label
stringlengths
5
984
text
stringlengths
76
235k
A nurse who struggled to get face masks to fit her has inspired the design of custom-fitted ones for frontline healthcare workers.
By Ben PriceBBC News Gareth Smith set up MyMaskFit after his wife, intensive care nurse Valerie Bednar, struggled to find a filtering face mask (FFP) to fit her. Based in Swansea, the firm is working with a number of UK universities. Ms Bednar said the masks are reusable so will reduce stress among staff and be better for the environment. "I'm one of the people the standard disposable FFP3 masks doesn't fit my face," said Ms Bednar, who worked at Morriston Hospital in Swansea at the start of the pandemic but is currently on maternity leave. "It was just the stress of trying to do what you need to do - the reason we go into nursing is to take care of people, and then the added level of 'am I being safe and do I have the protection that I need?' "That uncertainty I think was stressful for everyone." The company hopes to further develop a prototype designed by researchers at Birmingham University and King's College London. Swansea University's School of Engineering will help test and manufacture the face mask, which it is hoped will be available to the NHS in Wales in the new year. MyMaskFit said it is aiming to become the first to make a fully custom-fitted, reusable, filtering face piece masks made to a medical grade standard in the UK. "We want to make a reusable mask so that staff can feel confident when they come in for their shift it will be there," Ms Bednar explained. "You're involved in cleaning it and owning it - all of that gives people the sense of security and protection." To speed up the design process and to achieve a seal which will fit anyone, the company has launched an app which will scan the face and send the data for a mould to be created and 3D printed. MyMaskFit technology director Paul Perera said current masks vary widely in terms of design. "There is an inevitable variation in the shape of human faces, and BMA surveys have shown that over 20% of hospital doctors have to try one or more masks to find one that fits," he said. Mr Perera said the firm was also working on a face mask which is made with "renewable plastics that are transparent" to aid communication. He added: "We're also using a copper, embedded into the plastics, which kills the virus. Therefore the masks can be reusable and therefore more sustainable for the environment." The initial manufacturing process and further testing of the prototypes will take place at Swansea University.
Drivers are facing 40 weeks of delays as work starts ahead of the building of a new Ikea store in Berkshire.
The Swedish furniture giant is spending £4m to improve junctions and access to a new outlet planned for Pincents Lane Retail Park in Reading. The work includes widening Pincents Lane and replacing the existing roundabout on the A4 with a new traffic-light controlled junction. The retailer is awaiting final agreement after plans were scaled down. A £10m three-level store was approved in 2012 but the furniture company reduced its proposal to two storeys last year to reflect the "ever-changing retail environment". There are not expected to be any issues over the approval of the new scheme, as a smaller store should mean fewer customers and cars travelling to the site. Some residents and businesses had objected to the original plans because of traffic congestion fears.
A director of public heath said care home residents may not get the newly-approved Pfizer coronavirus vaccine.
Care home residents and staff are top of the government's provisional priority list for any vaccine. But Northamptonshire's health chief, Lucy Wightman, said the Pfizer vaccine's storage and transportation requirements made that a "challenge". She said care home residents may have to wait for the Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine. The UK became the first country in the world to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for widespread use and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said it was safe for roll-out next week. The vaccine is made in Belgium, must be stored at around -70C (-94F) and, once delivered, can be kept for up to five days in a fridge. However, speaking during a BBC East live stream on Tuesday, Ms Wightman said: "It can only be transported four times and once it's been delivered to a local area that is its fourth transportation, so it then can't be sent out to anywhere else." She said this meant its delivery would have to be straight to mass vaccination centres or hospitals. "But obviously what the government wanted to do was vaccinate care home residents first, and the challenge is you can't do that as you can't break up that delivery to a county," she said. Ms Wightman said she would wait for the Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine for care home residents. That vaccine, which is yet to be approved, can be kept at regular fridge temperature making distribution easier. Prof Wei Shen Lim, chairman of the government's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, said whether vaccines could be delivered to care homes was "dependent on deployment and implementation." Prof Lim said there would be "flexibility" in roll-out of the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine and more than one type of vaccine would be needed to reach all vulnerable groups. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the first load of the Pfizer vaccine would be delivered next week and then "several millions" throughout December. Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]
Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams has said there is "a need to be open and imaginative" on new constitutional arrangements.
He welcomed Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Enda Kenny's comments on a possible referendum on Irish unity. DUP MP Ian Paisley said Mr Kenny was "being mischievous". The taoiseach said Brexit talks should consider that a clause in the Good Friday Agreement could result in the calling of a referendum. In his remarks to reporters on Monday at the annual MacGill Summer School in Glenties, County Donegal, Mr Kenny said the triggering of a border poll required "clear evidence of a majority of people wishing to leave the UK and join the Republic". He added: "It may be, in the eyes of some, a fanciful theory but who knows what happens in 10, 20 years time?" Adams responded by calling for all parties supporting a united Ireland "to discuss how best this can be achieved." "In the context of the north being dragged out of the EU by England, there is now a greater opportunity to achieve this," he said. North Antrim MP Mr Paisley said Secretary of State James Brokenshire and his predecessor, Theresa Villiers, had both ruled out holding a referendum. "It's not going to happen," he said. "We all know in the next nine months Enda Kenny is not going to be taoiseach. So, he's really just being mischievous.," Mr Paisley added. Ulster Unionist MLA Jenny Palmer described Mr Kenny's comments as "much ado about nothing". She said that, in the wake of the EU referendum, the Stormont executive's priority should be "to convince the people of Northern Ireland that they have a plan for the way forward for our economy, our farmers, our voluntary and community groups, our universities and everyone else who depends heavily on EU funding and support."
The owner of the Hinkley Point nuclear power station has defended the plan to build a new plant at the Somerset site.
Vincent de Rivaz, chief executive of France's EDF Energy, told the BBC the project was not too expensive. He said power from nuclear plants would cut bills compared with low carbon without nuclear power. The project has come under fire for both its £24.5bn cost and delays to investment decisions and the timetable for building. The original plan was for it to start generating electricity by 2023. There is still no start date for the new facility, which will be built next to two existing generation plants at Bridgewater in Somerset. Three days ago, the chancellor, George Osborne, who is visiting China, secured investment from the Chinese by guaranteeing a £2bn deal under which China will invest in Hinkley Point. The deal will be signed next month during the Chinese president's State visit to the UK. Volatility Another controversial issue is a government guarantee that EDF will receive £92 per megawatt hour, twice the current wholesale price for power. EDF said it needed that because the price of energy would be much higher in the future: "You cannot compare the price in the next decade with the price of today, which is being depressed by the current low price of gas. We have to protect our self against volatility." Mr de Rivaz said it was a similar situation to a consumer replacing their car with a new one, "more expensive but you will get a much better car". He rebuffed suggestions that building gas power plants would be more cost effective, saying that would mean the UK importing billions of dollars of gas from elsewhere, putting the country at the mercy of geopolitics. Analysis: Kamal Ahmed, BBC business editor What is becoming clear is Britain's increasing reliance on Chinese investment for major infrastructure projects. On his visit to China today, the chancellor has called for Chinese bids for more than £11bn of contracts to build HS2, the proposed high speed rail link between London, Manchester and Leeds. Mr de Rivaz said that China was now an essential partner, and that safety and security were the top priorities. "We know these companies, we have been working with them for 30 years building nuclear power plants in China," he said. Read Kamal's blog in full Partners Meanwhile, EDF announced that the engineering firm Rolls-Royce would take a big share of £100m worth of contracts to supply the new nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point. EDF, the French firm in charge of the project, has selected Rolls-Royce to supply heat exchangers worth £25m. In partnership with Nuvia, Rolls-Royce will also supply systems to treat nuclear waste in a contract worth £75m. The contracts awarded to Rolls-Royce and Nuvia are subject to the final investment decision from EDF and the new timetable for its construction. Mr de Rivaz said: "Hinkley Point C offers the UK a tremendous opportunity to boost employment and skills in the crucial manufacturing and construction sectors, as well as leading the revitalisation of the new nuclear programme."
The future of local fishing communities is at stake as EU ministers begin their annual negotiation in Brussels over catches for next year.
By Martin CassidyBBC NI rural affairs correspondent Prawns represent the most important catch for fishermen along the County Down coast and there was a sense of shock when the commission proposed a 19% reduction in landings for 2012. The negotiating process starts with the European Commission producing a set of proposals based on the latest scientific advice. Fisheries Minister Michelle O'Neill said she will reject the plan to curb prawn catches and believes she can demonstrate that the fishery can sustain the current level of landings. Cod though will be the complicating factor. Despite a recovery plan lasting more than a decade now, including the closure of spawning grounds each spring, Irish sea cod stocks remain under pressure. Threat The European Commission has responded by proposing a zero cod catch in 2012. For the handful of remaining whitefish boats working out of local harbours the zero cod quota threatens their future. Skippers insist it is simply not possible to catch other whitefish species like haddock without also taking cod. Without significant movement on the cod issue, the commission proposal may prove the final straw for Northern Ireland's four remaining whitefish boats. And the cod factor also affects the prawn fleet. These boats too typically catch some cod as they trawl the muddy bottom of the Irish Sea. Go back to the commission's proposal for a 19% reduction in prawn landings and it now becomes clear that its proposal is really based on the cod by-catch, rather than any real worry about prawn stocks. Conservation Then there is the key question of days at sea and the amount of time the Northern Ireland fleet is allowed to fish. Over recent years local boats have been rewarded with additional days at sea for fitting nets and gear which help with fish conservation. Fishemen's leaders though now fear the commission is planning to reduce the number of extra days they have been awarded. The outcome of the December fisheries council is always a compromise, but a zero cod quota and a 19% reduction in prawn landings represent a tough starting point for Michelle O'Neill and the rest of the Northern Ireland delegation in Brussels.
A former South Yorkshire Police press officer claimed she was asked to "spin" news during the Hillsborough inquests, the BBC can reveal.
Hayley Court was employed by South Yorkshire Police (SYP) just after the hearings began in 2014. Documents seen by BBC News show she was told a "performance issue" was her "failure" to "redress the imbalance" in the media's reporting of the inquests. SYP said her claims of "unethical practice" were "not substantiated". 'Fed a line' Ms Court, 30, was taken on as the force's Hillsborough communications specialist with a salary of more than £50,000 but has since left. She claims she was asked to encourage the media to report evidence favourable to the police case, including that fans were partly to blame. Ms Court said when she took the job she had hoped to illustrate the SYP force of 2014, when the inquests began, was not the same as it had been in 1989 - the year of the disaster. But she said "very quickly" she felt like she "had been fed a line". "I felt like I had been told my job would be one thing, but actually it was something very different." She said she felt "very foolish" and "naive". "I felt like I was then part of the problem, which couldn't have been further from what I was trying to achieve by accepting the role in the first place. And I felt that I was letting people down by continuing to be part of it." Ms Court spent around four months doing the job and went daily to the coroner's court in Warrington, Cheshire. But after raising concerns within the force about her role she became ill with anxiety and depression and was signed off work. Her job involved writing daily reports about the hearings, which were sent to former and serving South Yorkshire Police officers, as well as liaising with reporters covering the inquests. 'Perpetuating defensiveness' Jurors ruled 96 Liverpool fans who died at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final had been unlawfully killed. They also criticised SYP's planning for the match and highlighted a catalogue of failures by senior officers on the day. The stadium was also said to have contained "defects" that contributed to the disaster, and Sheffield Wednesday FC and South Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service were criticised. The supporters were exonerated of any blame. Ms Court sat in on meetings between South Yorkshire Police's legal team during the inquests. Describing her impression of their approach to the case, she said: "If [SYP] was going to be found partly responsible for what happened, then all the other interested parties should be found partly responsible as well. "And if that meant perpetuating the comments about fans being drunk, if that meant perpetuating comments about fans forcing gates, then that is how they were going to do it. "No-one could have failed to see that SYP was going to be found largely responsible for what happened at Hillsborough, and I think it was more about if there is less responsibility that we can take, then we should seek to make sure that is the outcome." She said she was "surprised" that the force was "still perpetuating this defensiveness", despite issuing an apology for police failures in 2012, more than a year before the inquests began. Ms Court claimed she was repeatedly told to tell the media what "line" they should be reporting and "my job would be in jeopardy if I didn't". 'Media imbalance' SYP's chief constable David Crompton was suspended the day after the inquests concluded because there had been an "erosion of trust". The force investigated some of Ms Court's complaints but a report did not rule in her favour. It listed areas of Ms Court's work that were said to need improvement. Among them, she was said to have failed "to proactively redress the obvious imbalance in the media reporting of the inquests to the extent that evidential matters, significant to the force, were not being reported accurately". A 20-week appraisal, written after Ms Court raised her concerns, also included: "Hayley was asked to encourage the media to report on the positives (as well as accepting that they would report the negatives)." 'Not substantiated' In July 2014 Ms Court sent a BBC reporter covering the inquests a text message saying: "Sorry to text late - is there going to be any mention of the new evidence which came to light from SYP on the BBC at some point tonight?" It was sent at 21:28, following a day at court when a SYP barrister had argued CCTV footage appeared to show supporters forcing open perimeter gates in Leppings Lane. Ms Court now says she is "embarrassed" to have sent the message. SYP was asked to respond to Ms Court's allegations about unethical behaviour but it did not provide answers to specific questions. In a statement, it said it was "aware of the concerns" and would "welcome an opportunity to talk these through" with Ms Court and to "enter a process of independent review and mediation". It added: "Some of the issues raised have been considered before through the force's grievance procedure. Specifically in relation to the concerns raised about suggested unethical practices, but these were not substantiated at the time. "However it is clear that the staff member remains concerned about her experiences and following the outcome of the Hillsborough inquests and we would like to talk to her and give these matters further consideration."
The government is pumping nearly £40m into improving the infrastructure for electric vehicles despite a sharp drop in hybrid car sales.
The Department for Transport will invest in UK engineering to "transform" the network of electric charge points. Wireless charging and "pop-up" pavement technology are among the investments being made. Sales of plug-in hybrid vehicles slumped by 50.4% in June after the government scrapped a £2,500 grant. But the DfT said it was "focusing on the cleanest, zero emission models". New UK car registrations for battery electric cars rose by 61.7% to 2,461 in June compared with the same month last year, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). However, the drop in demand for plug-in hybrid cars, which fell from sales of 4,571 vehicles last June to 2,268 vehicles last month, meant that overall the alternatively fuelled vehicle sector shrank for the first time since April 2017. A DfT spokeswoman said: "The plug-in car grant has supported the purchase of 180,000 new cars with over £700m, including 100,000 plug-in hybrids." As well as scrapping the grant for plug-in hybrid models last year, the government also reduced the subsidy for pure electric cars from £4,500 to £3,500. It also announced last year that it would end the sale of all new conventional petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2040. How prepared is your area for electric cars? Average distance between charging locations Source: Open Charge Map Nevertheless, the government is now investing £37m in a number of projects to make it easier for electric car owners to charge up their vehicles. The government's new investment marks the first anniversary of the launch of the government's Road to Zero strategy, which wants "almost every car and van" in the UK to be zero emission by 2050. It has handed £2.3m to a company called Char.gy, which is developing ways to deploy wireless charging technology on residential streets which would remove the need for trailing cables and additional infrastructure. Urban Foresight has been awarded £3m to roll out "pop-up" chargers which are built into the pavement, which are designed to help drivers without access to off-street parking. A cable free future for electric cars? By Tom Burridge, BBC transport correspondent Wireless charging for electric vehicles - which means getting rid of cables - could be arriving on a small number of UK streets relatively soon, according to Char.gy, one of the firms that has received development funding from the government. "We are mimicking a cable being plugged in", says Richard Stobart, chief executive of Char.gy, the company behind the project which has been awarded £2.3m by the DfT. It works by installing a pad on the underside of an electric car. Once that aligns with another pad hidden underneath the road surface, electricity is passed to the car via a process known as induction. For now, virtually any fully electric car would have to be modified and fitted with a pad, costing around £1,000. That's where the government cash comes in. Under the pilot, some people will get the induction pads for free. Other residents in parts of Buckinghamshire, Milton Keynes and the London borough of Redbridge, where the scheme is being trialled, will be able to share the use of several car-club cars which will be fitted-out with induction pads. This wireless charging project should start running in 2020. At present, the UK has a network of more than 24,000 public charging connectors in nearly 9,000 locations, according to figures from the Department for Transport. Jaguar Land Rover recently announced that it would invest millions of pounds in the UK to build a range of electric cars at its Castle Bromwich plant in Birmingham. However, its chief executive Professor Ralph Speth criticised the number of charging points for electric cars in the UK. "The current charging infrastructure is not really sufficient to cover the country, nor the hotspots of the cities. The government has to govern the process," he told the BBC.
Star Wars actor Ewan McGregor has visited Rachel House Children's Hospice in Kinross.
Mr McGregor is a long-term supporter of the Children's Hospice Association Scotland (Chas). He said: "There's so much fun and laughter about the place and you can see how important it is for the children and their families." The actor was recently appointed an OBE for his services to charity and drama. He made the journey to the hospice on his motorcycle with dad Jim accompanying him. They spent time meeting children and their families and joining in with some of the circus-themed activities. Before he left, the actor, who played Obi-Wan Kenobi in George Lucas's Star Wars prequels, said: "Rachel House will always have a special significance to me." Gill Levy, CHAS relationship manager, said: "We've had lots of excited children, siblings and parents who were really looking forward to meeting Ewan. "The look on their faces when he walked in was priceless. We can't thank Ewan, and his parents enough for taking the time to come and visit us again today. "It means so much to everyone at Rachel House and it will be such a special memory for them to cherish forever."
US National Security Adviser John Bolton has said "naval mines almost certainly from Iran" were to blame for the damage to oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman earlier this month.
Mr Bolton provided no evidence to support the allegation, which Iran said was "laughable". The attacks off the eastern coast of the United Arab Emirates on 12 May left holes in the hulls of four ships. The incident came amid an escalation in tensions between Iran and the US. Last Friday, US Vice Admiral Michael Gilday said he believed "with a high degree of confidence that this [attack] stems back to the leadership of Iran at the highest levels". Mr Bolton, a long-standing advocate for regime change in Iran, echoed the admiral's words during a visit to the UAE on Wednesday, telling reporters it was "clear that Iran is behind" the attack. "There's no doubt in anybody's mind in Washington who's responsible for this," he said. "Who else would you think is doing it? Someone from Nepal?" But Abbas Mousavi, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman, said Mr Bolton's accusations were "ludicrous". "Iran's strategic patience, vigilance and defensive prowess will defuse mischievous plots made by Bolton and other warmongers." In another development, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said Iran will not negotiate any new deals with the US over its nuclear and missile programmes, calling negotiations "useless". Earlier President Hassan Rouhani signalled talks were possible if sanctions were lifted. What do we know about the incident? Few details have been released, but it took place at about 06:00 (02:00 GMT) on Sunday, 12 May, within UAE territorial waters east of the emirate of Fujairah, just outside the Strait of Hormuz. The UAE authorities said four ships were targeted in a "sabotage attack". There were no casualties but Saudi Arabia said two of its ships had suffered "significant damage". Another tanker was Norwegian-registered, while the fourth was UAE-flagged. The UAE has not publicly blamed anyone for the sabotage of the vessels. What has this got to do with the US and Iran? On paper, little. No US-flagged ship was attacked, and no evidence has been provided that Iran was involved. But the US sees the attack as part of a wider "campaign" against it and its allies approved by Iranian leaders. Mr Bolton said Iran-backed forces also carried out drone strikes on two oil pumping stations in Saudi Arabia on 14 May and fired a rocket into an area of the Iraqi capital Baghdad that houses the US embassy on 19 May. He also revealed that there had been "an unsuccessful attack on the Saudi port of Yanbu a couple of days before the attack on tankers". Iran has denied it was involved in the attacks in Saudi Arabia and Iraq. What is behind the heightened US-Iran tensions? The tensions began rising at the start of May, when Washington ended exemptions from sanctions for countries still buying from Iran. The decision was intended to bring Iran's oil exports to zero, denying the government its main source of revenue. Mr Trump reinstated the sanctions a year ago after abandoning the landmark 2015 nuclear deal that Iran signed with six nations - the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany. Iran has now announced it it will suspend several commitments under the deal.
Plans to demolish and rebuild part of a 1960s housing estate have been approved unanimously by councillors.
Serpentine Court, on the Lakes estate in Milton Keynes, will be replaced with 589 homes, half of which will be council housing. In November 2018, 93% of 206 residents voted in a local ballot for demolition. Milton Keynes Council chose to redevelop Serpentine Court as part of a wider plan to upgrade seven council estates over the next 15 years. The crumbling estate has suffered from anti-social behaviour, drug and alcohol issues. Resident Sharlean Owens said: "It's horrendous. You find needles, bits of foil and stuff. There's faeces in the lifts. I can't wait for the knockdown." The first phase will involve building 300 new homes for Serpentine Court residents to move into before their existing homes are bulldozed. Danielle Slaymaker, of the residents' Serpentine Court Steering Group, said: "This is a monumental moment for us... the finale so to speak. We've got one more [council] Cabinet to talk about finances and then hopefully we can see work begin." Labour Cabinet member Emily Darlington said: "It's absolutely the right time to do it. It's building and regeneration projects like this one that will help bring our economy out of the recession." A similar vote took place for the Fullers Slade estate in November 2019 with 55% of residents voting for refurbishment of council houses. Demolition was not an option on the ballot paper. A £1bn proposal to demolish six other estates across the town has been scaled back and these homes will not be knocked down, but repaired and refurbished instead. Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]
A call has been made to avoid a repeat of the problems faced by hill farmers whose sheep died during heavy snow.
Deep snow hit parts of north Wales in March and farmers reported losing hundreds of lambs in lambing season. The Welsh government relaxed EU rules which require farmers to pay others to remove carcasses from their land and offered a £500,000 package to affected farmers but would not compensate them. But the Welsh Conservatives say the response was too slow. Antoinette Sandbach AM, Shadow Rural Affairs Minister, said she wants reassurances that lessons have been learnt in the event of serious snowfall. "Many farmers in rural Wales have fallen on tough times with declining incomes, feed costs rising on top of seasonal challenges, so it is more important than ever that in the exceptional circumstances of extreme weather, the Welsh government will be swift to act," she said. Farms in parts of Conwy, Denbighshire, Wrexham, Gwynedd, Flintshire and Powys were allowed to bury their own sheep, lambs and calves. Hill farmer Gareth Wyn Jones from Llanfairfechan, Conwy, who lost hundreds of lambs in the snow earlier this year, called for emergency line to be set up. "I've got in place now about six or seven different phone numbers of friends who came to help me dig the sheep out and they've said they will come any time," he said. "That's something else we should be looking at - some kind of emergency line that people could call. The fire brigade said they were more than willing to come and help us. "There's situations where the farmers are too old to go out and look for their stock." A Welsh government spokesperson said it "strongly rejected" Ms Sandbach's latest claims, adding that a comprehensive package of support had been created after the heavy snowfall in March. Natural Resources Minister Alun Davies has asked for a review into the resilience of the farming industry to severe weather. "The minister is keen to build resilience within the farming sector so that farm businesses are better equipped to cope with challenges such as severe weather," said the spokesperson. "He has asked Kevin Roberts, former director general of the NFU in England and Wales, to undertake a review in to the resilience of farming in Wales. "The final report on resilience will be presented to the minister shortly and will be published in early 2014."
Vietnam has recorded its first Covid-19 fatalities, in a devastating blow for a country proud of its zero deaths.
The first man, who was aged 70, was from the central city of Hoi An, state media said on Friday. A second death, of a 61-year-old man, was reported later in the day. There had been no new locally transmitted infections for more than three months, before an outbreak was reported in the nearby resort of Da Nang earlier this week. Both of the patients who died had underlying health conditions, according to Vietnamese media. The country, which has a population of around 95 million, has reported just 546 cases since the pandemic began. Unlike many other countries, Vietnam acted before it even had confirmed cases, closing its borders early to almost all travellers, except returning citizens. Anyone entering the country must quarantine in government facilities for 14 days and undergo testing. And for a while, this approach appeared to be highly effective, with no new local transmissions reported since mid-April. The country received praise for both its timely efforts to contain the virus and for the care it was able to offer a Scottish pilot who spent two months in a coma after developing Covid-19.. But earlier this week came the difficult news that new cases had been discovered in the popular resort of Da Nang. Tens of thousands of tourists from across the country were in the city at the time, many of whom believed the threat from coronavirus had passed. The government initially closed the city to visitors, before ordering a total local lockdown on Wednesday. Earlier this week, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc warned that every province and city in the country following the outbreak in Da Nang. "We have to act more swiftly and more fiercely in order to control the outbreak," state media quoted him as saying. What this means for Vietnam By Bui Thu, BBC News Vietnamese At first, Vietnamese mainstream newspapers cited coronavirus as the main cause of the first man's death. But then, just a moment later, the story was deleted from most of the country's state media websites. The story only appeared again on their websites as the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control finally confirmed the news. Talking to the BBC Vietnamese Service, Dr Luong Ngoc Khue, vice-director of the Treatment Subcommittee under the National Covid-19 Taskforce, said the person "died of heart attack, kidney cancer, high blood pressure and other severe diseases while positive for coronavirus". Some speculate that the government found it difficult to announce the first death for fear of public embarrassment. But as the news was confirmed today, Vietnam is trying to carry out an aggressive prevention strategy to contain the virus, with many quarantine facilities and mobilising all means and resources to treat every patient. Since July 25, 93 cases linked to Da Nang have been reported, and now the city is under a lockdown again. Restrictions are also being reintroduced in many other cities and provinces.
Russia has launched its biggest military exercise since the Cold War, involving about 300,000 service personnel, in eastern Siberia.
China is sending 3,200 troops to take part in "Vostok-2018", with many Chinese armoured vehicles and aircraft. Mongolia is also sending some units. The last Russian exercise of similar scale was in 1981, during the Cold War, but Vostok-2018 involves more troops. The week-long manoeuvres come at a time of heightened Nato-Russia tensions. As the exercises began, Russian President Vladimir Putin met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at a forum in the eastern city of Vladivostok and told him "we have a trusting relationship in the sphere of politics, security and defence". Relations between Russia and Nato - a 29-member defence alliance dominated by the US - have worsened since Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the drills were justified given "aggressive and unfriendly" attitudes towards Russia. What will happen in the drills? Tuesday and Wednesday will see planning and preparation while actual operations will start on Thursday and last five days, the head of the Russian general staff, Gen Valery Gerasimov, was quoted as saying. The Russian defence ministry says 36,000 tanks, armoured personnel carriers and armoured infantry vehicles will take part in Vostok-2018, from 11 to 17 September, along with more than 1,000 aircraft. Vostok is Russian for east. The exercise will be spread across five army training grounds, four airbases and areas in the Sea of Japan, Bering Straits and Sea of Okhotsk. Up to 80 naval vessels will take part, from two Russian fleets. The drills will not be near the disputed Kuril islands north of Japan, Russia says. The ministry's TV channel Zvezda says three brigades of Russian paratroops will play a key role, during drills at the Tsugol military range, near Russia's borders with China and Mongolia. A key aim is to practise the rapid deployment of thousands of troops, as well as aircraft and vehicles, from western Russia to eastern regions, across thousands of miles, TV Zvezda reports. That involves in-flight refuelling of fighter jets. The scale of Vostok-2018 is equivalent to the forces deployed in one of the big World War Two battles. A smaller-scale Russia-Belarus exercise was held last year. Why is this happening now? President Vladimir Putin has made military modernisation, including new nuclear missiles, a priority. Russia's armed forces are reckoned to have about one million personnel in total. A Russian senator and reserve colonel, Frants Klintsevich, said "it suited the West that our units and headquarters lacked combat skills and co-ordination, but times have changed; now we have a different attitude to combat readiness". Read more on Russia's military: Why is China involved? The Chinese defence ministry spoke of deepening military co-operation and enhancing both sides' ability to jointly respond to "various security threats", without specifying those threats. Mongolia has not given details of its involvement. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu says Islamist extremism in Central Asia is a major threat to Russian security. China has imposed heavy security and censorship in the mainly Muslim Xinjiang region. Xinjiang has seen intermittent violence - followed by crackdowns - for years. China accuses Islamist militants and separatists of orchestrating the trouble. In recent years Russia and China have deepened military co-operation and during these drills they will have a joint field headquarters. Why are China-Russia ties warming? Observers say the two sides have been building ties partly as an attempt to counter the US's international influence. They have also been boosting economic co-operation, with Chinese direct investment soaring by 72% in 2017, according to state news agency Xinhua. As Beijing has become embroiled in a tit-for-tat trade dispute with Washington this year, Russia has become an increasingly important trade partner and is now China's ninth largest. Russia is now China's biggest oil supplier and its largest energy company, Gazprom, is building a 3,000km (1,864mi) gas pipeline that will link eastern Siberia to the Chinese border. Mr Putin and Mr Xi are said to get along well too - in June, the Chinese leader called his Russian counterpart his "best, most intimate friend". It is a big contrast from the Cold War years, when China and what was then the USSR were rivals for global communist leadership and clashed on their far eastern border. What has Nato said about the drills? Spokesman Dylan White said Nato was briefed on Vostok-2018 in May and would monitor it. He said "all nations have the right to exercise their armed forces, but it is essential that this is done in a transparent and predictable manner". "Vostok demonstrates Russia's focus on exercising large-scale conflict. It fits into a pattern we have seen over some time: a more assertive Russia, significantly increasing its defence budget and its military presence." Why is Russia-Nato tension high? It has been increasing since Russia intervened in Ukraine in 2014, backing pro-Russian separatist rebels. Nato responded by deploying extra forces in eastern Europe, sending 4,000 troops to the Baltic region. Russia says the Nato build-up is unjustified and provocative. It says the Ukrainian revolution of 2013-2014 was a coup masterminded by the West. Russian diplomats were expelled from Nato countries after the poisoning of Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, with a nerve agent in southern England in March. The UK blamed Russian military intelligence - the GRU - for the attack; Moscow denied involvement.
The founder of Leeds West Indian Carnival is to receive an honorary doctorate from Leeds Beckett University.
Arthur France, 82, will be given the award for his contribution to the city. Mr France founded Leeds West Indian Carnival, believed to be the oldest event of its kind in Europe, in 1967 and heads its organising committee. He came to the UK in 1957 from the Caribbean island of Nevis and was made an MBE in 1997 for his community work. More stories from Yorkshire The three-day carnival takes place over the August Bank Holiday weekend. It culminates with a parade on the streets of Chapeltown and Harehills attended by large crowds. Mr France was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Leeds in 2015. Professor Peter Slee, vice chancellor of Leeds Beckett University, said: "Our honorary graduates are leaders in their fields and an inspiration to our graduating students. "Their work has had a positive impact on the lives of others and it is an honour to acknowledge their contributions."
A review into road safety near US visiting forces bases has been commissioned by the Transport Secretary after the death of Harry Dunn.
In a letter to Mr Dunn's family, Grant Shapps said the inspections will begin at RAF Croughton - the base near where the 19-year-old was fatally injured. Mr Dunn died after his motorbike was involved in a crash with a car driven by Anne Sacoolas in August 2019. The American claimed diplomatic immunity and returned to the US. Ms Sacoolas was charged with causing death by dangerous driving in December but an extradition request submitted by the Home Office was refused in January. The US State Department has since said the decision to reject the request was "final". Lawyers for Mrs Sacoolas said she drove "on the wrong side of the road for 20 seconds". According to her legal representatives, Ms Sacoolas "instinctively" began driving on the right-hand side outside the Northamptonshire base, and could not see Mr Dunn due to "the crest of a small hill". Mr Shapps said the Road Safety Foundation will conduct a review of the roads around all 10 visiting forces bases in England. The foundation will examine videos, and will rate roads and recommend any safety interventions to lower risks. The other bases included in the review will be: RAF Barford St John in Oxfordshire, RAF Alconbury and RAF Molesworth in Cambridgeshire, Suffolk's RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall, RAF Feltwell in Norfolk, RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, Berkshire's RAF Welford and RAF Menwith Hill near Harrogate. Mr Dunn's family spokesman Radd Seiger said: "We are incredibly grateful to the Secretary of State for getting behind this campaign. "He, like us, recognises the risks to life and limb in these road environments outside US bases and is approaching the review of road safety absolutely correctly. "We are glad that the Road Safety Foundation are taking the lead on the review and we hope that some good will come from it."
Two women have been found not guilty of obstructing a highway in an anti-fracking protest.
The demonstration took place on 1 April near Misson, in north Nottinghamshire, where shale gas tests were taking place. Stephanie Robinson, 28, from Dronfield in Derbyshire, and Michelle Maddock, 48, from Sheffield were charged with wilful obstruction of a highway. Their case was dismissed at Mansfield Magistrates' Court on Thursday. Mark Harrison, 50, of Durham, who was also charged with the same offence was found not guilty at a hearing in August. Elizabeth Wilson, 68, of Gleadless Common, Sheffield, pleaded guilty to the same charge in May and was handed a conditional discharge for 12 months. She was also ordered to pay £85 in court costs and a £20 surcharge. Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].
Thousands of people who invested in a high-risk bond scheme marketed as a "Fixed Rate ISA" fear they have lost everything after the company collapsed.
By Tom PalmerBBC News Online London Capital & Finance (LCF), now in administration, took £236m following a marketing campaign that is now under investigation for mis-selling. Many were first-time investors - inheritance recipients, small business owners or newly retired. Administrators said investors could get as little as 20% of their money back. '35 years of savings gone' Peter Thornley and his wife retired to Devon after a teaching career. He now fears he may have to return to work if their money is lost. "It put us under a lot of pressure - socially and emotionally. It makes you feel really foolish," he said. "There is a group of us bondholders; there are about 900 in ours. "We have all got money that we have been left by parents or a lump we got on retirement, then all of a sudden 35 years of savings has gone in a couple of months." John Wright, a retired joiner from Northampton, was recovering from heart surgery when he found out LCF was in administration. "This was money for our grandchildren, we weren't going on fancy holidays or buying flash cars - my wife worked in BHS and saved her whole life, this is hard-earned money, we saved and saved and saved. "I am devastated, I feel a complete fool. I was completely taken in by the marketing." The marketing campaign LCF paid an agent, Brighton-based Surge PLC, 25% commission - which amounted to £60m - to run the marketing campaign. A series of web adverts promising 8% returns from secure ISAs were released and in addition a comparison website - run by a company with links to Surge - would compare the 1% and 2% return ISAs from high street banks with the investments at LCF. LCF was authorised by regulator the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) - but the FCA said the authorisation was to provide consumer financial advice, not the sale of bonds or ISAs. The FCA subsequently ordered the advertisements should stop running. Where did the money go? In a letter to bondholders administrator Finbarr O'Connell said once the £60m to Surge was paid, returns of up to 44% would be required in order for LCF to make good on its promises. Investors were told the funds - and therefore risk - would be spread across hundreds of companies but, according to Companies House records, LCF loaned money to 12 - four of which have never filed accounts, nine are fewer than three years old, and nine had loans from LCF in 2017. Much of the cash was loaned to companies that then "sub loaned" to others. Bondholders have raised concerns about connections between the directors of companies that received money and those who ran LCF. Who were the directors? Michael Andrew Thomson, known as Andy Thomson, took over as the boss of LCF in 2015 and is also director of horse riding company GT Eventing. Paul Careless is the majority shareholder of both Surge PLC and RPDigitalServices - the company that powered ISA comparison websites. 'Life of Riley' Christine Anderson put thousands of pounds into LCF. She runs her own business, a surf school in Devon. "They have done very well out of hard-working people - a lot have put some or all of their savings into this company," she said. "The directors and ex-directors are living the life of Riley from what I can see, with their helicopters, their horses and their properties. "It is very sad that this could have been allowed to happen." Let down by the regulator? In December the FCA froze LCF's activities, pulled the adverts and in January found that LCF had "made communications in relation to its fixed rate ISA or bond which were misleading, not fair and not clear". The FCA findings included that LCF's bonds did not qualify to be held in an ISA account and therefore investors were being misled by being told the interest they earned would be tax free. The FCA said it was "unlikely" investors would be protected under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) but it was "for the FSCS to determine". Independent financial adviser Neil Liversidge wrote to the FCA in 2015 warning it about the scheme. Mr Liversidge said: "The way it was promoted, a great many people could have fallen for this. "A client brought it to us but when we looked into it there was a lot of interconnection between the people they were lending to and the management of LCF themselves. "We warned our clients off and the same day we wrote to the regulator raising our concerns about the promotion." Ms Anderson said: "We feel let down - we trusted this company because they had been regulated and authorised - we then found that they weren't even allowed to manage ISAs. "The FCA should have known that before they allowed us to buy these products." What do those involved say? A spokesman for Surge Financial said: "Surge has a number of clients and its fees for LCF are in line with the industry standard. "LCF was an FCA regulated business and it signed off all marketing materials and financial promotions prior to publication as required by the Financial Services and Markets Act. "Surge was a supplier of services used in relation to raising investment for LCF. It did not handle client money and had no involvement in the deployment of funds to borrowing companies." Mr Thomson has not responded to BBC requests for comment. The FCA said it could not comment further. There will be more on this story on Moneybox on BBC Radio Four at 12:00 GMT on Saturday 9 March and on Inside Out on BBC One in the South West of England at 20:30 GMT on Monday 11 March, and afterwards on the iPlayer.
Shortly after being elected prime minister of Greece for the first time in January, Alexis Tsipras received a silk tie from his Italian counterpart, Matteo Renzi.
The left-wing Greek leader, known for his informal attire, promised to wear the gift once his country's debt crisis had been resolved. That tie is yet to appear around the neck of the youngest political leader in modern Greek history, who has forged an international reputation on challenging the EU policy of austerity. And it is likely to remain in the drawer for a while longer. Before this latest election, the Syriza leader said he had a moral duty to go to a vote after signing up to fresh austerity measures as part of a third bailout for Greece. Alexis Tsipras was first elected prime minister, aged 40, in January 2015 - six years after becoming the leader of Syriza, a group of radical left-wing parties. He was instrumental in transforming the coalition from an also-ran to a ruling party. At his swearing-in ceremony, Mr Tsipras broke with tradition by refusing to take a religious oath, saying it was against his atheist principles. After the election, he continued to zip around Athens on a motorbike, as he had done before. His first gesture as prime minister was a visit to a monument honouring Greek communists executed by Nazi occupation forces in 1944. For a man whose political life began as a communist, the visit was heavy with symbolism, also because Germany holds more Greek debt than any other eurozone state and Greece is still seeking reparations for the Nazi occupation. Month after month, he defied international creditors and tested the patience of his European partners. Then, late on 26 June, as Greek negotiators were locked in talks with their European partners, he summoned them out of the room by text message. Mr Tsipras told them he was calling a referendum on a deal that was not even on the table. In a late-night TV address, he spoke of the bailout as "unbearable" and a "humiliation". It came out of the blue and was viewed either as a reckless gamble or a masterstroke, casting into doubt Greece's future in the euro. Cash support for Greek banks was frozen, and the government imposed capital controls, shutting the banks and limiting cash withdrawals. Opponents questioned whether he had ever really wanted to stay in the eurozone, and EU leaders were infuriated by his decision. But when Greeks surprised the pollsters and backed their prime minister's stance, he told them their mandate was not "rupture with Europe" but a mandate for a viable solution. As Greece's economy teetered on the brink of leaving the euro, Mr Tsipras agreed a deal for a third bailout that many of his colleagues refused to back, and even he admitted he did not believe in it. "I acknowledge the fiscal measures are harsh, that they won't benefit the Greek economy, but I'm forced to accept them," he told MPs. He called a fresh vote amid a rebellion by some Syriza MPs, who then split to form a new party. Alexis Tsipras's political origins are far removed from the large parties and dynasties that have traditionally governed Greece. He was born in Athens, three days after the fall of the Greek military junta in 1974, at a time of deep political division. However, the Tsipras family was not regarded as especially political. Sport may have been a stronger draw for the young Alexis, who grew up near Panathinaikos football club's stadium, and remains a fan of the team. Alexis Tsipras was not schooled at the usual private schools that most politicians in Greece with a pedigree prefer, but graduated from a state school in Ampelokipoi, a middle-class area in central Athens. It was where his political activism began, leading a student protest against the right-wing government's education policy. Matthew Tsimitakis, an activist who was then a pupil at another Athens school, described meeting the young leader, in a 2012 profile broadcast on BBC Radio. "He struck me as very intelligent, calm, passionate but also very aware - he could represent the balance of a few hundred thousand kids who weren't very sure of what they were demonstrating about." It was at school that he met Peristera "Betty" Baziana, who was to become his wife. They were both active in the Communist Party of Greece's youth wing and shared the same world view. They went to university in different cities and later chose a civil wedding instead of a traditional religious ceremony. The couple now live in the middle-class Athens neighbourhood of Kypseli, and have two young sons - Pavlos and Orpheas Ernesto (after Ernesto "Che" Guevara). Although Ms Baziana has rarely appeared in public, she reputedly threatened to leave him if he gave too much ground to Greece's international creditors. Like his father, Mr Tsipras's career began in civil engineering but in 2006, he represented Syriza in the Athens mayoral election. "He toured around neighbourhoods in Athens, and tried to have close contact with potential voters," Elpida Ziouva, a civil servant for the Athens assembly, told the BBC. What was not clear from his early political career was how far he was prepared to go to rid his country of austerity, by closing the banks and bringing Greece to the verge of exit from the eurozone.
People have flocked to help clean a collection of 2,000-year-old gold coins found in a Suffolk field.
The Wickham Market Hoard of 840 coins has been on display in Ipswich and it will later be visiting Colchester, Norwich and Cambridge. Ipswich Museum has filled the 50 free places it was offering to people for its cleaning workshops. Caroline McDonald, curator, said: "We wanted our contemporary communities to experience the coins close up." The hoard, which was in the remains of a pot, was found in 2008 by a man using a metal detector. Ipswich Museum had to raise £300,000 to keep the collection in Suffolk after it was declared to be treasure at an inquest. Tribal heartlands The coins belonged to the Iceni tribe and are thought to date from 40 BC to 15 AD, pre-dating Queen Boudicca who led the revolt against Roman rule which destroyed Colchester in 60 AD. Ms McDonald said: "Cambridge and Norfolk are part of the Iceni tribal heartlands, so essentially we're sending the coins back to where they came from. "I like to think emotionally we're all related to the Iceni because we tread in those places that they trod 2,000 years ago. "It's quite unusual for us to have members of the public in the conservation lab and even more unusual to have them around our treasure." The coin cleaning and stabilisation project involves removing any remaining soil and corrosion using cotton swabs and alcohol, lacquering them and adding a tiny label. Emma Hogarth, conservation officer, said: "Normally, if we were cleaning a Roman coin, we would clean each individual one under a microscope using scalpels and pins, but as these are in such good condition we don't have to do that. Time-consuming "If they're pure gold, they don't decay, but as there is some copper in these ones, we do have a little bit of corrosion. "It's certainly time-consuming which is why we're delighted to have the public get involved in the work we've got to do." There is still a mystery as to why valuable gold was buried. Ms McDonald said: "This is an incredible amount of wealth that went into the ground. Were they a gift to the gods? Were they to pay warriors to defend you? "Something was happening to this community and we have to try and remember there's a very human story to why these things were put in the ground. "There were native Britons here before the Romans and these coins were from the generation of, possibly, Boudicca's grandparents." An exhibition of Chinese treasures from Nanjing Museum is taking place in Colchester next year and, in return, the coins could go on display in China in 2013.
Bomb disposal experts were sent to a car boot sale following reports ammunition was being sold there.
A 20-metre cordon was set up at the Elm Court Youth and Community Centre sale in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, shortly after midday on Saturday. It was "quickly established" that the ammunition, which included shells, was not live and the event continued, police said. The force said the seller handed over the items to go into an army museum. He had been "given words of advice about selling these items", a spokeswoman said. Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected] Related Internet Links Hertfordshire Constabulary
British troops have been sent to Gabon to tackle an increase in ivory poaching.
The 12 Northern Ireland-based soldiers are on their way to the African country, which has seen widespread elephant killings for their tusks. Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba requested help in battling the international trade. Most of the country's elephants have been illegally poached for trade to Asia, leaving the population dwindling. The elephants inhabit the Minkebe National Park, which has a forest the size of Belgium. About 15,000 of the forest's 22,000 elephants are said to have been killed by poachers. The UK soldiers have been drawn from the Royal Scots Borderers, the Rifles and other specialist corps and will work alongside local rangers at a training centre in Mokekou. "Military input cannot solve this alone, but it can help at the tactical level," said Maj Mark Shercliff. The ivory trade has been banned since 1989 by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, but a black market is still thriving. About 30,000 African elephants were killed by poachers last year, according to charity WWF.
Accusations from the US and UK that Russia recently tested anti-satellite weaponry in space are "distorted", Russia's defence ministry says.
"Tests carried out [on 15 July] did not create a threat for other spacecraft," the ministry said, adding that it had not violated international law. Moscow said earlier that it had been using new technology to perform checks on Russian space equipment. But the US and UK said they were concerned about the satellite activity. "We are concerned by the manner in which Russia tested one of its satellites by launching a projectile with the characteristics of a weapon," the head of the UK's space directorate, Air Vice Marshal Harvey Smyth, said on Thursday. It is the first time that the UK has made accusations about Russian test-firing in space, and comes just days after an inquiry said the UK government "badly underestimated" the threat posed by Russia. The US State Department also said it had observed the use by Russia of "what would appear to be actual in-orbit anti-satellite weaponry". The US and Russia are to hold bilateral talks on space security in Vienna next week, the first since 2013. The talks could be an opportunity to emphasise that "outer space is not a lawless and ungoverned territory", US Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Non-proliferation Christopher Ford said. What has Russia said about its satellite tests? In a statement on Friday, Russia's foreign ministry said that one of the country's "inspector" satellites had "carried out a check of a Russian spacecraft at close range with the use of specialised small spacecraft apparatus". It said the operation "did not violate any norms or principles of international law". The ministry accused the US and UK of "again attempting to present the situation in a distorted manner in order to... justify their steps to deploy weapons in space and achieve funding to that end". "We consider this latest anti-Russian attack as part of an information campaign initiated by Washington focused on discrediting Russian space activities," the statement, quoted by the Interfax news agency, added. Moscow earlier said that last week's satellite test had resulted in "valuable information about the technical condition of the object under investigation" being recorded. Why are the US and UK concerned? In a statement on Thursday, Gen Jay Raymond, who heads US space command, said there was evidence Russia had "conducted a test of a space-based anti-satellite weapon". "This is further evidence of Russia's continuing efforts to develop and test space-based systems and [is] consistent with the Kremlin's published military doctrine to employ weapons that hold US and allied space assets at risk," he said. US Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Non-proliferation, Christopher Ford, accused Moscow of hypocrisy after it said it wanted arms control to be extended to space. "Moscow aims to restrict the capabilities of the United States while clearly having no intention of halting its own counter-space programme," he said. The US said the Russian satellite system was the same one it raised concerns about in 2018 and earlier this year, when the US accused it of manoeuvring close to an American satellite. Air Vice Marshal Smyth added: "Actions of this kind threaten the peaceful use of space and risk causing debris that could pose a threat to satellites and the space systems on which the world depends." Russia, the UK, the US and China are among more than 100 nations to have committed to a space treaty that stipulates that outer space is to be explored by all and purely for peaceful purposes. The treaty adds that weapons should not be placed in orbit or in space.
When it was released on Friday, Mamma Mia 2 was all set to be the biggest film of the weekend, if not the summer.
But a spanner has been thrown in the works at the US box office, in the shape of Denzel Washington. The Equalizer 2, the follow-up to the 2014 original, raced past Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again to claim the top spot. The action sequel took an estimated $35.8m (£27.2m), inching past Mamma Mia's $34.4m (£26.1m). But these weren't the only two sequels in town. No fewer than eight of the top 10 films over the weekend were follow-ups, confirming that summer truly is sequel season for cinema. See if you can spot the two odd ones out below: Weekend box office - US 1. The Equalizer 2- $35.8 (£27.2m) 2. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again - $34.4m (£26.1m) 3. Hotel Transylvania 3 - $23.2m (£17.6m) 4. Ant-Man and the Wasp - $16.1m (£12.2m) 5. Incredibles 2 - $11.5m (£8.74m) 6. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom - $11m (£8.36m) 7. Skyscraper - $10.96m (£8.3m) 8. The First Purge - $5m (£3.8m) 9. Unfriended: Dark Web - $3.5m (£2.7m) 10. Sorry to Bother You - $2.8m (£2.1m) Well done if you said Skyscraper and Sorry To Bother You were the only films not to be part of a franchise. Mamma Mia coming in second place is by no means a failure - the film opened in line with expectations. Instead, the surprise was the success of The Equalizer 2 - with analysts putting it down to an ethnically diverse audience and keen interest among men. "It was a surprise to come in at number one in an extremely competitive marketplace," Adrian Smith, Sony's head of domestic distribution, told Variety. "It really speaks to the power of Denzel, without a doubt." Its success came in spite of a lukewarm response from critics, one of whom described the film as having a "plot that reads like middle-aged male fantasy". Read more: Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected].
A post by Donald Trump's official Facebook account purports to show violence in the US but is in fact of an event in another country.
By Christopher GilesBBC News The advert shows one image of Mr Trump in a calm setting talking to police officers beside another of a security official being surrounded by protesters, saying: "Public safety vs chaos and violence". However, the image is a photo from a pro-democracy protest in Ukraine in 2014. Facebook have told the BBC they won't be taking any action against the post but gave no further comment. What does the ad show? The post reads "Evangelicals For Trump are ready to help re-elect President Donald J Trump." On the image on the right, the officer is wearing a badge on his shoulder. However, it is an insignia not recognisable as one US police wear - it's a Coptic cross seen in countries which practice Orthodox Christianity. Using a reverse image search shows that the image is actually from Ukraine and was first posted in 2014, during the revolution that overthrew the government. The security official pictured is in fact not a US police officer. That badge was worn by members of the "Internal Troops of Ukraine", a now disbanded section of the national military that also assisted with policing. The image is also on the Wikipedia page about the 2014 Ukrainian Revolution, and says it shows events in February 2014 when security officials clashed with anti-government protesters. The old photo in the advert was picked up by a former Hillary Clinton staffer Jesse Lehrich in tweet that has been widely shared. Who's seen it? President Trump's Facebook page has more than 30 million followers. The imagery appears to have been made by campaign group "Evangelicals for Trump" and has mostly reached users in Florida and Texas who are older than 55, according to Facebook's estimates. Social media companies Facebook and Twitter have taken steps in recent months to label posts by public officials. Facebook has begun labelling posts on the pages of both the president and Joe Biden - the Democratic Party's nominee for president in November's election - with links to official information. We have asked Mr Trump's campaign team for a response. Read more from Reality Check Send us your questions Follow us on Twitter
Finance Minister Conor Murphy has announced a package worth £560m to help NI's health service tackle Covid-19.
It is part of £687m of Covid-19 funding from the Treasury in London. A further £100m has been redistributed by ministers between departments as part of the normal budgeting process. Hospices will get £7m, as well as £15m for sport and £25m for the taxi and coach industry, while councils are to get an extra £15m and the Department for Infrastructure is getting £10m. It was also confirmed by ministers that NI schools will reopen on Monday, with extra measures in place to allow pupils to return to classrooms safely. That will include the mandatory wearing of face coverings for post-primary pupils on school transport. Schools closed on 19 October as part of tighter Covid-19 restrictions imposed by the NI Executive. Speaking at Stormont's press briefing on Thursday, First Minister Arlene Foster said it is "the activity and mingling outside school gates that is of particular concern", not what occurs within classroom settings. "Messaging will be rolled out in the coming days," she added. On Thursday, ministers also discussed the effect of the latest restrictions on transmission rates in Northern Ireland. The Department of Health in Northern Ireland reported eight further Covid-19 related deaths on Thursday, bringing its total to 688. There were 822 further positive cases, with the total number of cases now 37,216. The Republic of Ireland reported six further Covid-related deaths and 866 new cases on Thursday. There are 43 people in ICU, an increase of two from Wednesday. There are now 330 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in hospitals in the country. The first minister said NI's R-rate - or reproduction rate - for case numbers had dropped below one for the first time since the early summer. "There are green shoots of hope", she added. Mrs Foster also said about 4,500 staff in the health service are off work on sick leave. She said 1,100 of those absences were Covid-related. The rest were "standard sickness for this time of year," she added. Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said everyone in Northern Ireland "needs to keep at this and do our part to stop this virus spreading". She said the recent decrease in transmission of the virus in the Derry City and Strabane District Council area, which previously had the highest rate across the UK, was down to efforts of the public. Mr Murphy said some of the extra health money will be spent on enhancing the test, trace and isolate systems. He said there was also an extra £61m to meet increased education pressures. "This covers costs with restarting schools including; funding to provide a safe learning environment for children and young people, staff costs, free school meals and uniform grants. "This also includes, nearly £12 million for Education Authority pressures including special educational needs." Mr Murphy said the £15m for sport was to help organisations which have lost income as a result of reduced spectators at their events, club membership and running competitions. Ministers have also approved extra financial support for taxi drivers and coach operators affected during the pandemic. Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon said a £14m package would go directly to taxi drivers. Some drivers have criticised reports they will each be offered a one-off payment of £1,500. Coach and bus operators will receive a package worth £5m. Meanwhile Health Minister Robin Swann has instructed Trusts to provide free car parking to HSC staff until 31 March 2021. Mr Swann said: "As our valued staff enter into a most challenging and pressurised time, I hope that this provides some welcome news." The move follows Thursday's budgetary announcement of additional funding allocated to the Department of Health for free staff car parking.
Nato warships, aircraft and personnel have arrived in Scotland for what has been described as the biggest ever Exercise Joint Warrior.
Joint Warrior is held twice a year - in April and October - and includes several locations in Scotland and in the sea off its coast. The US Navy said the UK-led training this April would be on the largest scale in the history of the exercise. Fifteen countries are taking part in the training that starts on Saturday. The exercise, which runs until 24 April, will feature anti-submarine warfare and mock attacks on warships by small boats. More than 50 ships and 70 aircraft, some being based at RAF Lossiemouth in Moray and Prestwick Airport in Ayrshire, along with 13,000 personnel will be involved. Several of the surface ships and submarines have been arriving at Faslane on the Clyde. Earlier this month, the Royal Navy said jamming will be limited to a confined area in the north-west of Scotland. It said the relevant authorities, including aviation and maritime communities, had been consulted. The Mountaineering Council of Scotland was this week alerting walkers and climbers to the potential disruption to GPS devices they might use in addition to a map and compass. Jamming during Joint Warrior in October 2011 was suspended after complaints from Western Isles fishermen. The latest war games come just weeks after a fisherman claimed a submarine may have snagged itself on his trawler as it fished off the Western Isles, an area were elements of Joint Warrior's training are held. Angus Macleod said he and his four crew were "extremely lucky" after his net was continually dragged in front of his 62ft boat. The Royal Navy said there were no British or Nato submarines in the area at the time. There has been speculation in recent months that Russian submarines have been operating off the Scottish coast.
A Victorian "showpiece" cemetery will be officially re-opened later after a major restoration costing £1.1m.
The seven hectare site in Wrexham has 37,000 graves. Stories of some of those buried there will be chronicled in the next phase of the project. The cemetery's designer, Yeo Strachan, wanted it to function like a park, with the idea visitors could stroll around and admire the grander monuments, built by wealthy industrialists. During the 19th Century, social class was as important in death as it was in life, so the cemetery was laid out with its own class system, with the elaborate monuments and memorials in the more expensive plots at the front of the cemetery. The paupers went unmarked at the back, with the middle classes in between. Two years ago, Wrexham Council secured a £1.2m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to refresh the Grade II-listed site. The chapels, the lodge, gates and railings have all been restored and now the council has launched the next phase of the project. A part-time development officer has been appointed to encourage community involvement, including gathering stories about some of the people buried there. These include wealthy industrialists, like the Dennis family, who owned Gresford colliery and some of the World War Two Polish soldiers buried at Wrexham.
Michael Boyd, artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, in Stratford-upon-Avon, has been honoured for his services to drama.
Mr Boyd, a Knights Bachelor, is one of several people across Coventry and Warwickshire named in the Queen's Birthday Honours list. Also honoured was show jumper Nick Skelton, who was appointed OBE for his services to equestrian sport. Voluntary workers including a special policeman have also been listed. Glyn Gardner, a special constable with Warwickshire Police, was appointed MBE for services to policing while Sylvia Clare Menzies-Kitchin has been appointed MBE for her services to drama. She is the founder of the James Menzies-Kitchin Trust, a foundation which aims to support theatre workers. Also honoured with MBE's were Francis George Prentice for his services to the community in Stratford-upon-Avon and and Rosanne Pudden for her work with the Riding for the Disabled Association.
Plans for a Hollywood version of Doctor Who are part of the latest revelations from the Sony Pictures' computer hack.
The BBC said there was "tremendous interest" in the idea during a meeting with Sony last year, although no plans were finalised. The meeting was disclosed in a hacked email, made public on Wikileaks, six months after a cyber-attack on Sony. Wikileaks has made the information stolen from Sony available in a searchable format for the first time. Sony said it "strongly condemns" the release, which amounts to more than 170,000 emails and 30,000 documents. The new documents reveal more about the internal wranglings at Sony's film division but, so far, nothing is as embarrassing as the previously-released material. Last year, Sony's co-chairman Amy Pascal and producer Scott Rudin came under fire for a series of racially-insensitive emails about Barack Obama's taste in films, which were among the first to be leaked. Rudin was also exposed for calling Angelina Jolie "minimally talented" and a "spoiled brat". Pascal eventually stood down from the company, while Rudin apologised for his remarks. The entertainment company was hacked shortly before the release of comedy film The Interview, which lampooned the North Korean regime. North Korea denied involvement in the attack but praised it as a "righteous deed". Here are some of the initial discoveries from the WikiLeaks information dump. A Doctor Who film is on the way There is "tremendous interest" in a Doctor Who film, said the BBC's director of television, Danny Cohen, in a conversation reported by Sony's international chief Andrea Wong. The pair discussed the big-screen adaptation in January 2014, but Cohen warned that the programme's show runners, including Steven Moffat, "don't want to do one at this moment". "That said, over the course of the coming months, the show running team is coming up with an 8 year timeline for the brand - laying out all that will happen with it," Ms Wong explained in an email to Michael Lynton, Sony Entertainment CEO. "So the answer is that a film won't happen in the next year to 18 months, but it is expected that it will happen after that within the 8 year horizon." Mr Lynton replied: "Sounds like we need to meet with the show runners", but Ms Wong warned him off, saying that too much pressure "actually might hurt our cause". "The creative team on the show have been having the movie conversation with BBC Worldwide in recent weeks and are very hot-under-the-collar that their position on it is not being listened to or accepted," she added. George Clooney's email address It previously emerged that George Clooney was deeply hurt by bad reviews for his World War 2 film Monuments Men. "I fear I've let you all down. Not my intention. I apologise. I've just lost touch… Who knew? Sorry. I won't do it again," he wrote, in an anguished email. But the vital detail missing from previous reports was Clooney's email handle: Batmansenior. Allegations of bullying by David O Russell George Clooney famously fell out with director David O Russell on the set of Iraq war drama Three Kings, after the star stepped in to stop Russell's apparent mistreatment of various crew members. Even five years later, the usually sedate Clooney told Premiere magazine that he would "sock Russell in the mouth" if he ran into him. The director's behaviour was said to have improved since then - but Michael Lynton's brother-in-law, TV producer Jonathan Alter, wrote an email last September, alerting Lynton to reports of misbehaviour on the set of American Hustle. Citing a crew member who had worked on the film, Alter said: "The new stories of his abuse and lunatic behaviour are extreme even by Hollywood standards. "Apparently he behaved on The Fighter, but acted so crazy on Hustle that it's another Clooney situation where a lot of people won't work with him again. He grabbed one guy by the collar, cursed out people repeatedly in front of others and so abused Amy Adams that Christian Bale got in his face and told him to stop acting like an asshole." The allegations have not been proven. Jennifer Lawrence needs a lot of private jets Movie star Jennifer Lawrence's standout turn as a scheming, desperate housewife in American Hustle resulted in a flurry of award nominations last year. The trouble for Sony was that the award ceremonies all clashed with her filming schedule for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay in Georgia, Atlanta. So, on three occasions, the company spent up to $51,000 (£34,000) chartering private jets to and from the set. But that was small change compared to the penalty fee they nearly incurred when Lawrence was delayed by bad weather, after the New York premiere of American Hustle in December 2013. A panicked email exchange suggests Sony would have forfeited $500,000 (£333,000) if she'd failed to make her 6am call time. Oscar voters had concerns over 12 Years a Slave Veteran Hollywood press officer Peggy Siegal emailed Amy Pascal in October 2013 to assess 12 Years A Slave's chances at the Oscars - where it was up against Sony's own American Hustle. "The Academy consists of approximately 6,000 white 60-year-old men who are educated, experienced filmmakers who take their voting power seriously," she wrote. "They are all fiercely patriotic and very aware of our day by day international standing, politically and culturally. "'12 Years' is truly a brilliant film with a compelling story [but] this film is made by a Brit that exposes the darkest 'hidden history' of America, exposing a cruel and brutal segment of our white society. "The Academy's experience of watching this film is not pleasant. Some will not see it... yet, because of the violence. "I think the voters are patiently waiting for an excuse to vote for another film. In their hearts, they are uncomfortable sending a global message from a Brit that we are, or were, terrible people." Rooney Mara wants a Dragon Tattoo sequel Sony's English-language adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was a global hit, but it has been less than forthcoming on whether the next two books in Steig Larsson's series will be filmed. That may be due to the studio's strained relationship with director David Fincher (who, according to one email, "refused to put the girl with the dragon tattoo in the ads for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"). But Rooney Mara, who played the title role, decided to seek clarification from Pascal. "Logic tells me they are not ever happening - as it's been almost three years since it came out," she wrote last October. "But I had still been holding out a little bit of hope. I know there had been talks to do some sort of TV version without me. People still ask me about it ALL the time. And I never know quite what to say. So I guess I just wanted to ask you, so I could know for myself and so that I can let it go for good if that's the case. "It's obviously a character and an experience I hold very close." Pascal's response was simply: "I would love to chat with you." Daniel Craig lost $5m on product placement deal Sony's electronics division were keen to have one of their phones - the forthcoming Sony Xperia Z4 - featured in the new Bond film, SPECTRE. The sticking point was that the film's executive producer, Barbra Broccoli, was demanding a placement fee. So Sony's marketing chief George Lyon came up with a plan. Noting that $5m (£3.3m) had already been earmarked to pay Daniel Craig for pictures of him using the phone, he suggested: "What if we take the Daniel Craig fee and convince Sony just to pay Barbara directly $4m for a placement fee? "No Daniel this time. We walk from him. The remaining $1m (or LESS!) of this budget can be used to hire 'Q' instead?" The documents do not disclose how this tactic played out. Scott Rudin's distaste for Angelina Jolie continues Rudin's attacks on Angelina Jolie were due to the tortuous process of bringing Cleopatra back to the big screen. Tension arose after Jolie's preferred director, David Fincher, became unavailable and Rudin's attempts to suggest alternatives - including Martin Scorsese and Ridley Scott - were not immediately embraced. When Jolie wrote: "I'm studying a few more films to be sure"; Rudin emailed Pascal to say: "Beyond belief. She's studying films. Kill me please. Immediately." Pascal replied: "What films is she studying?" to which Rudin pinged back: "I assume the ones she's been in." Rudin apologised for his comments after the initial leak, saying: "I made a series of remarks that were meant only to be funny, but in the cold light of day, they are in fact thoughtless and insensitive - and not funny at all." Jonah Hill is very safety conscious Following a meeting about comedy cop movie 22 Jump Street, Sony's president of production fired off an email to his senior colleagues. "As soon as I came got back to my office, [producer] Brian Bell called to tell me that Jonah is refusing to drive the Lamborghini! He doesn't feel safe! They're OK, they're suiting up his double." Ryan Gosling is a big fan of video games Ryan Gosling made his name playing shadowy, disturbed characters in films like Drive and The Place Beyond The Pines. So it's something of a surprise to find out that the Canadian actor was desperate to make a film from the video game BioShock - a first-person shooter set in an post-apocalyptic underwater city. "Ryan asked me to as[k] you if you are really doing a Bio Shock movie," his agent emailed Pascal, apparently mystified. "Not sure exactly which one he is referring to, but I told him I would ask."
The UK's vote to leave the European Union heightens risks for the world economy, finance chiefs have said at the end of the G20 summit in China.
The outcome of last month's referendum "adds to the uncertainty" for the global economy, the group of the world's 20 largest economies said. It urged the UK to remain "a close partner of the EU", amid concerns Brexit talks could be acrimonious. Chancellor Philip Hammond said Brexit had come up "a great deal" at the G20. "The reality is there will be a measure of uncertainty continuing right up to the conclusion of our negotiations with the EU," he told reporters. Following the meeting in the Chinese city of Chengdu, the G20 group said it had the tools to cope with the potential economic and financial consequences from the referendum result. Other factors complicating the world economy include geopolitical conflicts, terrorism and refugee flows, according to the G20. The president of Germany's central bank, Jens Weidmann, said there were no signs yet that economic development in Europe had been affected by the UK's referendum on 23 June. The G20 members agreed that despite the Brexit vote the global economy would improve in 2016 and 2017, Mr Weidmann said. 'Dizzying' However, new figures on UK companies in the three months to the end of June have raised concerns about the health of the economy before the Brexit vote. Sixty-six UK listed companies issued profit warnings in the second quarter, which was the most for that period since the financial crisis in 2008, according to accountants EY. Alan Hudson, EY's head of restructuring in the UK and Ireland, said: "It's been a dizzyingly unpredictable time since the UK voted to leave the European Union. "What we saw in the second quarter - and are still seeing now - is the initial impact of this uncertainty." Analysts expect economic data on Wednesday to show the UK economy grew by about 0.5% in the second quarter compared with the previous three months. 'Weaker than desirable' Last week the International Monetary Fund (IMF) downgraded its forecasts for UK economic growth, from 1.9% to 1.7% for 2016, and for the global economy, from 3.2% to 3.1%. On Sunday IMF managing director Christine Lagarde said the G20 had taken place at a time of "political uncertainty from the Brexit vote and continued financial market volatility". In a statement the G20 finance officials said the global economic recovery was continuing "but remains weaker than desirable". Separately, G20 policymakers said they recognised that excess steel supply was a global issue. The excess capacity of steel has had a negative impact on trade and workers and requires a collective response, they said.
A second independence referendum is "not in the best interests of Scotland", according to the leader of the Scottish Conservatives.
Ruth Davidson said she wanted to see "stability prioritised" in the wake of the Brexit vote. "But I do not believe that a second independence referendum will help us achieve that stability," she said. The UK voted to leave the EU by 52% to 48% but in Scotland 62% of the electorate voted to remain. Ms Davidson spoke at the Scottish Conservative headquarters in Edinburgh shortly after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced that a second independence vote in Scotland was "highly likely". "Like the first minister I am disappointed with the result," said Ms Davidson, who was a key backer of the Remain campaign. But she said Scotland needed to remain part of the UK. "The 1.6 million votes cast in this referendum in favour of remain, do not wipe away the two million votes that we cast less than two years ago," she said. "And we do not address the challenges of leaving the European Union by leaving our own union of nations, our biggest market and our closest friends. "I believe in Scotland's place within the United Kingdom today as much as ever. "And I believe that - in or out of the European Union - the strength, security and durability of the United Kingdom will endure." 'Discussion and co-operation' Ms Davidson also called for co-operation between the Scottish and UK governments - and she said she was pleased there had already been discussions between the prime minister and the first minister. "All of us, and both our governments need to work together for the common good, and in the awareness that families and businesses today are fearful for the future, and need reassurance. "That requires a calm, measured response to the challenges we face - and a commitment to put our separate political priorities to one side to enable discussion and co-operation." And she paid tribute to David Cameron who earlier announced his intention to stand down as prime minister. "He has served Britain honourably for these last six years and I know he will discharge his duties these final few months with the same diligence and love of country that has marked his tenure," she said. Respect result Earlier Ms Davidson told the BBC's David Dimbleby: "We as a party have much more to keep us together than divide us and this has been a passionate debate. "But remember just a year ago my colleagues in London were elected on a manifesto to have a referendum on the European Union - we have carried out that, that we would respect the result - whatever it is - and after that we would all as democrats respect the will of the people of this country, come back together and govern to the manifesto on which we were elected." Ms Davidson was a key backer of the Remain campaign and was part of a TV panel of pro-Europeans which went head-to-head with Leave campaigners, featuring Conservative MP Boris Johnson. She denied any "personal invective" towards Mr Johnson, saying that any challenges she made of him were linked to his arguments that the UK should end its membership of the EU.
Deep cuts in the UK science budget will harm the research base, universities and the economy, the heads of six leading universities have warned.
By Pallab GhoshScience correspondent, BBC News Their views are in a letter from the Lords science and technology committee to Science Minister David Willetts. They say the best researchers will move to countries that are investing more in research and development. The government said it was "committed to making the economic case for science and innovation". According to Lord Krebs, who is chair of the House of Lords select committee, says: "In a world where talent is highly mobile, a widening of the funding differential, whether real or perceived, between the UK and our competitors will put at risk the ability of the UK to continue to recruit and retain the very best brains." He added that it would also jeopardise the country's ability "to maintain the highest standards of research, for which the UK is renowned and from which the UK has been able to reap significant commercial benefit". Recruiting challenge? When he gave evidence to the science and technology committee on 13 July, Mr Willetts invited them to provide evidence to support their concerns that the UK is becoming a less attractive place for to science research. The committee wrote to the vice-chancellors of six leading research universities for their experiences of the challenges of recruiting and retaining the best talent in science. According to Lord Krebs, their responses showed that the committee was right to be concerned that worsening differentials in funding between the UK and other countries would be damaging to efforts to attract and retain the best scientists. Professor Andrew Hamilton, vice chancellor of the University of Oxford, said: "We have very real concerns that the brightest and best researchers at all stages of their career could accept offers of study or employment at our international competitor institutions should the national funding environment become more challenging." Referring to the current high ranking of UK universities in international league tables, he commented: "Such reputations were hard won, but could easily be lost through a reduction in funding." Professor Malcolm Grant, president and provost of University College London (UCL), suggested that these were "deeply worrying times for the research-intensive universities... The painstaking work of the past two decades could quite quickly be undone were scholars around the world to become apprehensive about the future commitment of the UK government to science and their willingness to support its leading centres within Britain." Sir Keith O'Nions, rector of Imperial College London, suggested that it was too early to assess the effects of recent and proposed funding cuts. He noted that the numbers of Imperial College academic staff moving overseas had increased from 8% to 24% of their turnover in the last five years. The number of Imperial staff focussing on research who had moved overseas in the last five years had increased from 15.1% to 22.8%. 'Rigorous scrutiny' A spokesperson for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said: "Mobility of researchers between countries is an important feature of modern academic research. The UK has historically benefited from a net inward migration of research staff. The government recognises the importance of ensuring that the UK continues to be a world-leading place to do science. "Research, technology and innovation will play a key role in rebalancing the economy and we want science to emerge from these tough economic times to be strong, sustainable and effective. That's why we are committed to making the economic case for science and innovation. "We cannot speculate on the spending review while the process continues. Public spending on science, just like everything else has to stand up to rigorous economic scrutiny. In these austere times, the public should expect nothing less." The letter follows recent remarks by the Business Secretary Vince Cable that the scientific community could do "more for less" and that "something in the order of 45% of the research grants that were going through were going to research that was not of excellent standard". This quickly became reported as the taxpayer funding "mediocre" research, and according to James Wilsden, director of the UK Royal Society's Science Policy Centre, this "is being spun as a justification for budget cuts." He says that 90% of funding is for research that is rated as "world class". Scientific bodies have been arguing for some months that science should be protected from spending cuts - on the grounds that the UK's research base attracts inward investment - and generates hi-tech jobs and wealth. The precise figure for cuts to the government's research budget is likely to be finalised internally very soon. But many fear in light of Mr Cable's comments that no special case will be made for science - and there may be cuts of up to 25%.
A street has been named after the former England cricket captain Brian Close.
The former England, Yorkshire and Somerset captain died in September 2015 after a long battle with cancer. Mr Close had lived in Baildon, West Yorkshire, and the new housing development is in near his former home. Named Brian Close Walk, the sign was unveiled by his widow Vivienne who said it meant her husband "won't ever be forgotten". More stories across West Yorkshire here Robin Smith, the chairman of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, said: "He was a likeable man, everybody liked him. "When he died it was a sad loss for Yorkshire." Vivienne Close added: "I just wish he was alive to know because he would have loved it. "Because you go past it every day, so he won't ever be forgotten, which is the main thing isn't it." Close became the youngest player ever to represent England at 18 and went on to lead his country. Close played 22 Test matches for England, captaining them seven times. He also captained Yorkshire to four county championship titles and went on to captain Somerset, where he is widely credited with developing the county into a hard-playing team featuring Viv Richards and Ian Botham. At Mr Close's funeral in September 2015 former umpire Dickie Bird said: "Brian was a tremendous captain and a wonderful man. "He was a hard man, believe me, but a good man."
To their grieving families, they are mum, dad, brother or sister. To the students, they are the silent teachers.
By Graeme OgstonBBC Scotland Tayside and Central reporter Scores of men and women donate their bodies to Dundee University in the name of medical science every year. They give, in the words of university chaplain, Dr Fiona Douglas, "the gift of humanity", and provide an invaluable learning opportunity for future doctors and surgeons. The absence of a traditional funeral in the days following their loved-one's death can make the decision to donate difficult for some relatives. The university's annual service to honour the silent teachers may provide consolation. Thanksgiving service It is a sunny Friday morning in May and mourners are gathering at the university chapel. The thanksgiving service is organised by the university's Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification (CAHID). Staff and students mingle with the families. The department's book of remembrance records six names for 1968 - this year there are 84. One of those is Martin Killiner, who died in 2016. His sister Diane Burgess has travelled from North Wales with her husband to attend the service. She said she was aware of her brother's wish to donate his body and supported his decision. She said: "I think his reason was just because he felt it was a good thing to do. "He had a cancer and I think he thought it might be educational for the students to see what it looked like." In the days following her brother's death, Mrs Burgess said she felt that she "hadn't thought through the implications" of his decision. She said: "There we were, he had passed away, his body had been taken away from the hospital, and there was nothing for us to do then. "It's not like organising undertakers and flowers and everything. "It felt that the space was there, quite empty, and I didn't have anything to fill it with." Mrs Burgess said she hoped the Dundee service would provide closure. She said: "I feel that it will have happened once we've gone away and been able to process it a bit. "I had a very difficult time after he died because I'd got this picture in my head of him in his last few minutes, struggling, fighting for breath. "It was horrible and now I have something else to put in place. "I love that phrase, silent teachers. I think it's a very emotive thing and I shall remember that." One of the silent teachers' pupils is second-year medicine student Magd Nojoum, who gave a reading at the thanksgiving service. She said: "When you go in and speak to people, especially terminally ill patients, it's such a big aspect of being a doctor. "I wanted to see the whole process that the silent teachers go through, where they come from and who they're connected to. "I feel a lot of gratitude to the people and their families, it is such a big gift. "It's such a huge thing to give to students. It's very moving as well." The process of donation Forms must be completed and signed by the potential donor, who must be fully informed of the process. A third party cannot complete the form. Following their death, and providing their family does not object and carry out their own funeral arrangements, the donor's body is taken by private ambulance to the university mortuary, where it is embalmed. CAHID uses the Thiel embalming method, which leaves the bodies flexible and the tissues supple, unlike traditional Formalin embalming where the bodies are fixed and rigid. Before any student or surgeon can work with the bodies they must sign a form to demonstrate compliance to "safeguard the respectful treatment of the cadavers and the responsible use of this invaluable resource." The bodies are referred to by numbers throughout their entire time in the university to maintain the donor's anonymity. By law, a body may only be kept for three years before being returned to the family, or cremated by the university. The May funeral service is for the families of the donors whose bodies or remains are being returned that year. CAHID director Prof Dame Sue Black said generations of local families had been known to donate their bodies to the university, for a variety of reasons. Prof Black said some people wanted to pay back the medical profession and others did not feel a spiritual need for burial or cremation. "For some individuals, it's that they're not prepared to pay £5,000 or £6,000 for a funeral that could go to their grandchildren's education, and they'll do it for that reason," she said. "We often find families don't necessarily understand why dad or mum did this and they're perhaps not happy, but by the end of the service they say they did the right thing." Dundee University's bequeathal manager Vivienne McGuire receives about 10 calls every week from people interested in donating their bodies to CAHID. The most common question is if the person can remain an organ donor. She said: "Yes - we always advocate organ donation because it literally will save a life. "Because the conditions for organ donation are quite narrow sometimes, it's not always possible for it to happen. "So, if a person is registered as a body donor then they have the back up of that." Not everyone who completes the bequeathal forms will become a donor. "I have a whole filing cupboard full of declaration forms and some of these people will probably already be dead," she said. "At the time of the death maybe the family haven't agreed with it or couldn't cope with making that decision to give their relative to CAHID. "We would never pressure a family into doing something they were uncomfortable with." The body contained in the coffin present during the thanksgiving service is that of a donor whose friends and family are not in attendance. Mrs McGuire said not every family wants to attend. She said: "Some people see it as a finality - the person's been donated, they don't want to be informed of the service, they don't want the ashes back. "It could be three years down the line that families are having to wait to come to the service. "It's probably more difficult for the families. The donors have been very pragmatic, the decision was something they wanted to do. "But it's their loved ones that are left behind to cope with the actual practicalities, so we try to make it as simple for them as possible and we'll be guided by their wishes every step of the way." Related Internet Links Centre for Anatomy & Human Identification
You can hear the children from the other side of the village square. Their excited voices bounce off the medieval stone walls and archways.
By Lucy AshBBC News The sound comes from the newly restored Palazzo Pinnaro, a handsome building with views over the rooftops and the Ionian Sea. Inside the classroom, boys and girls from Somalia, Albania, Iraq and elsewhere are reciting something from the blackboard. It is a poem about friendship. Some falter over the unfamiliar Italian, some are already fluent. Domenico Lucano stands in the corner watching the class. "Kids are very quick. It only takes them five or six months to become proficient," he says. "They make me proud and they give me hope that this place has a future. In 2000 our school was shut because we had so few pupils. Now it's flourishing." Virtuous circle Yet Mr Lucano, a stocky man with quick brown eyes and a firm handshake, has pulled off an extraordinary trick. He has managed simultaneously to create employment, stop a mass exodus from his village and to find a solution to the controversial issue of asylum seekers. Even more striking is that this experiment has worked in Calabria - one of Italy's poorest regions, which recently witnessed race riots. Dozens of demonstrators and police were injured last January in the nearby town of Rosarno after white youths fired air rifles at a group of Africans working as fruit pickers. But immigrants are actively encouraged to come to Riace, where the mayor has created a special scheme for them. Today more than 200 refugees from a dozen countries work and live side by side with locals. Riace is just a few miles from the coast, perched on top of a hill above fields full of sheep and groves of orange trees. It is a beautiful village of 1,700 people but for decades several houses have lain empty. The occupants left to build new lives elsewhere, in the north of Italy or travelling as far as New Zealand, Argentina and the US. Mayor Lucano has put the new arrivals into some of these abandoned homes and turned others into craft workshops. Down a narrow side street we enter a room with lemon-coloured walls where a young woman called Lubaba is making glass ornaments. Separated from her parents during the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea, she suffered abuse as a maid in Addis Ababa and eventually escaped to Italy. Lubaba arrived pregnant in a small boat carrying 250 people. "The journey was awful," she recalls. "We were squashed like sardines and the sea was rough. I was desperately thirsty but there was nothing to drink." Now she says her life is transformed. Local jobs She is grateful to Mr Lucano, whom she calls Mimmo - the nickname by which he is known to everyone in Riace. Mayor Lucano's scheme has also stopped some local people from leaving. At the other end of the table, Irena, a local woman with long brown hair, is blowing glass over a flame. She says most of her friends and relatives had to go north to get a job. But she found part-time employment in the workshop and in the shop where the handicrafts are sold to tourists. Irena is one of 13 villagers in Riace receiving a salary of 700 euros (£582) a month from the integration programme. The Italian state provides around 20 euros per day for each refugee, to cover their accommodation, food, medical expenses, training and children's education. Mayor Lucano argues that in these cash-strapped times, the government is getting a bargain. He calculates that per person per day his scheme is nearly four times cheaper than keeping asylum seekers in a detention centre. The grandson of a cobbler and son of a local schoolteacher, Domenico Lucano has attracted global attention. Recently he came third in a contest for the world's best mayor. He has given his global village a grand title - la Citta Futura or City of the Future. It all began one morning 12 years ago when Mr Lucano, himself a teacher, saw some refugees from Kurdistan landing on the beach below his village. Initially he helped to organise shelter for them. Six years later, when he was elected mayor, he was in a position to do more for the asylum seekers and to save his dying village. Mafia 'intimidation' "This was a ghost town before the boat arrived," he says over a plate of steaming pasta in his office. "Psychologically speaking, everyone had already packed their bags, ready to leave." But his project has not met with everyone's approval. After lunch, he stops at a door and shows me two bullet holes in the glass. Mr Lucano believes it is evidence of intimidation by the Calabrian mafia, the notorious 'Ndrangheta. Mr Lucano says the mob dislike his integration model because they can see that it works and because it challenges their grip on the region. "We will not be intimidated," he adds. "There is too much at stake." Europeans on the Edge is on BBC Radio 4 every day from Monday 10 January to Friday 14 January, at 1545 GMT. The edition on Mayor Lucano of Riace will be broadcast on Tuesday 15 January. You can also listen to them on the iPlayer.
A town centre property is going under the hammer for what might seem like the bargain price of £100 - but the only problem is you cannot get into it.
The 12sq m river-view first-floor room, wedged between two properties and suspended over an alleyway is for sale in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. However, it is blocked off from both sides and even the auctioneer has not been in, as the Cambs Times reported. It is "one of the weirdest" things the auctioneers have seen, they said. The unusual property is in a terrace of old buildings, believed to have been built as granaries or shops in the 16th Century on Nene Quay in the market town. It has been owned by the council since 1966, but it has no record of it ever having been used. Described as "a flying freehold which extends over part of a vehicular access passageway and comprising a single, currently inaccessible, room, measuring approximately 12sq m", it will be auctioned on 20 February with a guide price of £100. However, one of the adjoining properties is being sold privately, so if the new owner was to purchase the auction lot as well, they would be able to break through the bricked-up wall. Not much is known about what might be on the other side though, as the auction house admits it has not been able to measure the property - as it has not been able to get inside. You would need a ladder even to look through the window, as the property has been bricked up and blocked off from the adjoining buildings on either side at first-floor level, so there is no way in. Fenland District Council has put it up for sale, alongside other "surplus properties", with Norwich-based auctioneers William H Brown. Auctions partner Victoria Reek said: "It's probably just full of cobwebs," adding: "It's certainly one of the weirdest ones we've had at auction." Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]
The first of a new batch of electric trains will start running between Glasgow and Edinburgh next week, ScotRail has announced.
The new class 385 trains were expected to enter service in March, but drivers raised concerns about the windscreen design. ScotRail is now satisfied the trains are safe and the first trains will run from Tuesday. Hitachi is building a total of 70 class 385 trains for ScotRail. The remainder of the new trains for that route (Queen Street to Waverley via Falkirk High) will be phased in over the coming months, before the rollout is extended to other central belt routes. ScotRail said the trains are part of its £475m investment in rolling stock, following the £858m electrification of the line between the two cities by Network Rail Scotland. Karen Boswell, managing director of Hitachi Rail Europe, said: "When passengers step on board this first train they'll find it light, spacious and modern with loads more seats - up to 130 extra compared to the existing diesel trains. "And there is more to come. Our UK factory is working tirelessly to deliver the rest of the fleet, which will allow the current 51-minute journey time from Edinburgh and Glasgow to be cut by up to a fifth. "Thanks to their high-quality Japanese engineering, these trains have the best 0-60mph acceleration of any in Scotland." ScotRail Alliance managing director Alex Hynes said: "This is a significant moment as we work to build the best railway Scotland has ever had." The train drivers' union Aslef raised concerns in February that the curved windscreens of the trains could lead to confusing signal reflections. The union warned that its drivers would refuse to operate the trains unless modifications were made. A new flatter design of windscreen has now been fitted.
Democratic Unionist Party leader Arlene Foster has said there will be no free-standing Irish Language act.
By Mark DevenportBBC News NI Political Editor She told BBC News NI she wanted to "clarify matters," because some speculation had been "off the mark". However, Sinn Féin said an Irish Language act is "essential" to any deal that restores the power-sharing executive at Stormont. It was widely anticipated that the DUP and Sinn Féin were close to ending their 13-month stalemate. But, despite a visit from Prime Minister Theresa May and Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Leo Varadkar on Monday, a deal has not yet been unveiled. Northern Ireland has been run by civil servants since the power-sharing executive made up of the DUP and Sinn Féin collapsed in January last year. The then deputy first minister, Martin McGuinness, pulled Sinn Féin out of the coalition after a series of disagreements with the final straw being the DUP's handling of a scandal over green energy scheme. A major stumbling block to progress has been Sinn Féin's demand for an Irish language act. Weakens the union? On Tuesday, the DUP leader said there would be no compulsory Irish language in schools, no one would be forced to learn Irish, there would be no quotas for Irish speakers in the civil service and there would be no bilingual road signs. Mrs Foster would not be drawn on reports that the package under discussion includes three separate bills or acts dealing with Irish, Ulster Scots and other cultural matters. She said the parties were trying to find an accommodation in which one language is not valued over another in a way which amounts to cultural or language supremacy. Mrs Foster was asked on several occasions whether the package she is discussing includes an Irish language act or bill, but did not directly answer the question. Standard letter The DUP leader said her test for any proposal is whether it impinges on the rights of those who are British or in any way weakens the union. Her message was reinforced by a standard letter issued to DUP elected representatives to use if they receive any criticism. The letter, a copy of which has been obtained by the BBC, says the party's manifesto makes it "absolutely clear" that the DUP "won't sign up to any deal that diminishes Northern Ireland as a part of the United Kingdom". It elaborates on some of the aspects touched on by Mrs Foster, saying that "if that's the price of a deal, then there will be no deal". Sinn Féin's Conor Murphy said the DUP needed to "make up their mind" about whether they are "up for a deal or not". "They [the DUP] know that the agreement requires an Acht Gaeilge." "There is a responsibility on all involved not to react to some of the noise from people who simply don't want an agreement," he added.
Fisheries Secretary Richard Lochhead has said additional enforcement powers will be considered to tackle illegal cockling on the Solway.
A summit has taken place in Dumfries to consider how the problem should be addressed. The meeting was called after claims that cockle beds were being cleaned out. The minister accepted that there were "serious concerns" over the activities of illegal gangs. Cockle fishing was banned in the Solway Firth in September 2011 to protect stocks. Mr Lochhead asked Marine Scotland to invite public bodies and representatives of local interests to the meeting. After the meeting, the minister said: "A number of options are now being considered to ensure that the existing ban can be upheld and local disturbances removed. "A strategy will be prepared to allow all public bodies with an interest in the issue to work more closely together, including sharing intelligence. "Proposals are being considered on additional enforcement powers, as well as changes to how existing offences are specified that could make them easier to enforce." Related Internet Links Scottish government
A hospital which forms part of an NHS trust that serves 2.5 million people has been rated "inadequate".
Surgery, diagnostics and outpatient care all received the lowest rating in a review of east London's Whipps Cross University Hospital. The hospital, run by Barts Health NHS Trust, was placed in special measures last year over care quality concerns. Trust chief executive Alwen Williams said: "We must tackle all areas where we are still letting patients down." A Care Quality Commission (CQC) review, which formed the basis of the decision by England's chief inspector of hospitals, raised a number of serious concerns including: Professor Sir Mike Richards, chief inspector of hospitals, said Whipps Cross "must now focus on these areas as a priority". "The hospital is moving in the right direction," he added. No stone unturned Two new operating theatres and a paediatric clinical decisions unit have recently opened at the hospital. NHS Improvement has been working to improve management at the trust, which serves Tower Hamlets, since it was placed in special measures. "Barts Health will leave no stone unturned to further improve care," Ms Williams said.
Scottish band Del Amitri have joined the line-up for this year's Wickerman Festival in Dumfries and Galloway.
The group, known for hits like Always The Last To Know and Kiss This Thing Goodbye, will headline on 26 July. Organisers said it would mark the band's first festival appearance in 12 years. They have already revealed that rapper Dizzee Rascal will perform on Friday 25 July along with The Feeling, The Zombies and Big Country. Motown act Martha Reeves And The Vandellas will also appear as part of their tour to mark the 50th anniversary of their biggest hit, Dancing In The Street. The festival takes place at East Kirkcarswell Farm in Dumfries and Galloway and culminates with the burning of a giant wicker figure. 'Over the moon' Now entering its 13th consecutive year, there will be 10 stages with a mixture of leading artists, alternative acts and up-and-coming talent. Del Amitri guitarist Iain Harvie said: "It's been a long time, but what a prospect it is to play to a Scottish festival crowd again. "We're really looking forward to joining all the Wicker fans this summer." Festival co-ordinator Helen Chalmers said: "We are over the moon that Del Amitri have chosen Wickerman to make their Scottish festival comeback, after such a distinguished and memorable career it'll be amazing to see the original members performing live again."
Job licences will only be given to people from outside Jersey where they will deliver "sizeable economic value" says the chief minister.
Senator Ian Gorst said priority for available jobs and support will be given to islanders. Jersey's Council of Ministers has identified its priorities for the coming three years. They include tackling unemployment, managing the population and reforming the health service. Ideas to achieve those aims have now been set out in the States of Jersey strategic plan. Senator Gorst said after listening to islanders he was committed to making sure jobs in the island go to locally-qualified people. He said: "Other permissions for new migrants will not be granted and we will instead support employers in recruiting and developing the increasing number of locally qualified job seekers through the Back to Work programme." He said new migrants would only be given work if there was an obvious benefit to the island. The strategic plan is due to be debated in the States in May.
Companies profiting from falling oil prices should pass on the benefits by increasing workers' wages, Prime Minister David Cameron has suggested.
He also urged employers to pay the "living wage", which is higher than the national minimum wage of £6.50 an hour. Figures show record earnings in the manufacturing and service sectors as firms benefit from cheaper oil. Labour has campaigned on the cost of living and said there was a difference between the PM's rhetoric and reality. The price of a barrel of oil has fallen to less than $50 in recent months - less than half its value last summer - amid falling demand and increased US shale field production. Speaking to reporters at the White House during a two-day visit to the US, Mr Cameron was asked whether he would encourage firms to pass on some of the windfall profits from falling oil prices in higher pay. He said: "Obviously I want to see companies' success passed through in terms of wage increases. "It has to be done in a way that's affordable, and in a way that companies can continue to grow, we need to see productivity increase." Mr Cameron said companies "that can afford to pay the living wage should". He said: "It's good and helps to reduce the welfare bill." He added: "Falling oil prices is going to benefit a lot of businesses and a lot of countries and we want to see those benefits passed through in all the ways they can be." 'Worse off' More than 1,000 UK employers currently pay the living wage, an informal benchmark based on the amount an individual is calculated to need to cover the basic costs of living. Promoted by the Living Wage Foundation, it is currently £9.15 an hour in London and £7.85 an hour outside the capital. Mr Cameron had previously indicated that he supports the idea of the living wage. He told reporters in Washington that sticking to the government's economic plan was the only sustainable way to create jobs and raise living standards. The Labour leader, Ed Miliband, who has long talked about the "cost of living crisis", has said he favoured including the living wage in his party's manifesto for the general election. In response to Mr Cameron's comments in the US, a Labour Party spokesman told the BBC the coalition was the first government since the 1920s to leave people worse off at the end a parliament than at the beginning. The party has argued that most people are yet to benefit from the recovery in the UK economy as there has been below-inflation wage rises and a squeeze on living standards under the coalition.
Introducing minimum pricing for alcohol would be up to 50 times more effective than current government policy, according to health researchers.
Hundreds of deaths could be avoided every year with a minimum price for alcohol units, researchers estimated. The Department of Health said it was "taking action to tackle cheap and harmful alcohol". It added that it was working with industry to promote responsible drinking. 'Save lives' A minimum price of 45p to 50p per unit of alcohol would save hundreds more lives than current government policy, University of Sheffield researchers said. The current ban on below-cost selling, which came into force in May, stops retailers from selling alcohol below the cost of duty and VAT. The ban will save an estimated 14 lives and 500 admissions to hospital per year, the researchers said. However, a minimum unit price of 45p could save 624 lives and 23,700 hospital admissions each year, they said in a BMJ publication. Most of the harm reduction would happen for the 5.3% of people who are harmful drinkers, the researchers said. While the ban on below cost selling will reduce harmful drinkers' mean annual consumption by just 0.08%, or around three units per year, a 45p minimum unit price would reduce consumption by 3.7%, or 137 units per year. In addition, the researchers estimated that the ban only increased the price of 0.7% of alcohol units sold in England, whereas minimum unit pricing would increase the price of 23.2% of units sold. 'Cheap and harmful alcohol' The Department of Health said it was "already making headway by removing a billion units from the market over three years." "Alcohol-fuelled harm costs society £21bn a year and we are determined to reduce this burden to taxpayers," a department spokesperson said. "We are taking action to tackle cheap and harmful alcohol such as banning the lowest priced drinks. We are working with industry to promote responsible drinking," the spokesperson added. The government considered bringing in a minimum alcohol unit price in 2012, but rejected the policy in July 2013, saying there was not enough "concrete evidence" that it would reduce harm. Instead a ban on below cost selling was brought in to try to end the practice of supermarkets using drink as a loss-leader - selling drinks at below the cost they pay themselves. Nonetheless, the government is still considering minimum pricing as a policy. A Scottish government plan to introduce a scheme to set a minimum price per unit of alcohol is currently on hold because of legal challenges from the drinks industry.
Robin Swann has given the strongest hint yet that local lockdown measures or other restrictions could soon be reimposed to curb the spread of Covid-19 in NI.
By Jayne McCormackBBC News NI Political Reporter The health minister was speaking at the first Stormont press conference to take place in more than six weeks. On Tuesday, one more death was recorded bringing the death toll to 559. Mr Swann warned that NI was in danger of "sliding down a very slippery and treacherous slope". Forty-one new cases of coronavirus have also been recorded by the Department of Health, bringing its total to 6,471. NI's Chief Scientific Adviser Prof Ian Young said officials were seeing an indication of an increase in hospital admissions, but that they remained at a "low level". "If cases continue to rise it's inevitable hospital admissions and deaths will rise in the future," he told the press conference. 'Covid-19 won't just go away' Almost 300 new cases have been confirmed in Northern Ireland over the past seven days. Mr Swann warned that people needed to realise the virus was still present in Northern Ireland. "It is not inevitable, we can still arrest that slide but this requires decisive action from all of us," he added. "Covid-19 won't go away just because we are fed up with it." The minister said he wanted to "address doubters and critics" who had accused him of exaggerating the threat posed by the virus. "They'll say infections are mainly impacting young people - this argument overlooks the fact there can be a time lag between infection and people becoming ill," added Mr Swann. He said there were always fine judgements to be made, but warned that the executive would soon need to consider the next steps in a bid to stop the virus from spreading more widely within the community. "The time is coming for the executive to consider fresh and concrete actions to prevent further spread of the virus," said the minister. "This could include imposing localised restrictions or general measures or a combination of both. "Given where we are now, Thursday's executive meeting will have important decisions and options to consider." The executive has to regularly consider the coronavirus lockdown restrictions, the latest of these being due to take place in two days' time. Prof Ian Young, the chief scientific advisor, said the figures showed that NI has a higher rate per 100,000 of the population than the rest of the UK at present. He said Northern Ireland's rate currently showed 24 cases per 100,000 over the past 14 days, evidence that pointed to the virus spreading again. Prof Young added that the number of new cases had increased 10-fold since the start of July and warned that "increased testing is not sufficient to explain the increasing number of cases". Northern Ireland's Chief Medical Officer, Dr Michael McBride said he did not want anyone to be in a position to reflect in the future and think they should have done more or "listened more carefully to the advice". He said the executive could need to look at restrictions on the number of people gathering outdoors. "If indeed we see particular clusters related to particular establishments such as pubs or restaurants those also may be things we need to look at," he added. During Tuesday's press conference, Mr Swann also said the Department of Health's contract tracing app for Covid-19 had been downloaded almost 276,000 times so far. Flu vaccine scheme expanded The department is also expanding its flu vaccination programme ahead of the winter season, due to the ongoing pandemic. The programme officially begins on 1 October, however the department said it was likely that deliveries of the vaccine will arrive from the end of this month, enabling the programme to commence in September once GPs have received their initial orders. The current groups eligible for a free flu vaccination are people aged 65 and over, pregnant women, those aged under 65 years of age in clinical "at risk" groups, all children aged 2 to 4, primary school pupils and frontline health and social care workers. The department said additional supplies had been secured so that other groups of people could receive a free vaccination this year, which include: The programme could be extended by the end of the year to include those in the 50 to 64 age group, depending on eligibility of the vaccine, and will be phased to prioritise people deemed to be at risk.
Google's new privacy policy was implemented today (1 March). Private data collected by one Google service will now be shared with its other platforms such as YouTube, Gmail and Blogger.
The EU's justice commissioner Viviane Reding told the BBC the company's new policy breaches European law. She said it goes against the idea that people have the ultimate right to decide how a company uses information it has gathered on them. Google said it's policy is easier to understand. Newsbeat listeners have been sharing their thoughts on the changes. Texts to Newsbeat John in Aberdeen said: "I'm not happy, trying to cut down on unsolicited advertising mail. I'll be changing search engines to Bing or similar." But Dave in Dover argues that it's a small price to pay for the service Google provides. He said: "I think Google should be allowed to share some info as we get this great service for free and in a way its our way of giving them something for it." Lee in Surrey agrees, he told Newsbeat: "Google gives us free email services, free YouTube, and free access to information more or less instantly. "People need to work to provide this service so I for one don't begrudge them using my details to fund a service I use daily." James from Bristol added: "If Google had this policy from the start no-one would be making any sort of fuss, plus Facebook holds a lot more information than Google anyway!"
The family of a student who drowned in a river have backed a water safety campaign.
Tom Jones, 18, disappeared in his first week at the University of Worcester, nine days before his body was recovered from the River Severn in September. His parents have joined the Home and Dry safety drive, which highlights the dangers posed by rivers and lakes. Ian Jones urged people to "stay well away" unless they were with a well-supervised organised group. An inquest heard his son Tom apparently slipped and fell into the river in the early hours after a night out. His mother, Vicki, from Bromsgrove, said: "Another university term dawns and we'll be upon freshers' week again. "We can't change what's happened to us. But I think because we're actually going through this... we can give such a strong message to try and make sure that this doesn't happen to another family." Mr Jones said: "You'll never fence a whole river off. But.... just a few more safety aspects, as in throw lines and more life aids would just be fantastic." Organisations involved in Home and Dry include West Mercia Search & Rescue and the Samaritans. The campaign includes an online course and water safety information. In the past year 430 people drowned across England, West Mercia Police said. Mr Jones said: "We've just got to try and get the education through the schools, through all sorts of different societies. "Water looks fantastic (but) don't go anywhere near it, unless you're with an organised group and it's well supervised." Kirsty Walsh, whose husband, father-of-two Shane, 29, drowned in the Severn in 2017, is also backing the campaign. Mrs Walsh, from Shrewsbury, said: "Myself, my children, our family are living with the consequences of Shane's death and that's a daily battle and a daily struggle." Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, and sign up for local news updates direct to your phone.
Tesco has withdrawn from sale on its website a colouring book that depicts gory scenes from horror films.
Colour Me Good Arrggghhhh!! features images from Psycho and Hellraiser, among other films, and was marketed online at children aged five to eight. Tesco said the book had been placed in the wrong category when listed on its website by a third-party seller. Publisher I Love Mel said the book, which had been offered for sale by one of its stockists, was aimed at adults. The 16-page colouring book features on its cover an image of actress Janet Leigh screaming as she is stabbed to death in Psycho's infamous shower scene. There are pictures inside from The Silence of the Lambs, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Jaws, A Clockwork Orange, The Shining and Fatal Attraction. Other colouring books by East Sussex-based author Mel Elliott feature the supermodels Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne and album covers. 'Playful grown-ups' Ms Elliott said: "My products are pop culture-inspired and aimed at playful grown-ups. They are not aimed at kids. "They are usually sold to grown-ups in fashion shops and book stores." The Royal College of Art graduate said she had been unaware that the stockist of the book had placed it on sale through Tesco's website. The site allows third-party sales via its Sellers at Tesco online marketplace. A spokesman for Tesco said: "We have very clear guidelines for third-party sellers who list items on our website, and are sorry that on this occasion they weren't followed. "We have spoken to the seller to remind them of the importance of selecting the right category when listing products with us. "Of course, when issues do arise we act quickly to ensure that the item is updated with the correct information." The third-party seller was online retailer Prezzybox. The company, based in Austrey, Warwickshire, said it normally listed the book as something that "may not be suitable for people under the age of 16". Prezzybox managing director Zak Edwards said the product had been on Tesco's website for about two to three months before the "administrative error" was apparently spotted by a man from Derby searching for a birthday present for his seven-year-old grandson. "It was an honest mistake on our part," said Mr Edwards. "It was categorised as a colouring book and then, unfortunately, as being suitable for children."
India's new anti-corruption party has said it will fight the forthcoming general elections just days after its leader quit as Delhi chief minister.
The Aam Aadmi (Common Man) Party leader, Arvind Kejriwal, resigned on Friday after an anti-corruption bill was blocked in the state assembly. On Sunday, the AAP named 20 candidates who would challenge senior politicians from the two main parties. The party made a spectacular debut in recent Delhi elections. "This is our first list of 20 clean candidates and we will be putting out more lists to contest from different parts of the country in the days ahead," news agency AFP quoted senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia as saying. The candidates include activists and professionals who have left their jobs in recent months to join the new party. Mr Kejriwal, who spent 49 days in power, had been threatening to resign if the anti-corruption bill was blocked. On Friday night, he said his "cabinet has decided that we are quitting". Addressing hundreds of supporters outside his party headquarters, Mr Kejriwal said his attempt to fight corruption by bringing in new legislation had been blocked by India's two leading parties, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Opposition politicians blocked the bill, which would have created an independent body with the power to investigate politicians and civil servants suspected of corruption. They argued it was unconstitutional to introduce legislation that did not have the approval of the federal government. But correspondents say his refusal to seek prior approval for the bill is part of a power struggle unfolding between his local administration and the federal government.
A mother was run over as she "battled" to stop car-jackers driving off with her four-week-old baby.
Clare O'Neill, 39, said the two men who stole her Audi "clearly knew" daughter Eliza was in the back seat when they fled the scene in Birmingham. The pair had, Ms O'Neill said, put their "personal greed" before the life of her baby girl. Mum and daughter were reunited after Eliza was found in her car seat, dumped at a health centre three miles away. Ms O'Neill suffered facial injuries, a broken tooth and "severe pain" to her arm when the wheel of her car ran over her. Her wounds had left her struggling to hold Eliza, she said. Ms O'Neill arrived home in Marie Drive, Acocks Green, at about 16:00 BST, where two men confronted her and demanded the keys to her car. As she tried to get her daughter out of the vehicle, the men drove off, leaving her injured. Ms O'Neill, who has been discharged from hospital, said she was "extremely shaken" by what happened and the family was still "trying to come to terms with what happened". She appealed for anyone with information to come forward, and said: "The life of my daughter was endangered by the reckless behaviour of those involved". "Eliza is thankfully safe and well, but the people responsible clearly knew she was in my car when it was taken, putting the life of our four-week-old baby at risk as a result of their personal greed". Officers are continuing to search for the stolen grey Audi A3 S-line, registration BJ66 YLV. West Midlands Police said one line of inquiry involves looking into a similar car-jacking on Jameson Road, in Nechells at 13:30 BST on 16 July, but said they are "not definitely linked". A man was sitting in his car with his young daughter in the back and as he drove away he was rammed by a blue Ford car. Footage shows a woman getting out of the targeted car with the child before three men steal the driver's car and a chain from around his neck. David Jamieson, West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, described the incident as "truly dreadful". He said while car-jacking is relatively rare, the number of car thefts in the West Midlands has doubled in the last two years. You may also be interested in:
In his time Liu Xiaobo has been a political activist, author, university professor and an annoyance to the Chinese Communist Party.
By Michael BristowBBC News, Beijing He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for standing up to the Chinese government and demanding political change - despite the government's fierce opposition. Outside the country of his birth, he is known as one of China's leading dissidents, winning awards and the attention of the world's media. But few people inside China have heard his name. He has repeatedly faced imprisonment and surveillance from the Chinese government. He is currently serving an 11-year prison sentence for "subverting state power". That charge came after he helped write a manifesto, called Charter 08, calling for political reforms. Subverting state power? The 54-year-old first came to public prominence in 1989, during the bloody suppression of protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. He returned home from the United States to take part in the demonstrations. As soldiers moved to clear the square, Liu Xiaobo helped persuade some students to leave instead of facing down the army. But that did not save him from the authorities. He was sent to prison for nearly two years. "The massacre in 1989 made a very deep impression on me," he said in an interview he gave to the BBC just a few months before he was arrested in 2008. The activist once worked as a professor at Beijing Normal University, although he was eventually banned from teaching. In 1996 he was again put away for speaking out about China's one-party political system, but this time he was sent to a re-education-through-labour camp for three years. It was while there that he got married to Liu Xia. Since then he has continued to discuss a range of taboo subjects, including criticising China's treatment of Tibetans. This has gained him respect, although some who know him say Liu Xiaobo was always a man who sought controversy. His work brought him to the attention of those outside China who are trying to improve human rights in the communist party-ruled country, and he has received several prizes over the years. At his trial in December last year the United States government felt compelled to speak out. "We call on the Government of China to release [Liu Xiaobo] immediately and to respect the rights of all Chinese citizens to peacefully express their political views," read a statement from the US state department. The document that got him into trouble, Charter 08, was released in December two years ago. It calls for a new constitution in China, an independent judiciary and freedom of expression. It was backed by about 300 academics, artists, lawyers and activists, who want a fuller debate about China's future political development. Two days before it was due to be published the police made a late-night raid on Mr Liu's home and took him away. His wife said she could not initially find out what had happened to him because the authorities would not admit to taking him. Monthly visits It was not until nearly one month later that they finally confirmed they had arrested him. He had a one-day trial in December last year and was sentenced to 11 years a few days later - on Christmas Day. Some suspected the Chinese authorities had chosen that day because most people in the West would be on holiday, and not notice. Before he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, Liu Xia used to visit her husband once a month at the prison where he is serving his sentence, in the city of Jinzhou, Liaoning Province. They had hour-long meetings watched over by guards and security cameras. She previously told the BBC: "Mentally and physically he's fine. He runs for an hour each day, he reads and he writes me letters." As a wife, Liu Xia's greatest wish is for her husband to be released so he can come home to her. But she believes his contribution to human rights will one day by recognised by a wider audience. "Now his name is unknown [in China]. But one day, even if he's not regarded as a hero, he'll be thought of as a very good citizen."
After firing James Comey as director of the FBI, US President Donald Trump asked the agency's deputy director whom he had voted for, US media report.
Andrew McCabe, who had just become the agency's acting chief after the surprise dismissal last year, said that he did not vote in the 2016 election. FBI special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating whether Mr Comey's firing was an attempt to obstruct justice. Mr Mueller leads the probe into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election. During Mr McCabe's introductory meeting with the president after he took over the federal law enforcement agency, Mr Trump also allegedly expressed anger with Mr McCabe over his wife's ties to the Clinton family. Mr McCabe reportedly found the conversation "disturbing", according to the Washington Post. Jill McCabe, a failed Democratic candidate for the Virginia state senate, had received hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from a political action committee controlled by Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, a longtime Clinton ally. Last July, Mr Trump told the New York Times: "We have a director of the FBI, acting, who received $700,000, whose wife received $700,000 from, essentially, Hillary Clinton." He also erroneously claimed in a subsequent tweet that Mr McCabe had led the investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email during her time as US secretary of state. Mr McCabe had recused himself from any investigations involving Virginia political figures, but Republicans have questioned why he was allowed to be involved in the investigations into Mrs Clinton's emails, claiming he has a conflict of interest. The FBI has said that Mrs McCabe's campaign had ended months before Mr McCabe became involved in that investigation, which he later recused himself from as the date of the presidential election neared. All about loyalty Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, Washington For Donald Trump, it all comes down to loyalty. He asked James Comey if he was on his side - and the then-FBI director demurred. After sacking Mr Comey, the president's attention turned to his deputy's allegiances. While the head of the Republican National Committee may say this was just casual "conversation", Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe didn't think so at the time. A president inquiring about the voting habits of members of law enforcement, who should be insulated from political concerns, crosses a fairly bright line in US politics. Mr Trump has shown little regard for time-honoured political norms and traditions, of course. It was part of his appeal for many voters. The president may not have even known such questions are considered out of bounds. These kinds of inquiries risk giving the appearance of political influence in the administration of justice, however. And if a law enforcement agency is actively investigating possible malfeasance involving the president or his associates, they could be evidence of criminal obstruction. With special counsel Robert Mueller already reportedly sniffing around the matter, that should be cause for White House concern. The fresh revelations come a day after US media reported that Christopher Wray, who formally replaced Mr Comey as FBI Director last August, had threatened to quit after coming under pressure from his superiors to fire Mr McCabe. Mr Trump on Tuesday denied that Mr Wray had threatened to resign over Mr McCabe. Mr Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling has continued to dog Mr Trump, as his presidency enters a second year. Exactly one year ago on Wednesday, Mr Trump's newly sworn-in national security adviser, Michael Flynn, was allegedly interviewed by FBI agents at the White House, NBC News reported. That meeting, which Mr Flynn failed to notify his lawyers or other administration officials about, was held to discuss Mr Flynn's meetings with a Russian ambassador. Only 24 days after taking the job, Mr Flynn was fired for lying about the Russia meeting to Vice-President Mike Pence, the White House said. During Mr Comey's dinner meeting with Mr Trump before he was fired in May, he claims that the president had asked him to drop the investigation, which included Mr Flynn's communications with Russian officials. "I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go," Mr Trump told Mr Comey, according to the former FBI chief's testimony. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, CIA Director Mike Pompeo, Director of the National Security Agency Mike Rogers, former Acting-Attorney General Sally Yates, and James Comey have all reportedly been interviewed by Mr Mueller's team, according to NBC.
Brides and grooms are being offered for sale to people wanting to cheat their way to a visa and avoid deportation, a BBC Wales investigation has revealed.
An undercover reporter from Week In Week Out posed as a would-be bride from India who wants to stay in Wales but with her work visa due to run out. She was offered a Czech husband by sham wedding fixers in Cardiff for £3,500. She was also advised how to convince the UK Border Agency she had been with her new partner for more than a year. The undercover team filmed a group of sham wedding fixers as they organised a photo shoot around Cardiff aimed at conning officials into thinking the reporter and her "partner" had been a couple since 2011, when in fact they had only met for a few hours. The reporter was given lessons in how to lie about where they met and told to write down and learn a list of information about her fake fiancé in case she was questioned at the register office or after the wedding by the UKBA. Every month, UKBA investigators are called in by suspicious registrars around Wales to disrupt what are thought to be suspicious ceremonies. Latest figures show there were over 1,700 such calls across the Britain in 2011, twice the total for the previous year. Recent changes to immigration rules have made it harder for non-EU and British citizens to marry. But critics say it has created a loophole which makes it is easier and quicker for foreign nationals who want to stay in the UK, to marry EU nationals who have the right to remain here. 'Under the radar' Mark Rimmer, chair of the Local Registration Services Association said: "Certainly, when we meet colleagues from the other parts of the UK, it certainly seems to be that they're also witnessing huge increases in the number of peoples getting married involving foreign nationals with European Union nationals. And he thinks the problem of sham marriages is spreading. "I think it's fair to say of those reported to the Border Agency, I think they are the tip of the iceberg. "I get incredibly frustrated, incandescent I think it is very difficult to come into a marriage room where you are actually marrying a couple and you know they are actually laughing behind their hands at you, the system, the immigration rules. "Because if they got away with it, they think can walk out of here they are putting their two fingers up at the system." At present there is no single "sham marriage" offence. To prosecute someone, officials have to be able to prove a number of crimes have been committed such as conspiracy, deception and fraud. In 2012 there were 300 UKBA enforcement operations and arrests and 230 prosecutions. Immigration Minister Mark Harper says the UK government is considering reviewing the situation. He said: "We need to step up our approach to it, make sure we're more effective, when registrars report it to us we need to deal with it. "We're looking at our intelligence capabilities, we're looking to work more closely with registrars, and we're also looking at if there are there any further legal steps we can take to make our existing tools more effective. The programme also follows UKBA officers as they halt a wedding in Cardiff's City Hall after a tip off about Nigerian groom who was about to marry a Polish woman. The man, a failed asylum seeker, is now in custody awaiting deportation. Richard Johnson, UKBA immigration inspector, who led the raids, said: "It's a priority for us as at the moment as it's an avenue that criminals and offenders are exploring to try and exploit the immigration system so it's somewhere we're clamping down on to make sure that they don't." Week In Week Out BBC One Wales 22:35 GMT on Tuesday 26 February.
A proposed merger of two local authorities on the Isle of Man is a "positive move", a minister has said.
People in Arbory and Rushen have been sent letters outlining plans to combine services in the parishes. Minister for the Department of Infrastructure (DOI) Ray Harmer said it was "really good" the idea had "come from the local authorities themselves". Lawrie Hooper MHK said there had been "zero action, direction or drive" from the DOI over local authority reform. Posting on Twitter, Mr Hooper suggested the minister was opportunistically taking credit for somebody else's idea. He said: "After three years of zero action, direction or drive from the DOI on local authority reform I'm not surprised the Minister is jumping on this pro-active move by local authorities as some sort of vindication of his lethargy." But Mr Harmer said the department had not forced island-wide reform on local authorities because they worked at "different speeds" and were at "different stages of development". "Things that are dictated by the department or central government don't work, ultimately." The letter sent to people in the southern parishes explained the implications of a full or partial merger, which it said could lead to "improved efficiency". The last merger of local authorities on the island saw the creation of Garff local authority in 2016. That move saw the parishes of Lonan and Maughold combine with the village of Laxey.
Around Europe, companies of all shapes and sizes are assessing the impact of the sanctions imposed by the EU this week following America's lead.
By Simon JackBusiness correspondent, BBC News Obvious candidates such as the targeted oil and banking sectors came under immediate pressure. Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell mothballed a $10bn shale gas venture in eastern Ukraine. Meanwhile, rival BP, which has a 20% stake in Russian energy giant Rosneft, warned that its business could suffer. Shares tumble Shares around the world had one of their worst weeks of the year as the potential impact of sanctions added to heightened geopolitical tensions. The German Dax blue-chip stock market was down more than 5%. Deutsche Bank and Societe General, which have significant Russian businesses, both suffered sharp falls in their share price this week. But the strain also began to show in areas not specifically targeted. Sportswear manufacturer Adidas saw its shares tumble as it said it would scale back its presence in Russia, while Volkswagen reported an 8% decline in Russian sales. Pain 'felt acutely' And it was not just companies that were warning of trouble. Countries close to Russia are revising the outlook for their economies. The Polish prime minister said sanctions would knock 0.6% off Poland's GDP by year-end. At the same time, German Ifo business confidence - a closely watched economic barometer - showed a big fall. But the pain is being felt most acutely so far by Russia. Vladimir Putin introduced a new sales tax this week to help compensate for the likely reduction of the contributions that state-owned banks and arms sales make to state revenues as a result of the sanctions. It will heap more pressure on consumers, already struggling with inflation at 8% and a recent rise in interest rates. Higher taxes are unlikely to help an economy teetering on the brink of recession. Sanctions working? Opinion on the efficacy of sanctions is divided. US commentators point to the success of sanctions on Iran, but those were much more far-reaching, including a total oil and gas embargo - almost unthinkable in the case of Russia, which supplies 40% of Germany's gas. Russia's envoy to the European Union was quoted in the state run Itar-Tass news agency as saying they did nothing to de-escalate the situation in Ukraine. European leaders were under pressure to follow the lead shown by the US and that was intensified by the downing of MH17. It was inevitable that EU interests would suffer more than those of the US, thanks to closer trade links. The beneficiary of this stand off may be Asia. Megafon, Russia's second largest mobile phone operator, said this week it had converted 40% of its cash holdings to Hong Kong dollars held at Chinese banks. After decades of ever-closer integration with the West, Russia may increasingly look east for friends.
About 600 work days were lost in a single year in the ambulance service because of staff absences due to assaults, the BBC has learnt.
By Colm KelpieBBC News NI There have been 2,278 reported incidents of abuse on staff since 2012/2013. Verbal abuse or "disruption" accounted for most incidents, at 1,231, followed by physical abuse, assault or violence in 890 cases. The ambulance service said there were 483 abuse incidents in 2017/2018. The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) said that while the injuries suffered in a physical attack may heal, the psychological impact on workers could last much longer, making "our staff fearful for their safety". "Patients need our staff to be focussed 100% on their condition and as such members of the public and their representatives have a role in ensuring that our staff feel as safe as possible," said the NIAS. It urged the public to back its call for the attacks to stop, and said those responsible should face "the full rigour of the law". 'Hostile crowd' Attack, or the threat of attack, is also an issue for the fire service, although to a lesser degree. Separate figures obtained by BBC News NI after a Freedom of Information request show the potential threat of attack has meant fire crews have had to withdraw from a scene - or not attend at all - hundreds of times in recent years. The ambulance service statistics show that between 1 April 2017 and 31 March 2018, there were 599 work days lost due to staff absences resulting from assault. The bulk of the injuries related to sprains or pain in various parts of the body, but anxiety accounted for 56 work days lost. In 2016/2017, 146 days were lost, and in the previous year, 504 days. In regional terms, of the 2,278 reported cases of abuse since 2012, Belfast accounted for the highest number at 909, followed by the south eastern division at 457. Meanwhile, the fire service revealed there have been 677 "recorded attacks" on its staff since 2013. That includes 575 occasions in which crews faced a "hostile crowd", but there were no injuries to staff or damage to appliances. The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) defined a "hostile crowd" situation as "any incident whereby crews cannot attend or, whilst in attendance, have to withdraw due to a perceived hostile environment". In addition, however, there were: Alan Walmsley, assistant chief fire and rescue officer, said the job of a firefighter was "dangerous enough without this type of extra threat". "These attacks can have very serious consequences and can impact upon our ability to respond to other emergencies in the local area," said Mr Walmsley. The service was working closely with the community, elected representatives, residents groups, young people and local schools on this issue, he added. 'You are the victims' "These attacks and lawless acts are not only socially unacceptable, but they are also to the detriment of the whole community if the emergency services are hindered in anyway when responding to emergency calls," said Mr Walmsley. He urged people to be aware of the stark reality of their actions should they choose to attack firefighters. "Remember, we may be the target but it's you and your local community who are the victims," he said. The bulk of the attacks on the fire service resulting in injury to staff or damage to appliances happened in the north and west Belfast district. Appliances were damaged in the district 40 times since 2013, with six attacks resulting in injury to personnel. On two occasions, both appliances were damaged and staff hurt. In addition, crews faced a "hostile crowd" 194 times, forcing them either to opt not to attend, or withdrew from the scene in order to avoid the potential for injury or damage. 'Procedures have improved' The south and east Belfast district recorded 15 occasions in which appliances were damaged, and 132 instances when crews faced a hostile crowd. But there were no injuries or damage to vehicles. Outside Belfast, the Londonderry district recorded 14 attacks on appliances and 104 occasions crews faced a hostile crowd. Dermot Rooney, the Fire Brigades Union's Northern Ireland regional chairman, described the figures as an "improving picture". "We're down to small numbers of people being injured," he told BBC News NI. "That wasn't the case years ago. "There's been a lot of work done... engaging with communities and we've thankfully got that down to that level. "But it's something we'd want to keep an eye on. "Procedures have improved as well in terms of doing risk assessments and withdrawing from incidents. "It's about making the decision that fire fighter safety is the important thing."
The Scottish food and drink industry has set a new target for exports, saying they could be worth £7.1bn annually.
Industry body Scotland Food and Drink said a previous target of £5bn had been achieved six years early. The new target would bring the sector's exports close to the value of oil and gas from Scotland - current £7.6bn. Representatives have claimed that Scotland's "culinary footprint" is growing around the world. Three years ago, the industry had aimed for exports worth £5bn each year by 2017. Scotland Food and Drink chief executive James Withers said: "By 2017, we now want to break the £7bn mark. "It is fitting that we set that new target in the midst of Scottish Food and Drink Fortnight, a celebration of everything that is making our nation a Land of Food and Drink." Richard Lochhead, cabinet secretary for agriculture and rural affairs at the Scottish government, said: "The targets announced today are ambitious and stretching but I'm confident that our food and drink sector is more than up to the challenge, particularly given the strong performance we have seen to date and the interest we are seeing in emerging markets such as the Middle East and China."
A coronavirus testing centre in Kent has been closed to make way for a lorry park for post-Brexit customs checks.
The government is planning to use the land at Ebbsfleet International station if the UK leaves the EU without a deal on 31 December, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. One councillor said local infrastructure "cannot cope" and there would be chaos on the M25. A Cabinet Office spokesman said no final decision has yet been made. In July the government pledged £470m on new border infrastructure, which included, if necessary, building additional inland sites across the country where checks can take place. The spokesman added: "Final decisions on inland sites will not be made until we have established the extent of new infrastructure that will be delivered at ports." However a leaked Kent County Council letter says: "We have also been notified that the Ebbsfleet testing centre has closed, as the site is required by HMRC for EU exit." Dartford Labour councillor Sacha Gosine said: "The infrastructure at Ebbsfleet cannot cope with lorries." He said it would be a "logistical nightmare" for officials. Closed 'out of the blue' In September 2019 planning permission was granted to allow use of the Ebbsfleet site temporarily for customs clearance until the end of this year. Work had started at one of the car parks at the station but this was put on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic. Ebbsfleet station was then used as a Covid testing site with a capacity for about 2,000 tests a day, but earlier this month testing staff were told "out of the blue" that the site would be closing. A new coronavirus testing centre has opened in Rochester. According to the Cabinet Office regional testing sites like Ebbsfleet "were set up at great speed" but the relocation will allow the network "to continue operating as long as needed". The government's testing system has faced criticism in recent weeks. An increase in demand for coronavirus tests has led to local shortages - with some people being directed to test sites hundreds of miles from their homes. The home secretary Priti Patel has defended the system, saying capacity was increasing. A Cabinet Office spokesman said: "Final decisions on inland sites will not be made until we have established the extent of new infrastructure that will be delivered at ports." Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].
A photograph of Princess Charlotte has been released by Kensington Palace to mark her second birthday on Tuesday.
The picture, taken in April by her mother, the Duchess of Cambridge, shows the princess at the family's home, Anmer Hall, in Norfolk. The couple released a similar photograph of Charlotte last year to celebrate her turning one. Kensington Palace said they "hope that everyone enjoys this photograph of Princess Charlotte as much as they do". In the image, Charlotte is wearing a knitted yellow cardigan with a sheep motif and a navy blue clip in her hair. The family is expected to throw a birthday party for the Princess. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge keep Charlotte out of the public eye, but she was pictured at the Christmas Day church service in the village of Bucklebury in Berkshire. Another notable appearance was during the family's tour of Canada, where she was seen several times including at a children's party in Victoria, British Colombia. The palace said in a statement: "The Duke and Duchess are very pleased to share this photograph as they celebrate Princess Charlotte's second birthday. "Their Royal Highnesses would like to thank everyone for all of the lovely messages they have received." Princess Charlotte will be a bridesmaid at her aunt Pippa Middleton's wedding later this month. Her brother, George, will be a page boy at the ceremony. When Prince William leaves his air ambulance post, the family will spend more time at Kensington Palace as the duke carries more of his royal duties. Get news from the BBC in your inbox, each weekday morning
The government has confirmed its remaining shares in Lloyds Banking Group have been sold, eight years after pumping in £20bn to save it.
Lloyds Bank said the government will see a return of £21.2bn on its investment. At the height of the financial crisis taxpayers owned 43% of Lloyds. Its return to the private sector is in stark contrast with the other bailed-out bank - Royal Bank of Scotland - that is still 73% owned by taxpayers. The government has been slowly selling down its stake in Lloyds for the past five years. Ministers have claimed that all the public money used to buy Lloyds shares has been returned. 'Very difficult situation' However, the true cost is disputed, with some critics claiming the lost interest has not been taken into account. Others have argued that the heavy losses previously suffered by Lloyds also hit the government's stake. Either way, the £20.3bn of public funds used to buy the shares had already been recouped due to dividend payments made to all shareholders. At last week's annual meeting, Lloyds chief executive António Horta Osorio told shareholders he expected the government to make at least £500m from the bailout. But on Wednesday morning he said the true figure was closer to £900m and called Lloyds one of the "strongest banks" in the world. He also said the government had received more money than was originally invested. "The fact that the government decided to use taxpayers' money, which is a last resort, to put £20.3bn in Lloyds at the time is evidence that the bank was in a very difficult situation," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "When I arrived six years ago the bank was in a very difficult financial situation and not focused on its customers in the UK." Job losses The shares have been sold off by Morgan Stanley at below the 73.5p average price paid in the three-stage bailout. But taking the dividend payments into account means the total £20bn outlay has already been repaid. Former chancellor George Osborne had hoped to offer the shares at a discount direct to the public, with a campaign similar to the classic Tell Sid campaign for British Gas in the 1980s. Reaction from the City was broadly positive. "Lloyds is now back to business as usual, and the withdrawal of a large seller from the market should be positive for the share price," said Laith Khalaf, senior analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown. "The Treasury won't be making a song and dance about the Lloyds sale, seeing as we are in a period of purdah running up to the general election. "Indeed the champagne corks should probably be kept on ice seeing as the taxpayer has only broken even on the face value of the Lloyds bailout, and is still nursing a loss if you factor in the borrowing costs associated with stumping up the money back in 2009." The turnaround has not been without pain. About 57,000 jobs have been cut at Lloyds as it returned to profitability. The EU also forced the bank to sell 600 branches due to competition rules and £17bn was set aside to fund PPI misselling - the biggest bill for any of the banks caught up in the scandal. "We were the first bank of the big banks to drop legal actions that were dragging paying PPI and I was the first bank to drop that legal action and start addressing s the issue seriously. It was a bad product this had to be done [fixed] on principle and not in terms on financial provisions," Mr Horta Osório added. But this year a £4.3bn profit - the biggest in a decade - finally allowed the bank to put its past behind it. While the sale of the Lloyds stake marks a major turning point for the bank, taxpayers' other bailed-out institution - RBS - remains firmly in government hands. RBS was rescued with a £45bn bailout in 2008 and 2009 and has failed to turn a profit since. The bank recently posted a ninth consecutive year in the red, with losses of £7bn, bringing total losses since the bailout to £58bn. The lender still faces £5.9bn of charges related to historic misconduct issues and potential legal costs. A £400m pot has also been set aside to compensate small business owners and customers of its controversial Global Restructuring Group. The now-defunct division secretly tried to profit from struggling businesses, leaked documents showed last year.
Barnsley Football Club's former assistant head coach has been convicted of accepting a £5,000 bribe to leak commercial information about players.
Tommy Wright was handed an envelope of cash during a newspaper's undercover probe into football corruption in 2016. The 53-year-old was convicted of two charges of accepting a bribe at Southwark Crown Court. Football agents Giuseppe Pagliara and Dax Price were convicted of two counts of paying and facilitating a bribe. Prosecutor Brian O'Neill QC said the three men had been caught up in an investigation by the Daily Telegraph, which "published a number of exposés of alleged corruption in English football" in September 2016. Jurors deliberate for just under 32 hours before returning majority verdicts on Wright, of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, and 48-year-old Price, of Sittingbourne, Kent. Pagliara, 64, of Bury, Greater Manchester, was found guilty on 12 December. The court heard Wright was given the money by the newspaper's undercover reporter Claire Newell. He is also understood to have leaked information about Barnsley players at a meeting in August 2016. Jurors were told some of the players were encouraged to sign up with Pagliara and Price, who both broke football rules by acting as "third-party" owners of players in a bid to profit when they were sold on to other clubs. Lewis Power QC, defending Wright, said his motivation for getting involved with the two agents was to turn Barnsley into a better club. The court was told such third-party ownership set-ups were banned by the FA in 2009 and by Fifa in 2015. All three men were bailed to appear at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday when a date for sentencing will be fixed. Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].
Animal welfare groups have welcomed assembly government plans to tighten the laws surrounding so-called "puppy farms".
New legislation to replace the Breeding of Dogs Act in Wales will introduce a minimum supervision requirement of one human supervisor to 20 dogs. It will also demand that registered breeders microchip their dogs. The RSPCA believes the measures will bring over 1,000 unlicensed breeders in Wales under statutory control. The animal welfare organisation has been calling for an improvement on the current act after a series of high-profile cases where puppies were reared in over-crowded and unsanitary conditions. The new act will also lower the threshold when breeders have to register for a licence from five breeding bitches to a maximum of three. Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones said: "What is unacceptable is large-scale breeding of puppies where welfare of both the parents and offspring may be compromised. "It's about improving standards and preventing suffering - prevention is better than cure, which is a principle of our overarching animal health and welfare strategy." One previous high-profile case in Wales was an RSPCA raid in 2007 where police and animal welfare officers found 64 malnourished and diseased dogs, including 48 puppies and 16 breeding bitches. When discovered, they had insufficient water and had been forced to live among the rotting carcasses of rats, and even a sheep. 'Greater powers' Virtually all the dogs confiscated were suffering from ulcerated skin and parasitic infections, and several later died from their illnesses. Claire Lawson, RSPCA's external affairs manager for Wales, welcomed the announcement: "In recent years Wales has witnessed a growing problem in the commercial production of puppies. "We hope that these new regulations will give greater powers to tackle bad practice in the dog breeding industry, especially the so-called 'puppy farms'. "We are also very supportive of the measures to identify and trace commercially bred dogs and we believe that this is good practice for all dog owners." It is hoped the legislation could be in place before the end of the year. British Veterinary Association President Professor Bill Reilly said: "Here in Wales the task and finish group on dog breeding has already made enormous headway in tackling the problems associated with puppy farms. "The significant health and welfare problems of bitches and puppies in puppy farms are shameful and I hope that the new measures will go a long way to tackling these rogue traders."
Rural roads could be neglected as a result of a squeeze on budgets, a councillor has warned.
Bert Biscoe said budget cuts meant the authority could "lose the battle" on maintaining country roads. Cornwall Council's £1bn budget is being cut by £196m by 2018-19, on top of £170m of savings since 2010. The Department for Transport said it had given English councils £3.4bn for road maintenance for 2011 to 2015. Cornwall Council, which is ruled by a Liberal Democrat and independent coalition, is considering which services to cut. Mr Biscoe, portfolio holder for transport and waste, said Cornwall's economy was "reliant" on rural roads. Economy's 'nervous system' "The vast bulk of our productive economy lies down tracks and unclassified roads," he said. "But we are in a world of shrinking resources. "And if our maintenance budget is being shrunk we are going to lose the battle. "We are talking about beginning to abandon parts of rural roads which are the nervous system of the Cornish economy." His warning came as neighbouring Devon County Council produced a report that suggested there was a "high risk" of the county "not being able to maintain C class and unclassified roads effectively". The authority has a £204m backlog of repairs for its 4,500-mile (7,200km) highway network, and repairing damage to roads in recent storms will cost another £2m, the authority said. Mr Biscoe said Cornwall Council would be seeking government help to support its rural roads network.
The UK should keep its "options open" over Brexit, Tony Blair has said, adding that a second referendum should not be ruled out.
The former PM told the BBC the vote was a "catastrophe" and said it was vital to study the "real-life implications". Mr Blair said he accepted the verdict of June's referendum, but recommended looking again at Brexit when "we have a clear sense of where we're going". Downing Street said it was "absolutely committed" to seeing Brexit through. A spokesman said the British people had expressed their view very clearly on 23 June, when 51.9% of voters opted to leave the EU, adding: "There will be no second referendum." Supporters of leaving the EU argue it will free up the UK to trade better globally and give the government better control of immigration. 'We're the insurgents now' But Mr Blair told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he believed the Brexit vote was a catastrophe and argued that it was important that the views of the "16 million" people who had backed remaining in the EU should not be ignored. He added: "If it becomes clear that this is either a deal that doesn't make it worth our while leaving, or alternatively a deal that's going to be so serious in its implications people may decide they don't want to go, there's got to be some way, either through Parliament, or an election, or possibly through another referendum, in which people express their view." But he said the vote for Brexit could not be changed "unless it becomes clear that the British people have had a change of mind". Mr Blair's interview followed an article in the New European newspaper in which he said those who believed in the EU "have to recognise we're the insurgents now". "We have to build the capability to mobilise and to organise. We have to prise apart the alliance which gave us Brexit." UKIP MP Douglas Carswell tweeted that Mr Blair was "seeking to de-legitimise and reverse" the referendum result. The government has promised to invoke Article 50 - setting formal talks with the EU in motion - by the end of March next year. It says it will not provide a "running commentary" on its stance before negotiations for leaving the EU begin but has pledged to make Brexit work for the whole country. Mr Blair told the BBC it was unclear what the outcome of negotiations, in terms of restrictions of movement of people and access to the single market, would be, adding: "We will start to see the real-life implications of this decision to go." 'Very, very tough' "We've got to work out: are the freedoms that we are going to gain really so substantial that we want to leave the European Union?" He warned of the talks with the EU: "I'm convinced that it's going to be very, very tough. We have to understand we are not going to be conducting these negotiations with a group of European businessmen who might well decide that they want maximum access to the UK... "The people we are going to be conducting these negotiations with are the political leaders of the European Union and their parliaments. "I'm arguing we should keep our options open," he said. Mr Blair, who was prime minister between 1997 and 2007, announced last month that he was winding up most of his commercial ventures to focus on not-for-profit work. In 2004, Mr Blair said a UK referendum would be held on ratification of the European Constitution Treaty, creating, among other measures, a European Council president and a "common defence policy". But voters in France and the Netherlands rejected the treaty, which was discarded. In 2007, the Labour government rejected calls for a referendum on a second treaty, which came to be known as the Lisbon Treaty, arguing it was a different document and a UK referendum was not needed. Earlier this month, Mr Blair told Esquire magazine he was considering whether there was a "role" for him in UK politics, having not been actively involved for almost a decade.
Is Wales cashing in on high spending in the south east of England?
By Sarah DickinsBBC Wales economics correspondent Chancellor George Osborne's main Budget theme is expected to be to spell out what he sees as his achievements, such as halving the deficit, and that the economy is recovering well. We know that growth is being enjoyed in most in parts of London and the south east of England, but how is that affecting Wales? Hiut Denim, a three-year-old company in Cardigan, has more orders for its handmade jeans than it can satisfy and plans to expand its 14-strong workforce. Its sales are up 30% in a year and its co-founder David Hieatt said if it had enough staff to make the products, sales would have been up by 60%. The jeans are not only handmade but signed by the person who makes them and they sell for more than £100. The biggest single market for the jeans, which are sold online, is London and the south east of England, but sales are also strong across Europe and the United States. Originally from the south Wales valleys, Mr Hieatt set up outdoor clothing company Howies in 1995 before selling it to Timberland 11 years later. He also set up the online ideas festival Do Lectures from his base in Ceredigion. Mr Hieatt said "telling the story" behind the company was vital to the business's success. 'So sad' While one part of the workforce make the trousers, another concentrates on making films and taking photos to spread the word through social media. Mr Hieatt told me selling online was much cheaper than a few years ago and it meant companies in Wales could sell into any market. He said the internet was "changing the whole maker movement," as he calls it. Companies could feasibly be based anywhere, with rural Wales a lifestyle choice. Mr Hieatt said: "We can afford the best materials, the highest craftsmanship and we can sell direct". As for the Budget, he is calling on Mr Osborne to back apprentices and recognise the "maker movement". He said it was growing but needed help, and was a way for more rural parts of the UK to benefit from customers spending money wherever they live. Wales has been held back by being too humble he said and that "the biggest waste in the Welsh economy is potential which hasn't been fulfilled and it's so sad". As well as his own company's ambitions he shares a wider vision for the economy. "I'd love to get people making more," he said.
The number of drivers fined in court for speeding offences in South Wales has tripled, according to new figures from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).
The force area saw one of the biggest increases in England and Wales with 6,491 fined in 2013, compared to 2,181 three years earlier. The numbers of Dyfed-Powys and Gwent motorists fined by magistrates doubled. A speed camera in Cardiff generated more than an estimated £800,000 worth of fines in just six months. According to road safety partnership GoSafe Wales, the speed camera on the junction of the city's Newport Road and Colchester Avenue caught 13,624 speeding motorists and a further 146 running red lights between January and June. The camera was installed in 2012, but only went into fully commissioned operation earlier this year. Meanwhile, the number of drivers fined by the courts in the Gwent Police area has almost doubled in five years to 2,486. In Dyfed-Powys, the number more than doubled to 2,540. But in North Wales, the number of motorists fined by magistrates almost halved to 1,744 - although this is the highest number for three years. In total in Wales, 145,892 notices were sent out in 2013, according to Go Safe Wales' annual report. A total of 41,596 motorists paid fines and nearly half of these involved drivers ending up on speed awareness courses. The MoJ figures deal with the cases which end up in court and after an initial fall have risen since 2011. The 115,000 fined for speeding by magistrates is the highest since 2009. While London saw the most people fined last year, the figure for the Metropolitan Police area has fallen to 7,736 - its lowest level in five years. In other force areas, the number of offenders has grown by almost 1,000 in both South Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, and by close to 2,000 in Staffordshire since 2009. A Department for Transport spokeswoman said: "Speeding can have devastating consequences and it's right that drivers should abide by the speed limit. "These fines were issued at the discretion of the magistrates and show the number of fines issued is in decline across many police force areas."
Bin collectors in West Yorkshire are to stage a week-long strike in July in a row with a council over claims of bullying and harassment.
It is part of an ongoing dispute in Kirklees over claims some workers have been refused leave to help dying relatives or sick children. Kirklees Council said that representatives from Unison had "walked out of planned talks". The action by members of Unison is due to take place between 2 and 8 July. More on this story and others in West Yorkshire The union has called for the council to employ an "adequate" number of bin collectors and arrange manageable bin rounds so staff can use their holiday allowances. Paul Holmes, from Unison, said: "We had a meeting with ACAS on 16 May and as a result of that meeting we called the strike off. "Since then things have gone backwards, the situation is worse now than before 16 May and there's more bullying. "Members unanimously agreed to take strike action and so from midnight on Sunday 2 July we will be on strike." The authority said it had previously reached an agreement with the union "over holidays, workloads, working practices and allegations of harassment and bullying". But it said the union had made an "unreasonable demand" regarding how the council manages an individual member of staff as a condition of further talks going ahead. A spokesman said: "This was completely unacceptable. "Management practice will always be a matter for the council and its own managers, in line with our policies and procedures, and having regard for our duty of care to all staff." It added services to residents and businesses was "our number one priority".
Years and Years frontman Olly Alexander has admitted to having a soft spot for Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
"I fancy him a bit," he told Annie Mac on monthly Radio 1 discussion show, The Exchange. "I like someone who you could go on a march with. Someone who can hold a placard." Politics was one of a series of issues the singer discussed, alongside Dan Smith from Bastille and Wretch 32. On the issue of politics, the Bastille frontman encouraged those who are disaffected by the subject to talk to their local MP. "The more young people who say something is how you'll get your voice heard. Your MP should reflect what people think. "It's easy to sit back and dismiss it but it's your life. Apathy is easy." Club culture There's been lots of discussion about night life over the past few years and it's been highlighted recently with the closure of Fabric in London. "There's history under all that dust," said Wretch 32. "A load of my friends have performed there and to a load of people that place means something." Olly said that clubbing was such a part of his identity. "I went gay clubbing as soon as I could. For marginalised groups, gay clubbing is so important, it's about freedom and expression. "All the places I went to to when I was 18 in London have now shut down. But Fabric shutting down didn't surprise me. London is a playground for rich people." Dan agreed saying that Fabric's closure was part of a wider conversation across the UK about developers. "When I used to cycle to the studio, all I saw was cranes and flats being built. You can't base a community around a Tesco. Old pubs, venues and theatres are the cultural things that make a city amazing." Drug discussion The local council says Fabric was shut down following the deaths of two people at the club who'd taken drugs. All three on the panel agreed that closing the club would not stop people taking drugs. Both Dan and Olly said that there should be more openness and discussion about what happens when you take illegal substances. "The conversation is about not doing it (drugs)," said Dan. "Let's make the discussion more open. It may be healthier for the conversation to talk about what happens when people do it." "There are so many instances where the risks of doing drugs are so high," said Olly. "I wish people were more informed about them." Find us on Instagram at BBCNewsbeat and follow us on Snapchat, search for bbc_newsbeat
A historic footbridge hanging from a former railway viaduct in the Borders is to get a major safety overhaul.
The structure over the River Teviot has been damaged by flooding as well as "general decay" and corrosion. The viaduct, near the villages of Roxburgh and Heiton, was built in 1850 and the footbridge is now part of the popular Border Abbeys pedestrian way. Repair work will start on 29 October and will require the closure of the bridge until spring next year. Refurbishment work to the footbridge on the Roxburgh Viaduct - often referred to as the Teviot Viaduct - will be carried out by Highways England. It inherited responsibility for thousands of former railway structures in 2015. Fiona Smith, civil engineer for Highways England's Historical Railways Estate, said: "The suspended pedestrian bridge has been impacted from flooding as well as suffering with general decay and corrosion. "It is therefore necessary for the structure, which hangs along a picturesque location over the River Teviot, to be sensitively repaired to maintain public safety and for future generations to enjoy." Refurbishment work on the footbridge will see the spans lifted and taken to a specialist workshop for repair and refurbishment. Some elements may be replaced depending on the severity of corrosion. New timbers will also be installed across the deck and once repairs have been completed, the footbridge will be reinstalled from the deck of the listed viaduct. An environmental management plan will be in place for the duration of the work to ensure the protection of the River Teviot and its ecosystem. The footbridge will be shut later this week and pedestrians will be diverted to the deck of the viaduct during the refurbishment. All images are copyrighted.
UKIP has suspended its leader and three other members after they were accused of stealing data from the party.
An email to all members from chairman Kirstan Herriot said she was "forced to take serious action" against Richard Braine, Tony Sharp, Jeff Armstrong and Mark Dent. This included reporting them to Action Fraud - though it is not yet known if the police body will investigate. But Mr Braine denied the allegations, saying the "whole thing was absurd". Mr Braine - who has led the UK Independence Party since August - told the BBC the incident centred around sending emails. He accused Ms Herriot and the party's National Executive Committee of denying him permission to send an email out to all of UKIP's members. Instead, Mr Braine told someone to send an email on his behalf, but it led to him being "falsely accused" of stealing data. This incident showed the NEC was intent on "culling the list of candidates and removing people that they don't like", added Mr Braine. But in her email to members, Ms Herriot said she was "acting in accordance with the law" and "protecting our members". The BBC has contacted UKIP for a response to Mr Braine's comments. Public row It is not the first time UKIP's leader and its chairman have had a disagreement in public. In September, Mr Braine did not attend the party's conference in Newport due to "low ticket sales" and called for it to be cancelled. Ms Herriot said it was a "regrettable decision" by the leader, and called it a "complete insult to the membership". UKIP has struggled to make an electoral impact in recent years as a succession of leaders has come and gone. The party came out on top across the UK in the 2014 European elections. But in May this year, it finished eighth in the polls, losing all its MEPs to The Brexit Party - led by former UKIP leader Nigel Farage.
A woman has been chosen as president-elect of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow for the first time in its 418-year history.
Dr Jackie Taylor will assume the role for one year, before taking on the three-year term as president of the college in December 2018. She is a consultant physician in medicine for the elderly based at Glasgow Royal Infirmary. Dr Taylor was elected at the college's annual general meeting in Glasgow. She ran on a platform that the college must use its independent position to ensure optimal recruitment and retention of staff and excellence in service delivery. The institute, founded in 1599, is the UK's only multidisciplinary royal college. It supports members across the world in upholding medical standards and professionalism. 'Truly historic' Current president Prof David Galloway said: "I am absolutely delighted to welcome Dr Jackie Taylor to the role of president-elect for our college. "Her position will be truly historic as she prepares to be the first woman president of the college in our 418-year history." Dr Taylor said: "I feel hugely privileged to have been elected to the post of president-elect, and in particular to be the first woman to have been given this honour. "I look forward to building on the legacy of the college and leading it into an exciting new era."
A leading researcher on cholesterol-lowering statin drugs has accused critics of misleading the public about the dangers of taking them.
Prof Sir Rory Collins said two critical articles published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) were flawed. But BMJ editor Dr Fiona Godlee said they were well researched. The drugs are already offered to about seven million people in the UK who have a one-in-five chance of heart disease in the next decade. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) says the scope for offering this treatment should be widened to people with as low as a one in 10 or 10% risk to save more lives. Its recommendation follows a study which was overseen by Professor Collins' team at Oxford University. Prof Collins criticised articles in the BMJ by John Abramson from Harvard medical school, and Aseem Malhotra, a UK cardiologist, who both claimed statins caused harmful side-effects and did not reduce mortality. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Statins are given to people at elevated risk of heart attacks and strokes - if people at elevated risk stop taking their statins or don't start taking their statins then they will have unnecessary heart attacks and strokes, there will be unnecessary deaths from vascular causes. This is really irresponsible journalism." He said the studies' claims, that about 20% of people suffer disabling side-effects due to statins, was not supported by the original research referenced by the papers published by the BMJ. Research 'not released' He told the Guardian that the reporting was creating a situation which had echoes of the MMR vaccine controversy. "It is a serious disservice to British and international medicine," he said. But the BMJ's editor, Dr Fiona Godlee, defended the articles, saying some research understated the risks of side-effects. "The randomised control trial data is notoriously poor at reporting adverse events. So I think it's extremely important that the public understand when we're talking about extending statins to people at low risk, that the balance between benefits and harms becomes much more important," she said. She added: "The articles were well written, well referenced, they were peer reviewed." Dr Godlee also criticised the fact that the individual patient data of Prof Collins' research had not been released. "It's no longer sufficient to make widespread extension of drug treatments on the basis of data that is not widely available for scrutiny," she said. Currently, doctors are supposed to offer statin tablets to the estimated seven million people who have a 20% chance of developing cardiovascular disease over 10 years, based on risk factors such as their age, sex, whether they smoke and what they weigh. Doctors will need to "make a judgement" about the risks to people who have a less than 10% risk of developing cardiovascular disease and advise them appropriately, say the draft guidelines. The NHS currently spends about £450m a year on statins. If the draft recommendations go ahead, this bill will increase substantially, although the drugs have become significantly cheaper over the years.
Celtic crosses which are more than 1,000 years old are being moved into a new visitor centre in the Vale of Glamorgan.
The ancient stones will be housed in the refurbished 13th Century Galilee chapel at St Illtud's church in Llantwit Major. It is part of a £750,000 project to tell the story of the church's role in developing Christianity across Wales. The new visitor centre will open in June. "We have some very ancient Celtic stone courses here which date from the 8th to 10th Century that need to be displayed properly, as we have many visitors to the church," said the Reverend Huw Butler, the rector at St Illtud. He said the church site was important as it dates back to the year 500 and the beginnings of Christianity in Wales. "The whole of our heritage is based on Christianity through many, many centuries and we can learn so much from it," he said. The church already attracts large numbers of visitors because of its history. "For those who visit, some just want to learn about the history and the culture and learn something about their past, whilst others come through their faith," he added. Viv Kelly, a church historian who shows visitors around, said: "Outside of the National Museum this is the most important collection of stones in Wales and three of them are particularly important because they have inscriptions on them." The stones have not always been protected from the elements, and many were found in local gardens in the town during major restoration work at the site between 1890 and 1900. Stone conservator Corinne Evans has been working to limit the marks left by time, weather and humans. "A lot of it has come off with gentle steam cleaning whilst others have had chemical poultices on them," she said. "A lot of scalpel work has been done too, just picking our way at very small paint splashes." If everything goes to plan the stones should be moved in the next two weeks and the new centre open by June.
The BBC should "cough up" and pay for TV licences for all over-75s, the prime minister has said.
It comes after the BBC announced in June that it would restrict the benefit to those in low-income households. Speaking to reporters at the G7 summit, Boris Johnson said the BBC's funding settlement had been conditional on it continuing to fund the free licences - something the corporation disputes. Labour accused the PM of blaming the broadcaster for government policy. The BBC previously said it would limit free licences to low-income households to prevent it having to close services such as BBC Two and Radio 5 Live. Continuing to fund the free licences would have cost £745m - a fifth of its budget - by 2021-22, the corporation said. The decision, meaning around 3.7 million people aged over 75 will have to pay £154.50 for a colour TV licence from next June, sparked protests outside BBC studios. Mr Johnson told reporters at the summit in Biarritz, southern France: "The BBC received a settlement that was conditional upon their paying for TV licences for the over-75s. "They should cough up." People aged over 75 were granted free TV licences when Labour was in power, in 2000. Maintaining it was a Conservative manifesto pledge in 2017. However, the charter agreement hammered out with Conservative ministers in 2015 saw the BBC assume responsibility for funding the commitment from 2020. A BBC spokeswoman said: "It was the government which decided to stop funding free TV licences for the over-75s, and Parliament gave responsibility to the BBC to make a decision on the future of the scheme. "There was no guarantee that the BBC would continue to fund free licences for the over-75s." In June, the culture secretary at the time the settlement was reached, John Whittingdale, said "it was understood that this would be a possible outcome". In the same month, the BBC insisted that cutting stars' salaries would not save enough money to pay for over-75s' licences. "Even if we stopped employing every presenter earning more than £150,000, that would save less than £20m," said director of policy Clare Sumner. "If no senior manager were paid over £150,000 that would save only £5m." Limiting the scheme to households where one person receives pension credit is expected to cost the BBC around £250 million by 2021-22. However, a No 10 source said BBC income had been boosted by requiring iPlayer users to have a licence and linking licence fee increases to inflation. "At the time, the director general said it was a 'strong deal for the BBC' and provided 'financial stability'," the source said, adding: "The BBC must honour this agreement." 'Disregard for older people' Labour deputy leader Tom Watson called on the government to stop "passing the buck". "This prime minister's disregard for older people is appalling," he said. "Because of this government's refusal to fund the concession, millions of older people will have their free TV licences scrapped next year." And Labour MP Ben Bradshaw - a former BBC journalist - said: "The BBC is an independent broadcaster. It's not a branch of the Department of Work and Pensions. "This was always going to happen - the BBC was stupid to accept this as part of the licence fee [settlement] but it certainly wasn't a condition of it. "And if the government wants over-75s to continue to receive free licences it needs to fund it." Some 634,334 people have signed a petition organised by charity Age UK, which is calling on the government to take back responsibility for funding the free licences and honour the 2017 manifesto commitment. Age UK director Caroline Abrahams said: "The BBC and the government clearly are in different places on this and it is old people who are in the middle - which we are very uncomfortable about. "The government created this situation by passing responsibility for the licence fee to the BBC at the last settlement without giving them all the money to pay for it. "Whether the BBC is quite as skint as it is telling everybody I can't possibly say, I'm not a media commentator. "It would be sensible for the two parties to come together and draw a line and try to stop this escalating row."
A private collection of Dismaland memorabilia has been sold at auction for more than £10,000.
The sale included brochures, art work and gift shop souvenirs collected by a man who "fell in love with Dismaland". The "bemusement park" in Weston-super-Mare attracted thousands of visitors when it opened last summer. Auctioneer Andrew Stowe said the sale in Bristol "massively exceeded expectations" and there had been "interest from across the world". "It's a lovely collection... it's memorabilia for every pocket," he said. The auction raised £10,190 and the seller has said he will donate part of the proceeds to a Bristol homeless charity.
The pregnant fiancée of a footballer killed on a night out said his attackers have "denied our unborn child of ever getting to meet its father".
Three men have been jailed for assaulting Jordan Sinnott on 25 January in Retford, Nottinghamshire. Nottingham Crown Court heard the fight was "driven" by Kai Denovan, who was convicted of manslaughter after trial. Cameron Matthews previously admitted manslaughter and Sean Nicholson admitted affray. Kelly Bossons said she found out about her pregnancy just days after Mr Sinnott's funeral in March. "This is something we both wanted more than anything in the world, but I will never be able to share this news with him," she said. "Raising a child is not something I planned to do by myself, but Jordan's killers have given me no other choice." During the trial, the court heard Denovan complained to 25-year-old Mr Sinnott in passing that he was a "good looking lad" whereas he was "fat and ginger" . Prosecuting, Michael Auty said Mr Sinnott agreed in a joking fashion, but Denovan "reacted aggressively" and punched him. He said after a short scuffle both groups left the pub, but resumed again outside as the defendants shouted abuse at Mr Sinnott's group. Mr Auty said Mr Sinnott indicated "he didn't want any trouble" but Denovan struck him again with a blow of "considerable force". Matthews, then punched him twice which knocked him to the ground and caused his fatal brain injury. Mr Sinnott's mother Mel Tait told the court the "selfish and unprovoked actions" of the men had left her family "devastated". "Your ego allowed you to intimidate and hurt him," she said. "You followed him and attacked him, killing him. "All I have left is memories of my son… and for that I will never, ever forgive you." Judge John Burgess told Denovan Mr Sinnott's death "was the result of a drunken violent reaction to a misplaced, or misinterpreted joke". "I am afraid town centre violence fuelled by drink on a Friday or Saturday night is quite common," he said. "No doubt, there are many fights that result in minor injuries and no lasting damage, but when anyone engages in violence in circumstances like this, they run the risk of causing death or really serious injury. "The prosecution accepted you never intended to cause death... but the consequences of what you did are no less hard for those that loved Jordan Sinnott." He sentenced Denovan, 23, to 11 years in prison and Matthews, 22, was handed eight years and three months. Nicholson, 22, was sentenced to 14 months in jail, of which he will serve half. Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].
A company director accused of being part of a gang which beat a man to death has told how he was "dumbstruck" to hear he had died.
The body of Michael Phillips, 39, was found with 50 injuries in Rydal Street, Hartlepool, on 10 June last year. Appearing at Teesside Crown Court, seven men aged between 30 and 54 have denied murder. One of the accused, Neil Elliott, 44, told the court he saw only one punch being thrown at Mr Phillips. The trial has heard that Mr Elliott believed that Mr Phillips had burgled his daughter's home and he recruited a gang to get revenge. 'No real evidence' The court heard that Mr Elliott had decided to "take the law into his own hands" and put a post on Facebook saying, "whoever burgled my daughter's home and took her car - your life is about to change, trust me". But there was "no real evidence" Mr Phillips had carried out the burglary, jurors heard. Giving evidence Mr Elliott, of Briarfield Close, a director of the waste firm Niramax, admitted being in the house for four minutes to recover his daughter's property. Later he was told the victim had died. Mr Elliott said: " I was dumbstruck. How could he be. I was only just talking to him?" The other defendants, all from Hartlepool, are: Lee Darby, 32, of Ridley Court; Anthony Small, 40, of Rydal Street; Gary Jackson, 31, of The Darlings, in Hart Village; John Musgrave, 54, and Sean Musgrave, 30, both of Wordsworth Avenue; and Craig Thorpe, 36, of Young Street. All of them deny murder. Mr Elliott has also denied assault occasioning actual bodily harm. The trial is expected to last until the end of February. Related Internet Links HM Courts Service
The mother of a boy who drowned trying to save two friends has warned people of the dangers of open water after two girls were rescued from a river.
Owen Jenkins, 12, was swept away after lifting a girl out of Beeston Weir on 10 July 2017. Nicola Jenkins has spoken out after hearing of the rescue of two girls, 11, from a frozen section of the River Trent in Nottinghamshire on Saturday. It happened a few hundred metres away from where Owen died. Nottinghamshire Police said one of the girls had fallen through the ice into the water, while her friend had become stranded on an island surrounded by frozen water. A passer-by raised the alarm and they were brought to safety at about 16:45 GMT by emergency services using an inflatable piece of equipment called a pathway. Mrs Jenkins said: "When I heard what had happened to these girls, my heart dropped. It took me straight back to what happened with Owen." She added: "These open water areas do not have thick enough ice to withstand your weight, especially as the water gets deeper. You are likely to fall through the ice into freezing water, become stranded and suffer cold water shock rapidly. "That's where your body goes into an automatic shock response so your heart beats faster and you start gasping for air." Mrs Jenkins is urging parents to speak to their children about the dangers of open water and frozen open water. "I was so pleased that this incident had a happy outcome. The girls were very lucky that someone spotted them," she added. Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected]. Related Internet Links Nottinghamshire Police
Workers at train company Northern have begun a 24-hour strike in a long-running row over driver-only operated trains.
Members of the RMT union plan to walk out on six consecutive Saturdays until 29 September. People attending major events on Saturday, including Manchester Pride, Creamfields and Leeds Festival, are told to be aware of a reduced service. Northern said it would operate about 30% of its usual services. Very few of its trains will run before 09:00 BST and after 18:00, a spokesperson warned. The rail union has accused Northern of "refusing point blank to engage in serious and meaningful talks". The union claimed driver-only operation was being extended "in the name of increased profits". Northern deny a lack of communication, and in response said: "We maintain that talking costs nothing, whilst strike action causes inconvenience to customers and damages the case for long-term investment in rail." Large events impacted by the Saturday rail strike Attendees planning to travel by rail are advised to check what services are available before they leave Northern services cover the North West, North East, Yorkshire and the Midlands. The RMT has instructed members not to book on for duty between 00:01 and 23:59 on 25 August and every Saturday in September. Mick Cash, RMT general secretary, said: "Members have been in dispute for well over a year now in a battle to put public safety before private profit and we are angry and frustrated that a genuine opportunity to reach an agreement has been kicked back by the company. "Northern Rail want to run nearly half a million trains a year without a safety critical guard on board in a move that would wreck both safety and access ‎to services." A Northern spokesperson said: "This weekend, there are a large number of important public events being planned right across our region, on what will be the last holiday weekend of the summer. "People going to these events rely heavily on our services - RMT's strikes will cause unnecessary travel disruption and delays for what should be weekends of fun, enjoyment and celebrations."
UK students have become more satisfied with their university experience over the past decade, a study finds.
By Katherine SellgrenBBC News education reporter It shows a rise in satisfaction levels since 2005, especially in areas such as academic support and assessment. The Higher Education Funding Council for England analysed the results of the annual National Student Survey of more than 2m final-year UK students. It shows overall satisfaction levels have risen by five percentage points, from 80.2% in 2005 to 85% in 2013. Feedback Satisfaction with "assessment and feedback" rose by 12 percentage points during this period, as did happiness with "academic support". The results show differences depending on the subject a student chose, with students in creative art and design, computer science and mass communication and documentation less satisfied over time. Among the more satisfied were those studying veterinary sciences, physical sciences, mathematical sciences and geographical studies. The study also found that black African students were more satisfied overall than white students, but those from a black Caribbean background were less content. The analysis covers the core population of students who have been part of the National Student Survey cohort since 2005 - those registered at English, Welsh and Northern Irish universities who are not funded by the National Health Service. 'Source of intelligence' Hefce chief executive, Prof Madeleine Atkins, said: "The NSS is an invaluable source of intelligence for universities and colleges. "The reports we are publishing today confirm the robustness of the NSS, and the value it adds to UK higher education. Hefce will now work with the other UK funding bodies, universities and colleges, and students, to make refinements for the future." A spokesman for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said: "We welcome this research on the NSS, which shows that students have become more satisfied with their higher education experience. "However, we are not complacent and are looking for institutions to analyse the data published today to improve the learning experience they offer to all students." Sally Hunt, general secretary of the University and College Union, said: "Despite unpopular and chaotic university funding changes from governments in the past nine years, students remain satisfied with their degrees and it is the staff in our universities who deserve enormous credit for that. "Satisfaction remains high even though staff pay has been driven down, workloads have increased and some students expect more for their massively increased fees - despite the fact that money merely covers the funding this government has cut. "The government and universities cannot continue to simply expect more for less. We need proper investment and commitment to higher education if we are to continue to satisfy students in our universities and be a key player on the world stage."
Two Reuters journalists reported missing in Myanmar since Tuesday are in police custody, the government says.
It has not confirmed why Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were arrested in Yangon, the international news agency said. "We are urgently seeking more information about the circumstances of their arrest and their current situation," Reuters said. Myanmar has seen increasing curbs on press freedom, especially on issues around the powerful military. Local reports say they have been held under the Official Secrets Act, and a lawyer involved in the case told the BBC that the pair could face 14 years in prison. According to local paper Frontier Myanmar, the two were arrested on the outskirts of Yangon, the commercial capital, after being found in possession of military reports and a map of a location in northern Rakhine state. Reuters said a spokesman had confirmed that they were arrested late on Tuesday. Myanmar's ministry of information said two police officers - named as deputy Moe Yan Naing and Sgt Khin Maung Lin - were also arrested under the official secrets act and police disciplinary act. The US embassy in Myanmar issued a statement saying it was "deeply concerned by the highly irregular arrests" of the journalists. It said the pair were arrested "after they were invited to meet with police officials in Yangon". "For a democracy to succeed, journalists need to be able to do their jobs freely. We urge the government to explain these arrests and allow immediate access to the journalists," it said. Rakhine has been the site of months of conflict, with government troops in the Buddhist-majority country accused of targeting the Muslim Rohingya population. Violence broke out on 25 August when Rohingya militants launched attacks on police posts in the state, killing 12 security personnel. More than 600,000 Rohingya have since fled the violence to neighbouring Bangladesh and Myanmar (also called Burma) has been widely condemned by the international community for its brutal crackdown. Journalists' access to the affected areas has been tightly controlled by the military. In November, two foreign journalists were arrested while local journalists describe "a climate of fear" returning to the country's independent media.
Oscar, Grammy and Nobel Prize-winners will be among those able to get visas to live and work in the UK more easily under point-based immigration reforms.
The Home Office has announced its decision to "fast track" the process for those winning coveted arts awards. It is part of the government's bid to attract the "best and brightest" from around the world. International stars who have won Bafta, Brit, Mobo, Tony or Golden Globe awards will also be eligible. Previously the visa application process, known as the Global Talent route, meant artists and producers had to receive an endorsement from one of six bodies. But from Wednesday, new post-Brexit rules allow people who hold a qualifying prize to make a simpler single visa application. 'So much to offer the UK' Stars eligible for a fast track UK visa now include the winners of best international male or female at the Brit Awards, best international act at the Mobos or the lifetime achievement award at the Grammys. The best film actress, actor or director at the Baftas would also qualify, as well as anyone collecting the Nobel Prize for literature, some sciences and medicine, and/or the Turing Award. Professionals who have been rewarded for their expertise in fields such as sciences, engineering and technology, as well as dance, theatre, architecture and fashion will also be eligible. The list of qualifying awards will be kept under review. Home secretary Priti Patel said recipients of such accolades had "reached the pinnacle of their career" and as such "have so much to offer the UK". "These important changes will give them the freedom to come and work in our world leading arts, sciences, music, and film industries as we build back better," she added. "This is exactly what our new point-based immigration system was designed for - attracting the best and brightest based on the skills and talent they have, not where they've come from." The eligible prize winners include: The full list is available on the Home Office website The move comes as part of the UK's overhaul to its rules around who is and who isn't allowed into the country, in the wake of Brexit. The new system for the approval of visas is based on points. In March, Ms Patel set out what she has called a "fair but firm" overhaul to the way people applying for asylum in the UK are treated. She said that, for the first time, people seeking protection as refugees would have their claim assessed based on how they arrive in the UK. Also that ministers would crack down on people smugglers because "enough is enough". Labour said the plans lacked compassion and competence. Follow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected].
South East Coast Ambulance Service (Secamb) has lost a bid to continue running Surrey's patient transport service.
Secamb said it was disappointed its bid to provide the service from April 2017 had been unsuccessful. The contract, which covers Surrey, Hampshire and Hounslow, has gone to South Central Ambulance Service. The five-year contract was awarded on behalf of six clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). Julia Ross, chief executive of North West Surrey CCG, said: "The new service will be more responsive and we have put steps in place to ensure the needs of patients are put front and centre." James Underhay, deputy chief executive of South Central Ambulance Service, welcomed the news. He said: "We will continue to grow as an organisation while maintaining quality of service." Secamb has been under intense scrutiny over its management of NHS 111 calls and has received a warning from the health regulator. A spokesman said the trust had ensured its bid would allow it to provide a high-quality and responsive service. But he said: "This news sadly sees the end of Secamb providing patient transport services in its region after a long and proud history." Staff who were affected would be contacted to discuss next steps, he added. Secamb covers Kent, Surrey, Sussex and north-east Hampshire, an area with a population of about 4.5m, and historically ran patient transport across the region. Patient transport in Kent is now run by G4S and the service in Sussex by Coperforma. From April, Secamb will provide emergency ambulances only. South Central serves more than 4m people across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire.
Hospital security staff have gone on strike in a dispute over safety and pay.
Mitie Security workers, represented by Unite, began the action at Southampton General Hospital at 07:00 BST. Unite said the company's 21 staff at the hospital were regularly attacked by people under the influence of drink, drugs and with mental health problems. Mitie said patient safety was "paramount" and had arranged cover until the walk-out ends at 14:00. The union said staff were not given enough personal protective equipment such as stab vests and safety restraints. Unite spokesman Scott Kemp said security officers wanted to be paid £10.50 per hour and their supervisors £12.16 per hour for doing the "dangerous job". He added: "Unite's door remains open for constructive talks 24/7 over this Easter holiday period." Mitie said its offer to increase security officer pay to £9.50 per hour equated to a 14.5% rise in the past seven months. It added that the supervisors are paid £10.30 per hour and are based in control rooms. In a statement, the company said: "The number of incidents has remained static over the past three years, as has the number of staff injuries. "None of our staff have been directly targeted and the number of incidents occurring at Southampton is relatively low."
The Museum of Free Derry is to receive an extra £500,000 in funding, the culture minister has said.
Carál Ní Chuilín was speaking during a visit to the construction site at Glenfada Park in Londonderry's Bogside. Building work began last summer and the new money is in addition to funds of £2.4m. The museum deals directly with the Northern Ireland Troubles and is close to where the events of Bloody Sunday took place in the city. On 30 January 1972, a civil rights march in Derry ended with the shooting dead of 13 people by the Army. The Saville Report, published on 15 June 2010, was heavily critical of the Army and found that soldiers fired the first shot. Speaking before Parliament, Prime Minister David Cameron said he was "deeply sorry" and that the findings of the report were "shocking". The new building is due to be finished and ready by June 2016.
First Minister Mark Drakeford has spoken of his "relief" after both his wife and mother-in-law received coronavirus vaccinations.
The Welsh Labour leader said he was now the only one in his household yet to receive the jab. He said he was "hugely grateful" both women had received their first doses. His wife, Clare Drakeford, 66, and her 94-year-old mother, have both shielded during the pandemic due to their health conditions. This meant Mr Drakeford spent some time living alone in a hut at the bottom of his garden. The first minister previously said both women contracted the virus and fell ill last year. "Due to their conditions they are both in the top four priority groups and have both been vaccinated," Mr Drakeford said. "Both experiences were excellent in terms of how smoothly it went and how well it was organised, and they've had no ill effects of any sort." He said he was "hugely grateful, because they're both vulnerable". "Although they've been incredibly careful and don't do anything that puts them at risk, the fact they've had the vaccine is a relief," he said. "You can see how it gives people a different outlook, that they can see the light at the end of all of this." Mr Drakeford, 66, said he would be in the next five priority groups but did not yet have an appointment to be vaccinated. How many people in Wales have been vaccinated so far? Nearly 590,000 people in the top priority groups have been given their first dose of Covid vaccine in Wales. It means 18.7% of the Welsh population has now been vaccinated. On Saturday, Wales overtook the other UK nations for the first time in the percentage of the population getting their first jab. There was previously criticism the vaccination rollout in Wales had started more slowly than the rest of the UK. Mr Drakeford said he believed the "unfairness" of that criticism led to a "we'll show them" spirit among those involved. "People don't like it when they know the criticism isn't fair," he said. "To judge the performance of a system on the first few days, was never going to be the right way to form a judgment." Wales' aim is to ensure just under 750,000 people - including health workers and people aged over 70 - get a first dose by mid-February.
The family of a Fife man who died in police custody said they felt "betrayed" after being told that no-one will be prosecuted over his death.
Sheku Bayoh never regained consciousness after being restrained by officers in a Kirkcaldy street in 2015. The 31-year-old, who had taken the drugs MDMA and Flakka, was found to have suffered 23 separate injuries. His family said CCTV and phone footage cast doubt on claims made by officers about events leading up to his death. They have described the decision not to prosecute the officers as a "betrayal of justice" and are now calling for a public inquiry. The Crown Office said the decision not to prosecute had been taken after a "thorough review" of all the available evidence. The officers involved have always denied any wrongdoing. Mr Bayoh's family had initially been told in October 2018 that no criminal charges would be brought over his death. However, two months later evidence uncovered by BBC Scotland raised fresh questions about the way he had been treated by police officers before he died in their custody. CCTV, other footage and documents obtained by the BBC previously casts doubt on some of the officers' accounts of the events that led to Mr Bayoh's death. The Disclosure investigation included evidence that the first officers on scene escalated the situation instead of trying to defuse it, and other evidence that Mr Bayoh's actions were exaggerated in official police documents. A review of the decision not to prosecute the officers has been carried out. Mr Bayoh's family met Crown Office officials on Monday, when they were told that prosecutors would not be pursuing criminal charges in the case.  Aamer Anwar, the family's lawyer, said they felt "totally betrayed" by Lord Advocate James Wolffe. Mr Anwar said the decision was a "betrayal of justice" and a "failure to act in the public interest". He said: "Neither the family or the legal team accept the Crown's reasoning for no criminal charges. "The Lord Advocate has presided over a four-and-a-half year investigation which was deeply flawed from the moment Sheku lost his life." Either a fatal accident inquiry (FAI) or a public inquiry will now be held into Mr Bayoh's death. Mr Anwar said the family was formally requesting that the Scottish government consider holding a public inquiry, and would accept "nothing less". He added: "The family do not have the trust or belief that a fatal accident inquiry (FAI) under the control of the Lord Advocate would have the remit or the courage to deal with serious public concerns, the wider issues of deaths in custody, use of restraint techniques, allegations of racism, lack of police accountability and the insufficient powers of the PIRC, nor will the findings of an FAI be binding on Police Scotland." Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said: "I note the independent decision of the Lord Advocate in relation to this case and my thoughts remain with the family and friends of Mr Bayoh. "As I have said previously, I am not ruling out the possibility of a public inquiry and that remains an option. I also made clear that I would first meet Mr Bayoh's family. I, and the First Minister, will do this tomorrow and I will update Parliament following that." A Crown Office spokesman said: "Following careful consideration and thorough review of all the available evidence, including submissions made on behalf of the family of the deceased, independent Crown Counsel has concluded there should not be a prosecution in this case. "Although the evidence currently available would not justify criminal proceedings, the Crown reserves the right to prosecute should evidence in support of that become available." David Kennedy, the deputy general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, said: "We continue to support the officers involved in this incident and hope that any public or fatal accident inquiry follows as soon as possible for all the parties involved."
Facebook has announced who will sit on an independent board, set up to have ultimate say over what controversial content should be taken down.
By Jane WakefieldTechnology reporter Former Danish prime minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt will co-chair the panel with three others. The panel said they will judge some of the "hardest cases out there." One expert said it was a bold experiment, but others were more cynical about how much difference they would make. In a blog announcing the oversight board, Facebook said it "represented a new model of content moderation". Initially consisting of 20 members, there are plans to expand numbers to 40. It will begin hearing cases later this year. At first this will just be deliberating on content that individuals feel has been wrongfully removed but, in following months, it will also look at appeals from users who want Facebook to remove content. Panellists will also review content referred to it directly by Facebook, and will be able to make policy recommendations based on its decisions. All decisions will be made public. "The cases we choose to hear may be contentious, and we will not please everyone with our decisions. Facebook and Instagram users come from all corners of the world, and the social or cultural context in which content is posted matters. We expect passionate discussion among members," the panel said. Co-chair Michael McConnell, a former US federal judge, said that the new method of judging content was an experiment and it was likely mistakes would be made, but he hoped that it would bring a "higher degree of political neutrality" to the platform. One of its main goals would be that Facebook "not decide elections", he said. But he added that the board would not be "the internet police" able to sweep in and make quick decisions. Instead it would concentrate on cases that affect large numbers of users, and those which affect public discourse or raise specific questions about Facebook's policy. Members are a mix of journalists, judges, digital rights activists and former government advisers from around the globe, including: Dr Bernie Hogan, from the Oxford Internet Institute, was not convinced that its members would wield any real power. "Fundamentally, Facebook is a corporation. Its veneer of governance is admirable and thorough, but the buck does not stop with a constitution, citizenship or human rights. It stop with Mark Zuckerberg and his vision for the future." Mark Stephens, partner at law firm Howard Kennedy, was more optimistic. "This is an unprecedented and innovative approach to governing the Facebook platform, with final authority over some of the most important content decisions moving to an independent oversight board. "Many will be cynical but this is the wrong response, due to the calibre of the board, the remarkably broad and deep scope of oversight and finally the board's complete independence."
For weeks, the UK's motor industry has been in suspended animation.
By Theo LeggettBusiness correspondent, BBC News Showrooms have been closed. Vast factories, which normally produce hundreds of cars every day for sale here and abroad, have been standing idle. But now the sector is slowly shuddering back to life. So far only a handful of factories have resumed operations, among them BMW's engine plant at Hams Hall, just outside Birmingham, Bentley's headquarters in Crewe, and Toyota's engine facility at Deeside, North Wales. Others will follow next week, including the BMW Mini plant near Oxford, Jaguar Land Rover's (JLR's) sites in Solihull and Wolverhampton, Ford's engine factories in Dagenham and Bridgend, and Vauxhall's van manufacturing facility in Luton. But Nissan's factory in Sunderland will remain closed until June, JLR has yet to say when its Castle Bromwich and Halewood plants will reopen, and it is a similar story with Vauxhall's other site at Ellesmere Port. The trend is broadly similar in Europe, where major manufacturers such as PSA Group, Renault and Daimler are slowly bringing plants back online. Among those that have already reopened is the world's largest car factory, Volkswagen's huge facility in its home town of Wolfsburg. Part of the problem is that although car companies can decide when to reopen their plants, and to what extent they can resume production, there are other factors that they cannot control. Notably, they don't know when showrooms will be allowed to reopen, and when customers will actually want to buy new cars. The earliest that showrooms could potentially unlock their doors again in England is 1 June, as that is the date that Prime Minister Boris Johnson has set for when "non-essential" retailers will hopefully be allowed to reopen. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have not put down target dates. Vauxhall's managing director Stephen Norman has told BBC Newsnight that he wants UK showrooms to open as soon as possible. In the meantime, car buyers in England will now be able to order a vehicle online, and then go and pick it up from outside a dealership, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) trade body said on Wednesday. But under this "click and collect" scheme, the showrooms will remain closed. The future, for an industry that it is claimed supports more than 800,000 jobs in the UK, remains deeply uncertain. The crisis in the car industry began in February, when the Covid-19 outbreak in China forced factories to close, and sales in the country - one of its biggest global markets - collapsed. As the disease spread, so too did the disruption. An outbreak in Italy and the introduction of lockdowns there threatened European supply chains, and worse was to come as further restrictions were put in place in France. By mid-March shutdowns in the UK had become inevitable. There were three main concerns for manufacturers. Parts supplies were drying up because much of what was needed came from abroad. At the same time, showrooms were closing, and companies were becoming increasingly worried about the health of their staff. "These factors were all coming together at the same time," explains Jim Crosbie, managing director of Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK. "Demand had obviously dropped away, we were starting to get concerns about supply, and then of course the government was clearly taking more strict measures around safety. "Since then, we've had a skeleton crew going into each plant, just to make sure equipment was ticking over." Car companies are accustomed to halting production lines from time to time, for maintenance, or to accommodate new designs, for example. But in this case, restarting the factories is much more of a challenge - largely because of the need to make them "Covid-safe" to protect staff from infection. Each manufacturer has its own plans. Vauxhall, for example, says it has put in place more than 100 measures to ensure the safety of employees at its plants in Ellesmere Port and Luton, when they reopen. Workers will have their temperatures checked on site, will wear safety glasses and masks, and will be expected to maintain a safe distance from one another. Similar steps are being taken at Toyota. The company restarted its engine plant on Deeside this week, to cater for demand from overseas markets. Its car assembly factory at Burnaston in Derbyshire is expected to resume work later this month. There is now a strong emphasis on maintaining social distancing in the factories. "We have floor markings in all areas, but we've also changed some of our processes," explains Toyota's Deeside plant boss Tim Freeman. "We've put screening up to segregate certain processes. And where our employees take their breaks in rest areas, we've limited the occupancy of those areas, and created some temporary additional rest areas." He says employees will also be given a "multi-tool" to do things like opening doors or operating push-button microwaves, in order to avoid touching surfaces that could harbour infection. All workers will have to wear masks and each of them will have an individual bottle of hand sanitiser to use. These measures, Mr Freeman stresses, have been drawn up in consultation with Unite, the factory workers' union. Unite representative Pete Tsouvallaris says he is very happy with the measures that have been drawn up. The problem now, he believes, is persuading shop floor staff that they really can come to work safely. Global Trade More from the BBC's series taking an international perspective on trade: "Many of our members are obviously worried because they haven't been on site yet," he says. "Those who have been on site and have seen the steps that are being taken are less concerned. But what really doesn't help is the mixed messages coming from the government. It's confusing." For Mr Tsouvallaris, the main concern is what happens when production gets under way in earnest. He is worried that workers might find it difficult to maintain all the new precautions. "Building cars is uncomfortable at the best of times," he says, "so what is going to happen when it gets hot and you're wearing masks and lots of PPE?" The risk, he says, is that if production rates rise too quickly workers might become careless. He thinks it is essential that managers stay "reasonable" with their demands. He is also worried about what could happen at smaller suppliers, who have smaller premises and fewer resources than the big car firms. Reopening factories is just part of the story, however. Although some cars are sold online or through other remote channels, most still find their way to buyers through dealer showrooms - and in the UK, those showrooms remain closed. So it is no surprise that the first factories to reopen are those supplying markets abroad. JLR's Solihull plant, for example, makes models that are popular in China - where sales are recovering. Graham Hoare, chairman of Ford of Britain, thinks it is vital that British showrooms are able to open as soon as possible. "Dealerships being open is a fundamental requirement to selling cars," he says. "The vast majority of our products go through dealerships. "Opening those dealerships… that really unblocks the cork out of the bottle that then allows the whole manufacturing system to flow. "That's already happened on the continent - in Germany and the rest of Europe. It's building, and we need to do the same here." People will only buy cars if they can afford them though, and with the economy expected to go into a steep recession, that can not be guaranteed. "Invariably, if consumer confidence is low, you're looking at tightening belts," admits Mike Hawes, chief executive of the SMMT. Nevertheless, he says it is essential that showrooms reopen soon. "If you reopen retail, you can stimulate demand… and that will help manufacturing. Do that right and the benefits in terms of the economy, and in terms of people's jobs and livelihoods will be felt pretty quickly."
A year group at a school in Wiltshire has been asked to self-isolate after a pupil and four staff tested positive for Covid-19.
Some 160 year 9 pupils at St Augustine’s Catholic College, Trowbridge are affected. The pupil was driven to school and “proper bubble measures have been followed”, Wiltshire Council added. The 14-day self-isolation period started on Saturday. All other year groups will return on Tuesday. The pupil is one of five positive cases associated with the school. The other four are a mixture of non-teaching and teaching staff who had limited contact with students and teachers, Wiltshire Council said. The local authority added that “all precautionary measures” had been followed and the school agreed to take “additional precautions”. Headteacher David Forster said: “I would like to reassure our parents we have been working closely with PHE and Wiltshire Council to ensure this is managed appropriately and the school is ready to reopen tomorrow. “Close contacts identified are now self-isolating for 14 days in line with government guidance. Those who are being asked to self-isolate will continue to carry out home learning so they can continue their studies." Kate Blackburn, director of Public Health for Wiltshire, said: “Public Health England and the school have completed a risk assessment, and we are taking a very precautionary approach to ensure we minimise the risk of any transmission in the school." She added that a "comprehensive cleaning regime was already in place" and they had "robust mechanisms in place to contain the infection and protect the health of the local community”.
The Church of England has consecrated its first female bishop during a ceremony at York Minster.
The Right Reverend Libby Lane, 48, was made Bishop of Stockport in front of more than 1,000 people. The Church formally adopted legislation last November to allow women bishops, following decades of argument over women's ordination. Archbishop of York John Sentamu, who led the service, said he had been "praying and working for this day". During the two-hour service Dr Sentamu and other bishops laid their hands on Bishop Lane and prayed. This was followed by lengthy applause. Writing in today's Yorkshire Post the archbishop said: "It is high time we had women bishops. I have been praying and working for this day. "In a few years' time when more and more women will be bishops, I predict we shall be wondering how we ever managed without them." However, in an indication that some Anglicans still oppose women's ordination, the service was briefly delayed by an opponent of the changes. The Rev Paul Williamson stepped forward shouting "not in the Bible" after the Archbishop of York asked the church if Mrs Lane should be ordained as a bishop. The second time Dr Sentamu asked the congregation, there was no opposition and the ceremony continued. A Church of England spokesman said of Mr Williamson, priest in charge of a church in Hanworth, Middlesex: "He's got the right to protest but the contrast was between a lone voice protesting and a sea of voices affirming." 'Very emotional' Bishop Lane had said the consecration would be a very "emotional" moment. She said: "It is a remarkable thing that this happens to me, and people have been very supportive of me personally, but actually this is about a moment in the Church's history." Speaking after the service her son Benedict said: "We've been building up to it now for a long time and it's satisfying that it has finally happened and we are finally here. "She's the best person for the job." Libby Lane has been vicar of St Peter's Hale and St Elizabeth's Ashley, in Greater Manchester, since April 2007. Analysis By Philippa Thomas, BBC News correspondent, in York At York Minster today I've met Anglican women bishops from the US, New Zealand, South Africa, Iceland, Sweden and Germany delighted to welcome her to their ranks. Retired Swedish bishop Christina Odenberg told me it was inevitable England would catch up. Meanwhile, long-time campaigner Christina Rees of Women and the Church said that, now the mother church had made this move, she felt other provinces of the Anglican Communion which had been holding back out of "deference" would follow suit. I was also struck by young journalist Carey Lodge of "Christian Today", who was born the year before the Church of England voted in favour of women priests. She said her friends were filling her social media space with tweets and updates revelling in what one woman is achieving today. All of them believed others would follow quickly. Libby Lane's former curate at Hale, Georgina Watmore, told me with a big beam on her face that she looked forward to the day when there would be a female archbishop - and "probably in my lifetime". Her consecration comes more than 20 years after women became priests in the Church of England. And it comes after the general synod gave the final seal of approval to the legislation on women bishops following its passage through Parliament last year. After the change was approved, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said that the Church was entering a "completely new phase of our existence". Who is the Right Reverend Libby Lane? Who is the Church of England's first female bishop? But divisions still remain between Anglicans who feel the change is consistent with their faith and traditionalists who disagree. Opponents of women bishops include some who place great importance on the laying on of hands by existing bishops in the consecration of new bishops, and wish to be looked after by bishops not affected by the involvement of women in this process. Church of England women priests 7,798 full-time C of E priests 1,781 are women 101 male C of E bishops 30 Anglican women bishops worldwide 21 years since first C of E women priests ordained A vicar from Blackburn used her service on Sunday to protest at changes being made to the consecration of the Bishop of Burnley next month. The laying on of hands on the Rev Philip North will be performed by other bishops but not by Dr Sentamu (who by then will have laid hands on Bishop Lane). Mr North opposes women bishops. Dr Sentamu said the changes to Mr North's consecration were made "for prayer, not politics". He pointed to the arrangements within the Church that "a suitable supply of bishops continues" for opponents of women's ordination. Gloucester, Oxford and Newcastle are among the dioceses where new bishops will also soon be appointed, while interviews for the vacancy as bishop for the Southwell and Nottingham diocese took place at the start of December. Anglican churches in Scotland and Wales already allow women as bishops, but have not appointed any yet.
Plans to turn a former coal mine in Warwickshire into a business park have been submitted by developers.
Daw Mill Colliery, near Nuneaton, closed in March 2013 with the loss of 650 jobs following an underground fire. Site demolition began in November. Owners Harworth Estates have sent plans for warehouses and office units to North Warwickshire Borough Council. It claims 1,400 jobs could be created. People living nearby have said they are worried about increased traffic. Ross Jones, who lives a mile away in Over Whitacre, is opposed to the plans. He said: "We have a road network here made up of all countryside B-roads which are just incapable of dealing with the amount of heavy goods vehicles that will be generated by this operation." Iain Thomson from Harworth Estates said it had held an "extensive consultation" into the future of the site which included a traffic study. "We will work with Warwickshire County Council, as the highways authority, on any required junction improvements...but this site is also rail connected and we are encouraging use of that." The firm said some existing colliery buildings would be retained and a memorial garden would be built to remember miners who had died. UK Coal announced a full restructuring of its mining operations in July, four months after Daw Mill closed.
Mark Rylance says he is unlikely to perform at the Royal Shakespeare Company unless it drops a sponsorship deal with BP.
By Luke JonesBroadcasting House, BBC Radio 4 Asked if he would work at the theatre, Rylance said "no, probably not". The oil giant is not "behaving ethically given the dangerous increase of climate change", Rylance told BBC Radio 4's Broadcasting House. BP says it is "proud to have supported UK arts and culture for over 50 years". 'Mixed economy' But Rylance accused the oil giant of trying to present itself as a "society-loving organisation, which I don't think they are". Rylance, who is an associate artist at the RSC, says artists are "being used to whitewash" the energy company. In July 2016, BP pledged £7.5m over five years to the Royal Opera House, British Museum, National Portrait Gallery and Royal Shakespeare Company from 2018. The RSC says sponsorship is an important part of its "diverse funding mix" and helps it "reach the widest possible audience". "BP is a publicly listed company," says Peter Mather, BP head of UK. "We balance our responsibilities to our employees, shareholders and the communities in which we operate." The chief executive of the Royal Opera House, Alex Beard, said cultural institutions such as his relied on a "mixed economy". A "three-legged stool" of box office receipts, philanthropic donations and corporate support "allows us to have a sufficient mix of funding that we can take our own decisions about what is right for our art and for our audiences", he said. Without the support of corporate sponsors, "we would frankly be diminished", he added. 'Selling revolvers' Arts publicist Mark Borkowski said as funding from government decreases, "we're going to have to move to a more aggressive American model" of relying on private and corporate support. "Ethically the pure argument of Mark Rylance's point of view is valid," he said. "I am sure that certain people will possibly boycott a show because they have seen a specific logo. But make no mistake if it is a top ticket or a hot show, people's ethics are left at home." Rylance says it is for audiences and artists to decide. "If there was someone round here selling revolvers in my neighbourhood or knives to the young people and said I'd like to sponsor your theatrical show I'd say no." For more on this story listen to Broadcasting House at 09:00 BST on Sunday 23 October, or catch up on iPlayer.
A man who allegedly punched the godson of former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in a dispute over same-sex marriage has been charged by police.
Mr Rudd shared a photo on Wednesday showing his 19-year-old godson, Sean, with a bloodied face. He said the teenager had been assaulted for "standing up for marriage equality". Australia is currently debating legalising same-sex marriage. Police said a man had been charged with assault and public nuisance offences. Mr Rudd claimed Sean had been attacked at a bus stop "for objecting when a man began ripping down rainbow banners and hurling verbal abuse". Police said the alleged attack happened in Brisbane on Tuesday and a 48-year-old man will face a court hearing next month. Australians began casting votes this week in a non-binding postal survey on whether to legalise same-sex marriage. The survey has been criticised by many same-sex marriage supporters for potentially exposing LGBT Australians to vilification. They say parliament alone should debate changing the law. On Wednesday, Australia passed legislation aimed at preventing hate speech during the survey, which ends in November.
A rare green heron, native to north and central America, has been spotted in Wales for what is believed to be only the second time.
The bird turned up in the garden of Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire MP Simon Hart, in Llanmill, near Narberth, Pembrokeshire. Posting an image on Twitter, he wrote: "Completely amazed to welcome a green heron to west Wales." Naturalist Iolo Williams said the sighting was "exceptionally rare". The birds are about 40cm (16in) tall - much smaller than grey herons more commonly seen in the UK - and are a brown and green colour. They normally live on the other side of the Atlantic and are widespread across their native countries of the United States and southern Canada. Wildlife TV presenter Mr Williams said of the sighting: "As far as I'm aware, I think there's only ever been two recorded in Wales. "I think there was one a couple of years ago in Anglesey and now this one has turned up in Llanmill down in Pembrokeshire, so it's no wonder it has got bird watchers in a flap." He said the green heron was likely to have ended up in Wales after being blown off course by recent westerly winds, adding: "Basically, it's got lost. "It's a lovely bird and it's well worth going to see. It's about 40cm tall, usually hunched up. "It has got its neck back in its body usually and skulks around, often amongst vegetation and it's a lovely mixture of greens and browns. Mr Williams said it was one of the few birds known to use tools. "It's been recorded as using bread - it will carry bits of bread that people throw on the floor, dip it in the water to attract fish and then catch the fish. "And then it will move on a little bit and put the bread back in the water, so they are fascinating little birds."
Fossil fuels are set to remain the dominant source of electricity across Africa over the next decade, according to a new study.
By Matt McGrathEnvironment correspondent Researchers found that around 2,500 power plants are planned, enough to double electricity production by 2030. But the authors say that less than 10% of the new power generated will come from wind or solar. The authors say that Africa now risks being locked into high carbon energy for decades. They argue that a rapid, decarbonisation shock is needed to cancel many of the plants currently planned. Until now, there has been a widely shared view that African countries would "leapfrog" directly to renewable energy sources, and away from old world coal, oil and gas. This has already happened with communications, where countries have invested in cellular technology and over 90% of people across the continent have access to a mobile service. But the new research indicates that this same sort of leap isn't likely to happen with green electricity over the next decade. By 2030, the study suggests that coal, oil and gas will continue to dominate the generation of electricity across 54 African countries, with just 9.6% coming from renewable sources, excluding hydro power. "We based our analysis on understanding the chances of the power plants that are currently being planned, being commissioned by the end of this decade," lead author Galina Alova from the University of Oxford told BBC News. "In the next few years, we see that renewable energy power plants have, for example, lower success chances than gas and oil." "We find that the success chances have been improving especially for solar, but for others like wind particularly, they're still quite modest." The researchers used machine learning to analyse the factors behind the success or failure of previous power plants. They then applied this knowledge to the 2,500 projects in the pipeline. One key element they concluded, is the size of the project. Bigger plants fail more often. The importance of size is seen in the experience of solar power in South Africa, "They have auctioned off a lot of quite small plants at the beginning to really get a lot of investors interested," said co-author Philipp Trotter, also from Oxford University. "As the first couple of rounds were successful, they ramped up the projects, they became a little bit larger. And you really see this transition starting to happen in one of the most fossil fuel dominated countries on the continent." South Africa is predicted to add almost 40% of Africa's total predicted new solar capacity by 2030. The same sort of success is not expected in other countries. In the Central African Republic and Gabon, the failure rate for all planned power plants was over 80%. Other key factors that influence the success or failure of electricity generation include the type of fuel used. The researchers predict hydro-electric installations will have the lowest chance of success of any fuel, at 61%. Despite the poor outlook for renewables, the authors say that there are a number of factors that could shift the odds in favour of green energy over the next decade. "Internationally, we're still using development finance for fossil fuelled plants," said Philipp Trotter. "The US is heavily investing in natural gas plants in Africa. If you redirect a majority of these funds to renewables, that is when you can really kick start them. That's especially important for a technology like wind, which hasn't really taken off yet in Africa. The authors also argue for more African governments to take ownership of renewable projects. The most crucial thing though, according to Galina Alova, is to act and act now. "There's still time to turn it around. But the deeper you go into the planning and construction stages of projects, the harder it would be to turn it around at large scale. So it's really important to act really fast." The study has been published in the journal Nature Energy. Follow Matt on Twitter.
A nun has told an inquiry she "slapped" children in her care at an orphanage but said she was "not aware" of beating a boy unconscious.
The 73-year-old was giving evidence to the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry about her time at Smyllum Park in Lanark. She was questioned over evidence from a resident who said he was given a "proper hiding" after he saw her and another nun embrace. Asked about the incident she said: " I can't remember it happening." The inquiry, sitting in Edinburgh, is continuing to hear evidence about the Lanarkshire institution. A number of former residents have told of beatings and ill-treatment at the home, run by the nuns of the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul. The nun, who wishes to remain anonymous, gave evidence about her time at the care home between 1969 and 1976. The boy, who was aged around six or seven, had said he was hit and kicked, had his hair singed by being held over an open flame on the boiler and passed out before waking to find himself black and blue. 'Serious attack' Colin MacAulay QC, counsel to the inquiry, asked the nun if this happened and she replied: "I'm not aware of it happening. I can only say what I remember. "That incident has shocked me but I can't remember it happening." Mr MacAulay said: "Is it at all feasible that you would have forgotten an event where you were involved in what seems would have been a serious attack on a young child?" She replied "I don't think I would have done", adding she was not leaving open the possibility she has blacked the memory out. The resident told the inquiry he was later "persecuted" by the nun who would "hit us and slap us when were least expecting it" and also hit him with a cricket bat. She denied the cricket bat incident and said she had "no recollection" of the other allegations. Physical punishment Questioned if she used corporal punishment on the children at the home, which closed in the 1980s, she said: "I did administer a slap on the legs or slap on the hand but I wouldn't have done any corporal punishment." She said it was "hard to know how to discipline the children" and nuns were encouraged to talk things through with them, but on occasions this was a "waste of time". She said she saw her staff carrying out physical punishment, adding: "It wouldn't have been just willy nilly, there would have been some reason for it." Questioned on force-feeding and evidence that children were punished for bed-wetting, the nun said some children who did not eat their food at one meal would have it heated up for the next to encourage self-discipline but said she was "not aware" of children being force-fed. She also told the inquiry there was an alarm system fitted to wake children up in the night when they wet the bed which was activated by urine but was aimed at "helping the child get up to the toilet". The inquiry, before Lady Smith, continues.
The "Nicki Minaj Challenge" is the latest viral craze sweeping across social media.
It started after the rapper filmed herself boarding a private jet to Prague in the Czech Republic. She struts across the runway and performs a reverse 360 degree turn before boarding the aeroplane. Nicki Minaj's original post has been viewed more than eight million times and spawned many copies, some of which she's shared on her social media. *Warning videos may contain adult language* Nicki Minaj posted the original video on Instagram Fans making their own versions of the video were mostly unable to board a private jet and had to use situations in their own lives. This fan decided to empty her bins Nicki Minaj style. Fsince95 and the Instagram post Kelz channelled is inner Nicki Minaj after collecting his food stamps. Kelz doing the Nicki Minaj challenge Prague, began trending worldwide on Twitter and Nicki Minaj shared her favourite re-enactments. Trippie Redd used the challenge to prepare him for a job interview Natyia want's the world to know she works hard. Natyia doing the Nicki Minaj challenge Find us on Instagram at BBCNewsbeat and follow us on Snapchat, search for bbc_newsbeat
Twelve yachts that will travel around the globe have set sail from Liverpool.
More than 700 amateur sailors - led by professional skippers - are involved in the 11th edition of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. They are expected to finish in Liverpool on 28 July next year. Race co-founder Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, who was the first person to sail solo and nonstop around the world, said: "This requires give and take - people aren't used to that these days." Thousands of people lined the waterfront as the fleet paraded on the River Mersey before starting the first leg of the race, which will end in Punta del Este, Uruguay. At more than 6,400 nautical miles, the initial stage is expected to take 35 days - making it the longest opening leg in the 21-year history of the race. The sailors either travel on certain legs of the race or navigate the whole 40,000 nautical miles. The ships will visit other cities including Seattle, Cape Town, and Qingdao. Sir Robin said: "They are going to have to settle down very, very quickly and get used to the fact that - for four or five weeks - they are in their little capsule and the nearest humans, apart from the other boats, will probably be the space station. "The biggest challenge they face isn't actually the sailing, it is getting used to living in a very tight and confined community." The race happens every two years. In 2015 it was overshadowed by the death of Andrew Ashman, from Kent, who suffered a neck injury during the first leg. His death was the first in the race's 20-year history but was followed by the death, later in the same race, of Sarah Young, from London, who was washed off the deck during the Pacific leg. Sir Robin described the deaths as "upsetting", adding: "These crews are aware of the need to take precautions all the time and never ever relax your guard. "Providing they do that they will come home safely." 'A great way of to kick off retirement' Among this year's participants is Tessa Hicks, from Wiltshire, who expects to celebrate her 60th birthday on the Southern Ocean. Having never sailed before race preparations, she said: "I'm getting close to retirement so it seemed like a great way to kick off my semi-retirement. "I went to medical school in my 40s when my children were all teenagers so I like to be busy and have challenges so why not the Clipper Race? "If you want to do something badly enough you will find the time to do it and make it work."