more kids there playing football," said Kallen.
Northern Ireland, Albania and Slovakia also appeared in the competition for the first time.
"People were anxious the format might not work but it has worked," Kallen said. "We have seen two teams going further than anybody believed they would and that's positive."
Some have criticised the new format and the defensive approach taken by teams relying on draws to get through the group stage as a best third-paced side.
However, that also contributed to the exciting conclusion to the group stages with most teams needing points to qualify, typified by Iceland's thrilling late victory against Austria.
The new format will be in place for Euro 2020, which will be hosted throughout Europe, and Kallen said it could also be adopted beyond that. | The decision to expand the European Championships from 16 to 24 teams has been "very positive", tournament director Martin Kallen has said. | 36714679 |
Officers said they acted after finding a man waving an "item" around near the London Central Mosque in Regent's Park.
There were no reports of any injuries and the suspect is being held at a central London police station on suspicion of affray.
The force said it was not treating the incident as terrorism-related and said the item being waved was a shoehorn.
"Officers are keeping an open mind regarding any motivation for the incident", the force said in a statement.
The incident comes after a van was driven at worshippers near the Muslim Welfare House mosque and community centre, in Finsbury Park, in the early hours of Monday.
Nine people were taken to three London hospitals and two were treated at the scene. Those who were injured had been helping a man who had collapsed. He later died but it is not clear if that was because of the attack.
Darren Osborne, 47, from Cardiff, has been held on suspicion of attempted murder and alleged terror offences. | A man has been Tasered by police after reports people were being attacked at a London mosque just before 01:30 BST. | 40351178 |
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Shaun Wane's side, winners in 2011, scored 12 tries without conceding a point to book a date with Warrington or Hull FC at Wembley next month.
Pat Richards's two tries and 11 goals guided the Warriors to a 30th final.
The 70-0 win is the biggest in Challenge Cup semi-final history, breaking Wigan's own mark of 71-10 over Bradford back in 1992.
London became the first side since Hull KR's defeat by St Helens in 2006 to end a semi-final scoreless.
Despite their poor league form, which had seen them fail to record a Super League victory since beating St Helens in April, London pinned their hopes on their prior displays in the Challenge Cup, and the presence of Jamie Soward - but neither proved any boost on a afternoon to forget at Leigh Sports Village.
Three defeats in five were uncharacteristic preparation for Wigan, but they returned to their best in a dominant performance coming after a derby loss to St Helens on Monday.
Pat Richards, in his final season at Wigan, scored 30 points to break Frano Botica's records of 22 points and nine goals in a semi-final set in 1992.
but there looked little doubt his side would fail in their quest this time around.
Errors handed them repeat sets which London initially weathered, but once Wigan found their stride they took full control of the tie.
Slack defence at the play-the-ball gifted Darrell Goulding a route to the line which he snapped up, and after Sean O'Loughlin and Blake Green combined, Lee Mossop had the power to dart over for a second Wigan try.
London were stunned, and were further punished for indiscipline and a tiring defensive effort in humid conditions with four further tries before the hooter.
Sam Tomkins jinked through before Blake Green pounced on a grubber by Matty Smith, and Pat Richards finished off a flowing move out on the left as London failed to scramble to cover.
Josh Charnley's try was the pick of the first-half scores, as Ben Flower and then O'Loughlin ripped through the London cover and the latter's booming pass to the England winger on the right was finished well.
The one-sided nature of the first period continued after the hooter when Scott Taylor burst two tackles, although there was a hint of misfortune for the Broncos about the penalty for a high tackle on Sam Tomkins earlier in the set.
Footballing skills from Smith almost brought a spectacular score, but the half-back showed another side to his talent when he stepped the cover to scoot in on the right for try eight.
With their place in the final all but secured, Wigan played some expansive football that was rewarded when O'Loughlin flicked a ball onto the overlapping Richards and push the scoreboard past 50.
Farrell's graft in the second row was complented by his support play and brought a try when he ran onto an inside ball to score, and Iain Thornley's touchdown was further insult to injury for a broken Broncos.
Charnley's second from Goulding's sleight-of-hand pass was the 12th try of the game and the 100th of his career - not to mention an impressive seal to a dominant Wigan display.
Wigan head coach Shaun Wane told BBC Sport:
"It's fantastic, we lost last year at Leeds and played poorly but today we played really well, London were busted today with injuries but were were outstanding.
"Last year took me weeks to get over, but I'm so proud of the effort, we had a short turn around this week and the effort has been fantastic."
Wigan captain Sean O'Loughlin told BBC Sport:
"We got off to a really good start, settled into the game well we got some points on board and it was always going to be a struggle to come back from that.
"With the half-time scoreline we could have found it difficult to stay professional, with a Challenge Cup final at stake it kept everyone mentally switched on.
"We've been involved in a couple of these semis and we've not got there which is disappointing to take and we're now one step close to lifting the Challenge Cup."
London Broncos head coach Tony Rea told BBC Sport:
"We're obviously really shattered, we came here to do what we wanted to do today with really high hopes of what were were going to get out of the game.
"We had a ridiculous penalty count, we couldn't get the ball and there was a point in the first half where one team was going to crack and I thought it could be us that made them crack but we lost our discipline, the marker play, and defence.
"Fair play to Wigan they were bigger, fitter and more powerful. They steamrollered us. You've got to be tough in big games and we weren't tough enough today."
London Broncos: Dorn; Colborn, Lloyd, Sarginson, Robertson; O'Callaghan, Soward; Cook, Lee, Bryant, Rodney, Kaufusi, Fairbank
Substitutes: Krasniqi, Wheeldon, Fisher, McMeeken
Wigan: S. Tomkins; Charnley, Goulding, Thornley, Richards; Green, Smith; Mossop, McIlorum, Dudson, Hansen, Farrell, O'Loughlin
Substitutes: Tuson, Flower, Taylor, L. Tomkins
Attendance: 6,274
Referee: Phil Bentham (Warrington) | Wigan booked their place in the 2013 Challenge Cup final with a record semi-final victory against London Broncos. | 23412484 |
Armed officers were in Bracknell Close, Wood Green, at about 09:00 GMT when a man received gunshot wounds, police said.
The Met said the operation was "intelligence-led" but not related to terrorism.
It added the Directorate of Professional Standards - its internal investigator - had been informed.
An air ambulance was called to the scene but the man was confirmed dead shortly before 10:30 GMT.
BBC London Live for latest updates on this and today's other stories
There were no reports of any other injuries.
One Twitter user reported seeing "police everywhere" and a "medical helicopter". | A man shot during a police operation in north London has died, Scotland Yard has said. | 35070431 |
Pakistan moved to within 30 runs of Zimbabwe's total of 172 without losing a wicket, before a batting collapse almost cost them the Twenty20 match.
Skipper Shahid Afridi hit his first ball for four to give his side victory with three balls to spare in Lahore.
Gunmen attacked buses carrying the Sri Lanka team in the city six years ago.
Beforehand, fans waited at the Gaddafi Stadium in temperatures of 43 degrees Celsius and faced frequent security checks.
Both teams arrived at the stadium in a fleet of vans carrying armed guards.
Dozens of CCTV cameras were installed in the surroundings of Nishtar Park, where the Gaddafi Stadium is located.
Tickets for both Friday's and Sunday's T20s in Lahore were sold out within two days, and the teams will also play three one-day internationals at the venue next week. | Thousands of police and paramilitaries were on hand for Pakistan's nervy win in their first home full international fixture since a terror attack in 2009. | 32850749 |
Craig Mackey told new recruits at the police training college Hendon it had also been been an awful week "for the policing family".
But he said they would "never be alone" and that their city was proud of them.
It comes two days after PC Keith Palmer was killed preventing Khalid Masood from entering Parliament.
Masood, 52, drove his car onto the pavement and into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before crashing the vehicle into railings and running into the grounds of Parliament.
On Friday acting commissioner Mackey said: "We are mourning the loss of a brave officer, PC Keith Palmer, who died protecting Parliament and our democracy.
"At moments like this, rare though they are, it is natural to be afraid and to despair at the inhuman violence we have seen.
"But it is at moments like these that you truly appreciate the strength of the policing family."
Fifty people were injured in Wednesday's attack, with 31 receiving hospital treatment.
Two people remain in a critical condition, and one has life-threatening injuries.
Acting commissioner Mackey told the new recruits: "As police officers, we have a special bond with the public, as their protectors and guardians. It is a bond that grows stronger in adversity.
"We have seen the gratitude of this city to its police service manifested this week with kind words and gifts. They're proud of you and your colleagues. As am I."
On Thursday evening acting commissioner Mackey joined Home Secretary Amber Rudd, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and hundreds of people at a candlelit vigil in Trafalgar Square to remember those who lost their lives as a result of Wednesday's attack.
Candles were laid on the ground and on the steps leading to the National Gallery, then lit in memory of those who died.
Earlier, Army veteran Mike Crofts, who witnessed the attack and rushed to help PC Palmer, told BBC Breakfast it was his military training that made him react.
"Unfortunately despite our best efforts we were unable to save him.
"He was at the time surrounded by a whole host of colleagues who really loved him. We held his hand through the experience, talked to him throughout."who lost their lives. | The acting commissioner of the Metropolitan Police has told trainee officers they are joining the force in "an awful week for London". | 39384826 |
A source at the army's command centre in the city told the BBC that the gunmen had attacked the headquarters of a special forces unit elite.
This then led to heavy fighting in the area, he added.
Benghazi was the centre of the uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011.
It has become increasingly unstable amid clashes between militias made up of former rebels and the regular forces of the new authorities.
Militias with different tribal and ideological links control parts of the city, which has seen a wave of attacks on government security forces.
The official Facebook page of the special forces shows gruesome images of some of the soldiers who died in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The BBC's Rana Jawad says that two of the men who died appeared to have been summarily executed after being taken hostage by what the unit described as the Takfir group - a clear reference to Islamist militants.
The latest clashes mark an escalation in the attacks against the special forces unit since they were deployed in the city about a month ago.
Previous incidents included their checkpoints being targeted in drive-by attacks.
Radical Islamists were blamed for an attack on the US consulate in Benghazi last September that killed four Americans, including ambassador Chris Stevens.
Benghazi has also recently been the scene of anti-militia protests, which saw residents demanding they be dissolved attacked and killed by militia members. | Six soldiers from an elite Libyan army unit have been killed overnight by masked gunmen in the restive eastern city of Benghazi. | 22917788 |
Hartley has excelled as England skipper in 2016, captaining the side to eight straight victories, including a Grand Slam and a series win in Australia.
And Jones feels the 30-year-old should be a prime contender to lead the Lions against the All Blacks.
"I think he would be a great candidate," Jones told the BBC.
"He has clearly done a good job leading England - he has got the ability to develop relationships with people - and therefore he would be a great candidate for the Lions job."
Jones' choice of Hartley as captain in January was controversial at the time, given the player's chequered disciplinary record, but the Northampton hooker has been a revelation in the job.
The duo's unbeaten tenure has seen them secure a first Grand Slam success since 2003, and England's first ever series win down under.
"He is very good with the players in making sure they understand standards we want in the team, and making sure they understand the values that are important," Jones added.
"He continues to do that on a daily basis and that is so important for a captain."
One of Hartley's lieutenants - vice-captain Billy Vunipola - says the skipper's approach is perfectly in tune with that of Jones.
"I feel he is a clone of Eddie," Vunipola told BBC Sport. "They are both brutally honest and you have a lot of respect for that because you know where you stand."
And the number eight says Hartley's captaincy style gets the best out of his players.
"He will always put the team first. He is very selfless - everyone is equal. If he thinks you aren't pulling your weight he will tell you, and if you are doing a good job he will tell you."
"He would never ask of us something he wouldn't do himself. He is very inspirational, and a lot of boys follow him in that respect."
England go in to the third Test in Sydney in Saturday hoping to secure a historic 3-0 whitewash over the Australians.
Listen to Eddie Jones on the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 on Wednesday morning, and don't miss 5 live Rugby on Thursday at 21:00 BST for a comprehensive preview of the final weekend of the summer tour matches. | England coach Eddie Jones has backed Dylan Hartley for the role of Lions captain in New Zealand next year. | 36587895 |
The collision happened westbound at junction 45 for Ynysforgan just before 18:00 BST on Friday.
Police closed the main carriageway for almost an hour, with traffic queuing to junction 43 at Llandarcy.
One person has been injured but it is not believed to be life-threatening, South Wales Police said.
Check if this is affecting your journey | Part of the M4 near Swansea has reopened following a crash involving one van and two cars. | 37136003 |
The woman, believed to be in her 30s, was found dead at a house on Bankholme Court in the Holmewood area on Boxing Day.
West Yorkshire Police arrested two men, aged 33 and 42, on suspicion of murder.
The 33-year-old man has been released without charge, while the other man remains in custody, the force said.
Officers are appealing for anyone with information to contact them.
A cause of death is yet to be established and a post-mortem is due to take place later, police said.
More on this and other local stories from across West Yorkshire | One of two men arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman was found dead in Bradford has been released without charge, police have said. | 38452915 |
Dubliner Casey, 38, had a 10-year playing career with the Exiles before retiring in 2012.
He rejoined the club as their operations director in 2014 before becoming chief executive in 2015.
"Now is the time for me to prioritise my wife and our young family and we have decided to return home and be close to family and friends," he said. | London Irish chief executive and former club captain Bob Casey is to leave the club at the end of the season. | 39456999 |
The incident happened near Central Park football ground in Cowdenbeath.
Members of a visiting circus discovered the leak as they were dismantling their equipment at about 20:40 on Sunday.
They were sent to bed and breakfast accommodation for the night, along with residents of Chapel Street and Rowan Street.
A police spokesman said the residents were out of their homes for about seven hours. | Thirty two people who had to be moved from their homes following a gas leak in Fife have been allowed back in. | 28189888 |
Swiss Federer, seeded second, won 7-6 (7-0) 7-6 (8-6) 7-5 and set up a quarter-final against French 12th seed Richard Gasquet.
Fifth seed Stan Wawrinka beat American Donald Young and will next face Andy Murray's conqueror, Kevin Anderson.
In the women's draw, Britain's Jo Konta lost to fifth seed Petra Kvitova while second seed Simona Halep progressed.
Isner had not lost his serve for the entire tournament, until his very last service game.
The American had held on for 56 straight service games until Federer, who had already won two tie-breaks, clinched the match when Isner sent a volley wide.
"John has one of the best serves in the game, especially the pace on his second serve, which is unreal," said Federer.
"I guess you've got to hang around and make sure you don't drop your own serve."
The 34-year-old, chasing an 18th major title, goes on to face Gasquet, who beat Czech Tomas Berdych 6-2 3-6 6-4 6-1.
French Open champion Wawrinka earlier beat Young 6-1 1-6 6-3 6-4 on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The 23-year-old Romanian had looked destined to join the growing ranks of retirees when she called for the trainer for a leg issue after losing the first set against Sabine Lisicki.
However, Halep fought back to win 6-7 (6-8) 7-5 6-2 on Louis Armstrong Stadium and will play Victoria Azarenka in the quarter-final.
"My back was cramping, then the leg was worst," said Halep. "I feel it. I feel pain. But tomorrow I have day off so I have time to recover."
Kvitova brought Konta's 16-match unbeaten run to an end with a 7-5 6-3 victory and will next meet Italian Flavia Pennetta, who saw off Australia's former champion Sam Stosur 6-4 6-4.
There was much bemusement around Flushing Meadows when former finalist Azarenka, 26, stepped out on to Arthur Ashe Stadium wearing bandages on her biceps.
They did not appear to hinder the 20th seed, who celebrated her 6-3 6-4 win over American Lepchenko with an on-court dance afterwards.
The Belarusian, twice a beaten finalist at Flushing Meadows, also revealed the reason for the patches, saying: "I got a blister from rubbing against my shirt. It's a little embarrassing."
Australian Open junior finalist Katie Swan had to be helped from court six in some distress.
The 16-year-old, from Bristol but based in Kansas, required medical attention for around 10 minutes after losing the first set in 30C heat against France's Tessah Andrianjafitrimo.
Swan was wrapped in ice towels, had her blood pressure taken and was advised not to continue, but the teenager wanted to try.
She was unable to carry on when trailing 7-6 (7-5) 3-0 after one hour and 22 minutes, but was said to be recovering well with the on-site medical staff.
"I'm sorry, I don't think you can play with it any more but if you come back we'll give you a shirt you can use. Come after and I will give you something." Stan Wawrinka offers the boy who got his broken racquet another Swiss souvenir.
"I'm going to look for something that matches a little better. I got to keep my swag on." Victoria Azarenka is pondering her next wardrobe decision.
"I have strong legs, so it is OK." Simona Halep reassures those worried that she hits herself with her racquet during matches.
"Actually I'm starting to like it. It's good. It's not like Wimbledon, of course." Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova is learning to love New York.
"The weapons that I like to use against pretty much every single player doesn't seem to bother her." Sam Stosur concedes the game plan needs adjusting after a seventh defeat in seven matches against Flavia Pennetta. | Five-time champion Roger Federer won a battle of the serves to beat John Isner in round four of the US Open. | 34180990 |
Appointed second-in-command of Congress in January 2013, Mr Gandhi led the party into the general election and managed its campaign.
He criss-crossed the length and breadth of India, addressing election rallies and holding meetings with party workers and supporters.
But the race was extremely tough for him - Congress bore the brunt of voter unhappiness over a slowing economy, high inflation and a string of damaging corruption scandals.
Mr Gandhi has long been seen as a prime-minister-in-waiting but with the charismatic and populist BJP candidate Narendra Modi having declared his hand, Congress refrained from naming Mr Gandhi as their prime ministerial candidate.
Analysts said the move was aimed at protecting one of the party's main assets ahead of the drubbing the party received.
Many in the party ranks had long clamoured for a bigger role for Mr Gandhi.
But there had also been questions about how eager he was to embrace this role. Critics have often described him as the "reluctant prince" who has been the de facto number two for a long time, wielding the power, but shying away from responsibility.
Also, his campaigning in last year's crucial state elections failed to deliver the votes, raising further questions about his leadership abilities.
In his only television interview earlier this year Mr Gandhi gave the impression he was leading the party because his birth gave him no choice, rather than because of any ambition.
The son of murdered former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and his Italian-born widow Sonia, Rahul has been steadily building up his own political profile as he strives to emerge from his parents' shadow.
He was born on 19 June 1970 and went to the finest Indian schools, going on to study economics in the US and work in London before returning to work in Mumbai in 2002.
Rahul was seen as a shy man whose interests lay more in cricket matches and the outdoors than in political life.
His charismatic and popular sister Priyanka was thought to be more likely to take over the family's mantle of power.
His decision to enter formal politics before the 2004 general election therefore took many by surprise.
That year, Mr Gandhi stood for parliament and won the traditional family constituency of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, which his father had once held.
In September 2007 Rahul was named as the party's secretary general, with his mother Sonia remaining as president, and in January last year, he was appointed the vice-president of the party.
He represents the fourth generation of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty that has led the Congress party, and India, for much of the time since independence from Britain in 1947.
His grandmother, Indira, was another prime minister, also assassinated, while his great-grandfather, Jawaharlal Nehru, was independent India's first leader.
Why Rahul, rather than Priyanka, answered the party's call for a new generation of Gandhis is still not fully clear.
Many within the Congress party saw his move into politics as positive, although the decision was seen by some as highlighting the party's lack of alternatives and its continuing reliance on the Nehru-Gandhi family for leadership and direction.
Whatever the concerns, expectations were high that he would play a major role in the government and the party. Despite his "dark horse" image, he is said by some analysts to have a detailed political knowledge and to be a practised backroom operator.
Although he turned down previous roles to take a prominent role in the party, by 2008 he had kicked off a campaign called the "discovery of India", aimed at winning over hearts and minds and projecting himself as a future leader.
In his campaigning in Uttar Pradesh in the 2012 state elections, he addressed more than 200 rallies, slept in villagers' huts and even grew stubble to give himself more of a "man of the people" look. | Rahul Gandhi, heir of the powerful Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty that has dominated Indian politics for decades, has accepted responsibility for the party's worst ever election performance. | 17271658 |
The musician-turned farmer will host the Harvest event, featuring acts such as KT Tunstall, at his farm at Kingham, Chipping Norton from 9 to 12 September.
It will be a sister event to the one being held by TV presenter Jimmy Doherty at his farm near Ipswich in Suffolk over the same weekend.
Mr James said it will be a "celebration of food, the farm and music".
The bassist, who has developed a cheese-making business since stepping away from the limelight, as well as working as a broadcaster, said: "We'll throw open the farm gates for Harvest this September.
"My family are looking forward to a celebration of all our favourite things - food, the farm and music."
Notable food experts at the event will include Richard Corrigan, Mark Hix and Yotam Ottolenghi as well as Gardeners' World host Monty Don.
The festival will include cookery master classes, pop-up restaurants, gardening workshops, a farmers market and a children's field at the farm at Kingham, Chipping Norton.
Blur reformed for shows in 2009 with the bassist expected to record with them again this year. | Blur bassist Alex James is to hold a music and food festival at his Oxfordshire estate. | 12356297 |
Junead Ahmed Khan is accused of plotting to run over a serviceman, possibly from an US air base in East Anglia, and then kill him with a knife.
Mr Khan was also charged, along with his uncle Shazib Ahmed Khan, 22, both from Luton, over attempting to join Islamic State in Syria.
Both men were remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey on 10 August.
The men appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court charged with being involved in preparation with the intention to commit acts of terrorism, dating between 1 August 2014 and 10 May 2015.
The additional count faced by Junead Khan dates between 10 May 2015 and 14 July 2015.
It is alleged Junead Khan - a delivery driver for TRG Logistics in Luton - planned to stage a car accident and then kill a US serviceman, a method of attack that has echoes of the murder of Lee Rigby two years ago.
The two men, of Marlow Avenue, were arrested a week ago in an operation involving officers from the national counter-terrorism network, and have been held at Southwark Police Station.
Another man, in his 30s, was also detained. He was released without charge on Monday night.
Searches were carried out at two addresses in the Luton area. | A 24-year-old man has appeared in court charged with planning to kill US military personnel based in the UK. | 33612092 |
The OSCE said on Friday that the rebels had surrounded one of its teams near Donetsk, opening fire and seizing a drone they were trying to launch.
The US statement called on Russia and the separatists to observe a fragile six-day-old ceasefire.
Ukrainian forces and rebels have been fighting since 2014.
The ceasefire was agreed after an upsurge in violence last month. More than 9,800 people have died since the conflict began.
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe has an observer mission in the conflict area to monitor the truce.
"We condemn Friday's targeting of OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) monitors and the seizure of a SMM unmanned aerial vehicle by combined-Russian separatist forces," the state department said.
"We call on Russia and the separatist forces it backs to immediately observe the ceasefire, withdraw all heavy weapons, and allow full and unfettered access to the OSCE monitors."
The statement also urged the rebels to halt attacks on civilian infrastructure.
The OSCE monitors were in the town of Yasynuvata trying to gather information about the apparent recent shelling of Donetsk water filtration plant when they were surrounded by rebels.
The plant, which is close to the front line, had announced on Friday that it was closing because of the attacks.
The rebels pointed guns at the monitors, the OSCE said, and one fired shots that landed near them.
Mission chief Ertugrul Apakan said on Friday: "Firing at unarmed civilian monitors is not only a direct threat to the lives of brave men and women doing their best to bring peace to Ukraine.
"It is a direct challenge to the collective will of the 57 OSCE participating states, and to the Minsk agreements."
A peace deal for eastern Ukraine was signed in the Belarusian capital of Minsk in February 2015 but since then previously agreed ceasefires have not held for long, with both Ukrainian government forces and the rebels repeatedly accused of breaking them. | The US state department has condemned an incident in eastern Ukraine where pro-Russian rebels held civilian monitors at gunpoint. | 39097412 |
At Mr Kuchibhotla's cremation on Tuesday, people held placards with slogans such as "Down with Racism", "Down with Trump" and "We strongly condemn hate crimes".
He and another Indian man were drinking in a bar in Kansas last week when they were shot by a man who reportedly yelled "get out of my country" as he fired at them.
The mourners holding the hand-written placards included young people and older people whose children are planning to go abroad or are already abroad.
For most Hyderabad students, the American dream begins as early as high school.
But a change in mood is most evident at the Chilkur Balaji Temple on the outskirts of the city.
It is better known as the "visa" temple because everyone hoping to travel to the US brings his or her passport there before applying for a visa.
The temple deity reportedly has a high level of success. Many applicants from a range of professions say they received their visas after offering prayers there.
The number of devotees has not seen any significant reduction since Mr Trump became president, but the number of prayers uttered by the faithful has increased.
"An extra prayer or two has been added," the chief priest, CS Rangarajan, told BBC Hindi. "We have started praying for their safety and also started praying that Donald Trump's thinking towards Indians will change because our boys and girls are skilled workers. They are not a liability to the American nation."
Mr Rangarajan was referring to a new US bill designed to limit the entry of highly-skilled workers which is likely to have a serious impact on the country's IT industry. Almost 70% of the visas go to Indians, most of whom are IT professionals.
Many Indians see this proposal as a dangerous shift in attitude towards Indian immigrants, and have linked this with the murder of Mr Kuchibhotla.
Mr Kuchibhotla's mother made an emotional speech at his funeral, saying she would not allow her other son to return to the US.
She is not alone.
The father of one IT professional told the BBC that although his daughter had got her US visa, they were worried, and were debating whether to let her go or not.
"The entire IT community is in a state of shock and this includes the students as well as IT professionals, all of whom grew up on this American dream," said Kiran Chandra, who heads the Forum of IT Professionals in Hyderabad.
Mr Chandra is convinced that "all this is happening because President Trump is leading the hate message against non-American people from the front".
"IT companies in India send a lot of people to the US. More importantly, Indian students subsidise US universities by contributing $2.4bn (£1.95bn) annually. American corporations set shop in India and take profits home. When American companies can compete in India why can't Indian IT professionals compete in America?" he asked.
Kris Lakshmikanth, the CEO of Indian recruitment company Headhunters, says that there is a sense of apprehension about employment, but says that has more to do with the uncertainty over the H-1B visa.
"Basically, the number of Indian IT professionals going to the US will come down if the policy on H-1B visas changes. First of all, not many IT companies will be seeking H-1B visas for their employees because of the proposed doubling of wages from $65,000 to $120,000."
He says the full picture will emerge only around May when the visas are actually issued.
Students seeking education in the US, meanwhile, say they are watching the situation.
"Yes, there is some fear. The number of students interested in the US has not reduced but they are also seriously looking at back up options. They are now also applying to universities in Canada and Australia," said education consultant Bindu Chopra. | Computer professionals and students in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad, a major IT hub, are apprehensive after the killing of Srinivas Kuchibhotla in the US last week. | 39128428 |
About 5,000 tonnes of beach sand is scooped up and compacted for the event every year at a cost of about £30,000.
In October, organisers raised doubts over the event's future, but announced last month it would go ahead.
Organiser Alec Messchaert said a "flurry of support" had made it possible.
"Weston has always been close to our heart but having to completely dismantle the site each year was extremely disheartening and extremely expensive," he added.
"This is a cost and a hassle we wouldn't face if we went elsewhere.
"We have been inundated with support from local businesses and authorities so we couldn't leave without celebrating our 10th birthday."
Both Weston-super-Mare Town Council and North Somerset Council had also shown the event "great support", Mr Messchaert said.
The festival will celebrate the previous decade by "paying tribute" to each year's theme, including Under the Sea, The Jungle, and Great Britain.
It runs until 27 September. | Weston-super-Mare's annual sand sculpture festival has marked its 10th anniversary, despite fears the event might not go ahead. | 32167831 |
Election officials announced the date after violent protests erupted last month over fears that President Joseph Kabila was trying to delay polls.
The government denied the claim, and dropped plans for a controversial census to be held before elections.
Mr Kabila is constitutionally barred from contesting the poll.
He took power in 2001 after his father Laurent Kabila was assassinated.
He has won two disputed elections since then, and cannot stand for a third elected term.
Both the presidential and parliamentary elections would take place on 27 November 2016, election commission official Jean-Pierre Kalamba said in the capital, Kinshasa.
At least 42 people died in the protests in Kinshasa and other cities last month.
The demonstrators wanted to block parliament from adopting a new electoral law which would have required that a national census be held before elections.
The opposition said the plan amounted to a "constitutional coup" by Mr Kabila, as it would have taken about three years for a census to be conducted in DR Congo, which is two-thirds of the size of western Europe, has very little infrastructure and is hit by instability in the east. | The Democratic Republic of Congo will hold presidential elections in November 2016, satisfying a key demand of the opposition. | 31448143 |
It smashed into the lunar surface about 3.8 billion years ago, forming Mare Imbrium - the feature also known as the right eye of the "Man in the Moon".
Scientists say the asteroid was three times bigger than previously estimated and debris from the collision would have rained down on the Earth.
The research is published in the journal Nature.
The asteroid was so big it could be classified as a protoplanet - a space rock with the potential to become a fully formed world.
Lead author Prof Peter Schultz, a planetary geologist from Brown University in the United States, said: "One implication of this work is that the asteroids may not have been these small chunks flying around - there may have been many more of these very large protoplanets.
"It would have been a catastrophic period of time."
The Imbrium crater measures more than 1,200km (750 miles) across. Until now, scientists used computer models to estimate the size of the asteroid that led to its formation.
But for the new assessment of the collision, Prof Schultz recreated the smash in the lab.
Using a three-storey-high, hyper-velocity gun, his team fired small spheres of metal travelling at more than 22,000km per hour (13,000mph) into a curved aluminium plate.
"We film it with high-speed cameras: things that go up to one million frames a second," Prof Schultz told BBC World Service's Science in Action programme.
By analysing the slowed-down footage and the pattern of debris, the researchers were able to calculate the size of the asteroid that crashed into the Moon.
"We know there were big asteroids, but we have increased the size significantly," explained Prof Schultz.
"The previous estimate for the Imbrium asteroid was in the order of 80km, and we've increased that by a factor of three."
The researchers say it would have been travelling at more than 70,000km per hour (40,000mph), hitting the lunar surface at an angle of about 30 degrees.
The colossal high-speed impact not only left a giant dent in the near-side of the Moon, it also would have sent billions of tonnes of debris hurtling towards the Earth.
Prof Schultz explained: "At that time, the Moon would have been much closer (to the Earth), only half of its present distance, if even that.
"So anything coming off the Moon would have covered us in lunar debris."
But in this period of the Solar System's turbulent history - aptly known as the Late Heavy Bombardment - asteroid collisions would have been commonplace.
"This was a time when Jupiter and Saturn were changing their position in the Solar System," said Prof Schultz,
"And as a result it stirred the pot, so to speak. It sent asteroids between Jupiter and Mars into chaos - and they sent material into the inner Solar System, colliding into the inner planets.
"And what this study says is some of these asteroids were humungous."
The researchers now plan to use the same method to re-analyse other huge craters scattered across the Solar System. They believe we may have under-estimated just how cataclysmic these past bombardments were.
Follow Rebecca on Twitter: @BBCMorelle | One of the Moon's biggest craters was created by an asteroid more than 250km (150 miles) across, a study suggests. | 36847382 |
O'Halloran held talks with Lions head coach Warren Gatland over the prospect of working with Rob Howley as a secondary attack coach.
But the Kiwi has opted to focus instead on pre-season with Glasgow, whom he will join at the end of the season.
It follows Gregor Townsend's decision to turn down a role on the Lions staff.
The Warriors head coach, who will replace Vern Cotter as Scotland coach at the end of the season, chose to decline Gatland's invitation to join his back-room team in favour of leading the Scots on their summer tour of Australia.
England forwards coach Steve Borthwick, interim Wales head coach Rob Howley (attack) and Ireland defence coach Andy Farrell have already been confirmed as assistants to Gatland for the three-Test tour next June and July.
O'Halloran is thought to have been tempted by the possibility of a role with the Lions, but felt his Glasgow commitments made it an impossibility.
The New Zealander will work under Townsend's successor Dave Rennie at Warriors, but his compatriot's delayed arrival in Glasgow means O'Halloran and fellow assistant Jonathan Humphreys - also making the move from the national coaching staff to Scotstoun - will effectively have to lead the club's early pre-season schedule.
Depending on the progress of his current side Waikato Chiefs, Rennie could be tied up in New Zealand until 5 August when the Super Rugby final is played.
Gatland spoke on Tuesday about the importance of having a Scottish coach on his staff next summer, and hinted that a lack of Scottish representation could negatively impact their players' chances of making his squad to take on the All Blacks.
"The ideal scenario from my point of view would be having someone from Scotland to give some representation, to push the Scottish cause, to push some of their players," he told BBC Wales.
"That's important. Someone from within the Scottish system will know their players a lot better than we do, they'll know the characters and the individuals and potentially push them on a 50/50 decision.
"My ideal scenario would be to have someone from Scotland. If that happens, that would be great."
With Townsend rejecting an offer to join the tour and O'Halloran ruling himself out of contention, that possibility now appears remote.
Speaking about the possibility of adding further specialist coaches, Gatland added: "I've got one or two people in mind. Hopefully, that can get sorted out early in the New Year.
"I'd spoken to a couple of people originally and they'd made themselves unavailable, which was disappointing but I understand and respect the decisions they've made and the focus that they wanted to have." | Scotland backs coach Jason O'Halloran has ruled out the possibility of joining the British and Irish Lions coaching team for the New Zealand tour. | 38307609 |
Ground investigation operations are to be done between Inverness and Gollanfield and Gollanfield and Auldearn, near Nairn.
Transport Scotland said work was scheduled to begin on 26 June and could last until November.
It said there could be traffic restrictions over the next few months.
The restrictions will include short sections of road controlled by temporary traffic signals.
Of a total of almost 1,000 investigation locations, only 36 of these will take place near the A96 or other side roads, said Transport Scotland.
A spokesman said: "This ground investigation is needed to get important information on the existing ground conditions in the vicinity of the A96 between Inverness and Auldearn as we progress our plans to dual the road.
"Although the vast majority of the work will not require any traffic management, a small fraction of investigative work will take place beside the carriageway.
"We would thank road users and local communities in advance for their patience during any short duration traffic management operations which may be required as the works progress."
The spokesman added: "The contractor will closely monitor the operation of the small amount of traffic management that is required to ensure that delays are kept to a minimum. | Work needed as part of the planning of the new Nairn Bypass and wider upgrading of the A96 is to begin later this month. | 40192564 |
Arron Banks, co-chair of Leave.EU, said he would like to merge with Vote Leave but claimed they did not want to.
The Bristol businessman said relations between the two were "strained" but his group was "ready" for the referendum.
Both groups are vying for the right to be designated the official "out" campaign, which will benefit from increased spending limits.
No date has been confirmed for the referendum on the UK's membership of the EU, promised by the end of 2017, although there has been speculation it could be this year.
The Electoral Commission has yet to select a designated lead campaign for either the "in" or "out" sides.
Mr Banks said his group had "offered to come together" with Vote Leave - a cross-party group made up of MPs and donors - but they were "not particularly interested".
He told BBC Sunday Politics West: "I think it's highly unlikely right now. We would like to but I don't think they [Vote Leave] are in the mode of wanting to merge.
"They're an SW1 [Westminster] campaign. We don't believe it can be won from SW1 we think it's got to be won on the streets of Britain."
But he dismissed newspaper reports that Leave.EU had hired security experts to spy on the rival group as "silly".
The official "in" and "out" campaigns will be allowed to spend up to £7m during the campaign period and will be entitled to TV broadcasts and a free mailout.
The Electoral Commission says it will choose the campaign that represents "to the greatest extent those campaigning for that outcome".
Vote Leave is supported by Business for Britain, the Labour Leave campaign and Conservatives for Britain.
It has yet to comment. | The businessman heading up one of two EU "out" campaigns says he believes it is "highly unlikely" they will merge. | 35263614 |
Michael Hall, 51, told pupils at Parkside Community School, Chesterfield they had "nice legs" and made sexual innuendos at women he worked with.
He also had sex with a teaching assistant during school time in a store room.
Hall has been banned from teaching at any school in England.
Live updates and more from Derbyshire
He resigned from the Derbyshire school in July 2014, during an investigation.
Hall also failed to tell Parkside Community School he had been jailed for theft when he was a police officer.
A prohibition order has now been made banning him indefinitely from teaching at any school, sixth form college, youth accommodation or children's home in England.
Mr Hall, was jailed at Nottingham Crown Court in 1997 for two offences of theft, which were committed in 1996.
He stole cash from a police station and also took £180 from a suicide victim - altering the note to indicate they had left £20 instead of £200.
Hall qualified as a teacher after his release from prison and started working at the school in January 2006 as the head of design and technology.
However, the school only found out about his convictions after he had been appointed.
He then admitted taking cash from the police station, but did not mention taking the suicide victim's money.
During his employment at the school he sexually harassed five of his female colleagues, most of whom were teaching assistants.
He made inappropriate comments to numerous pupils and touched some of them inappropriately, such as putting his hands on their shoulders and playing with their hair.
He was suspended in January 2014 while the school investigated internally, then eventually resigned in July 2014.
A professional conduct panel of the National College for Teaching and Leadership found him guilty of unacceptable professional conduct.
Michael Hall had sex and oral sex with a teaching assistant during school time at various locations within the school, including a store room adjacent to his classroom and a school cellar.
He denied having a sexual relationship with the woman but the panel accepted her account, judging her to be a "careful and truthful witness".
The panel said his sexual harassment was "targeted at junior colleagues, some of whom can be properly described as vulnerable".
The comments started with "gentle flirtation" but over time became "more direct and salacious involving overt sexual content or unmistakable innuendo".
They included "I'm admiring your underwear, what have you got on?".
Some of the colleagues described unwelcome physical contact, such as touching their bottom, or him placing their hand on his penis, over his trousers.
He referred to some pupils as "chicken legs" and made references to KFC when he talked about others' legs.
One girl said: "I used to wear a skirt in year 8 but I stopped wearing it because Mr Hall commented that he had seen better legs in KFC."
He told other girls they had "nice legs" or they "looked nice in a skirt", and made comments about the size of girls' bottoms.
He told some to pull their skirts up because they were too low, and others to pull their tops down because they were "not showing enough cleavage".
He touched some pupils inappropriately, such as putting his hands on their shoulders and playing with their hair.
One girl said in her interview: "Mr Hall is a bit touchy-feely. He goes behind girls only and rubs their shoulder." | A man has been banned from teaching after he sexually harassed colleagues, made inappropriate comments to pupils and had sex on school premises. | 35648909 |
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When Heather Knight got her hands on the ultimate prize in women's cricket on an emotional Sunday afternoon at Lord's, it marked a triumph not only for England, but the sport itself.
For Knight, kissing the silverware is a world away from four years ago, when she was clinging on to a place in an England side that failed to reach the final.
But her personal transformation, and her team under coach Mark Robinson, is nothing compared to that of the women's game from a 2013 World Cup that was barely befitting of the name.
Held in India, mainly Mumbai, it hardly registered with the locals in a nation where cricket is loved like no other.
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Its very staging came under threat over a row about the presence of the Pakistan team, who were eventually shifted to the other side of the country - 1,000 miles away in Cuttack - and forced to sleep at the Barabati Stadium.
The women were due to play at Mumbai's iconic Wankhede Stadium, only to be evicted to make way for men's matches. Facilities at venues were shoddy and publicity non-existent.
Although global TV audiences were up, matches were played to near empty stadiums, despite entry being free of charge.
"It was shocking in India," former England batter Ebony Rainford-Brent told BBC Sport. "In a cricket-crazy country, you would expect to see something - posters, adverts - but there was nothing.
"The only people in the grounds were a few family members. It was almost like the cricket wasn't happening."
Now, the World Cup doesn't just seem like a different event, but women's cricket is an entirely different sport.
The final at Lord's was a fitting conclusion to a tournament that has catapulted women's cricket into the national and international consciousness.
What began with a marketing campaign on the London Underground and in cinemas ended in a sold-out Lord's and the most-watched game of women's cricket in history.
Across the tournament, all matches were shown live for the first time, with more than 50 million watching the group games alone. Over the course of the event, the International Cricket Council expects an 80% increase in worldwide viewership.
More than one million users followed England's final victory on the BBC Sport website, while the hosts' nerve-shredding semi-final victory over South Africa was also front-page news. In the host cities - Bristol, Leicester, Derby and Taunton - 30,000 people visited fan zones.
"Everything you could think of to promote the tournament has been done," added Rainford-Brent. "The investment and energy that has gone into has been incredible. To finish with a packed Lord's ticked the final box."
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The audience is a new one, too, riding a wave that perhaps began with last year's launch of the Twenty20 Super League, a competition that attracted an average attendance in excess of 1,000, larger than the inaugural season of its football equivalent in 2011.
At the World Cup, 50% of ticket-buyers were women, while 31% of those in attendance were under the age of 16. About 13,000 tickets were given away to schools and every child at Lord's on Sunday received a plastic bat as a souvenir of the incredible final.
Marie, from Surrey, was at the game with seven-year-old daughter Lucy and said: "Lucy's dad played cricket but she has become more aware that women play too.
"We've heard a lot about women's cricket on the radio and now she is more aware that there are opportunities for her in the future if she wants to play sport."
Tom, from London, brought daughters Connie, five, and Cissie, three, to their first game of cricket.
"I thought it would be a fun game for them, with lots of entertainment going on around the edges," he said.
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Youngsters may have Knight, Tammy Beaumont and Anya Shrubsole as their new England heroes and be keen to try their hand at Natalie Sciver's Nat-meg, but India's surprise run to the final could turn out to be far more important for the future of the women's game than England's fourth world title.
Four years ago, interest in the tournament on home soil was so low that, when India were dumped out in the first round, journalists (not many of them) could wander up to a lonely Mithali Raj for their own private audience with the captain.
Now, even if the impressive Raj is unlikely to reach the demi-god status of Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, her country actually knows who she and her exciting team are.
When India's men pulled off a shock triumph in the 1983 World Cup, it began a boom in one-day cricket. When the same team won the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007, a nation previously pretty sniffy about the shortest form of the game threw itself into the Indian Premier League.
Might India now follow the example of Australia and England to launch its own T20 league for women? Raj, Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur are stars that could take women's cricket to the masses.
"Why not start a league of our own in India?" said Raj. "Now is the right time to create that in India because women's cricket is everywhere.
"If more girls participate in leagues like that, they will improve their game and gain valuable experience."
If the women's game is about to face greater commercialisation, exposure and expectation then England are lucky to have Robinson, a man who should take his share of credit for their triumph.
When the former fast bowler made the surprise switch from Sussex's men's side, England's results had been patchy for some time. Although they had won two of the previous three Ashes series, they were without a global trophy since 2009.
When that record was extended with a semi-final exit at the 2016 World T20, Robinson made his move.
If his public attack on the players' fitness raised eyebrows, then the axing of captain Charlotte Edwards was genuinely stunning - not least to some inside the England and Wales Cricket Board.
Edwards was (and still is) a fine player, one of the greatest there has ever been in the women's game, but her maternal, dominant presence could be stifling and suffocating. Too often, England were reliant on the performances of a handful of players, with the rest left to feel like they were making up the numbers.
In the past year, Beaumont, Lauren Winfield, Fran Wilson and Alex Hartley have all established themselves at international level. Knight averages more with the bat as captain than she did in the ranks and Sarah Taylor has returned from a break enforced by an anxiety problem.
But it is not just on the field where Robinson has made changes.
In a game just getting to grips with professionalism, players previously signed one-year contracts. Recognising that meant they were faced with the threat of unemployment on an annual basis, Robinson successfully pushed for the security of two-year deals.
He has also created an environment of honesty, openness and acceptance in a bid to make sure the players do not lose their identities to the rigors of the game. One player was comfortable enough to bring her teddy bear to a team meeting.
"Mark has been brilliant," said Knight. "He has encouraged us to be honest and that has made us as a team.
"He has annoyed us at times with tough love, but he has pushed us, improved us and made us believe. We're very thankful."
Robinson, though, will not be in the limelight in the aftermath of England's triumph, and nor should he be.
The adulation goes to Knight and the 14 other players that have triumphed in the biggest tournament, match and spectacle women's cricket has ever seen. They are role models in a game that is taking its place at global sport's top table.
Who runs the world? Girls. | If you're going to win the Women's World Cup, it might as well be the biggest ever staged. | 40701196 |
Forest have been in talks with Neil Warnock and were expected to announce the former Leeds United boss as their new manager on Monday afternoon.
Warnock, 65, is still in the frame and his former captain at Leeds, Lee Peltier, has been signed by the Reds.
But Forest owner Fawaz Al Hasawi said he must "stress the need for patience".
Academy manager Gary Brazil will be in charge for Tuesday's Championship game against Charlton.
Al Hasawi, who has lifted all bans on media at the club, said in a statement on the Forest website: "I am aware many people expect me to announce a new manager imminently, however I must stress the need for patience as I make the important decision of who takes the reins at this crucial stage of the season.
"I will keep our supporters informed of any developments, but in the meantime I ask everyone to get behind our academy manager Gary Brazil until a permanent appointment is made."
Davies, 49, was appointed Reds boss for a second time in February 2013, but was fired in the wake of Saturday's 5-0 defeat against rivals Derby County.
The result left Forest a place and two points outside the Championship play-offs after an eight-game winless run.
Warnock has been out of work since leaving Leeds in April 2013.
Davies and his staff did not turn up for training at the Championship club on Monday, fuelling speculation that the Scot had been fired overnight and would be replaced by Warnock, who met with Forest's owners on Sunday.
Davies only signed a four-year contract extension at the City Ground in October 2013, eight months after re-joining the club.
Forest narrowly missed out on the Championship play-offs last term and have not finished in the top six since 2011, during Davies's first spell at the club.
He was first hired as Forest manager in December 2008 and twice led them to the play-offs, only to miss out on promotion to the Premier League by losing in the semi-finals on both occasions.
Davies was sacked in June 2011 and replaced by Steve McClaren.
McClaren, the former Middlesbrough and England manager, is now in charge at Derby and masterminded the 5-0 win over Forest at the weekend.
Forest have not won in the league in the seven games since they beat Huddersfield on 11 February, and were also knocked out of the FA Cup by League One side Sheffield United.
You can have your say on the managerial situation at Nottingham Forest on BBC Radio Nottingham's football phone-in Matchtalk from 18:00-19:00 GMT on Monday. | Nottingham Forest have sacked manager Billy Davies but say they will not be making a quick decision about the Scot's replacement. | 26712368 |
Charlotte Johnson and Aniela Jurecka drugged horses and ponies and sold them as suitable for children from farms in Staplehurst and Marden, in Kent.
The pair recommended vet David Smith, 66, to buyers, who would then give the animals a clean bill of health.
All three are due to be sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on 11 July.
Jurecka, 28, of Prospect Place, Collier Street, in Tonbridge, Johnson, 28, of Tollgate Way, Sandling, and Smith, of The Street, Finglesham, Deal, were found guilty of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation following a 14-week trial.
They were arrested following a large-scale operation involving officers from Kent Police, Trading Standards and The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.
Kent Police said Jurecka and Johnson advertised horses for sale in equestrian publications under the business names of SE Horses and Mid Kent Horses.
Text messages downloaded by detectives showed the pair were drugging horses to cover up poor behaviour and lameness.
In many cases the paperwork for the horses was altered, with prices for them ranging from £1,950 to £5,700.
Throughout the course of the investigation officers identified 17 victims of fraud, whose horses had become uncontrollable once the sedatives had worn off.
In once instance, a woman was left unable to walk for a year after being thrown from her horse.
Kent Police said it later transpired the animal had serious back problems which made it unsuitable for the activities that Smith had passed it for.
Det Con Tracey Brightman said: 'These horses were obtained cheaply by Johnson and Jurecka because they had physical problems or aggressive tendencies.
"We believe their issues were masked with drugs supplied by Smith when a potential buyer came to try out the horse.
"The dealers made huge profits on unfit, ill and injured horses working with a veterinary surgeon to ensure their lies were covered with credibility."
She added that in some cases the horses were so ill they had to be euthanised. | Two horse dealers and a vet have been convicted of a large scale fraud where they colluded to sell ill, dangerous and lame horses to unsuspecting buyers. | 36521124 |
In a statement, the army said missiles fired by the drone had hit a compound in the North Waziristan tribal region.
The army unveiled its Burraq (Prophet's Horse) drone in March, saying it could fire laser-guided missiles.
Pakistan officially opposes drone strikes carried out by the United States in Pakistan's tribal regions.
It has consistently demanded help with developing its own drone technology, but the US has refused to supply this.
Military spokesman Maj-Gen Asim Bajwa said the Burraq drone hit a suspected militant hideout in the Shawal valley.
The Shawal valley has seen fierce fighting between Pakistani troops and militants since the military launched an offensive in the region in June last year.
Pakistan already deploys home-produced surveillance drones, but Sunday night's attack means it joins only a handful of countries with drones which have offensive capabilities.
There were few details about the missile strike - and even less is known about the range of Pakistan's new attack drone or its accuracy.
Analysts say the country's drones closely resemble those from its ally, China. Pakistan's rival India is currently developing its own drone programme. | Pakistan's military says it has deployed a locally-made drone for the first time, killing three militants near the Afghan border. | 34176481 |
They also say two top-flight English clubs have joined West Ham United in making enquiries about 20-year-old left-back Stephen Hendrie.
Accies on Thursday revealed that a £2m transfer to Upton Park had collapsed.
Meanwhile, defender Michael Devlin, 21, has signed a three-year contract extension to remain with Hamilton.
The news came as Accies revealed that defender Martin Canning had been appointed player-manager after a short spell as caretaker, with Chris Swailes joining as assistant and another former Hamilton player, Guillaume Beuzelin, as head coach.
But Accies vice-chairman Ronnie MacDonald refused to comment on a reported offer for 26-year-old Falkirk striker Rory Loy.
Loy, who began his career with Rangers, has been with the Scottish Championship club since 2013 after leaving Carlisle United.
MacDonald did reveal that a Chinese club had been in touch about 26-year-old midfielder Tony Andreu but that nothing had come of that interest.
Frenchman Andreu joined Accies in 2013 having previously been with Stade Nyonnais and Livingston.
The 21-year-old Gordon, along with Hendrie and Devlin, is a product of the New Douglas Park youth system. | Hamilton Academical say they have turned down a bid of £300,000 for right-back Ziggy Gordon from Polish top-flight club Jagiellonia Bialystok. | 30955886 |
Adrian Klein, 39, from Yoxford, was riding his Suzuki at Kelsale-cum-Carlton when it was involved in a collision with a car on 26 March.
Sharon Nobinger, 44, of Mayflower Avenue, Saxmundham, has been charged with causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving.
She is due before magistrates in Lowestoft on 28 October.
Suffolk Police were called to the A12 just after 19:00 GMT on the day of the crash.
Two other people from the Saxmundham area who were arrested were released without charge. | A woman has been charged with a causing the death of a biker who was killed on the A12 in Suffolk. | 29634050 |
The group will enter the Breakthrough Message contest, which offers a $1m prize for creating a digital missive that represents human civilisation.
That prize accompanies a new effort to accelerate the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence (Seti).
Experts have argued for decades about the wisdom of broadcasting into space.
Listening out for aliens is one thing, but trying to contact them raises myriad concerns about what happens when civilisations collide.
The diversity of views was obvious at a conference of the UK Seti Research Network (UKSRN) in Leeds, where the group's 20 members were split down the middle in an informal vote.
"We did a show of hands and we were perfectly evenly split," said Dr Anders Sandberg, speaking to journalists at the British Science Festival in Bradford.
Dr Sandberg, a philosopher from the Future of Humanity Institute at the University of Oxford, found himself voting twice.
"I'm a typical philosophy department guy. I raised my hand in both cases and they were all laughing at me."
But the group settled firmly in favour of composing a message, even if it might never leave the planet.
"What we could agree on was that it was worthwhile and important to try to devise that message, so that we can reach the best possible version," Dr Sandberg said.
He and three other UKSRN members have formed a working group to "thrash out the basics" of how their message might be composed and what it might contain.
For example, they might draft two suggestions: one using pictures, and one using more abstract content such as language or mathematics.
Other than its $1m (£0.65m) spoils, the details of the Breakthrough Message prize, funded by tech billionaire Yuri Milner, are yet to be announced. But the competition is open to anyone.
"There's a fair chance that we'll get beaten by a schoolgirl somewhere, and in that case more power to her!" Dr Sandberg said.
If the British team's bid is successful, Dr Sandberg said they would plough the prize money back into Seti research, which has historically struggled for funding and credibility in the UK.
"We would use it to build up a slightly bigger Seti research community in the UK, because this has never really been funded. The giggle factor is pretty high."
Whoever wins the prize, Breakthrough Initiatives have pledged not to transmit the message until a "wide-ranging debate" about the risks and rewards has taken place.
"It seems a bit silly in a sense, this prize for a message that they promise not to send," Dr Sandberg said. "But on the other hand, from a scientific perspective, it's a really interesting question: how do you construct a message that an alien intelligence could receive?"
Dr Jill Stuart, who studies space law and policy at the London School of Economics, is not a member of the UKSRN but welcomed the group's decision to draft an interstellar introduction. She strongly supports the notion of announcing humanity's presence in the cosmos.
"I'm very explicitly in favour," Dr Stuart said, "not only because I think it's worth trying to contact them, but because of what I think it makes us do - reflecting back on ourselves, building a potential regime for how we could communicate, and so on."
But many researchers are much more wary about hitting "send", for various reasons - and these are arguments Dr Sandberg has heard many times.
"The most naive one would be that aliens will come and eat us or invade us," he said. "That is probably not very likely. But a more sophisticated version is that we have seen what happens when more advanced civilisations encounter less advanced ones."
On the other hand, we might learn something important.
"We have a lot of these uncertainties, but we also know that our own civilisation is in a fair bit of trouble. We face some pretty big threats.
"That means it might be a good idea to gamble, and hope there is someone slightly older and wiser out there. If aliens told us something about how to handle our climate, or artificial intelligence, we might want to listen."
Follow Jonathan on Twitter | A network of UK researchers has decided to compose a message to aliens - but they are divided over whether such a message should be sent into space. | 34211549 |
Ake, 21, spent last season on loan at Watford, playing 28 times as the club finished 13th in the Premier League and reached the FA Cup semi-final.
The Netherlands Under-21 defender was the Hornets' young player of the year.
Ake signed a new five-year contract at Chelsea last summer and has made 12 first-team appearances for the Blues, as well as playing five times for Reading during a 2015 loan spell. | Bournemouth have signed Chelsea full-back Nathan Ake on a season-long loan. | 36661600 |
The Shaymen played it steadily in the opening stages of their return to the fifth tier, defending well and in depth.
But Bobby-Joe Taylor bent a 25-yard effort narrowly wide to signal the away side's intent.
Shamir Fenelon broke the deadlock for Gary Waddock's outfit on the hour, racing to intercept a flick-on by Scott Rendell before rounding Sam Johnson to slot into an empty net.
Aldershot doubled their lead late on when Matty Brown fouled Shaun Okojie in the box, and James Rowe converted the penalty on his Shots debut.
Match report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, FC Halifax Town 0, Aldershot Town 2.
Second Half ends, FC Halifax Town 0, Aldershot Town 2.
Goal! FC Halifax Town 0, Aldershot Town 2. James Rowe (Aldershot Town) converts the penalty with a.
Substitution, FC Halifax Town. Danny Clarke replaces Josh MacDonald.
Substitution, FC Halifax Town. Dion Charles replaces Ben Tomlinson.
Jake Gallagher (Aldershot Town) is shown the yellow card.
Goal! FC Halifax Town 0, Aldershot Town 1. Shamir Fenelon (Aldershot Town).
Manny Oyeleke (Aldershot Town) is shown the yellow card.
Second Half begins FC Halifax Town 0, Aldershot Town 0.
First Half ends, FC Halifax Town 0, Aldershot Town 0.
James Rowe (Aldershot Town) is shown the yellow card.
Scott Rendell (Aldershot Town) is shown the yellow card.
First Half begins.
Lineups are announced and players are warming up. | Promoted Halifax's bubble burst slightly with a 2-0 opening day home defeat by Aldershot. | 40761292 |
The supermarket group will pay its workers £8.50 an hour, above the £7.50 National Living Wage rate due to come into force in April.
The "flexible" deal means Asda's 135,000 staff can work around the store, on different days and hours.
Asda says signing is voluntary and it is not a zero hours contract.
However, it means that employees must work on bank holidays if the store needs them to, or, if they want to take the time off, it must come out of their 28 days of annual leave.
Additionally, all breaks will be unpaid and Asda will alter its night shift window. Currently, workers are paid an extra £2.04 for unsociable hours that run between 10.00pm and 6.00am.
Under the new agreement, unsociable hours will be cut to between midnight and 5.00am but the premium rate will rise to an additional £2.54 an hour.
The new contracts have been given the seal of approval by the GMB union.
Its general secretary, Tim Roache, said: "These new flexible contracts will help to ensure job security, ensure those accepting them are on the same terms and - best of all - ensure that people will earn more money as a result.
"The new contract offer involves quite a few changes, but as it's voluntary, this allows colleagues to choose whatever suits their circumstances best."
However, Living Wage Foundation, which campaigns for pay levels based on the cost of living, said that Asda should go further.
"This is a welcome pay rise for Asda's staff, however large national retailers like Ikea, Lush and Majestic Wine are already paying all their staff - including third party contractors - the real Living Wage or above at £8.45 in the UK and £9.75 in London for every hour worked," said Katherine Chapman, director of Living Wage Foundation.
"By signing up with the Living Wage Foundation they are ensuring that all their staff will have a pay rise that meets the rising cost of living year on year," she said.
Asda, which is owned by US retail giant Walmart, claims that 95% of its staff will be better off under the new deal, which will be introduced in October.
It said it was "maintaining its commitment not to use zero hours contracts and colleagues will be guaranteed minimum hours".
Asda added: "Whilst the new contract will require colleagues to be flexible, fair and reasonable notice will be given for any changes to rotas, and consideration will be given to those with care requirements outside of work."
The UK's third-biggest supermarket chain, after Tesco and Sainsbury's, has been struggling with declining sales. In the most recent quarter, over the Christmas period, it reported a 2.9% fall in like-for-like sales.
However, the rate of decline in sales has slowed as it reported steeper drops in previous quarters. | Asda is offering staff a higher wage in exchange for a new contract which will introduce unpaid breaks and a requirement to work over Bank Holidays. | 39257259 |
In 2014 prices rose by 9.8%, according to ONS figures.
Prices increased fastest in England, at 7.3%, and slowest in Scotland, where they fell 0.2% during 2015.
The value of houses and flats rose by just 1% in Wales, and by 1.5% in Northern Ireland.
The average price at the end of December was £288,000.
The ONS figure is in the middle of a range of estimates produced by other organisations.
Halifax, the UK's largest mortgage lender, said prices rose by as much as 9.5% in 2015, while the Nationwide Building Society put the increase at just 4.5%.
The Land Registry of England and Wales said the annual inflation rate was 6.4%.
Separate figures show that the number of new mortgages taken out in 2015 was roughly the same as in 2014.
But the Council of Mortgage Lenders said the amount being borrowed had risen from £112bn in 2014 to £118bn in 2015 - an increase of 5.3%. | House prices in the UK rose by 6.7% in 2015, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) - a considerable slowdown on the previous year. | 35586056 |
Since succeeding Steve Davis on 8 January, Artell's side have suffered two defeats to extend their overall winless run to nine games.
His only signing has been Leyton Orient striker Jordan Bowery on loan.
"We're chasing our tails a bit. I'd have liked a bit more time. This process should have started six to eight weeks ago," said Artell, 36.
He told BBC Radio Stoke: "I'd like to have started in November, doing all the due diligence.
"Then you can be sure you get someone that would benefit us, rather than make a rash decision. We have to make sure we get the right person. When you're coming to it on 9 January with only three weeks, the consequences could be dire.
"I spoke to one person who was out bowling with his daughter. He said he'd call me back and he never has. That told me enough. That's the kind of thing we're up against, but we're still working extremely hard.
"I've been on the phone all day and I'll be working right up to the last minute on Tuesday. I still want to get some people out and in."
Crewe are five points clear of the drop zone in League Two, in danger of relegation for a second successive season and losing their place in the Football League for the first time since 1921.
They host 22nd-placed Cheltenham Town on Saturday.
Artell is also keen to resolve the issue affecting the former manager's son, 25-year-old defender Harry Davis, who has not figured for the Alex in the two games since his father was sacked and is now looking to move on.
"The ball's not in my court. That's the bottom line," said Artell.
"We've had conversations. I've told him my feelings, he's told me his. From what he's told me, he needs to do something about it." | Crewe Alexandra manager David Artell says he would like to have had the chance to look for new signings sooner. | 38771551 |
Elections for police and crime commissioners were held in 40 police force areas of England and Wales on 5 May 2016.
BBC News App users: tap here to see results.
Turnout: 26% (+7.2%)
Second preference votes are only used if no candidate receives more than 50% of first preference votes. The top two candidates then receive the second preferences from their eliminated opponents.
More information is available on the Choose my PCC website. | Independent Sue Mounstevens has been re-elected as Avon & Somerset police and crime commissioner. | 35995567 |
The report, jointly drafted by the Police Service of Northern Ireland and MI5, was commissioned following the murder in August of Belfast man Kevin McGuigan Sr when a political crisis was promoted by the police's belief that current IRA members were involved in the killing.
While the report did not cover dissident republicans, its authors found that these groups posed the most serious current terrorist threat in Northern Ireland.
Read the report in full
Here are some of the key points from the report. | The government has published an official assessment of paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland. | 34584308 |
Italy and Juventus goalkeeper Buffon, Argentina and Barcelona striker Messi and Portugal and Real Madrid forward Ronaldo were chosen by a jury of 80 coaches and 55 journalists.
Messi and Ronaldo have won the award twice - Ronaldo winning last season.
The award will be presented at the 2017/18 Champions League group stage draw in Monaco on Thursday 24 August.
Pernille Harder (Denmark, Linkoping and Wolfsburg), Dzsenifer Marozsán (Germany, Lyon) and Lieke Martens (Netherlands, Rosengard and Barcelona) are the three nominees for the women's award.
The players who make up the rest of the top 10 are:
4: Luka Modric (Croatia, Real Madrid)
5: Toni Kroos (Germany, Real Madrid)
6: Paulo Dybala (Argentina, Juventus)
7: Sergio Ramos (Spain, Real Madrid)
8: Kylian Mbappe (France, Monaco)
9: Robert Lewandowski (Poland, Bayern Munich)
10: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden, Manchester United) | Gianluigi Buffon, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been shortlisted for the Uefa men's player of the year. | 40940975 |
Substitute May, playing for eighth-tier Hythe Town prior to joining Doncaster in January, showed excellent composure to slot an equaliser in the 80th minute.
League Two leaders Rovers had been chasing the game since the 54th minute when Jordan Cook slammed home a shot from the corner of the box after a fine counter-attack.
It had been an enthralling contest between Doncaster and a Luton side looking to claw back ground on the sides in the automatic promotion places.
Rovers started the brighter and Tommy Rowe twice went close to opening the scoring in the early stages.
But the Hatters forced their way into the game with a block from Niall Mason needed to keep out Danny Hylton.
The visitors took the lead early in the second half after Mason was caught out in midfield, allowing Cook through to blast past Ian Lawlor.
The hosts pushed for the leveller but found no joy until 10 minutes from time when May raced on to Conor Grant's stunning through ball and slotted home.
Match report supplied by the Press Association
Match ends, Doncaster Rovers 1, Luton Town 1.
Second Half ends, Doncaster Rovers 1, Luton Town 1.
Corner, Doncaster Rovers. Conceded by Scott Cuthbert.
Attempt saved. Harry Middleton (Doncaster Rovers) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Alfie May (Doncaster Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Alan Sheehan (Luton Town).
Attempt missed. John Marquis (Doncaster Rovers) right footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the right.
Attempt missed. Glen Rea (Luton Town) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right.
John Marquis (Doncaster Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Alan Sheehan (Luton Town).
Substitution, Luton Town. Luke Gambin replaces Jordan Cook.
Foul by John Marquis (Doncaster Rovers).
Alan Sheehan (Luton Town) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Alfie May (Doncaster Rovers).
Jack Senior (Luton Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner, Luton Town. Conceded by Craig Alcock.
Tommy Rowe (Doncaster Rovers) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Ollie Palmer (Luton Town).
Foul by Harry Middleton (Doncaster Rovers).
Pelly Ruddock (Luton Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Corner, Doncaster Rovers. Conceded by Stephen O'Donnell.
Goal! Doncaster Rovers 1, Luton Town 1. Alfie May (Doncaster Rovers) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Conor Grant.
Substitution, Doncaster Rovers. Gary McSheffrey replaces Niall Mason.
Substitution, Luton Town. Ollie Palmer replaces Isaac Vassell.
Foul by Alfie May (Doncaster Rovers).
Isaac Vassell (Luton Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner, Doncaster Rovers. Conceded by Scott Cuthbert.
Substitution, Doncaster Rovers. Alfie May replaces Andy Williams.
Attempt missed. Glen Rea (Luton Town) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.
Corner, Luton Town. Conceded by Niall Mason.
Corner, Doncaster Rovers. Conceded by Danny Hylton.
Glen Rea (Luton Town) is shown the yellow card.
Tommy Rowe (Doncaster Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Jonathan Smith (Luton Town).
Attempt blocked. Andy Williams (Doncaster Rovers) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Hand ball by Harry Middleton (Doncaster Rovers).
Substitution, Doncaster Rovers. Harry Middleton replaces Jordan Houghton because of an injury.
Attempt missed. Tommy Rowe (Doncaster Rovers) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the right.
Corner, Doncaster Rovers. Conceded by Stephen O'Donnell.
Goal! Doncaster Rovers 0, Luton Town 1. Jordan Cook (Luton Town) right footed shot from the right side of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Isaac Vassell. | Striker Alfie May announced himself on the Football League stage as he helped Doncaster rescue a point against promotion rivals Luton. | 38940442 |
In thin trading, the Dow Jones still managed to bag a new closing high of 19,152, up 69 points.
The broader S&P 500 was up 9 points at 2,213 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq was 18 points higher at 5,399.
With much of the focus on the annual discount shopping day, retailers made modest gains.
Shares in WalMart and Target finished in positive territory, although they slipped back from a strong start.
US shares have repeatedly set new record highs in recent weeks on expectations that President-elect Donald Trump's promises of tax cuts, higher infrastructure spending and reduced regulation would benefit certain industries.
Connor Campbell, an analyst at Spreadex, said the Dow's latest high marked a 1,200 point rise since the day the election results were announced.
"In and of itself that is astonishing; the fact it comes following the biggest political shock in decades and before a near certain rate hike from the Fed is something else entirely," he said.
Oil prices slid ahead of a key meeting next Wednesday between members of Opec, where the oil cartel is hoping to reach an agreement with non-Opec members to cap output.
US crude slipped 2% to $46 a barrel. | US stock markets reached fresh record highs on Black Friday after re-opening following Thursday's Thanksgiving holiday. | 38103426 |
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