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Google has appealed to France's highest court after the country's data watchdog ordered it to delete some of its search results globally.
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In 2015, the Commission on Informatics and Liberty (CNIL) said Google should respect French "right to be forgotten" rulings worldwide.
But Google said the ruling could lead to abuse by "less open and democratic" countries.
The company is now appealing against a 100,000-euro (£76,000) CNIL fine.
What is the 'right to be forgotten'?
The "right to be forgotten" refers to a landmark ruling passed by the European Union's Court of Justice (ECJ) in May 2014.
It gives people the right to have results linked to their name removed from search websites, if they "appear to be inadequate" or "irrelevant".
Google says results can end up removed "even when those links point to truthful and lawfully published information like newspaper articles or official government websites".
Companies offering services to European citizens must comply with the ruling, even if their websites are not hosted in Europe.
Google said it had reviewed almost 1.5 million requests, of which about 40% resulted in the removal of a search result.
What has Google been ordered to do?
Google has previously said it does remove results when a valid "right to be forgotten" request is made.
However, it currently does not remove the affected search results from all versions of its website worldwide.
People using Google in Europe cannot find the deleted results using any version of the search engine - but people outside Europe can see the affected search results when they use a non-European version of the website such as google.com.
The CNIL wants Google to remove the affected search results globally.
It has pointed out it is relatively simple for Europeans to access international versions of Google and find the deleted results.
Why has Google refused?
Google has argued that a French authority such as the CNIL should not "impose measures outside of the nation's borders".
"For hundreds of years, it has been an accepted rule of law that one country should not have the right to impose its rules on the citizens of other countries," said Kent Walker, the company's general counsel.
In an open letter published in French newspaper Le Monde, Google said it had already received requests from countries to block content worldwide that was illegal locally.
"If French law applies globally, how long will it be until other countries - perhaps less open and democratic - start demanding that their laws regulating information likewise have global reach?" it said.
"This order could lead to a global race to the bottom, harming access to information that is perfectly lawful to view in one's own country.
"This is not just a hypothetical concern. We have received demands from governments to remove content globally on various grounds.
"We have resisted, even if that has sometimes led to the blocking of our services."
According to AFP, Google expects the Council of State, France's highest court, will take at least a year to review its appeal.
"We look forward to the court's review of this case," said Mr Walker.
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A lack of clarity from universities about how they will protect students who had to shield during lockdown "will pose further risk" to lives, the National Union of Students has warned.
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By Bethany DawsonBBC Ouch
It said a shortage of information about safe study, accommodation and support was "concerning" so close to term.
The government says universities should convey any plans "clearly" to students.
But some students fear they may have to shield in bedrooms and have called for more detail on safety measures.
Beth Bale has been shielding due to Crohn's Disease and a hormone deficiency and says she is concerned about the safety of accommodation and the possibility of a second wave.
"What if I get back to university and then four weeks in I'm asked to shield again and I can no longer access my kitchen or leave my room? My little box room will be all I have to ensure that I'm safe."
'Further risk to lives'
It is a fear echoed by many students among the 2.2 million people asked to shield by the UK government at the start of lockdown, which ended on 1 August.
But with just weeks before term begins, vulnerable students have said there has been little communication about what they can expect, in part, because universities themselves are grappling with an unprecedented situation.
The University of Surrey said it plans to "contact all new students" to see what support it can offer, and will try to meet specific accommodation requirements. But it said it doesn't actually have any plans in place yet.
The NUS said a "lack of clarity" from many universities about coronavirus measures was "concerning".
Sara Khan, who looks after student equality for the NUS, said: "Clear support pathways must be outlined for students moving into accommodation safely and accessing mental health services physically or remotely.
"A failure to put these plans into action will pose further risk to the lives of students, particularly shielding students."
The lack of specific information is something that worries Jennifer Geminiani who has been shielding for five months due to having the blood disorder Thalassemia, which can lead to complications in the body's organs.
She is about to start a master's degree in terrorism and politics at the University of St Andrews.
Rather than risk living in university accommodation she has decided to pay more for private housing, which she says gives her "security and certainty".
"I'm hoping that the student body will receive regular Covid-19 tests so that people can go safely and without worry to university."
She said her university life was already impacted by coronavirus before the summer break.
"I worked twice as hard as I used too, because I couldn't see my lecturers. I think what impacted me most was also not being able to see my friends. I love their presence, their ideas and thoughts."
Like Jennifer, Emma Beeden, a student at the University of Sussex, wants tangible safety measures put in place. She shielded following a kidney transplant.
"I am hoping the university as a whole will enforce mask-wearing as I know this is something that will make myself and others feel safer. I am sure the university has put lots of things in place, but it would be nice to know exactly what's going on."
The University of Sussex said its student support team would work with students who have long-term health conditions and those "anxious about returning to campus" to find "reasonable adjustments" for them.
But for those students who are on work placements as part of their degree, the worry around safety is just as acute.
Lauren Bradfield has Behçet's disease, which causes inflammation of the blood vessels and tissues.
As a second year student of paramedic sciences at the University of Surrey her hospital placement was cancelled at the start of lockdown to protect her health, but she is worried this will impact the completion of her degree.
"I am having to choose between my health and my career which is an awful decision to have to make. It feels almost impossible to plan going forward."
With just a few weeks to go before students leave the safety of their family homes there still remains a lot of uncertainty.
The Department for Education said universities are "autonomous institutions and we expect them to make judgements based on the latest public health guidance and communicate these clearly to students."
It said this includes carrying out risk assessments and it had "already seen a host of innovative measures being adopted, such as limiting travel times and student number rotas," although it did not say where these had been implemented.
While students anxiously await information that will ensure their safety, what has become clear is that post-lockdown learning is about far more than fine-tuning online lectures, it has also become a key lesson in health management.
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Nigel Farage has resigned as leader of UKIP having failed to gain the seat of Thanet South, losing out to Conservative candidate Craig Mackinlay.
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But he said he would consider running for the job again when the leadership contest is held in September.
Speaking about his defeat, he insisted he had "never felt happier", with a "weight lifted off his shoulders".
UKIP has won a 13% vote share in the election and has one MP, Douglas Carswell, who held his Clacton seat.
It puts the party in third place behind the Conservatives and Labour in terms of share of the vote.
Mr Farage said the results proved there needed to be a change to the voting system.
"Personally, I think the first-past-the-post system is bankrupt," he said.
"It is bankrupt because one party can get 50% of the vote in Scotland and nearly 100% of the seats, and our party can get 4 million votes and just one seat."
He added: "For those reasons there are a lot of angry UKIP people out there. They're not giving up on UKIP, but absolutely determined that we get a fairer, more reflective system."
The Nigel Farage story
On the eve of polling day, UKIP leader Nigel Farage told interviewers he would be "for the chop" if he failed to get elected in the Kent seat of South Thanet.
And so it proved, when he lost out to Conservative Craig Mackinlay by almost 3,000 votes.
While the self-styled leader of the purple "People's Army" will mourn the death of his dream, Mr Farage will doubtless take consolation in the party's transformation under his stewardship.
In full: The Nigel Farage story
Mr Farage claimed there was a new type of UKIP voter - predominantly working class, very much younger than before, and in particular young women now voting for the party.
He said he would keep his promise of standing down as leader following his defeat, but said he would not rule out the job in the future.
"There will be a leadership election for the next leader of UKIP in September and I will consider over the course of this summer whether to put my name forward to do that job again," he said.
He also said he would recommend Suzanne Evans, the deputy chairman, to be stand-in leader until the leadership challenge is complete.
UKIP failed to win the key target seats of Castle Point, in Essex, as well as Labour-held Great Grimsby. It also came third in Thurrock - another high priority seat.
Mark Reckless also lost out to Tory candidate Kelly Tolhurst in Rochester and Strood by 16,009 votes to 23,142.
He had represented the Kent constituency for the Conservatives from 2010 until switching allegiance to UKIP and beating Ms Tolhurst at last November's by-election.
Mr Reckless told reporters: "I always knew what I was doing was a risk but nobody should underestimate UKIP's achievement."
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On 12 April 1961, manned space travel escaped the pages of fanciful fiction and arrived blazing into the here-and-now.
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By Paul Rincon and Katia MoskvitchScience reporters, BBC News
The first space flight was a triumph for the Soviet Union and a political and diplomatic setback for the US.
But Yuri Gagarin was an instant history-maker whose achievement transcended the politics of the time.
He was born in the village of Klushino, outside Moscow; his father was a carpenter, while his mother worked as a milkmaid. His family, like many others, had suffered at the hands of the Nazis in World War II.
During the German occupation, the Gagarins were forced out of their home and had to live in a tiny "mud hut" nearby. Yuri's brother Valentin and his sister Zoya were deported to labour camps in Poland.
When the future cosmonaut was just 13, he moved with his family to the city of Gzhatsk. His father dismantled the house in Klushino, moved it to the city and rebuilt it there.
Friends and family remember a fun-loving boy, fond of pranks, but also keen on his studies.
Yelena Kozlova taught Gagarin botany while the future cosmonaut was at school in the city.
Now 91, she recalls that Yuri's favourite subjects were maths and physics: "No-one was able to resist his smile! And girls always liked him, too," she explained.
Gagarin initially graduated from trade school as a foundryman. But he later chose to pursue his studies, enrolling for a technical degree at the Saratov Technical College. While studying here, Gagarin learnt to fly with the local "aero club".
"When he was a student at the Saratov Technical College, he didn't have much money, and to make some extra cash he had to work part-time as a dock labourer on the Volga River - and he used the money to buy presents for his family," his niece Tamara Filatova told BBC News.
In 1955, Yuri Gagarin entered the Orenburg Pilot School, and upon graduation joined the Soviet Air Force as a lieutenant.
It was here that he met his wife, Valentina, a graduate of the Orenburg Medical School. Soon after the couple married, Gagarin began a tour of duty as a fighter pilot.
In 1960, Gagarin - along with 19 others - was selected as a candidate for the Soviet space programme.
"Gagarin was a very clever young man. He was head and shoulders above all the other cosmonauts," says Reg Turnill, the BBC's aerospace correspondent from 1958-1975.
"He was so quick to learn and had such an easy personality that he was very popular among the top brass, because he could be relied on to play ball and not to give away any secrets."
The pool of 19 was eventually whittled down to two: Gagarin and fellow test pilot Gherman Titov. Some have suggested that Gagarin's relatively humble background may have given him the edge over Titov.
On the morning of 12 April 1961, the 27-year-old Gagarin blasted off atop a 30m-high rocket from the Tyuratam Missile Range (now Baikonur Cosmodrome).
'Here we go'
The story goes that Gagarin yelled "poyekhali" ("here we go") as his rocket blasted off from Earth. For many, the line embodied the impatience of all those who had for decades dreamed of exploring space.
During the historic 108-minute orbital flight, Gagarin was able to consume food through squeeze tubes and kept mission control updated on his condition using a high-frequency radio and a telegraph key.
The mission came perilously close to disaster. During re-entry, cables linking the spacecraft's descent module to the service module failed to separate. This caused violent shaking during the fiery re-entry through the Earth's atmosphere.
Gagarin baled out before his capsule hit the ground and parachuted to a safe landing near the Volga River.
After the flight, the Soviets invited foreign news reporters to attend a news conference in Moscow. Communist Party representatives were on-hand to make sure Gagarin's answers did not stray off-message.
Gagarin was subsequently bestowed the title of Hero of the Soviet Union by the USSR's leader Nikita Khrushchev.
Overnight, Gagarin achieved international renown. He toured the world in style, signed autographs, rubbed shoulders with world leaders and kissed the Italian film star Gina Lollobrigida.
Burden of fame
Gagarin and his wife Valentina had two daughters - Galya and Lena.
But fame brought its own set of pressures. In the biography Starman, by Jamie Doran and Piers Bizony, acquaintances recount that Gagarin had always been a sensible drinker.
But his relentless public schedule inevitably led him towards social situations where he was expected to drink every time.
While at a resort in the Black Sea, Gagarin was apparently interrupted by his wife while he was in a room with another woman - a nurse called Anna.
The details are sketchy, but the night ended with Gagarin jumping out of a second-floor window. "He hit a kerbstone with his forehead. It was not a good landing," a source who remembers the incident recounts in Starman.
Nikolai Kamanin, head of cosmonaut training, was first to reach Gagarin. There was so much blood, Kamanin imagined the cosmonaut must have shot himself. The fall caused serious trauma to Gagarin's face, leaving a visible scar above his brow.
In the latter part of the decade, hopeful of returning to space, Gagarin began to focus on his training again.
In 1967, Gagarin was to have been back-up pilot to Vladimir Komarov on the Soyuz 1 mission which was to have seen a rendezvous between two Soviet spacecraft in orbit.
Some of those close to the mission apparently knew the Soyuz system had flaws. Komarov told friends he knew he would probably die, but would not back out because he did not want his friend Gagarin to be killed.
Final flight
Komarov's parachutes failed to open during re-entry in April 1967. He died when his spacecraft slammed into the ground.
On 28 March 1968, Gagarin was himself killed on a routine training flight. He was 34 years old.
His MiG-15UTI went into a dive and crashed into forest near the town of Kirzach, north-east of Moscow. Gagarin's co-pilot Vladimir Seregin was also killed. The cause of the crash is unknown, and many conspiracy theories have grown up in the intervening years.
Among the more credible theories is that proposed by fellow cosmonaut Alexey Leonov, who believes that a Sukhoi jet - flying below its minimum altitude - passed within metres of Gagarin's plane. This triggered turbulence which sent the MiG into a spin from which it did not recover.
Alternatively, a cabin air vent may have been left open by the crew or a previous pilot and this may have led to oxygen deprivation and an inability to control the aircraft.
Whatever the cause of the crash, since Gagarin's epochal flight in 1961, more than 500 people have flown in space.
They all follow in the footsteps of the slight young man from Klushino who took a leap into the unknown some 50 years ago.
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The policing of badger culling cost taxpayers more than £3m last year, new figures show .
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The government has allowed culling in 32 areas across 10 counties in England to tackle Bovine tuberculosis.
Devon and Cornwall Police spent the most of any force at £800,276, followed by Cheshire Police's £484,892 bill.
A spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the "average cost" of policing has "declined significantly".
He said Bovine TB "is the greatest animal health threat to the UK and costs taxpayers more than £100m each year".
Police forces are paid for the work by Defra, which released figures showing 32,601 badgers were culled in 2018.
The government is also considering other methods of eradication.
Cheshire West and Chester Council approved a badger vaccination programme last November, while a volunteer-run Cheshire Badger Vaccination Programme is also in operation.
Phil McCann, Cheshire Political Reporter
The government's been awarding licences to cull badgers, usually to groups of local farmers, since 2013.
Since then the cull has spread across England as licences have been extended.
But the practice is extremely controversial with patrols of campaigners protesting against it or trying to stop it, and police are often called in.
Officers are asked to investigate allegations of wildlife crime as well as violence and intimidation from both sides.
For those who've protested against the cull for the last six years, the policing cost is thought of as a huge waste of money.
And for those backing the cull, it's a necessary way of facilitating the fight against what the government says is "the greatest animal health threat to the UK".
A spokesman for campaign group Wounded Badger Patrol said he "saw at first-hand the extensive police operation", which "is a very wasteful use of local taxpayers' money".
"This is all very expensive police time and equipment being used to police a deeply unpopular, unethical, unscientific and ineffective cull."
He said there is "now a fully-functioning" vaccination programme and "absolutely no need for farmers and landowners to sign up to culling badgers".
A Defra spokesman said: "Our comprehensive strategy to eradicate it includes tighter cattle movement controls, more cattle testing and badger control in areas where the disease is rife."
Costs per force in 2018:
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Labrinth has said he turned down the opportunity to work with Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj to concentrate on writing his debut solo album.
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By Greg CochraneNewsbeat music reporter
The singer, who co-wrote Tinie Tempah's Pass Out and had a number two hit with Let The Sun Shine last year, said: "These guys have their careers, my one is still on its way."
He admitted the decision had not been easy.
"I'm not just looking to be famous and attach myself to famous names. I want to make history in the business in terms of creativity."
'Big song'
Labrinth, who was speaking to Newsbeat at the MusicConnex event in London, said: "It's not very easy to do that when you're trying to get somewhere.
"I could make a big song for Beyoncé but that's not saying it's going to be another creative Pass Out.
"If you're confident with something - which I'm confident with my thing - you can make that time out to make sure what you're doing is perfected."
Since Christmas Labrinth, whose real name is Timothy McKenzie, has been writing music in his studio.
He was nominated, alongside Tinie Tempah for an Ivor Novello award for best contemporary song yesterday (19 April).
The musician's had writing sessions with Ed Sheeran, Swedish House Mafia and Mike Posner.
Claude Kelly, who co-wrote Bruno Mars' Grenade, has also helped out.
Labrinth, the only non X Factor signing to Simon Cowell's SyCo label, said he has already been asked by his boss if they can use one of his album tracks during the new series of the US X Factor, which launches this autumn.
"They asked me for a song for that. They were like, 'Can we use one of the songs off the album for the new X Factor?'
"It's so funny. I'm not sure. I would love to do that - we're sorting it out at the moment."
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Lyndsey Rolston thought the group of children who lived near her West Midlands home were her friends.
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By Kathryn HamlettBBC News Online, West Midlands
But things changed.
The children, as young as four, started climbing up a tree near the Walsall home of Lyndsey, who has severe learning disabilities, shouting abuse at her and taking photos on mobile phones. They also smashed her collection of garden ornaments.
"I felt devastated," said 39-year-old Lyndsey's mother Patricia, who is also disabled.
"Lyndsey got so upset by it. She can't talk, and she would sit quietly on the sofa.
"It was just because she was different that they picked on her."
Across the West Midlands, there were 2,849 incidents catalogued as "hate crimes" in 2011-12.
Out of those 2,531 were connected to race, 52 to religion, 46 to disability and 10 to transgender people.
Police here now unusually want to see some crime statistics rise - by encouraging more people, particularly those with disabilities, to report bullying and anti-social behaviour.
In November, two sisters from Birmingham were jailed after plying a 22-year-old man with learning disabilities with cider and threatening him with a fake gun before forcing him to strip and sexually abusing him.
Nineteen-year-old Yasmine Notice and her 20-year-old sister Whitney filmed the abuse, which happened in February 2012 at their Nechells flat, on a mobile phone.
The photos were passed around friends, which led to them being caught by the police.
Difficult to detect'
"The sad thing is that it takes horrendous cases to happen to change things," PC Gary Stack, West Midlands Police's dedicated hate crime officer.
"This was an example of 'mate crime' - when the vulnerable person puts their faith in someone who then goes on to abuse them, and it makes it very difficult to detect."'
Last month, a national review into police, probation and the Crown Prosecution Service in England and Wales found disability hate crime was often "overlooked" and "under-reported".
The report was prompted after Fiona Pilkington killed herself and her disabled daughter Francecca Hardwick in Leicestershire in 2007 after repeated complaints to police about harassment by youths.
Disability charity Mencap has estimated as many as nine out of 10 people with a learning disability has been a victim of a hate crime.
"The people we work with can often have suffered bullying for most of their lives," said Jonathan Kean, from Creative Support, an organisation which provides social care services for people with learning disabilities, mental health issues and other needs.
"That's what they've come to expect and they don't see people making their lives a misery as unusual.
"That's what's so tragic."
The Creative Support staff are some of the latest to be trained by PC Stack on how to report hate crime on behalf of those who do not want to themselves - or are unable to.
More than 20 "third-party reporting centres" are now either running - or planned - across Birmingham for communities targeted by abusers, including the Deaf Cultural Centre, Mencap, the Healthy Gay Life group, the Handsworth Sikh Community and the Birmingham Chinese Society.
The advisors are trained to look out for signs of abuse and tell police on behalf of the victims.
"A lot of people don't know they can report crimes anonymously," said PC Stack.
'Spitting on him'
"And in many cases the victims just don't want a lot of fuss.
"One man who was blind who went to the Action For Blind centre, and while there mentioned he'd had some problems with some kids pushing past him at a bus stop and spitting on him.
"He said he'd sorted the problem himself - by buying a raincoat.
"Someone at the centre told us and we put PCSOs on bus routes, and the local school put teachers at the bus stop in the evenings and the abuse stopped. Even now, he doesn't know the police got involved."
West Midlands Police's success in improving the reporting of hate crime is now being copied by other forces, including Sussex Police who are now setting up similar contact centres.
However, officers say there is still a lot of work to be done.
"Many crimes - particularly targeting disabled people and also transgender people - still are under-reported," said PC Stack.
"Some of that is through distrust of the police, the fact they might not even realise they're being abused or they don't think anything can be done.
"When you speak to a transgender person, they will tell you they can experience five or six incidents a day - they're unlikely to report each of those."
For Mrs Rolston, reporting what happened to her daughter was the best thing she could have done.
"Lyndsey was put on the 'vulnerable persons list', which meant if there were any problems again they'd treat it as an emergency," she said.
"The police told the council, which cut back the tree, and the kids' parents were talked to.
"It improved things so much for us - I hope everyone gets the same opportunities."
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Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight has revealed plans for a ballet version of the hit Birmingham gangster TV show.
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The Oscar-nominated screenwriter said the Rambert dance company had approached him with plans for a ballet based on the Shelby crime family.
Knight also told the Birmingham Press Club he is planning three more series of the drama and is lobbying the BBC to film more of the show in his home city.
The last series was the most popular instalment of the BBC Two drama yet.
Knight, who is currently writing season five, said: "We are definitely doing [series] six and we will probably do seven. After series four it went mad.
"We've talked to [lead actor] Cillian Murphy and he's all for it, and the rest of the principal cast are in for it."
He revealed talks over a dance version of the show, saying: "I had a meeting with Ballet Rambert who want to do Peaky Blinders - The Ballet. I'm saying 'why not?'"
Knight said he was keen to use the show's success to promote Birmingham and wants more filming to take place in the city.
Previous episodes have been filmed elsewhere, with the Black Country Living Museum one of the only locations close to Birmingham.
"I'm trying to get series five shot here and trying to get as many Birmingham actors as I can in," he said.
"It's always bothered me that Birmingham didn't have that profile. It's a big city and it wasn't shouting about it.
"I'm sort of an evangelist for the city, so that was part of wanting to do it."
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He also hopes to create a massive film studio and production facility near the National Exhibition Centre.
"It's no secret that the plan is to build a six-sound stage studio in Birmingham, not because I want people to love Birmingham; it's a business," Knight explained.
He is in discussions with Birmingham City Council, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the BBC and West Midlands Mayor Andy Street and a formal announcement on the project is expected in the autumn of this year.
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Amnesty International has expressed alarm at reports that the authorities in Saudi Arabia are planning to execute dozens of people in a single day.
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The newspaper Okaz said 55 people were awaiting execution for "terrorist crimes", while a now-deleted report by al-Riyadh said 52 would die soon.
They are thought to include Shia who took part in anti-government protests.
Amnesty said that given the spike in executions this year, it had no option but to take the reports very seriously.
The group believes at least 151 people have been put to death in Saudi Arabia so far this year - the highest recorded figure since 1995.
In 2014, the total number of executions carried out was reported to be 90.
'Unfair trials'
The Saudi newspaper reports said those facing execution in the coming days included "al-Qaeda terrorists" and people from the Awamiya area.
The alleged al-Qaeda militants were accused of attempting to overthrow the government and carry out attacks using small arms, explosives and surface-to-air missiles, Okaz reported.
The Awamiya residents were meanwhile convicted of sedition, attacks on security personnel and interference in neighbouring Bahrain, it said.
Awamiya is a town in the Qatif region of oil-rich Eastern Province.
Since 2011, it has been the centre of protests by Saudi Arabia's Shia minority, which has long complained of marginalisation at the hands of the Sunni monarchy.
Among those at imminent risk of execution were six Shia activists from Awamiya "who were clearly convicted in unfair trials", according to Amnesty.
"It is clear that the Saudi Arabian authorities are using the guise of counter-terrorism to settle political scores," said James Lynch, Amnesty's Middle East and North Africa deputy director.
"Three of those six activists were sentenced for 'crimes' committed while they were children and have said that they were tortured to confess."
The three juvenile offenders are Ali al-Nimr - whose case sparked a global outcry earlier this year - Abdullah al-Zaher and Hussein al-Marhoon.
On Tuesday, the mothers of five of the six activists wrote to King Salman, imploring him to grant clemency, after learning that their sons had been subjected to a "random" medical examination. They believed it was a sign of impending execution.
Four of the five have been kept in solitary confinement, in a wing housing death row inmates, since being moved to al-Hair prison in Riyadh in early October.
"These executions must not go ahead and Saudi Arabia must lift the veil of secrecy around its death penalty cases, as part of a fundamental overhaul of its criminal justice system," Mr Lynch warned.
Last month, the UK foreign secretary said he did not expect Ali al-Nimr - the nephew of a prominent Shia cleric also sentenced to death - to be executed.
Saudi Arabia argues that death sentences are carried out in line with Sharia and with the strictest fair trial standards and safeguards in place.
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Boris Johnson has rejected calls to boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics over China's treatment of the Uighur people.
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At Prime Minister's Questions, Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said genocide was "happening in front of our eyes".
Mr Johnson said the UK was "leading international action in the UN to hold China to account".
But he rejected Sir Ed's call for Team GB to stay away from the Beijing games, saying the UK did not "normally" support sporting boycotts.
The British Olympic Association (BOA) said it "fully supported" the prime minister's position.
"We do not believe that boycotting the Olympic Winter Games is the right solution and feel that the athletes who have trained all their lives for this moment should be able to go and compete and represent their country," a BOA spokesperson said.
"As we saw in Moscow in 1980, sporting boycotts don't work. They penalise the athletes whilst leaving the greater political problems unaddressed or unsolved."
The British Paralympic Association said it "strongly condemns any violation of Human Rights in any country".
But a spokesperson added that "a boycott would only serve to punish the athletes who have worked so hard to qualify and compete at Beijing 2022".
"Government representation at the Games is very much a matter for them to decide," they added.
Sir Ed Davey has written to the heads of the BOA and the British Paralympic Association calling on them to withdraw their athletes, unless China closes detention camps in Xinjiang and ends the "ethnic cleansing of Uighurs".
He also calls for the end of Uighur forced labour, torture, sexual assault and other human rights abuses.
'Gagged'
In the letter, seen by the BBC's Sports Editor Dan Roan, Sir Ed says: "The teams you send are the nation's best athletes and under no circumstances should we allow them to be used as propaganda for the Chinese Communist Party given what we know is occurring in Xinjiang."
If British athletes are sent to the games, he adds, they should "not be gagged from speaking out against the Chinese regime", despite International Olympic Committee (IOC) rules preventing athletes from protesting at Olympic venues.
China has consistently denied allegations of human rights abuses against the Uighurs - a Muslim minority group which lives mostly in the Xinjiang region - insisting camps there were "vocational educational and training centres".
But more than 180 organisations have called on governments to boycott Beijing 2022, which the World Uyghur Congress described has described as "a genocide Olympics".
Dorjee Tseten of Students for a Free Tibet, one of the groups that signed the letter, told the BBC: "It is unfortunate that history is repeating what happened 82 years ago with the Nazi Olympics in 1936."
'Appalling campaign'
IOC vice president Dick Pound said earlier this month that barring athletes from participating in the event would be "a gesture that we know will have no impact whatsoever".
In October, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab suggested the UK could make an exception to this rule, given the scale of the human rights abuses in China's Xinjiang province.
Raising the issue in the House of Commons, Sir Ed said: "Today millions of Uighur people in China live in fear under a cruel regime.
"The BBC, international media and human rights NGOs are all reporting on forced labour camps, women being raped and sterilised and families being separated. This is a genocide happening in front of our eyes."
Mr Johnson said Sir Ed was "right to highlight the appalling campaign against the Uighurs in Xinjiang".
"That's why the foreign secretary has set out the policies that he has, the package of measures to ensure that no British companies are complicit in or profiting from violations," he added.
"We're leading international action in the UN to hold China to account and will continue to work with the US friends and partners around the world to do just that."
But he added: "We're not normally in favour of sporting boycotts in this country and that's been the long-standing position of this government."
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Police hunting for a convicted murderer who escaped custody in Liverpool have arrested four men in Dorset.
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Armed officers hunting for Shaun Walmsley detained them during a swoop on a car in the Canford Cliffs area of Poole on Friday afternoon.
Eyewitnesses reported loud bangs and pink smoke as police cars blocked the Vauxhall Corsa's escape in Haven Road.
Walmsley, 28, escaped during a hospital visit last month. On Saturday night, police said the men had been released.
The Merseyside force said the arrested men - two 24-year-olds, both from Toxteth, a 25-year-old from Maghull, and a 25-year-old from Vauxhall - had been freed "pending a disposal decision".
A Dorset Police spokesman said: "During the planned operation, specialist officers discharged tyre deflation rounds directly into the tyres to stop the vehicle and arrest the four men.
"Nobody was injured in the incident and no other weapons were discharged."
The men were arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender and taken for questioning in Merseyside.
Walmsley was getting into a cab with prison officers outside Aintree Hospital on 21 February when he was sprung from custody by two armed men.
He is one of four men serving life sentences for the "vicious and savage" stabbing of Anthony Duffy in 2014.
Described as "highly dangerous", he was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 30 years.
Related Internet Links
Dorset Police
Merseyside Police
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Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has received mixed reviews from critics ahead of its release this weekend.
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The film had been widely praised by fans after its first screening in New York last week.
But critics have not been so positive about the long-awaited movie, which stars Ben Affleck as Batman and Henry Cavill as Superman.
"This superhero-smorgasbord melts into an electric soup of CGI," Kate Muir wrote in the Times.
"Effects are so overused that any conviction explodes in a giant fireball - indeed endless fireballs. The result is an enervating two and a half hours."
A number of other reviewers also picked up on the film's long duration.
The Sun described it as "insanely long", while the Guardian said it is "both overstuffed and abnormally extended".
"No major blockbuster in years has been this incoherently structured, this seemingly uninterested in telling a story with clarity and purpose," wrote Robbie Collin in the Telegraph.
The BBC's Mark Kermode described it as a "crushing disappointment".
However, some critics were kinder about the film, which sees Wonder Woman - played by Gal Gadot - make her big-screen debut.
Geoffrey Mcnab, in the Independent, praised "the eye-popping spectacle, the brilliance of some of the action sequences, and the full-blooded performances" of the cast.
However, he summarised the film as ultimately being "too convoluted for its own good".
Similarly, Empire noted: "There are moments that make the whole enterprise worthwhile, and [the film] introduces an intriguing new Batman. But it's also cluttered and narratively wonky, a few jokes wouldn't have gone amiss, either."
Wired said the film was "more thematically ambitious and memorable than many other superhero movies", but added the film eventually "falls apart".
Rotten Tomatoes, which works out average scores for films based on multiple reviews, listed Batman v Superman on Friday as having received an average mark of 5.1 out of 10, based on 207 reviews.
But fans have been much kinder to the movie in comments posted on social media.
Ben Kahn tweeted: "Lots to process and think about, but overall BvS is an excellent movie."
"I was pretty impressed by Batman v Superman. Everyone went crazy for Wonder Woman, she was amazing," wrote Swati Teerdhala.
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A programme to test if key workers with no symptoms of Covid are unknowingly spreading the virus has been launched.
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Swindon Borough Council is testing carers and other people who cannot work from home in an attempt to break chains of transmission.
All 1,500 appointments at Foundation Park and Waterside Park are by appointment only.
About one in three people who have the virus display no symptoms.
Steve Maddern, Swindon Borough Council's director of public health, said of about 100 tests undertaken since Monday none had shown a positive test.
He said that was "really positive to see" and that shows that community transmission was declining.
The tests generate results within about half an hour and do not require laboratory equipment.
All people with forthcoming appointments have been contacted but the council said it was hopeful of offering more tests as capacity increases.
Tim Saint, 51, from Swindon, who works helping carers, said he was happy to be able to give people "reassurance" after he tested negative.
Brian Ford, Swindon Borough Council's cabinet member for adults and health, said: "It's been all hands on deck to get the symptom-free testing programme up and running over the last few weeks.
"Although we are in lockdown, there are still a number of residents who continue to go into work to support the essential services we all rely on."
Related Internet Links
Swindon Borough Council
Coronavirus (COVID-19) - NHS
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Proposals for the regeneration of Aberdeen city centre have been published .
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Councillors will consider the masterplan framework, from consultants BDP, on Wednesday 24 June.
Included among dozens of proposed projects is the pedestrianisation of part of the city's main Union Street.
Scott Mackenzie, director of architecture at BDP, said the proposals were "imaginative, transformational and challenging."
He said: "Councillors have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to back a programme that will transform Aberdeen city centre.
"The people of Aberdeen have been very clear in detailing what they believe will work and is required to maintain its position as one of this country's key destinations.
"This project could help deliver an additional 5,500 jobs approximately and add nearly £280m to the city's gross annual income, whilst transforming the way in which Aberdeen is viewed by the outside world, building on its reputation as the UK's oil capital to become an internationally distinctive business destination anchored by a city centre worthy of a global city."
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The new home secretary, Priti Patel, has said she wants criminals to "literally feel terror" at the thought of breaking the law.
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In her first interview in the role, Ms Patel told the Daily Mail she hoped more officers on the streets would make criminals fearful.
She also distanced herself from past comments supporting the death penalty.
Labour said the Conservative Party didn't understand "tough rhetoric will not bring an end to soaring crime".
Ms Patel was appointed home secretary in July, when Boris Johnson became prime minister and overhauled the cabinet.
Her interview comes after she and Mr Johnson announced last week the recruitment of 20,000 more police officers in England and Wales.
These extra officers will replace the 21,732 police officers lost since 2010, when the Conservatives came to power.
Ms Patel told the Mail: "I've always felt the Conservative Party is the party of the police and police officers.
"Quite frankly, with more police officers out there and greater police presence, I want [criminals] to literally feel terror at the thought of committing offences."
She added: "My focus now is restating our commitment to law and order and restating our commitment to the people on the front line, the police.
"The key thing is that we empower them to stop criminality."
Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott said evidence showed that "a public health approach" was needed to reduce violent crime, rather than the Tories' "tough" approach.
"In this country we have prided ourselves on policing by consent," she said.
"We need more officers and resources for the police to work with our communities, not to risk alienating them with draconian powers."
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Ed Davey said Ms Patel's comments showed she was "out of touch" with what was leading some young people into crime.
"So often, young people say they carry knives because they are afraid of other young people in gangs," he said.
"We need more police so these young people can feel less afraid, as they now trust the police to be there, not because the police add to their fears."
Asked about her views on capital punishment - after she previously made comments in support of it - Ms Patel said: "I have never said I'm an active supporter of it and [what I said] is constantly taken out of context."
In 2011, Ms Patel spoke about the death penalty on the BBC's Question Time, where she said: "I do actually think when we have a criminal justice system that continuously fails in this country and where we have seen murderers, rapists and people who have committed the most abhorrent crimes in society, go into prison and then are released from prison to go out into the community to then re-offend and do the types of crime they have committed again and again.
"I think that's appalling. And actually on that basis alone I would actually support the reintroduction of capital punishment to serve as a deterrent."
Ms Patel was elected as MP for Witham in 2010.
She held ministerial posts in the Treasury and the Department for Work and Pensions, before being promoted international development secretary by Theresa May.
But she left the international development role in 2017 after holding unauthorised meetings with Israeli officials.
Since then, the prominent Brexiteer has been on the backbenches and supported Mr Johnson in the Conservative leadership contest.
The campaign to hire 20,000 more police officers will begin in September, Downing Street has previously said.
Earlier this week, the Home Affairs Committee said schools in areas with a higher risk of youth violence should be given dedicated police officers.
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JK Rowling says she's 'thrilled' to have picked up the outstanding contribution prize at the British Book Awards.
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"Twenty years ago I would hardly have believed I'd have a book published, let alone an accolade as wonderful as this," she said.
The Harry Potter and the Cursed Child script, which she created with John Tiffany and Jack Thorne, was 2016's biggest seller.
Every year Rowling has released a new Potter tale, the book market has grown.
In 2007, final Potter book The Deathly Hallows took the sector to an all-time high of £1.79bn.
Rowling paid tribute to the book industry behind the awards: "Tonight is really all about you, the booksellers, without whom of course there would be no bestsellers.
"I want to thank you all for supporting my books throughout the years - this award is really for you! Thank you!"
But Harry Potter and the Cursed Child failed to win best children's book of the year.
It was beaten by mythical teen novel The Girl of Ink and Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave.
Word-of-mouth hit The Essex Serpent was the overall winner at the trade awards, also known as the Nibbies, taking the coveted book of the year title.
Sarah Perry's gothic novel went on to become a Waterstones Book of the Year and sold over 200,000 copies - 40 times more than the initial sales target.
"I am absolutely delighted the extraordinary work of my team at (publisher) Serpent's Tail has been honoured in this way. It's a prize for everybody. The team understood everything I wanted to achieve - and they achieved it for me," Perry said.
Astronaut Tim Peake triumphed with a win in the non-fiction: lifestyle category for his collection of images of planet Earth taken from the International Space Station in Hello, is this Planet Earth?
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected].
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Two poultry factories alleged to have committed hygiene breaches have been rated as "good" and "satisfactory" by the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
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Urgent audits were ordered to be carried out at two sites belonging to 2 Sisters Food Group after allegations were made by the Guardian newspaper.
The plants in Llangefni, Anglesey and Scunthorpe were subject to "detailed and rigorous" audits, the FSA said.
2 Sisters Food Group said it was "satisfied" with the findings.
The audits were carried out last Friday but the initial results have only just been made public.
'No risk'
The audits came after a series of allegations in the Guardian, including one that carcasses that had come into contact with workers' boots had been returned to the production line.
The FSA said: "Initial results from these two detailed and rigorous audits showed the plant at Scunthorpe as 'good' and the plant at Llangefni as 'generally satisfactory'.
"The FSA will publish the completed audits in due course."
A spokesman for Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who ordered the audits, said last week that an FSA review of the Guardian's evidence found there was "no risk to public health".
2 Sisters Food Group denied the Guardian's allegations, calling them "untrue, misleading and inaccurate".
Biosecurity
Chief executive Ranjit Singh said: "We welcomed these audits and we are pleased the FSA has worked with typical rigour and thoroughness.
"We are satisfied with their findings which show that no legislative compliance issues were raised.
"However, we must not be complacent. We operate our business in an environment of continual improvement and we will be carrying on with that to ensure we produce first-class British products for all of our customers."
Another company named in the Guardian's investigation, Faccenda Foods, said claims that it ignored biosecurity rules were not true.
Three of the UK's biggest supermarkets - Tesco, Sainsbury's and Marks and Spencer - launched investigations into their chicken supply chains following the reports.
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India will launch its vaccination drive against the coronavirus on 16 January, the government has announced.
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PM Narendra Modi called it a "landmark step" and said the aim was to vaccinate 300 million people by July. India has a population of 1.3 billion.
Healthcare staff and frontline workers will be among the first to receive doses, he added.
India has recorded the second-highest number of Covid-19 infections in the world, after the US.
Since the pandemic began it has confirmed more than 10.3 million cases and nearly 150,000 deaths.
The country's drugs regulator has given the green light to two vaccines - one developed by AstraZeneca with Oxford University (Covishield) and one by Indian firm Bharat Biotech (Covaxin).
"Starting that day [16 January], India's nationwide vaccination drive begins," Mr Modi tweeted on Saturday. "Priority will be given to our brave doctors, healthcare workers [and] frontline workers."
A government statement said that next in line for the jab would be people aged over 50 and anyone under 50 with serious underlying health conditions.
Indian health officials have already staged mass trials at vaccination centres across the country. Training has been given to about 150,000 staff in 700 districts.
Saturday's announcement came days after experts raised concerns over India's emergency approval of Covaxin before the completion of trials.
Health watchdog All India Drug Action Network said there were "intense concerns arising from the absence of the efficacy data" as well as a lack of transparency that would "raise more questions than answers and likely will not reinforce faith in our scientific decision making bodies".
India's Drugs Controller General, VG Somani, insisted Covaxin was "safe and provides a robust immune response".
"The vaccines are 100% safe," he said, adding that side effects such as "mild fever, pain and allergy are common for every vaccine".
The regulator said the vaccine had been approved for "restricted use in emergency situation in public interest as an abundant precaution, in clinical trial mode, especially in the context of infection by mutant strains".
Krishna Ella, chairman of Bharat Biotech, said the approval of Covaxin had not been rushed.
"Under Indian laws we can get emergency approval for the vaccine based on fulfilling five parameters after Phase 2 trails. That is what has happened with our vaccine. So it is not a premature approval," he said.
"We will complete the Phase 3 trials soon and provide the efficacy data for the vaccine by February."
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In the past two decades thousands of North Koreans have fled their homeland, seeking refuge in the South. So why are some now deciding to return?
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By Lucy WilliamsonBBC News, Seoul
Kim Hyung-deok met his wife at South Korea's top university, has two children and a successful career. He has a house in the countryside outside Seoul and a taste for sharp suits.
Hyung-deok was born in North Korea, but about 20 years ago escaped to the South. He is one of about 25,000 to do so in the past two decades.
It is a long and dangerous journey, but once defectors arrive South Korean citizenship is guaranteed.
Yet a small number, Hyung-deok among them, are intent on returning to their repressive homeland.
Family separations
"It might look as if I've succeeded in South Korea," Hyung-deok says, "but I haven't really, because my parents and siblings are still in the North, and I haven't been able to see them.
"It's only natural for me to try to find ways to visit North Korea - openly and legally."
A few years ago, Hyung-deok travelled to the North Korean embassy in China and said he wanted to go back for a "holiday".
"At the time, relations between the two Koreas were quite good, and South Koreans were able to visit North Korea," he says.
"Yet no-one who actually came from the North had tried to do it - I was the first. When they learned that I was a defector, they got very angry."
Hyung-deok says that he is planning another attempt to enter North Korea next year.
It is illegal for South Korean citizens, including defectors, to have any direct contact with the North - no phone calls, no emails, no letters.
Defectors with family left behind often push for warmer relations between the two governments, in the hope of seeing them again.
River crossing
Because of the tightly-patrolled frontier between the two Koreas, most fugitives from the North escape across the river border with China.
That's also where Kim Gwang-ho arrived, 18 months ago, but to re-defect to North Korea.
Gwang-ho had left South Korea after getting into financial difficulty. His plan was to swim across the river, but he had his wife and child with him and decided the current was too strong.
So instead he visited the North Korean consulate. It took him a week to persuade them he was serious.
Gwang-ho and his family were taken to Pyongyang and paraded in front of a press conference organised by the regime.
He said people who escaped to South Korea were the "victims of human rights activists, conspiring against the North Korean state".
South Korean government figures state that 13 defectors have returned to the North since they started arriving in the South 20 years ago, but activists say many more have re-defected unofficially.
There are questions over whether the North Korean state has a role in forcing people to return, and defectors in the South fear what sort of information might be passed on by those going back.
For Gwang-ho, initially it seemed life in the South was a distant memory - its capitalist democracy reviled and criticised. But a few months later, he decided he wanted to go back.
'Desperate story'
However, once there, he was hauled in front of a South Korean judge and asked about his erratic behaviour.
His lawyer cited financial problems in the North. Other reports suggest he feared for his safety. The court jailed him for three years for "entering North Korea and revealing classified information about other defectors, and about South Korea's methods of investigation".
The BBC was denied permission to visit Gwang-ho.
We wrote to him instead and, in his reply, he explained that the press conferences arranged by North Korea to showcase returned defectors are compulsory. This is my "real and desperate story", he wrote.
Finding a place in South Korean society is not easy for defectors.
Unemployment among them is more than three times the national average. Some surveys suggest more than half experience depression, and that 25-30% of young defectors have considered leaving South Korea because they feel they don't fit in.
Like other defectors, Son Jung-hun got a package of government support on arrival in South Korea, including a flat. But debt problems have meant bailiffs have taken his fridge and washing machine. Now, his meagre food rations are stored on the unheated balcony.
Jung-hun has appealed to the South Korean government for official permission to return home.
'Eating rats'
"Over the years I've noticed the political indifference towards defectors here in the South," he tells me.
"There have been days when I ask myself why I chose to come here in the first place. Anywhere a North Korean defector goes, he could face difficulties and discrimination."
But, for every defector returning home, many thousands more have no intention of ever going back, saying they suffered harsh punishment and repression in their homeland.
One North Korean defector I met fled to Seoul a year ago, after she was released from imprisonment at North Korea's prison camp Number 12. She had been held after exchanging some foreign currency with a Japanese national and accused of espionage.
The woman describes seeing large maggots crawling around the camp that had grown out of corpses.
"People would dash for them, grab them and put them in their pockets. Later, they would eat them," she says.
"Others would capture rats and eat them raw. I remember their mouths covered in blood. I saw so many people killed for breaking very minor rules. In my cell alone, three people were killed within a month."
UN investigators recently found "abundant evidence of crimes against humanity" committed by the regime, and said North Korea should face international justice.
North Korea denies allegations of torture made by defectors, and the existence of prison camps, and refused to allow UN investigators access to the country to gather evidence.
When the first defector from the North arrived in South Korea 20 years ago, there were huge celebrations, and huge expectations.
Both governments talk about the need for reunification, but the lesson provided by South Korea's defectors is stark - if integrating 20,000 North Koreans is so difficult, what will happen when it's time to absorb 20 million of them?
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The main opposition in Sri Lanka has warned of 'massive protests' if the executive president attempts to 'unlawfully appoint'
a top parliamentary official.
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The United National Party (UNP) urged President Mahinda Rajapaksa to re-activate the Constitutional Council (CC) before appointing
a new Secretary General for the parliament.
The term of current Secretary General of the parliament, Priyani Wijesekara, ends on 31 March.
Parliament's Secretay General
The president should only make a new appointment based on a recommendation by the CC, according to the 17 amendment to Sri
Lanka's constitution.
The CC is yet to be re-activated by the president though the minor parties in the parliament recently agreed to nominate former
Auditor- General, CS Mayadunne, as their representative.
UNP parliamentarian Ravi Karunanayake told BBC Sandeshaya that it will be 'ridiculous' if the parliament allows the president
to violate its own legislations.
The UNP has no other option, he said, but to resort to massive protests against it president by passes the CC to appoint a
new Secretary General for the parliament.
The former Commerce Minister of the UNP-led government added that it is the responsibility of the government to make sure
that tax reliefs offered by the EU will be renewed for another term.
GSP+ scheme
Investment Promotion Minister GL Peiris earlier told journalists that 'interested parties' are working on a 'secret agenda'
to discredit the government's record on human rights.
The Generalised System of Preferences plus-scheme (GSP+) is the ultimate target of those parties, Prof. Peiris added.
Mr. Karunanayake said it was he who negotiated the GSP+ with the EU as a 'reward' for the human rights and good governance
record.
He admitted Prof. Peiris, who was minister of the then UNP-led administration, did play a role in securing the deal.
"Many countries such as Bangladesh and Pakistan are also eyeing for the GSP+. The government should focus on improving human
rights than looking for scapegoats," Ravi Karunanayake told BBCSinhala.com.
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India's dramatic move to scrap 500 ($7.60) and 1,000 rupee notes is poor economics, a leading economist says.
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Soutik BiswasIndia correspondent
Kaushik Basu, the former chief economist for the World Bank, says the "collateral damage" is likely to outstrip its benefits.
The overnight ban on the notes last week was intended to crack down on corruption and so-called "black money" or illegal cash holdings.
But it sparked scenes of chaos outside banks and ATMs.
Low-income Indians, traders and ordinary savers who rely on the cash economy have been badly hit with hordes thronging banks to deposit expired money and withdraw lower denominations. As the anger mounted, the government raised limits on cash withdrawals on Sunday.
But some economists say the move will have a limited impact as people will simply begin to accumulate black money in the new currency as soon as that becomes available.
The government hopes this will bring cash worth billions of dollars in unaccounted wealth back into the economy. The two notes accounted for more than four-fifths of the currency in circulation.
Prof Basu, who now teaches at New York's Cornell University, says India's Goods and Services tax, was "good economics, but demonetisation is not".
"Its economics is complex and the collateral damage is likely to far outstrip the benefits," he says.
What Prof Basu, who was chief economic adviser to the previous Congress government, means is that this "demonetisation" just witnessed in India is at best, a one-time flushing out of the system and the return of black money is likely if not inevitable.
Many economists say the costs of such a one-time "flush" will be huge.
They say hundreds of thousands of ordinary people (including farmers who do not even have bank accounts) who hold cash but not black money will get caught out and the fear of harassment by officials could trap them in a bureaucratic net they don't know how to deal with.
So it is possible that all this achieves is a sudden curtailment in the total money supply, effectively a kind of contraction of the economy.
'Helicopter drop'
Economists have long talked about "helicopter drop" of currency - printing large sums of money and distributing it to the public in order to stimulate the economy.
India's decision to scrap high denomination notes is simply the reverse and according to economist Prabhat Patnaik the government's move "betrays a lack of understanding of capitalism".
"Typically, what happens in capitalism in a situation like this is that there would be a new business opening up about how to change old currency notes into new ones... A whole range of people would come up who will say you give us 1000 rupees and we will give you 800 rupees or 700 rupees or whatever. Consequently, instead of curbing black business it will actually give rise to the proliferation of black business," he told The Wire news site.
But not all experts agree that it is such a risky move.
"India now operates under a monetary policy regime known as inflation targeting. If a portion of the stock of currency in circulation, consisting of currency and demand deposits gets 'burned', metaphorically or literally, the Reserve Bank of India, the central bank, can in principle fully offset this through what economists call 'open market operations'," Vivek Dehejia says.
"These involve purchasing bonds from the markets and injecting money (and therefore liquidity) into the markets in return. This is standard operating procedure for central banks."
To put it more simply: suppose a warehouse of cash owned by someone goes up in flames and the money stock drops. The central bank, economists say, can augment the money stock.
The loser is the individual whose money went up in flames - in other words, by analogy, someone holding illicit unaccounted cash that cannot be converted into new currency or deposited.
"There will be short run adjustment costs as the old notes are replaced by new ones, but I see no medium to long term impacts on growth, inflation or other pertinent macroeconomic variables," says Prof Dehejia.
"The gains will be a one-time tax on black money and a possible disincentive for future black money accumulation, in the event that there is a prospect for future demonetisations."
He, for one, is confident this move will achieve what it needs without damaging the economy.
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"At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, my revenue stream evaporated in six days," says Sara Taylor.
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By Siobhan Wornell & Katie PrescottBBC News
Ms Taylor runs an events management company. It's been voted the worst industry to be working in during 2020 by the website Reddit, because of the impact of the lockdown.
She did not qualify for any of the government support for people who had lost their incomes during the pandemic, so she took a mortgage holiday - a payment deferral - to cut her outgoings as much as possible.
Ms Taylor is far from alone. One in six mortgage holders, or nearly two million people, have suspended their payments during the pandemic.
Now many of those borrowers are approaching the end of the three-month payment holiday and will have to decide whether to extend.
Not expecting her industry to recover until next year, Ms Taylor says she will ask for an extension. "My need is as great the second time round as it was the first," she says.
'It will come back to bite you'
Mortgage holidays were introduced in March, allowing people to defer payments, ostensibly without affecting their credit rating.
However, what seemed like a quick and simple way to cut people's outgoings immediately could have unintended consequences.
Some borrowers who have taken mortgage holidays have now found they are being declined when applying for loans.
Lisa Orme is the managing director of Keys Mortgages. She has been warning borrowers not to take them unless they have no other option.
"We know, anecdotally, that people have used them to pay off credit cards, pay for holidays, pay for cars," she says.
"I've been saying to people, despite all these promises about how it won't affect your credit file, I absolutely guarantee it will come back to bite you."
'I've now been told I can't get a loan'
Matt Pollen was just about to launch his start-up and was trying to raise funding from investors when the lockdown began. The launch had to be delayed, so he applied for a mortgage holiday as a security measure, in case the lockdown lasted a long time.
"The only advice I saw was the general advice from the government that it wouldn't affect any future credit history," he says.
But when Mr Pollen and his girlfriend tried to find out if they could take out a loan in the future to fund an extension, he was told he wouldn't be accepted.
"One of the first questions they asked was had we taken out a mortgage holiday - and when I said yes, they said a lot of the companies they work with aren't lending to people on them at the moment."
How do people decide who can borrow money?
The advice from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is that a mortgage holiday will not affect your credit record, but that it could affect future lending decisions.
Even though there is no mark left on your credit report when you take a mortgage holiday, when you try to borrow money, lenders look at thousands of pieces of data.
Sarah Coles, personal finance analyst with Hargreaves Lansdown, explains: "Banks will look at your payment history. And if you've got a three-month gap around this period, they are going to know that has clearly come from a mortgage holiday.
"If you've got a six-month gap, they are going to know you've had to extend it. And that will give them a really clear indication that you were having some financial issues at the time. So it will then make it harder to borrow."
In May, the FCA updated its guidance to clarify this: "Lenders may use sources other than credit files, such as bank account information, to take account of other factors in their lending decisions. These factors could include changes to income and expenditure."
Extending the holiday
Lenders are currently writing to customers who are nearing the end of their three-month mortgage holidays to outline the details of their new monthly payment.
Virgin Money Group says any payment holiday will not affect its future lending decisions - but that's unusual.
Lloyds Banking Group - which includes the Halifax - says it has approved 450,000 payment holidays for its customers.
Tom Martin, remote mortgages director at the Halifax, explains that being on a mortgage holiday could affect your ability to borrow: "We base our decisions on a full understanding of a customer's up-to-date circumstances," he says.
"We do take into consideration your latest financial position, but we recognise as well that these are unprecedented times and we will consider individual circumstances as part of that process."
He advises borrowers to wait three months after resuming payments before applying for more borrowing - and if people are able to resume their repayments, they should, as this stops extra interest being charged.
NatWest said: "We will take customers' circumstances into consideration when considering any borrowing requests. If a customer's income is currently impacted by Covid and they are unable to afford their mortgage, we would consider this."
The bank also said that if customers resumed repayments after a payment holiday, the deferral would not be a factor in any lending decision.
Joe Garner, chief executive of Nationwide, the country's biggest building society, told the BBC in May that he thought a second mortgage holiday should be marked on a borrower's record, although it is not doing so, in line with FCA guidance.
A spokesperson for the Treasury said: "The Financial Conduct Authority has been clear that payment holidays should not have a long-term impact on people's credit rating."
Mortgage holders have until 31 October to apply for a three-month mortgage holiday if their finances have been affected by the pandemic. The FCA has banned repossessions until the end of October.
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References to divisions in the IRA and the republican movement is among the political gossip revealed in newly-released Irish state papers.
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By Shane HarrisonBBC NI Dublin correspondent
The declassified papers come from 1988.
An official from the Department of Foreign Affairs reports observations from Paddy McGrory, the solicitor for the families of three IRA members killed by the SAS in Gibraltar.
The note said Mr McGrory had "heard some dark mutterings from an IRA source regarding [Gerry] Adams' leadership".
Mr McGrory "did not place any credence on this as, in his experience, the IRA was traditionally full of differing cliques and it is not unusual for one or other of those cliques to mutter darkly about the various leaderships from time to time".
Mr Adams was president of Sinn Féin from 1983 until 2018. While not disassociating himself from the IRA, he has always denied membership.
In 1988, Mr Adams and SDLP leader John Hume were engaged in the first of the Hume-Adams talks.
According to the declassified note, Mr McGrory said he thought Mr Adams remained secure in the leadership and, while it might appear he had differences with Martin McGuinness, it was important to note they "were close personal friends".
"In his view, Adams is very committed to the republican movement and, to McGrory's mind, would be the last person to be involved in initiating any type of friction or break-up within the movement," said the note.
It was hardly a surprise that the Northern Ireland Office Minister for State Nick Scott was, according to a London Irish embassy note sent back to Dublin, "in despair" about the unionist leadership in 1986.
They opposed the Anglo-Irish Agreement that gave Dublin a say in Northern Ireland's internal affairs.
Paisley 'intellectual bankrupt'?
1988 saw the first Papal visit to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, but it did not go quite as planned.
Moments after Pope John Paul II started speaking, Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) MEP Ian Paisley started heckling, telling the Polish pope he was the "antichrist".
Mr Scott described "Paisley's antics" as reflecting the DUP leader's "intellectual bankruptcy".
There are also insights into perceived divisions and personality issues in various parties.
One note said that, in his opposition to the 1985 accord, DUP leader Ian Paisley would not want to "find himself outflanked by his deputy leader Peter Robinson".
On the SDLP side, there is another note that hints at Seamus Mallon, the party deputy leader, feeling left out when John Hume met Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Garret Fitzgerald, without him or Peter Barry, the Foreign Affairs Minister.
The note says that Mr Mallon "expressed the hope that the big four format would be adhered to in future rather than the big two".
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President Donald Trump's policies on Syria are a disaster largely of his own making - one that could cost him re-election in 2020, says former US Assistant Secretary of State PJ Crowley.
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There will not be an article of impeachment that includes Donald Trump's latest decisions regarding Syria among his alleged high crimes and misdemeanours. But the strategic disaster unfolding following his capitulation to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan could well mark the beginning of the end of the Trump presidency.
Trump will survive impeachment - the Republican-controlled Senate is unlikely to convict him - although he continues to be his own worst enemy. The president believes the call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was "perfect." The transcript the White House released presents strong evidence a crime was committed.
But Ukraine has already become a domestic political Rorschach test - there was a quid pro quo but many Trump supporters still choose to see a benign image.
Syria is different. It's not something he can blame on Barack Obama or House Democrats. Notwithstanding the administration's intent to punish Turkey with fresh sanctions, this is a crisis largely of Trump's making.
To Trump, his decision to withdraw US forces from the contested areas along the border between Syria and Turkey is consistent with his electoral mandate, extracting US forces from complex and costly Middle East conflicts.
As he tweeted, "it is time for us to get out of these ridiculous Endless Wars," adding with capitalised emphasis, "WE WILL FIGHT WHERE IT IS TO OUR BENEFIT, AND ONLY FIGHT TO WIN."
While it's tempting to ignore his many erratic and contradictory statements and tweets, in this case, Erdogan read Trump like a book, and played him like a fiddle.
When Erdogan told Trump in a recent phone conversation that he planned to send forces into Syria to eliminate the possibility of an autonomous Kurdish region along Turkey's border, it's likely he anticipated that Trump would offer minimal resistance.
After all, in another conversation in late 2018, Trump signalled his strong desire to withdraw US forces from Syria, reportedly telling Erdogan, "OK, it's all yours. We are done." Secretary of Defense James Mattis resigned as a result, one of the last national security "adults in the room" willing to contain Trump's impulses.
Ten months later, when Erdogan decided to act, he knew he was pushing against an open door.
While Trump's policy has elicited bipartisan criticism, even from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, many Americans are weary of Middle East wars and support bringing the troops home.
But Trump did it in just about the worst possible way.
The relatively small US contingent, together with British and French counterparts, were there to prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State and act as a buffer pending a diplomatic process to chart how Syria would be reconstructed and governed going forward.
Despite his business background, Trump ceded whatever leverage the United States might have had to shape a new and improved Syria to Russia, Iran, the Assad regime and even the Islamic State.
Syrian and Russian forces have moved into the vacuum created by the American withdrawal. An unknown number of Islamic State fighters escaped Kurdish custody in the mayhem following the Turkish incursion. How Trump's get-out-of-the-way strategy fits into his maximum pressure campaign against Iran is anyone's guess.
Trump's supporters back troop withdrawal
By Lauren Turner, BBC News, Minneapolis
"Why do we need to be the policemen of the world?"
For many of Donald Trump's supporters attending his rally in central Minneapolis, their opinion on Turkey's assault on Syria - coming after US troops were pulled out of the city - was the same.
"I think it's great we've stopped involving our troops in their problems in Turkey and Syria," said 24-year-old Alex Ledezma. "We're not their babysitters."
Melissa Erra, 52, said: "What's going on there has been going on for hundreds of years. How many of our people have to die over there, for something that's not our cause? It's going to continue whether we are there or not."
But Marine Corps veteran Eric Radziej had a different take.
"I thought it was a mistake to pull out of Afghanistan so quickly. But if it goes bad, we've never said we wouldn't go back. In Afghanistan, we waited too long to go back."
He added: "There are other partners that could go in. We can't carry the weight of the world all of the time."
Even more significantly, the credibility and reliability of the United States as an ally is now an open question, in the Middle East and beyond.
Trump dismissed the importance of the battle-tested relationship that had developed between American forces and the Kurds during the campaign against the Islamic State caliphate. The Kurds were the vanguard of the forces on the ground that retook Raqqa and other ISIS strongholds.
The Kurds, Trump said, "didn't help us with Normandy."
There is a lot to unpack there.
Some Kurds fought on the allied side during World War Two, but there was no recognised Kurdish state then, or now for that matter.
Germany and Japan, both staunch American allies now, were adversaries back then. Others - think South Korea and Israel - were occupied or not yet independent states.
Japan and South Korea are already nervous that Trump's pursuit of a deal with North Korea will fail to address their legitimate security and human rights concerns. Trump's cavalier attitude towards the Kurds will only exacerbate those concerns.
None of this is reassuring to a majority of countries who are today Nato allies, or any country in the Middle East that relies on the United States for its security. They don't pass Trump's D-Day test either.
Saudi Arabia was already sufficiently unnerved about Trump's flip-flop regarding Iran - ordering a military strike in response to the downing of an American drone only to abruptly call it off - that it is reportedly exploring a back channel dialogue with Tehran. Rather than isolating Iran, Trump is precipitating a regional accommodation.
But that poses a problem in Jerusalem.
Syria brings Iran right to Israel's doorstep. The more Israel feels it is left to confront Iran alone, the greater the risk of a direct military confrontation that would inevitably draw in the United States. This is precisely the destructive dynamic Obama and his European counterparts thought they had ameliorated with the nuclear deal that Trump scuttled.
America's network of global alliances is fundamental to its national security and international stability. And Trump is actively undermining it. The evidence is mounting and in plain sight.
While he has made no secret of his scepticism regarding America's leadership responsibilities, Syria underscores how badly Trump is doing at his primary job, advancing the national interests of the United States, and in the process those of its key allies.
There are real costs to his preference to withdraw the United States behind his fantastical wall and let the world fend for itself.
The good news is that is not a state of affairs that most Americans support. In a recent Chicago Council on Global Affairs poll, a decisive majority of respondents favoured a more active US role in the world, supported its regional alliances and saw value in international trade.
This is a telling rejection of the main pillars of Trump's foreign policy. Syria, along with his continued blind spot regarding Russia, demonstrates that he is also mismanaging international relations. He has lost sight of the national interest in pursuit of his own political interests.
Taken together, they should cost Trump re-election. The bad news is American voters will have to wait until next November to choose a different president, and a different foreign policy.
PJ Crowley is a former US Assistant Secretary of State and and author of Red Line: American Foreign Policy in a Time of Fractured Politics and Failing States
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Reality TV star Kim Kardashian is to separate from husband Kris Humphries after being married for 72 days.
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The pair tied the knot at a lavish ceremony, filmed for television, on a private estate near Santa Barbara, California, in August.
The star cited irreconcilable differences as a reason for the split.
"I hope everyone understands this was not an easy decision," the star said. "I hoped this marriage was forever but sometimes things don't work out."
Court files show that Kim Kardashian signed the divorce petition on Sunday (30 October).
The couple have a prenuptial agreement and 31-year-old Kardashian is asking that both sides pay their own lawyers' costs.
Kim Kardashian said she and NBA basketball player Kris Humphries, 26, "remain friends and wish each other the best".
Guests at the couple's wedding this summer included Lindsay Lohan, Avril Lavigne and Eva Longoria.
Kardashian's sisters and TV co-stars Kourtney Kardashian, 32, and Khloe Kardashian, 27, served as maids of honour.
The pair began dating last year and announced their engagement in May.
Kris Humphries proposed with a 20.5-carat ring by spelling out "Will you marry me?" in rose petals.
The couple's marriage was the subject of a two-part special on American TV, which televises Kardashian's show.
Keeping Up With The Kardashians follows the model and her family.
This is the end of Kim Kardashian's second marriage.
She separated from music producer Damon Thomas in 2003.
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A man shouted "I can't breathe" from the back of a police van minutes before he lost consciousness and died, an inquest was told.
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Adrian McDonald, 34, had been bitten by a police dog and Tasered just before his arrest at a friend's flat in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire.
Officers then told him to take "deep breaths" while he was in custody, an inquest jury heard.
Mr McDonald's brother described him as a "gentle giant".
Footage from a police body-worn camera was shown at the hearing, with officers trying to gain access to a "barricaded" living room door in Audley Road.
Staffordshire Police had been called to "reports of an intruder" at the flat, but Mr McDonald, from Huddersfield, knew one of its occupants, the inquest was told.
He admitted to police he had taken drugs and appeared to be breathing heavily as officers asked him to "calm down", the jury heard.
Mr McDonald was then handcuffed, escorted out of the property and put in the police van.
He complained of breathing difficulties and was later heard in a recording shouting from the van "I can't breathe" in December 2014.
An officer was then heard telling him: "You can breathe because you're talking. Deep breaths."
However, after almost seven minutes in the van Mr McDonald became unresponsive and an ambulance had to be called.
The moment he was bitten by a police dog and Tasered was not captured on the recording shown to the jury earlier.
Giving evidence, his brother Wayne McDonald said his sibling's "zest for life was contagious".
He added: "It's been four years since we lost Adrian. That's four years since we last heard him laugh, smile, and four years since his children last got to give him a hug."
The inquest, held in Hanley, Stoke on Trent, is expected to last up to three weeks.
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The Bolivian justice ministry has filed a criminal complaint against former President Evo Morales for statutory rape and human trafficking.
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It comes after photographs were published in national media of the 60-year-old ex-leader with a young woman who was reportedly a minor at the time.
He has not commented on the allegations.
Mr Morales was president from 2006-2019 and lives in exile in Argentina after a disputed election in November.
The leftist leader stepped down following large protests contesting last year's election results, and a right-wing interim government took charge.
While in exile, Mr Morales has been accused of a range of offences.
An alleged relationship between Mr Morales and a 19-year-old woman identified only as N.M began when she was a minor.
Deputy Minister Guido Melgar told a press conference on Thursday that photos taken from a mobile phone belonging to one of the woman's relatives show her while on trips with Mr Morales.
"The curious thing here is that she was a minor at the time and as we all know, for a minor to travel, she needed her parents' permission," he said.
She was 14 when she allegedly began to accompany the president on trips, reports Spanish news agency EFE.
The role of the young woman's family in allegedly "allowing" Mr Morales to travel with her as a minor is also being investigated, Mr Melgar said.
Mr Melgar said the government does not know where N.M is, but have evidence that her family visited Argentina, where Mr Morales is living.
Under Bolivian law, the crime of rape is punishable with between two and six years in prison, and human trafficking with 15 years.
Who is Evo Morales?
He was one of Latin America's longest serving leaders with almost 14 years as president of Bolivia.
Born in a rural village in the western Oruro region into a family from the Aymara group, he became the country's first indigenous leader. Indigenous peoples make up around two-thirds of the population.
He was part of the "pink tide" of left-wing leaders in Latin America that promised wealth distribution and more power for historically oppressed groups.
Since he came to office, extreme poverty dropped from 38% in 2006 to 17% in 2018, but critics said levels rose again in his final two years in office.
After a controversial decision by the constitutional court to scrap presidential term limits, Mr Morales ran for a fourth consecutive term in office in October 2019.
The election result was disputed, and Mr Morales' main rival, Carlos Mesa, cried foul - leading to weeks of unrest across Bolivia.
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New family court guidance to protect children from violent parents during custody disputes is "lifesaving", domestic violence campaigners say.
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By Natasha PeachVictoria Derbyshire programme
The changes, which ask judges to consider whether the presumption that both parents should be granted access applies, will be introduced on Monday.
Women's Aid said judges should have compulsory training.
The Ministry of Justice said it was determined to improve the treatment of abuse victims in the justice system.
The changes will apply in England and Wales.
Women's Aid says 20 children have been killed by a parent who was also a known perpetrator of domestic abuse. The majority of these cases followed a court order meaning the children had to have contact visits or even live with an abusive parent.
In family courts, judges are supposed to follow guidance, known as Practice Direction 12J, when handling cases in which domestic violence is cited as an issue.
Following the Child First campaign by the charity, launched on the Victoria Derbyshire programme in January last year, Mr Justice Cobb carried out a review of the guidance, which resulted in some amendments.
'No-one should have their child die in their arms'
Claire Throssell's sons Jack and Paul were killed by her former partner in a house fire in October 2014 on a weekend access visit. She launched the Child First campaign on the Victoria Derbyshire programme in January 2016.
"A policeman was stood on the doorstep and I knew by his face, and I said, 'What's he done?'"
She said she had warned social services and Cafcass, the body that represents children in family courts, that the boys could be at risk.
"They didn't want to see him," she said.
"I went to Sheffield Children's Hospital and there was Paul, having CPR done, and they said, 'There's nothing more we can do now.'
"And as I held him in my arms I promised him that no other parent would have to go through this. And no other parent should have to hold their child in their arms while they die, knowing it was at the hands of someone who should love and protect them.
"It's so hard for people to get out of their situation, but this is the start of the hope, and this is the start of the journey and for things to change for all the children.
"It's too late for my two, but their voices are finally being heard. Jack was never interviewed - the day he was supposed to be interviewed by Cafcass was the day he fell asleep in my arms, and that must never happen again.
"No 12-year-old should have to say to a fireman, or a policeman, or a doctor, 'My dad did this and he did it on purpose.'"
A key aspect of the guidance is asking judges to consider whether the presumption that there should be "contact at all costs" with both parents applies.
This includes domestic violence cases, where involvement of a parent in a child's life would place the child or other parent at risk of harm.
BBC legal affairs correspondent Clive Coleman said the guidance's language had been considerably beefed up, instructing judges what they were required to do rather than should do, to focus their attention on the risk of harm.
He said there had been a feeling the pendulum in family courts had swung too far in favour of the presumption that it was in the best interest of the child to have contact with both parents.
The effectiveness of the guidance would depend on ensuring judges were really well trained and took it on board fully, our correspondent added.
'Devastating impact'
Katie Ghose, chief executive of Women's Aid, said the "vital, lifesaving changes" would make judges more accountable when making child contact decisions.
"We want to see children's safety at the heart of all decisions made by the family courts and this cannot be done without a thorough understanding of domestic abuse, including coercive control, and the devastating impact it has on children," she said.
"We call for judges and magistrates to be provided with compulsory training to make sure that they follow the guidance properly and get child contact decisions right every time."
The Ministry of Justice said: "We are determined to improve the treatment of domestic abuse victims in the family justice system.
"We therefore welcome this revised practice direction, which will help ensure the family courts take full account of the harm that can result from domestic abuse."
Watch the Victoria Derbyshire programme on weekdays between 09:00 and 11:00 on BBC Two and the BBC News Channel.
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A man has described in graphic detail claims that a Labour councillor carried out sustained racial abuse against him and his sister when they were children.
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Jim Dempster was suspended by the party last week after admitting making an Islamophobic remark about Transport Minister Humza Yousaf.
Mr Yousaf said the brother and sister later contacted him with allegations of racism dating back more than 30 years.
Mr Dempster said the new claims were totally untrue and had no substance.
And he insisted the language and behaviour attributed to him "does not represent me, or how I conducted myself".
His accuser told BBC Scotland he had moved to the village of Sanquhar, near Dumfries, when he was 12 and was almost immediately subjected to "verbal abuse on quite a sustained, constant and daily level" from the locals.
The man and his relatives were of Pakistani origin - although he was born in Scotland - and were the only ethnic minority family in the village.
He said: "They made me feel that I wasn't welcome, that I was different and it was their wee village and I was somehow an interloper and that my kind would never be welcome there.
"That was drummed home to me on a daily basis".
The man said Mr Dempster was not a councillor at the time, but was a well-known member of the community who later bought a newsagent shop in the village high street after working as a part-time fireman.
He said: "I would always get the impression that Mr Dempster wasn't really happy about me coming into the shop - he didn't like me being there, it almost felt like there was fire burning in his eyes."
He said the third time he went into the shop, Mr Dempster shouted out "here comes the Paki" in front of other schoolchildren, adult customers and staff.
"The whole shop erupted in laughter - they thought it was quite funny, especially the kids", he alleged.
"I just put the money on the counter and I went away. I blamed myself for it - I thought 'what have I done to this man to warrant this behaviour?"'
The man said he had not spoken out at the time.
He explained: "When you are the only minority in quite a small place, there's not that many people you can go to talk about it so we had to alternative but to brush it under the carpet."
He said it was only when he saw media reports about Mr Dempster saying that people would not have been able to see Mr Yousaf "under his burka" that he contacted the politician with his own experiences.
He said he did not know until later that his sister, who was aged about six when the racist abuse from Mr Dempster is said to have started, had also contacted Mr Yousaf.
He added: "I only found out after three decades that my sister was abused (by Mr Dempster) - she was called chocolate monkey, he said she smelled of curry.
"At one point he came with a can of air freshener and started to spray it around the shop. It was something we never spoke about as family."
In a statement Mr Dempster said: "I absolutely refute and deny the allegations made against me".
Referring to a newspaper report that the alleged abuse took place in the 1980s and early 1990s, he said he did not buy the newsagent shop until May 1991.
He added: "The language and behaviour alleged does not represent me, or how I conducted myself. This can easily be borne out by visiting the local community and seeking their views.
"Members of the local Muslim community in Upper Nithsdale are keen to speak to the media and describe me as the man they have known for many years."
'Ashamed and embarrassed'
Mr Yousaf has called for Mr Dempster to resign as a councillor, and to be expelled from Scottish Labour.
Labour is looking at the latest claims as part of the investigation into Mr Dempster that was sparked by the councillor telling transport officials that "no-one would have seen [Mr Yousaf] under his burka".
The councillor later apologised, saying he was ashamed and embarrassed and could offer no defence or explanation.
He also insisted that the "stupid and ill-judged remark is not representative of who I am".
Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard told BBC Scotland that he was "quite angry" about the claims against Mr Dempster, and acknowledged that such cases should be dealt with "much more speedily" by the party.
On Tuesday, Mr Dempster issued a joint statement with the imam of the Dumfries Islamic Centre in which he was described as a "good man".
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A previously undocumented German wreck has been discovered in Scapa Flow.
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The vessel is believed to be a pinnace - a small boat which would have acted as a supply boat for larger ships.
It is likely to have gone down with its parent ship when the German High Seas Fleet was scuttled in 1919, following the end of World War One.
A team from Orkney diving boat MV Valkyrie came across the wreck after an unexpected object was picked up on sonar equipment.
Diver Simon Brown expected to find a lump of anti-torpedo boom net.
Instead he discovered a German vessel which has lain undiscovered for almost 100 years.
Skipper Hazel Weaver told BBC Radio Scotland: "There's lots of piles of steel boom netting dumped after the First World War and the Second World War in Scapa Flow and we assumed it was a pile of that."
She said Mr Brown offered to investigate the discovery and he was in the water for about an hour.
"He took a lot of photos and came back up very, very excited," she added.
Ms Weaver said they had not come across similar vessels previously, so they consulted Kevin Heath of local diving services firm Sula Diving.
"He identified it as a motor pinnace, or diesel pinnace, from the German High Seas Fleet," she said.
"It's a remarkable discovery, especially to find such a wreck even with all the brass works still in tact."
More than 50 German ships sunk to the bottom of Scapa Flow on 19 June 1919.
Most were removed from the water after the war but local people say seven remain on the sea bed.
Ms Weaver said there are still a lot of artefacts to be discovered below the surface of the water and experts are using sonar to survey the area.
"More are being found all the time," she said. "Other operators in Scapa Flow are also looking for these smaller items because they represent a slice of history that is more or less being forgotten now."
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Young people are treating parts of Edinburgh like a nightclub and leaving the council to clear up the mess, author Ian Rankin has said.
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Mr Rankin tweeted pictures of rubbish on the Edinburgh Meadows after large groups of people gathered there.
"It's that sort of culture where you leave stuff lying around and get on with enjoying yourself," he told BBC Radio Scotland.
The writer said the council should consider a temporary alcohol ban.
City councils across Scotland have reported issues with littering and overflowing bins, with people beginning to gather in larger groups as lockdown restrictions ease.
However, the crowds seen in some areas are often in defiance of current rules, which state that only two households can meet outdoors in groups of up to eight.
Glasgow's Kelvingrove Park has reportedly seen youngsters flouting restrictions to perform a conga and a number of arrests for public drinking.
The Rebus author dubbed the crowds at Edinburgh Meadows, near his home, "Pee in the Park" on Wednesday after he noticed people urinating in public.
Public toilets in the city remain closed as part of the coronavirus lockdown measures.
He told BBC Radio Scotland's Drivetime with John Beattie that people were congregating outdoors because they were not allowed to meet indoors and appeared to be dropping rubbish despite standing close to large bins.
"What is it? I don't know. Is there a generation that's just got used to people cleaning up after them?" he asked.
"Or have they been locked down for so long, they're just focused on themselves and entertaining themselves and they've got no thought for tomorrow, or no thought for what happens to this rubbish?"
He said that council workers arrived early on Thursday morning to clear up the mess at the park, which is south of Edinburgh city centre.
"I think what we're getting at the moment is large groups of young people who otherwise would be in clubs and music venues," he said.
"And if you've ever been a music venue or a club you'll know that when you leave at the end of the evening, the floor is covered in plastic glasses.
"Folk just drop the glasses where they're standing and somebody else cleans it up. When they go back to the club the following night, it's all been cleaned again.
"Maybe some of that mentality is carried over in the sense that they think they're in a club."
Mr Rankin took photographs of the park before and after the litter had been cleaned up by City of Edinburgh Council workers.
He told BBC Scotland he feared there could be a more serious incident with people drinking heavily and no stewardship or supervision that would be expected in a high club.
The author called on the council to put out more bins in the evening and introduce a "short-term ban" on drinking alcohol in public.
"They could stop the local supermarkets from selling portable barbecues and booze after 18:00. They could put in more bins. They could put in Portaloos," he added.
"All these measures would help."
A spokesman for the council said: "People need to take their rubbish with them. This isn't an issue about bins being emptied frequently enough.
"This is an issue about people not taking responsibility for themselves, their own actions and what they're bringing out."
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Actor Peter Capaldi has promised that his Doctor will be "less user-friendly" as the BBC unveils his first full-length episode of Doctor Who.
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"I was keen he be a little darker," he told the BBC's Lizo Mzimba. "He's struggling with himself and who he is."
The 56-year-old, who played abrasive spin doctor Malcolm Tucker in The Thick of It, is one of the oldest actors to have played the TV time-traveller.
Yet the Scot joked that, if anything, he was too young to play the role.
"I don't feel elderly at all, and I don't think the Doctor's elderly, apart from the fact he's two-and-a-half thousand years old.
"There's a magic about him which is not about being in your 20s and 30s," continued the actor, whose immediate predecessors - David Tennant and Matt Smith - were 34 and 27 when they first appeared in the show.
"We don't consider the Wizard of Oz or Father Christmas to be too old. They're still magical characters, and the fact they've been around the block only adds to their magic."
Deep Breath, the first episode of the new series, had its premiere screening in Cardiff earlier and had a second airing at the BFI Southbank in London on Thursday night.
The programme, which also features Jenna Coleman as the Doctor's companion Clara Oswald, will be broadcast on BBC One on 23 August.
After the London screening, Capaldi described his Doctor as "funny, joyful, passionate, emphatic and fearless."
"The Doctor is closer to me than Malcolm Tucker was," he said.
He also revealed he had met ex-Doctors Smith and Tennant to discuss the role.
Deep Breath - a spoiler-free first look
By Tim Masters, BBC arts and entertainment correspondent
As previous post-regeneration stories have shown, the Doctor can be erratic, wild-eyed, get his names mixed up and spend a fair amount of time in bed.
Capaldi gets to do all this in Deep Breath - and from the moment he first steps out of the Tardis in Victorian London with a dinosaur on the loose, there's little doubt he's a perfect fit for the role.
With its 80-minute running time, this episode gives Capaldi's Doctor plenty of time to explore his new identity. The frantic pacing of some of the Matt Smith era seems a thing of the past.
Writer Steven Moffat uses dialogue-driven scenes to explore this older-looking Time Lord. There is talk of his lined face, grey hair and eyebrows ("You could take bottle tops off with those.")
The issue of the Scottish accent, too, is brought up: there are a couple of good jokes about it, and then the story moves on
This is as much about Clara (Jenna Coleman) as it is about the new Doctor. His companion is clearly out of her comfort zone as she struggles to cope with this stranger who is now at the Tardis controls.
Hardcore fans will pick up on some references that hark back to the classic era, but the main thrust is one of looking forward.
The Doctor may look older, but the show - which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year - seems rejuvenated.
'True to your instincts'
Concerns were raised earlier this year when five of the series' scripts and unfinished scenes from six episodes were inadvertently made accessible online.
Yet Capaldi - previously seen in a 2008 episode of the show with Tennant's Doctor - said the leak was "just one of those things" and "not the end of the world".
The show, he went on, "only lives in the finished cut" with all its production values, music and special effects completed.
"I felt sorry for everyone who'd worked on the show but the fans have been incredibly supportive," he said.
"Is it really so important? I think the whole spoiler thing has taken over the media."
The first screenings of the new episode coincided with the release of a letter signed by 200 public figures urging Scotland to vote "No" in the upcoming independence referendum.
Yet the Glasgow-born actor refused to be drawn on where he stood in the issue.
Talking about taking on the role, he said: "There's nothing I can do except do my best. Not everyone's going to like me, but that's life.
"It's such an iconic character and you don't want to let people down. At the same time, you have to be true to your own instincts as a performer and an artist."
The director of Deep Breath is Ben Wheatley, the British film-maker behind such cult titles as Kill List, Sightseers and A Field in England.
Keeley Hawes, Michelle Gomez and British singer Foxes are among the guest stars lined up for the new series.
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Islamist insurgents have attacked the Malian town of Nampala near the Mauritanian border, killing at least five people in a dawn raid.
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Witnesses said the militants opened fire on soldiers after arriving in pick-up trucks. Other reports said they came on motorbikes and on foot.
One report said Malian soldiers fled the attack; another said troops fought back and clashes lasted several hours.
The militants have been fighting the Malian army for a number of years.
The latest phase of the insurgency began after a French-led military intervention in January 2013, aimed at driving out Islamist militants from towns they had seized in northern Mali and declared to be an "Islamic state".
The French military action dispersed but did not destroy the extremists and sporadic attacks have continued.
Nampala is about 550 kilometres (340 miles) north-east of the Malian capital, Bamako.
A defence ministry spokesman said the army had sent reinforcements to Nampala, following the latest attack.
There were conflicting reports on whether the militants had subsequently been expelled or were still present in the town.
The mayor of the neighbouring district of Diabaly, Oumar Diakite, said seven soldiers had been killed.
Prisoner exchange
A military source at the United Nations mission in Mali put the number of deaths at five.
He said the identity of those killed had not been confirmed but "they were all wearing military fatigues".
The attack came less than a month after Mali confirmed it had freed four Islamist militants in exchange for the release of a French hostage, Serge Lazarevic.
Mr Lazarevic was seized by armed men in Mali in 2011 and had been the last French hostage in the region being held by al-Qaeda-linked militants.
Those released in the prisoner exchange included two Malian members of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) who allegedly took part in Mr Lazarevic's abduction.
The other two militants released were believed to be a Tunisian and a man from Western Sahara.
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East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) said it incurred about £400,000 in extra costs during the "appalling weather" in November and December.
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Extra staff were drafted in to cope with an upsurge in road accidents, falls on icy surfaces, and flu-like illnesses.
Off-road vehicles also had to be hired because of the deep snow, which was worst in Lincolnshire and Derbyshire.
Crews have been praised for working under "unprecedented pressure".
A spokesperson said: "Our staff made outstanding efforts to get to patients and we have thanked and commended our teams for their efforts.
"Some slept at their stations overnight, others walked long distances through snow to get to work and to patients, whilst others worked full shifts and then returned to help rescue stranded vehicles or clear snow.
"One paramedic in Lincolnshire walked two miles through snow to deliver a baby when a mother in labour couldn't be moved out of her house."
Call rates for December 2010 were up around 40% on the previous year and although workloads are returning to normal, the number of flu-related illnesses remains high, according to the service.
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Thailand's Justice Minister Paiboon Koomchaya has said martial law will remain in place "indefinitely", amid mounting protests of military rule.
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His remarks to Reuters come a day after PM Prayuth Chan-ocha told reporters that martial law was "necessary" to stop "conflict and social disparity".
The Thai military took over government on 22 May, and has been criticised for its repression of anti-coup protests.
Several protesters have been arrested in recent weeks.
A number of them have used a three-finger salute inspired by the Hollywood series The Hunger Games, which has been widely adopted as an anti-coup symbol.
A cinema chain in Thailand cancelled screenings of the latest film in the franchise this week, saying it wanted to avoid trouble.
The Hunger Games salute
'Army's tool'
In an interview with Reuters news agency on Friday, Gen Paiboon said martial law could not be lifted "because the government and junta need it as the army's tool".
"We are not saying that martial law will stay in place for 50 years, no, this is not it. We just ask that it remain in place for now, indefinitely."
Gen Paiboon denied that the army was abusing the law, saying it "does not violate anyone's rights".
On Thursday, Gen Prayuth told local media Thailand still needed martial laws.
"Am I happy? No, I'm not. The longer [martial law] is in place, the more unhappy I become. Yet, it's necessary," he said.
"Today, priority must be given to the future of the country. Conflict and social disparity must be stopped."
The military has argued that by overthrowing the elected government they brought peace and stability to Thailand after an intense and violent political deadlock. Their move was welcomed by many Thais.
It has promised to restore democracy and hold elections in late 2015. But international players have voiced concern that the military is consolidating power in the meantime.
Human rights groups say that repression and censorship has intensified under the military regime.
On Thursday, young activist Nacha Kong-udom was arrested outside a Bangkok shopping centre for flashing the three-finger salute in front of a poster for the latest Hunger Games film, Mockingjay.
Two students who reportedly helped to organise a free screening of the movie were also detained.
Five university students were arrested earlier this week for flashing the salute. Wearing T-shirts protesting against the coup, the students had flashed the salute at Gen Prayuth at an event in the northeast region of Khon Kaen.
They were held overnight at a military camp before they were released unconditionally without charge on Thursday, local media reported.
Gen Prayuth told reporters on Friday he was "unconcerned" about the popularity of the salute. Asked if it was banned, he warned: "I don't know whether it is illegal or not but it could jeopardise their futures."
Matilda Bogner, a spokeswoman from the UN Human Rights Office for South East Asia, told AFP news agency that the arrests illustrate "a worrying pattern of human rights violations, which has the effect of suppressing critical and independent voices".
The director of Mockingjay, Francis Lawrence, has also expressed concern, telling Buzzfeed News: "My goal is not for kids to be out there doing things that are getting them arrested."
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The first generation of South African children born free of segregation have come of age this year.
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Like modern South Africa, they have officially entered adulthood.
On 27 April 2012, the country marked the 18th anniversary of the first multi-racial elections that heralded the birth of the "rainbow nation".
These teenagers or "born frees" are now able to vote for the first time.
South Africa is not only one of the most diverse countries in the world, it is also one of the most unequal societies.
Poverty co-exists with great affluence and inequalities correlate with race.
According to the South African Institute of Race Relations, white per capita personal income is nearly eight times higher than that of black South Africans.
President Jacob Zuma recently sparked a debate when he called for greater state involvement in mining and land ownership to address inequalities inherited from apartheid - which he said pose a "grave threat" to Africa's biggest economy.
Nobel peace laureate and former South African president FW de Klerk waded into the debate warning of new racism in South Africa.
He said the governing African National Congress's rhetoric was increasingly becoming hostile to white South Africans.
"The Mandela and Mbeki era of reconciliation is over," he said.
"White males are quite unjustly blamed for the continuing triple crisis of unemployment, inequality and poverty."
Truly reconciled?
According to Mr de Klerk the ANC is using racism as a "smokescreen" to hide its failures.
The shooting last week by the police, of more than 30 striking mine workers in Marikana, has highlighted the growing frustration by South Africa's workers with poverty, unemployment and inequality.
So has the country truly reconciled? Can reconciliation be achieved without tackling inequality?
Are the country's affirmative action programmes achieving their objectives?
What about the "born frees" - what is their experience growing up in the new South Africa?
These are some of the questions BBC Africa Debate will be exploring in its next edition to be recorded and broadcast from Johannesburg South Africa on 31st August 2012.
You can join the debate via Twitter using #bbcafricadebate or @bbcafrica on Facebook and Google+
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Boris Johnson was accused of "governing in hindsight" over a series of U-turns, as he appeared before MPs at PMQs for the first time since July.
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Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer claimed the prime minister was "making it up as he goes along".
And he said even Mr Johnson's own MPs had "run out of patience" after what he claimed was 12 U-turns over the summer.
The PM hit back by calling Sir Keir "captain hindsight" over the exam results debacle.
He accused the Labour leader of "leaping on a bandwagon, opposing a policy that he supported two weeks ago".
The SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford claimed Mr Johnson had made eight U-turns this year - and he called for a ninth to extend the government's job retention scheme, which ends next month, echoing a call made by Sir Keir.
The PM insisted "indefinite furlough" was not the answer to help the economy through the pandemic.
With grumblings on the Tory benches about the government's recent performance Boris Johnson needed a good PMQs to mark the return to parliament.
His political opponents - perhaps unsurprisingly - criticised the number of policy U-turns in recent months.
While ministers have repeatedly said they're responding to changing science as the pandemic progresses, the speed and frequency of policy shifts is the crux of concern among some Conservative backbenchers.
Keir Starmer returned to what some supporters have called a "forensic" style of questioning in pushing the prime minister for detail on the exam results crisis.
Boris Johnson responded with a wide-ranging attack on the Labour leader which led to a tetchy exchange.
But with another shift in policy - this time on local lockdowns in Trafford and Bolton - taking place as the prime minister was at the dispatch box, it seems unlikely his performance was enough to silence critics - including those within his own party.
In heated exchanges, Sir Keir told the PM: "This has been a wasted summer. The government should have spent it preparing for the autumn and winter.
"Instead, they have lurched from crisis to crisis, U-turn to U-turn."
He accused the government of "serial incompetence", and asked: "Will the prime minister take responsibility and finally get a grip?"
Mr Johnson hit back by citing a series of alleged U-turns made by Sir Keir in the past and - in a reference to his predecessor as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn - accusing him of supporting "an IRA-condoning politician who wanted to get out of Nato".
Speaker Sir Lindsey Hoyle intervened to warn the prime minster "to answer the questions that have been put" to him.
A clearly angry Sir Keir said: "As Director of Public Prosecutions, I prosecuted serious terrorists for five years, working with the intelligence and security forces and with the police in Northern Ireland.
"I ask the prime minister to have the decency to withdraw that comment."
Speaking afterwards, Labour sources said they would not be taking the matter further, but added that the PM had supported a peerage for former Brexit Party MEP, Claire Fox, who had once been a member of a far left party which defended an IRA attack,
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Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has sacked Prime Minister Imad Khamis, as he struggles with a worsening economic crisis that has triggered protests.
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State media did not give a reason for the decision to replace Mr Khamis, who had been prime minister since 2016.
But it came after days of rare anti-government demonstrations in the mainly Druze city of Suweida, at which people called for the overthrow of Mr Assad.
Syria's currency has plummeted in value recently, leading to soaring prices.
The government, whose supporters have staged a counter-demonstration in Suweida, has blamed Western sanctions and exchange rate "manipulation".
Next week, new US measures will target individuals supporting Mr Assad and his allies in the nine-year civil war, which has left more than 380,000 people dead.
Suweida has largely been spared the horrors of the war.
Most Druze - who are adherents of a secretive, breakaway sect of Islam - have stayed loyal to Mr Assad, fearing that religious minorities would be targeted if he was overthrown, and the city has remained in government hands.
The anti-government protests there began on Sunday "with calls for improved living conditions before demands became more political", according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based monitoring group.
Video broadcast by local news outlet Suwayda24 showed crowds chanting "the people want the fall of the regime" and "down with Bashar al-Assad", echoing the chants heard at the start of the uprising against the president in 2011.
The demonstrators have also called for an end to corruption and the withdrawal of Iran-backed militiamen and Russian troops, who have helped the government regain control of most of the country.
The SOHR said there also had been talk in the government strongholds of Latakia, Tartous and Homs about "the departure of Assad as an option to improve the situation". That would have been "prohibited" in the past, it added.
There are 7.9 million people inside Syria unable to meet their food needs and a further 1.9 million people at risk of food insecurity, according to the World Food Programme.
Last month, the UN agency said the price of the national average food basket in Syria had risen by 111% year-on-year, reaching the highest levels since the start of the war.
Since then, the value of the Syrian pound has collapsed on the black market, hitting a record low of 3,000 to the US dollar this week - more than four times the official exchange rate of 700. Before the war, the Syrian pound traded at 47 to the dollar.
Analysts say the economic crisis in neighbouring Lebanon has had ripple effects in Syria in recent months, with the decision by Lebanese banks to restrict the release of money from bank accounts greatly reducing the supply of US dollars in Syria and causing the black market exchange rate to skyrocket.
There are also fears over tough new US sanctions that will go into effect on 17 June under a law known as the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act.
The sanctions will target any foreign person who has knowingly provided significant financial, material, or technological support to the government of Syria, or to a foreign person operating in a military capacity inside Syria on behalf of the governments of Syria, Russia or Iran.
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Plans to build two new cycleways across London have been given the go ahead.
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Transport for London (TfL) approved mayor Boris Johnson's plans, which will see cyclists segregated from traffic.
The east-west route will run over 18 miles from Barking to Acton, while the north-south route will operate for more than three miles from King's Cross to Elephant and Castle.
Opponents of the £160m scheme have said it would take too much road space, meaning congestion would increase.
London First, London Travelwatch, City of London, Canary Wharf and the London Taxi Drivers Association have all voiced concerns.
If a judicial review is not launched by opponents as part of the consultation process, then work would start straight away and the routes could be open next year.
The east-west cycleway, which is being billed as the longest segregated route in Europe, will include a section on the Westway flyover where one lane will be removed to create a cycle track.
TfL said it hoped the number of cyclists on the road would treble.
Howard Dawber of Canary Wharf Group said a decision about taking legal action had not yet been made.
The management group has concerns traffic will be displaced. Mr Dawber said it would consider what TfL "are now saying - that they will review the scheme as it is implemented".
The leader of the Liberal Democrat London Group, Caroline Pidgeon, said: "I am certain that in a few years' time we will look back in amazement at the fuss that has been created over the Cycle Superhighways.
"The debate over the Cycle Superhighways is now over. TfL must now get on and build them as soon as possible."
Mr Johnson said they would be delivered as quickly as possible.
Sir Peter Hendy CBE, London's Transport Commissioner, said: "There will, naturally, be some disruption due to these works but we have some of the world's leading highway and traffic engineers, traffic models and modellers working tirelessly to ensure that this is kept to a minimum."
But Baroness Jones from the Green Party said the city needed more superhighways.
"London is now starting to get the cycle infrastructure it needs, but the pace of change is painfully slow and the lack of ambition is criminal."
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Within 30 minutes the Royal Victoria Hospital's (RVH) emergency department receives three patients with very different complaints.
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By Marie-Louise ConnollyBBC News NI Health Correspondent
A 79-year-old man is admitted with a lung infection and is described as being seriously ill, a woman in her eighties is brought in by ambulance with suspected pneumonia, and a 75-year-old man arrives in his pyjamas with breathing problems.
All three people require beds and represent just a snapshot of 24 hours inside the Belfast Royal Victoria Hospital's emergency department.
Last Friday, BBC News NI was given exclusive access to see how beds are found for patients and why in some cases people have to wait 12 hours or more to be admitted.
Through the day, 238 people walked through its doors - 51 of those required a hospital bed before they could be admitted.
It is this constant demand for beds that is putting the greatest pressure on the system.
While there are a total of 1,317 beds in Belfast's main Royal, Mater and City hospital sites, the RVH requires about 80 beds per day to cope with emergencies alone.
Finding beds
Patricia Ferguson is a nurse with 20 years of experience, and is responsible for keeping patients flowing through the system. It is a tough job.
At 11:00 GMT, Patricia is trying to find beds for eight very sick elderly men and women.
While Patricia is part of a team, she is its chief co-ordinator and never without her most important possession - her mobile phone: It keeps her in contact with everything happening across Belfast's three main hospitals.
"It's all about team work," she tells BBC News NI.
"We are all working extremely hard, not only trying to place today's patients but also we are wary that we are approaching the weekend when it tends to get busier."
"Compared to the rest of the week today isn't too bad. There is flexibility in the system."
During that brief conversation, Patricia's phone rang twice: It does not really stop for the rest of the day.
One of the calls is about Alexander McCristen, who is due to be discharged after spending a week in hospital.
As the 79-year-old lives alone in a flat his support team, which includes a social worker and a physiotherapist, want him placed initially in an interim bed in a care home.
The discharge process begins.
"Do I hate my phone? No, not really, but it does ring constantly," says Patricia.
"I am very aware of it, especially when I am with patients and their families and it's ringing.
"But I need it - in fact, I couldn't do my job without it."
At 12:00, she is ensuring that patients who are well enough to be discharged are moved as quickly and safely as possible.
Moving patients
Hospital beds are like gold dust and they are nearly always in demand.
A call from Ward 5F informs her that Mr McCristen is ready to go to the discharge lounge.
That means while he is one step closer to leaving, another patient is one step closer to getting the bed.
Finding beds is almost like a game of chess - one good move can create several empty spaces and in Patricia's world that means empty beds.
"It's not just about finding a bed - it has to be the right bed," she says.
"For instance, our man brought in earlier with breathing problems must be admitted to a male ward - after tests he may need to be isolated if it's flu.
"It's not always a straight forward equation."
Pyjama delay
After 45 minutes, there is another call about Mr McCristen.
While a bed has been identified in a care home, as he was brought in wearing only pyjamas his discharge will be delayed until suitable clothes are found.
Every two hours the teams leave their respective bases to join a "safety huddle" meeting.
This is an opportunity to talk beds, and even barter if necessary.
The first huddle starts at 10:00 with the last one at 20:00.
The challenge of finding beds is on everyone's mind, including Brian Armstrong, who is co-director of the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust and says these meetings are a critical part of the day.
The Belfast team is joined on a conference call by their counterparts at the Mater and Ulster hospital sites.
"We are trying to maximise the flow of patients and speed up the patient's journey wherever possible," says Brian.
"The recent surge in flu and respiratory patients has made it very difficult. While more people are coming in the front doors we need patients to be fit enough to go home in order to free up their beds."
The 14:00 huddle reveals that a further 10 people should be discharged across the three sites by mid-afternoon. People around the room are visibly relieved.
Workforce planning issue
So, should Northern Ireland have more beds ? According to Brian Armstrong more beds are not the solution.
"It's not just about more beds - we need the staff to manage them and as it has been widely reported there aren't enough nurses in the system to do that," he says.
"So workforce planning is an issue, and one that is being addressed but for us not fast enough."
A call informs Patricia that Mr McCristen is in the discharge lounge, but an ambulance is required to bring him to the care home.
A porter has been instructed to bring him a cup of tea while he waits.
Patricia is nearing the end of her 12-hour shift. Over the Christmas holiday period a 14-hour day was the norm.
As a mother of three boys she has a lot to juggle.
"Today hasn't been the busiest of days - but we all got through it," she says.
"It's a challenge but at the end of the day I go home knowing I have helped people - there's no better feeling like that."
And as she walks away, her mobile phone starts ringing.
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US Attorney General William Barr has defended the deployment of federal agents to cities, saying they are needed to counter violent rioters.
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In heated testimony to Congress, Mr Barr said protesters in Portland, Oregon, are committing "an assault on the government of the United States".
The Democrat-led hearing covered a wide range of controversial actions from Mr Barr's Department of Justice (DOJ).
This was Mr Barr's first committee testimony in his 17 months on the job.
Portland has been the scene of 61 consecutive nights of protests, sometimes violent, triggered by the killing of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, by police in May.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler was among the Democrats to accuse the DOJ of sending agents to an ongoing protest at a federal courthouse in Portland - as well other cities in an action dubbed "Operation Legend" by the White House - to aid Mr Trump's 2020 re-election campaign.
Several mayors of major US cities have told the federal government to immediately withdraw from the targeted cities.
"The president wants footage for his campaign ads and you appear to be serving it up to him as ordered," Mr Nadler said at the end of his five minutes of questioning.
"Now you are projecting fear and violence nationwide in pursuit of obvious political objectives. Shame on you Mr Barr. Shame on you."
The committee's top Republican Jim Jordan played an eight-minute video montage of news reports showing protesters violently clashing with police during ongoing nationwide protests against racism and police brutality.
"We are on the defence," Mr Barr told the committee. "We are not out looking for trouble," he said, adding that federal police are not attempting to "suppress demonstrators".
Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee have been trying for more than a year to get Attorney General Bill Barr to testify before them, going so far as to cite him for contempt of Congress for ignoring an earlier subpoena.
They finally got their wish on Tuesday, but many seemed more interested in talking than getting Barr to answer their questions.
Part of the problem was the typically truncated format of the proceedings, allowing members of Congress only five minutes each for questioning. Another was the breadth of topics Democrats tried to cover - including allegations of institutional racism in law enforcement, the use of federal officers to confront protesters in US cities, the handling of the Mueller investigation and Barr's involvement in high-profile Justice Department prosecutions.
An organised strategy might have been able to tick through these questions in a methodical way. This was not that.
Some Democrats, like California Congressmen Eric Swalwell on the Roger Stone pardon and Ted Lieu on protester detention by federal officers, succeeded in engaging the attorney general in a meaningful fashion.
Pressure in occasional five-minute bursts, however, did little to dispel the perception that the day's hearings generated more heat than light.
"In the wake of George Floyd's death, violent rioters and anarchists have hijacked legitimate protests to wreak senseless havoc and destruction on innocent victims," said Mr Barr.
He also defended the controversial 1 June clearing of a protest outside the White House that allowed Mr Trump to hold a photo op at a church, and the prosecutions of Trump associates that have been criticised as lenient.
More about the Portland protests
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A recruitment drive is being launched to find volunteers for the UN climate conference in Glasgow.
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About a thousand people are needed to help the delegates and visitors in and around the event which is being staged in the city.
The international summit is due to take place at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) on 1 - 12 November 2021.
The vital climate talks are expected to bring together the largest gathering of heads of state ever hosted in the UK.
The volunteer programme is similar to the Commonwealth Games in 2014 when 15,000 people donned the distinctive red and white uniforms of the Clydesiders.
This time, only 1,000 volunteers are needed, with the event centred on a single venue, but some of those roles will also be in Edinburgh where delegates are expected to arrive and stay.
The UN will stage workshops on sustainability for the volunteers ahead of the conference.
Applications will be open from Wednesday and close on 31 March.
Volunteer roles in both cities include providing information on the conference and the venues, supporting delegates staying in and travelling around the city, and promoting the best of what Glasgow and Scotland has to offer.
Leader of Glasgow City Council, Councillor Susan Aitken said: "Glasgow has firmly established itself among the best in the world at hosting world-class events and volunteers have long been at their centre. Our COP26 volunteers will provide delegates and visitors with our world-famous warm Glasgow welcome, ensuring they have the best possible experience.
"We are proud to be staging COP26 and I would encourage anyone interested in grasping this opportunity to step forward and be part of our volunteering team. You will be joining a collective of people who share your enthusiasm for the event, the cause and our vibrant city."
COP26 president Alok Sharma said: "Time and time again we see the generosity of the great British public in making global events a triumph, and we are asking you to play a part in making COP26 a huge success.
"This is an exciting opportunity to volunteer in Glasgow and help us all tackle climate change."
Ahead of taking on their roles, volunteers will receive a workshop on sustainability from the UN and be given the training and tools required to carry out their roles successfully and confidently.
Glaswegian Karen Donaldson, from Cardonald, is a volunteer ambassador. She volunteered at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and Glasgow Doors Open Day.
She said: "Being part of the volunteering programme is a cracking opportunity to represent your city. Through volunteering I've learned so many things and met so many people.
"Event volunteering is such a buzz, you get so much from it and it opens your mind. There's also a community spirit among all the volunteers. You're joining people from all walks of life and it gives you a warm feeling to know you're part of that team.
"Volunteering at COP26, in particular, will be a once-in-a-lifetime chance so for anyone thinking of applying, my advice would be: Do it."
COP26 was postponed by a year to November 2021 due to the global coronavirus pandemic.
Organisers still aim to hold the summit in person, with Glasgow as host city, but say they will put the health and wellbeing of all involved at the centre of any future decisions on the event.
You can apply to be a COP26 volunteer at www.ukcop26.org/volunteer.
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A man suspected of encouraging his dog to maul and kill a cat in its owner's garden has been identified by police.
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Amos Price, 30, has been linked to the death of eight-year-old Cleo, who was attacked in Walsall, West Midlands, on 23 October.
CCTV shows a man open a garden gate before releasing his dog, which savaged the cat outside her home in Woodlands Crescent, Pelsall.
Officers have appealed for information about Price's whereabouts.
Cleo's owner, Gary Truefitt, became suspicious when the eight-year-old cat did not come back inside, prompting him to check his cameras.
"Cleo will be very much missed, she was a daft cat in lots of ways and would lie along the driveway even when there were cars about but she was a companion to me," he said.
Chief Supt Andy Parsons, from West Midlands Police, described the attack as "a horrifying act of cruelty which has left us utterly disgusted".
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The Bishop of Leicester has pledged his support to the campaign to prevent the closure of the city's children's heart unit.
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The centre at Glenfield Hospital is one of several across England that the government has said is under threat.
The Right Reverend Tim Stevens said staff at the unit were "exceptionally professional".
A public consultation is under way into children's heart services in England.
At least four of the eleven specialist centres across the country face the threat of closure.
The NHS has said that the surgical centres would be turned into children's cardiology centres instead.
The surviving centres would have at least four consultant congenital heart surgeons treating a minimum of 500 children each year.
During a tour of the Glenfield unit, Bishop Stevens said: "I think everybody who's been treated in this hospital knows what exceptionally professional staff they have here.
"They have the vary latest technology and the great thing is they have a quality of care and commitment."
The four-month consultation will run until July.
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An auction of 300 books from Rugby School's library has fetched £775,000.
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Among the lots was William Shakespeare's Fourth Folio, from 1685, which was sold for £38,000.
The sale included a first edition of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol which sold for £8,500 while a first edition Robinson Crusoe made £8,000.
The highest bid went to another Shakespeare lot, a Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies second edition, from 1632, which made £48,000.
It had an estimate of £20,000-£30,000.
The school, founded in 1567, said the proceeds from the sale would be used to benefit students and extend its current bursary schemes.
Rupert Powell, deputy chairman at Forum Auctions, which hosted the sale, said the auction had fetched "more than double" the lowest estimates, with hundreds of participants.
He said it was a "white glove" sale, meaning all lots were sold.
"To have four different folio editions of Shakespeare in the same sale is unusual, there was lots of interest before and during, on the phone and online."
The books on offer on Wednesday covered "an impressively wide range of interests", the school said, including horsemanship, duelling, mountaineering, sermons, military history, psalms and maps.
The school said the books deserved to be "preserved, stored - and enjoyed - in specialist conditions".
Many of the books came from the library of Matthew Holbeche Bloxam, who was a pupil in the 19th Century, the school said.
In 2018, Mail Online reported the private school had raised nearly £15m by selling a large selection of artwork, with one item fetching more than £11m.
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Controversial plans for sea defences in Douglas have been given the go-ahead despite concerns they could harm the sea view.
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Plans for the 1,600ft (500m) wall on Harris Promenade were rejected for a second time in October last year.
However, an independent review has now recommended the project be approved after the Department of Infrastructure launched an appeal.
The 4ft (1.2m) high wall is designed to shield the walkway from waves.
In its original ruling, a planning committee said the structure would have a "permanent and detrimental impact" on the view of the sea.
But the review concluded the benefits of the development to people and the economy outweighed those concerns.
Douglas Councillor Ritchie McNicholl, who raised concerns about the original proposals, described the ruling as "very sad".
"I do feel the heart is slowly being removed from Douglas," he said.
Previous plans for sea defences on the promenade, which were likened to the Berlin Wall, were originally thrown out in December 2018.
No date has been set for construction work to begin as efforts are being concentrated on the promenade refurbishment project, a government spokesman said.
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A Derbyshire woman whose Royal Marine husband died 2001 is in training for the London Marathon to raise money to support war widows.
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Janine Fountain, 40, from Chesterfield, decided to take part as gratitude for the help she received from the Army Widows' Association charity.
Her husband, Steve, was in the Royal Marine Commandos while she was in the Royal Military Police.
She said she was "very emotional" about her marathon challenge.
Mrs Fountain, who works as a volunteer for the Army Widows' Association alongside her full-time job at the Coroners' Office in Sheffield, said: "I have experienced conflict environments from both a soldier's perspective and as a wife, so I can empathize with those directly affected.
"I can totally relate to the despair that wives, girlfriends and family members are going through.
"The money that we raise allows us to assist widows and their families through counselling and ongoing support which is crucial in a family's life journey following death."
Mrs Fountain said she had been getting up at 04:00 BST to train for the marathon as well as regularly visiting the gym.
"Being ex-military you have a certain level of fitness but I am nowhere near as fit as I used to be."
She said she hoped to complete the London Marathon, which takes place on 22 April, in under five hours and raise about £3,000.
"I feel excited and quietly confident. I know I'll do it," she added.
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The UK military will not be able to carry out everything the government wants following spending cuts, the head of the armed forces has warned.
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Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir David Richards, said ministers had not taken into account reduced force sizes.
Sir David's comments came in an Oxford University lecture reported in the Daily Telegraph.
In a statement through the MoD, he said "candid military analysis" made ministers aware of the limitations.
'Something gives'
Sir David is said to have told Oxford's department of politics and international relations: "We have a whole load of tasks expected of us.
"Our political masters are quite happy to reduce the size of the armed forces but their appetite to exercise influence on the world stage is, quite understandably, the same as it has always been.
"Often politicians say to me 'can you go and do this?'. I say to them 'with what?'."
He added: "If you reduce your armed forces, there is going to be a give - something gives."
His comments came against the background of the government's 2010 strategic defence and security review (SDSR) which introduced an 8% cut in defence funding and reductions of 30,000 personnel.
Sir David said one of his "biggest concerns" was about the number of frigates and destroyers in the Royal Navy fleet.
He also expressed concern at what he considered missed chances to find a political way forward in Afghanistan.
"All the military can do is buy space and time and opportunity for a political resolution of a problem," he said.
"It is a great shame that we have not understood this. This is not a matter for military, diplomats, politicians. This is a matter of collectively failing to exploit the opportunity the military gained."
'Assess priorities'
In a statement later issued by the Ministry of Defence, Sir David said: "The nature of military operations is that need is always balanced against available resources.
"It is the job of senior military commanders to help the government assess those priorities against the resources available, especially in the current economic conditions.
"It is right that candid military analysis keeps the government aware of constraints while the government, rightly, seeks to achieve the maximum effect with the assets available.
"As I have said before, I and the Chiefs of Staff agree that we can deliver the military capability required by the SDSR with the resources available.
"On Afghanistan, we all agree that you cannot win an insurgency through military means alone, it has always been understood that a political solution will ultimately be required."
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McDonald's is pausing walk-in takeaway services in the UK as new lockdown restrictions come into force.
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Dine-in meals and walk-in takeaways will not be available temporarily while it reviews safety procedures, it said.
Its UK boss said it will be testing "additional measures that may further enhance the safety of our takeaway service."
Rival food chains Burger King, Subway, KFC and Pret A Manger are still offering takeaways in-store.
McDonald's UK and Ireland chief executive Paul Pomroy said that safety measures across the firm's 1,300 restaurants will be reviewed by an independent health and safety body.
He added that customers would be kept updated via the restaurant's app and its website. Drive-through and delivery services across the fast food chain will remain open.
Under new lockdown restrictions which came into force in England and Scotland this week, hospitality firms are allowed to offer takeaways and deliveries.
But rules which previously allowed takeaways or click-and-collect services for alcoholic drinks have been scrapped.
Wales and Northern Ireland were already in lockdown, which meant that pubs, restaurants and cafes were restricted to takeaway-only too.
Lockdown restrictions
After the first nationwide lockdown in March, many chains including McDonald's, Burger King and Pret closed their doors to hungry customers.
They gradually reopened with additional safety measures in place, such as plastic screens in front of the tills, hand sanitiser dispensers and restrictions on the number of customers allowed in at any one point. Some also pared back the number of dishes on offer.
A Burger King spokesperson said that takeaway was still available in some branches and that it would continue to offer click-and-collect and delivery services "in line with guidance issued".
Sandwich chain Pret A Manger told the BBC that it is keeping some outlets open for both takeaways and delivery, but it would keep the number under review in the coming months.
"Last year we shifted our business to focus on delivery and expanded our delivery platform partnerships, to make Pret available to a wider customer base", a spokesperson said.
"Since then, we have seen a significant increase in the use of delivery."
Subway and KFC also confirmed that they remain open for in-store takeaways, deliveries and click-and-collect orders across the UK.
Fast food firm Leon, which has 65 outlets, said that 28 of their sites will remain open for takeaways and deliveries.
"We will continue to keep as many restaurants open as possible, as we did in the previous two lockdowns in line with government guidelines," a spokesperson said.
Despite adapting their business models, many casual dining chains have been forced to make job cuts in the last year as lockdown restrictions hit sales. Pret, for example, announced 3,000 job cuts in August, while Greggs made 820 job cuts at the end of 2020.
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As the war crimes trial of General Ratko Mladic begins at The Hague, the BBC's Allan Little recalls meeting him for the first time.
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It was June 1992 and you could stand at a Serb gun position on Trebevic Mountain on the south side of Sarajevo and gaze down at the city beneath you, shimmering in the haze of high summer. The streets were laid out like a map at your feet. You could see how easy it was for the gunmen to pick a target.
"Can you hit the Holiday Inn from here?" I asked one machine gunner. (The hotel would later house the foreign press corps; the BBC would set up its office there later that summer. It looked dangerously exposed to me). "Ha!" he laughed. "Hit the Holiday Inn? Choose a window!"
There was an old Yugoslav Army barracks nearby at a place called Lukavica. I called there trying to find a way into the besieged city - seeking Serb military permission to cross the siege lines.
Serb paramilitaries wandered around, draped in bullet belts and bandanas, young men pumped up with the prospect of battle, intimidating in their confident, aggressive swagger.
There were weapons for sale. One man told me you could buy a hand grenade for a dollar - the same price, I would learn later, that you would pay for a fresh egg in the besieged, hungry city.
War in secret
It was here, that day, that I met General Mladic in person, one to one, for the first time. I shook his hand. He held it firm and would not let go for what seemed to me to be many minutes. He drew unnervingly close, just a few inches from my face.
"I dream of a world of peace," he said, "in which the only guns will be made of plastic, for little boys to play with and re-enact the struggles of their ancestors".
As he spoke, men serving in an army under his command were bombarding the city beneath us.
And that, in some ways, was the least of it. Across northern and eastern Bosnia, where Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims) and Serbs had lived side-by-side and intermingled for centuries, a different kind of war was taking place.
In each municipality, Serb nationalists had set up a so-called "Emergency Committee". In each place, this committee set about the removal of non-Serbs from their homes.
In most places, there was no fighting. Gen Mladic's men simply rounded up the non-Serb population, separated the men from the women and children, expelled the latter and imprisoned the former.
Many of those men deemed to be a threat were summarily murdered. Many of the women were held as sex slaves. The TV cameras saw little or none of this. Word leaked out slowly to an incredulous world.
One evening, months into the war, the Bosnian Serbs' deputy president, a suave Shakespeare scholar called Nikola Koljevic, who would later commit suicide, told a British newspaper reporter, privately: "You know we are glad you reporters were so focused on Sarajevo in the spring and summer of 1992, because it enabled us to get on with what we had to do in the north and the east of the country."
Criminal enterprise
The term "ethnic cleansing" was not coined by the foreign media to discredit the Serbs. It is the term they themselves used to described what they were doing.
Srebrenica is the atrocity the world knows about. But Srebrenica did not come out of the blue. The rounding up of civilians, and the targeted killings, and the forced expulsions, and the rapes and the massacres had been going on for three years before Srebrenica.
There remains, even now, a dispute about the nature of the war. There are many who still insist on a kind of moral equivalence; who still insist that, in essence, all sides were equally guilty.
For there were, after all, atrocities on all sides.
But there was something distinctive about the Serb war effort. At its heart there was a criminal enterprise - the deliberate forced removal of civilian populations aimed at creating an ethnically pure territory.
It was organised town-by-town and village-by-village. It was centrally directed, carefully planned, well resourced, backed up by overwhelming military force and, crucially, it was state-sponsored.
What role was played by the man who shook and held onto my hand that hot summer's day 20 years ago? That is now for the courts to determine.
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Princes William and Harry have cameo roles as stormtroopers in the next Star Wars film, actor John Boyega has said.
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The royals visited the set of The Last Jedi in April 2016 and were rumoured to have filmed a scene in disguise.
Now Boyega, who plays reformed stormtrooper Finn, has confirmed that he shared a scene with the pair "wrapped in stormtroopers costumes".
The actor also appeared to confirm that actor Tom Hardy appears beside them, also beneath a face-obscuring helmet.
Boyega's confirmation came during a taping of a "round table" interview for the Hollywood Reporter. The film website has reported his quotes but has yet to make the audio available.
It quoted the British actor as saying it was "a great experience" to shoot the scene with the princes, and that it made for a "strange contrast of a weird family".
In April, Boyega said "no comment" when asked whether William and Harry would be making cameo appearances. The royals were on the film set in 2016 as part of an official visit to Pinewood Studios.
Take That singer Gary Barlow has also revealed that he has a part in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which is out in cinemas in December.
The BBC has tried to contact Prince William and Harry's communications secretary and a spokesperson for Disney, owner of the Star Wars brand.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected].
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GPs in England are to be offered a voluntary contract to provide seven-day-a-week cover for patients, David Cameron has announced.
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Seven-day hospital services will also be extended to "half the country" by 2018 and the whole of England by 2020.
Mr Cameron made the announcement as the Conservatives gathered in Manchester for their annual conference.
The Royal College of GPs has warned a recruitment crisis was making plans for seven-day working "unrealistic".
Mr Cameron's comments came as the government denied pressuring officials behind the scenes to delay the publication of figures which show the financial performance of the NHS.
A report in the Observer claimed officials at Monitor and another NHS regulator were leaned on to delay financial and other performance figures such as treatment waiting times in order to avoid embarrassment at the Conservative conference, which is taking place this week.
Health officials have said the data will be published shortly.
'Clear goals'
On the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, Mr Cameron insisted a seven-day-a-week NHS was "a really exciting prospect".
He said: "We said that we are going to have to make difficult decisions elsewhere, but the NHS will not just be protected.
"It's getting an extra £10bn of money during this Parliament, over and above inflation, and that enables us to meet some really clear goals.
"Parents and people in our country want to access the NHS on a seven-day basis.
"Let me be clear, this doesn't mean that all staff in the NHS have to work every seven days, it just means the services are available.
"So, I can announce today that we will be publishing a new GP contract to get rid of the box-ticking and the form-filling."
NHS weekend: Want to know more?
The new contract for GPs will be voluntary, with family doctors able to decide whether they want to join forces with neighbouring GPs to form federations and networks of practices delivering seven-day care to populations of at least 30,000 patients.
Grouping GPs together in federations or networks will allow them to deliver better integrated care, the prime minister argues.
They will also be able to work more closely with community nurses, hospital specialists, pharmacists and other health and care professionals, he added.
Destabilising care
Trials of seven-day GP access have already begun, with 18 million patients getting extended availability by March this year.
But a recent survey found practices in some areas had scaled back weekend opening due to limited demand.
The Royal College of General Practitioners has warned that seven day opening in England is unachievable in this Parliament and risks destabilising care.
Conservative sources said the voluntary GPs contract will be funded from the additional £10bn of NHS investment promised by the prime minister over the course of the Parliament.
Labour's Jonathan Ashworth said: "You can't trust [David Cameron's] promises on a seven day NHS - he has made them before but hasn't delivered.
"What the Tories have done is take the health service backwards - under them it is harder to see your GP and waiting lists are higher."
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Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus outbreak on Sunday. We'll have another update for you on Monday.
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1. Spain to allow UK tourists without quarantine
UK tourists can visit Spain without having to quarantine on arrival, Spanish officials have told the BBC, giving fresh hope to those wishing to have a summer holiday abroad this year. British citizens will be allowed to enter the country freely, without the need to self-isolate, said Spain's foreign affairs minister. Meanwhile, do you really know Britain's lockdown rules? Test your knowledge.
2. Is a second wave of coronavirus on the way?
Countries around the world are easing their lockdown restrictions, but coronavirus is far from over and even those controlling the outbreak fear "the second wave". The second phase of Spanish flu a century ago was deadlier than the first. So, is a second wave inevitable, and just how bad could it be?
3. 75 staff at Anglesey chicken plant test positive
More staff at a chicken factory that produces a third of all poultry products consumed in the UK have tested positive for coronavirus. All staff at the 2 Sisters meat processing plant in Llangefni, Anglesey, northern Wales, are self-isolating after a number of workers were confirmed to have the virus on Thursday. Public Health Wales said that the number of staff affected had risen to 75, with cases expected to increase.
4. Scottish architect completes lockdown visual diary
A Scottish architect has filled six A4-size sketchbooks documenting his family's life under lockdown. Prof Alan Dunlop has drawn about 120 pictures - one or two for each day of the 10 weeks since restrictions came into place.
5. Joining the lockdown veg-growing boom with no garden
Lockdown has led many to explore new hobbies - and inspired a new generation of backyard vegetable growers. But what do you do if your only outside space is tiny? Here's how to grow lockdown veg in a tiny space, from window ledges to patio pots.
Get a longer coronavirus briefing from the BBC in your inbox, each weekday morning, by signing up here.
And don't forget...
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A culture of denial about the extent of problems caused by sectarianism still exists in Scotland, a new report says.
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The report, written by academic Dr Duncan Morrow, said this culture remained an obstacle to progress.
Dr Morrow, who headed an advisory group on tackling sectarianism, also called for a review of hate crime legislation.
The Scottish government said it was clear that more work was needed on sectarianism and that it was committed to taking forward the recommendations.
Dr Morrow said recent work had demonstrated the issue could be addressed through "active leadership and concerted effort".
He said a review of hate crime legislation should consider how sectarianism incidents could be integrated into a more general approach.
Report recommendations
Dr Morrow called on the Scottish government to shift its emphasis away from historical blame.
He said the focus should be on ending the behaviours, attitudes and structures which underpinned sectarianism rather than naming and shaming any individual or group.
His recommendations include sharing of best practice across the relevant authorities, greater community involvement and a commitment to tackling the issue as part of equalities education in schools.
Lack of urgency
He also said there had been a disappointing lack of urgency from local authorities to the findings of his group, published in 2015.
"Local authorities should actively consider how best practice in tackling sectarianism can be shared more systematically across Scotland," he said.
Dr Morrow said football was only one part of the jigsaw of sectarianism.
He said he was sceptical as to whether government proposals to tackle the problem were sufficient to change the evident sectarian behaviour in Scottish football.
"I remain seriously concerned that the primary concern of the authorities remains to avoid responsibility rather than to take action," he said.
Community Safety Minister Annabelle Ewing said: "It is very clear from Dr Morrow's report that work remains to be done in eradicating sectarianism from sections of our society.
"Considerable work has been taken forward over the past few years and I am very pleased to note that some progress has been made since the final report by the advisory group, but more needs to be done."
'Obstacle to progress'
She added: "The Scottish government cannot eradicate sectarianism in isolation and while we are committed to taking forward the recommendations that are for us, we must also continue to work with local authorities, the third sector, community groups, football clubs and more to foster a Scotland where sectarianism is consigned to history.
"Together we can nurture a modern nation that isn't weighed down by the prejudices of the past. I will now carefully consider Dr Morrow's report and respond in due course."
Dave Scott, campaign director of anti-sectarianism charity Nil by Mouth, said: "The contents of Dr Morrow's report highlights there is much to be optimistic about in terms of how Scotland is tackling sectarianism.
"Fifteen years on from Jack McConnell's 'secret shame' speech we now see many sections of society pulling together to show Scotland to be bigger, better and bolder than bigotry.
"However, it's clear from the report that Scottish football continues to be an obstacle to progress and it's consistent refusal to manage its own environment undermines efforts in wider society.
"Given the millions of pounds of public money the sport benefits from each year this cannot be allowed to continue and our political parties must ensure that the game steps up to the plate or faces the consequences of its inaction."
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The BBC has won a case against Russian TV channel RT, which claimed the corporation faked a report on Syria.
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The station said the BBC had "staged" a chemical weapons attack for a news report, and digitally altered the words spoken by an interviewee.
The BBC complained to Ofcom, saying the "incredibly serious" allegations struck "at the heart" of its obligations to accuracy and impartiality.
Ofcom ruled that elements of the programme were "materially misleading".
It also said the BBC had been treated "unfairly" by programme, called The Truthseeker, as it was not given a opportunity to address the allegations before the programme was broadcast.
Separately, Ofcom said another episode of The Truthseeker was guilty of a further "serious breach" of the broadcasting code.
The episode, titled Genocide of Eastern Ukraine, contained claims that the Ukrainian government was deliberately bombing civilians in the east of the country, had murdered and tortured journalists and carried out other acts such as crucifying babies.
Ukrainian army forces were accused of "ethnic cleansing" and were compared to the Nazis in World War Two.
The programme had "little or no counterbalance or objectivity", Ofcom ruled.
The only response to the allegations in the broadcast was in the form of a caption saying "Kiev claims it is not committing genocide, denies casualty reports", which appeared on screen for six seconds.
Ofcom said viewers expected the programme to tackle controversial global events from a Russian perspective - but that it had broken a rule designed to ensure impartiality in coverage of controversial political subjects.
TV Novosti cancelled The Truthseeker and removed all previous episodes from its website as a result of the complaints, Ofcom noted.
'Misleading'
The allegations about the BBC were contained in a 13-minute episode entitled The Truthseeker: Media "staged" Syria Chem Attack.
Broadcast in March 2014, it opened with footage of wounded people lying on the floor of a room, while the presenter said: "The British Broadcasting Corporation is accused of staging [a] chemical weapons attack."
Shortly afterwards, the presenter said: "August 2013 and Nato leaders can't get the public onside for the imminent bombing of Syria. Suddenly the BBC says it was filming a small rural hospital, and a game-changing atrocity happens right there the moment they were filming."
The programme went on to allege that the BBC altered an interview with a doctor, replacing the word "napalm" with the phrase "chemical weapon".
And it claimed that the BBC's report, by journalist Ian Pannell, had resulted in "a massive public investigation which made some extremely disturbing findings".
Ofcom said the public investigation was in fact three letters of complaint to the BBC by Robert Stuart, alleging that several news reports from Syria had featured faked footage.
According to RT, Mr Stuart's allegations remained "unanswered" by the BBC - but the corporation told Ofcom that his complaints had been "denied and rejected with detailed reasons" before The Truthseeker was broadcast.
In its response to Ofcom, TV Novosti, which owns and operates RT, said: "Mr Stuart's investigation might fairly be described as massive" but it accepted that "the description of Mr Stuart's complaint might have been misleading".
It maintained that the BBC's footage "clearly was faked", adding that "any damage to the reputation and good name of the BBC [was] self-inflicted".
Regarding the accuracy of the BBC's reports, Ofcom said it was "not possible or appropriate" for the regulator "to attempt to prove or disprove the allegations made about the BBC". The BBC's Editorial Complaints Unit found there were no grounds to uphold any aspects of Mr Stuart's complaint.
Instead, Ofcom said its role was to rule on whether any elements of RT's programme were materially misleading.
'Shocked'
Ofcom said that the description of Mr Stuart's complaint as a "massive public investigation" had the effect "of elevating the various opinions expressed... to the firm conclusions of a significant and detailed official investigation".
It ruled: "We did not consider that viewers would have clearly understood that the 'massive public investigation'... was a complaint by a member of the public to the BBC which had been responded to in detail by the BBC and that it was also based on a number of online articles detailing individuals' opinions."
RT has been directed to broadcast a summary of Ofcom's decision that its programme was misleading.
In response to the ruling, the BBC said: "We welcome this decision not only on behalf of the BBC but of the victims of the attack we reported and the brave medics who struggled to save their lives.
"This impartial, fearless and award-winning reporting in Syria from Ian Pannell, Darren Conway and their team demonstrated the journalistic values which make us one of the world's most trusted news broadcasters."
Reacting to Ofcom's conclusion that RT had breached the regulator's code in four cases, editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan said she was "shocked and disappointed in Ofcom's decision" .
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A mosque and community centre could double in size if expansion plans are approved by Peterborough City Council.
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The £2m project for the mosque in Burton Street includes a multi-purpose hall, library, computer rooms and new car parking spaces.
Mr Raza Hussain Rahim, president of the Khoja Shia Ithna Asheri community, said it was a chance to give something back to the people of Peterborough.
"This will be a community building for everyone in the city to use," he said.
The Burton Street mosque was built in 1978, shortly after the Shia Khoja Muslims arrived in Peterborough from parts of east Africa.
'Community centre'
"We were made so welcome when we arrived in this city," Mr Rahim said.
"We built the mosque, and now we have raised funds from within our own community and sister organisations throughout the UK and in Africa, for this new building, which will be more than just a mosque.
"It's a community centre and we are part of that community. Our members here contribute to a number of professions including medicine, dentistry, law and accountancy."
If the application is approved, Mr Rahim said he hoped that work to build the extension would begin within six months.
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Thousands of people have turned out for the annual Dorset knob throwing contest.
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The event in Cattistock, which also incorporates a food festival, sees participants hurling the locally-made buns in pursuit of a new record.
The existing record holder, Dave Phillips, lobbed his winning knob an astounding 29.4m (96ft) in 2012.
For the first time this year, winners were presented with a bronze knob, cast by local foundry Coles Casting.
Other games include guess the weight of the big knob, knob archery, knob and spoon racing, pin the knob on the Cerne giant, and the knob eating cup.
A brief knob explainer
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Hubble has revealed fascinating new details about Pluto's four smaller moons.
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By Jonathan AmosBBC Science Correspondent
At a distance of five billion km, the telescope only sees the satellites as faint pinpricks of light, and yet it has been able to discern information on their size, colour, and rotational and orbital characteristics.
Hubble finds the little objects to be somewhat chaotic in their behaviour.
They are very likely wobbling end over end as they move through their orbits.
"If you can imagine what it would be like to live on [these moons], you would literally not know where the Sun was coming up tomorrow," said Mark Showalter from the Seti Institute, US.
"The Sun might rise in the west and set in the east. The Sun might rise in the west and set in the north for that matter.
"In fact, if you had real estate on the north pole… you might discover one day you’re on the south pole."
'Rugby ball'
The assessment, published in Nature journal, will be verified in six weeks when the moons are passed by a probe.
Nasa's New Horizons spacecraft is currently bearing down on the Pluto system and will execute a fly-through on 14 July.
It will gather a mass of data on the dwarf planet and its largest moon, Charon, but should also get a decent view of the smaller bodies - Styx, Nix, Kerberos and Hydra – as well.
All were discovered by Hubble after New Horizons launched from Earth in 2006.
Nix and Hydra are the bigger of the quartet at about 50km in their longest dimension. And that is actually one of the keys to the observed behaviour.
These small satellites are very irregular in shape – more rugby ball than football.
Like clockwork
The Hubble scientists find that when you put this kind of object in the “lumpy” gravity field created by the dominant Pluto and Charon, you can get that object to tumble in unpredictable ways.
This wobbling is evident to the space telescope from the way the light from Nix and Hydra changes over time. And although it is harder to see the much smaller Styx and Kerberos, it is assumed their behaviour is the same.
All that said, the moons do seem to follow a surprisingly predictable pattern as they orbit Pluto and Charon.
Three of them - Nix, Styx and Hydra - are locked together in resonance, meaning that their orbits follow a clockwork-like routine.
If you were to stand on Nix, Styx would come around on the sky twice in the time it took Hydra to come around three times.
Nix and Hydra are determined to be quite bright, akin to dirty snowballs. The surprise is Kerberos which orbits between them. It is really dark, not dissimilar to a charcoal briquette.
This is strange. Theory holds that all the moons, including Charon, were formed from the debris that resulted when the early Pluto was struck by an object of near comparable size.
"And if they all formed together, they all formed out of the same stuff. It is extremely hard to understand how one of them is a charcoal briquette and it’s orbiting between two snowballs," commented study co-author Douglas Hamilton, from the University of Maryland.
Some answers should come with New Horizons.
John Spencer, a mission scientist at the Southwest Research Institute, explained: "We’ll be taking pictures of Nix and Hydra that will be 50 to 100 pixels [across] - maybe bigger depending how bright they turn out to be.
"So, we’ll see a lot of their surfaces. We’ll see if they have craters or fractures, or anything like that and we’ll get the composition of their surfaces." Styx and Kerberos, because of their longest dimensions are probably about 10km, will be harder to characterise.
Nonetheless, whatever New Horizons learns at Pluto will be useful for those scientists that study even more distant realms, such as far-off double, or binary, stars, according to Heidi Hammel, of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy.
Where you have two suns very close to each other, you may get unusual behaviours in any nearby orbiting planets.
The Pluto-Charon system could therefore be analogous, she said, and the techniques used by Hubble in this investigation could soon be applied to the study of these more distant systems.
"A planet that circles a binary star is called a circumbinary planet," she explained, "and perhaps the most famous circumbinary planet is not actually a real planet but rather a movie planet – Tatooine in Star Wars, the planet where the young Luke Skywalker encountered Obi Wan Kenobi and began his journey to become a Jedi Knight.
"That’s a fictional circumbinary planet; we now know of at least 17 circumbinary planets, and several of those are in circumbinary systems – in other words, more than one planet revolving around the binary star."
[email protected] and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos
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Insurance company Aviva has been fined £8.2m by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for breaking the rules on the protection of clients' savings.
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By Brian MilliganPersonal Finance reporter
The problem occurred when administration was outsourced to a platform used by financial advisers between 2013 and 2015.
No individuals suffered a loss.
The company apologised, and said clients' money - including pensions and investments - was now properly protected.
The FCA said Aviva had failed to put in place appropriate controls that would ensure investors would get their money back, should the company fail.
"Had Aviva suffered an insolvency event during the period, customers could have suffered loss," it said.
"Other firms with similar outsourcing arrangements should take this as a warning that there is no excuse for not having robust controls and oversight systems in place to ensure their processes comply with our rules," said Mark Steward, director of enforcement and market oversight at the FCA.
'We are sorry'
In response Aviva, one of the largest pension providers in the UK, said it had strengthened its controls.
It has also established a specialist team to oversee the safety of customers' money.
"This should not have happened and we are sorry," said Andy Briggs, chief executive of Aviva UK Life.
"Aviva's customers have not suffered any loss and there has been no impact on advisers. We have addressed and resolved the issues identified."
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An NHS worker seriously injured in a racially-aggravated attack has told how he recorded a piece of music five days later detailing his ordeal.
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The 21-year-old musician, known by his stage names, K or K-Dogg, was attacked in Bristol on 22 July.
He wrote a track entitled Soon I'll Be Just Fine to describe what had happened and his determination to recover.
Four people arrested on suspicion of attempted murder were all later released under investigation.
K was attacked as he walked to a bus stop after finishing work at Southmead Hospital.
He was struck by a car and suffered serious injuries including a broken leg, nose and cheekbone, leaving him unable to walk or stand up and requiring three operations.
"I'm healing, getting better and trying to take each day as it comes," he said.
"I'm trying to do something productive every day because obviously we don't know what the future holds and I want to leave some kind of legacy.
"I'm glad that I'm here and doing this. I'm trying to turn a negative situation into a positive situation."
In the track, set to be released on Thursday, K describes how he was left for dead by those responsible.
"Even though I was in a huge amount of pain, I was just determined to go and record this song," he said.
"It's really important to me that people hear it to spread awareness because these people are still out there and I don't want this to happen to anyone else.
"It's also to show that someone can go through a situation like this and come back from it."
Since the attack he has received cards and letters from well-wishers from around the world which have helped him "push forward" with his recovery.
A fundraising page set up by K's friend Simeon Mccarthy received almost £60,000 in donations, including from the band Massive Attack.
The Avon and Somerset Police investigation is ongoing and charity Crimestoppers has offered a £5,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of those responsible.
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A mountain rescuer from Aberdeen credited with helping to save hundreds of lives in a career lasting more than 40 years has been recognised by Prime Minister David Cameron.
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Mario Di Maio, the former leader of Aberdeen Mountain Rescue Team, has received a Point of Light award.
Mr Di Maio, 61, joined AMRT in 1970, and later spent 19 years as its leader.
He was involved in more than 600 incidents during his 44 years on the team.
They included recovering the bodies of two US airmen after their plane crashed on Ben Macdui in 2001.
'Put something back'
Mr Di Maio retired last year but still helps train and mentor young volunteers.
He said: "I have always been interested in the hills and mountaineering and joining my local mountain rescue team was an opportunity to put something back into the sport.
"I am delighted to have been given this award and I accept it on behalf of all the people who participate as volunteers in mountain rescue."
Mr Cameron said: "He has shown tremendous commitment and dedication to making sure others can stay safe. I am delighted to award him a Point of Light."
The daily Points of Light award recognises outstanding individual volunteers - people who are making a change in their community - and has been developed in partnership with Points of Light programme in the United States.
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Pixar's latest animation Onward has been banned by several Middle Eastern countries because of a reference to lesbian parents, according to reports .
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The family film will not be shown in Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, Hollywood media have reported.
Police officer Specter, voiced by Lena Waithe, has been heralded as Disney-Pixar's first openly gay character.
Her lines include: "It's not easy being a parent... my girlfriend's daughter got me pulling my hair out, OK?"
Other Middle East countries like Bahrain, Lebanon and Egypt are showing the film.
And according to Deadline, Russia censored the scene in question by changing the word "girlfriend" to "partner" and avoiding mentioning the gender of Specter, who is a supporting character.
Speaking to Variety, Waithe explained that the line about "my girlfriend" was her idea.
"I said, 'Can I say the word girlfriend, is that cool?'
"I was just like, 'It sounds weird.' I even have a gay voice, I think. I don't think I sound right saying 'Husband.' They were like, 'Oh yeah, do that.' They were so cool and chilled. And it ended up being something special."
Waithe has also starred in Ready Player One and Westworld, and recently wrote and produced Queen & Slim.
Set in a suburban fantasy world, Onward is about two teenage elf brothers (voiced by Chris Pratt and Tom Holland) who go on an adventure after their mum gives them special gifts from their deceased father, including a letter that can resurrect him for just one day.
Coronavirus: 'Zero impact' on box office
Onward topped the North American box office chart on its opening weekend, with takings of $40m (£30.5m), which was in line with predictions.
Overall box office receipts were significantly down this weekend, but experts don't believe the fear of coronavirus was to blame.
"I think there was zero impact," Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst with Comscore, said.
"With $40m for Onward, a small drop off for The Invisible Man ($15.5m/£11.8m) and The Way Back ($8.5m/£6.5m) getting solid scores from audiences, it looks like people are in the habit of going to the movies."
The virus has forced the release of the next James Bond film to be postponed, with Hollywood waiting to see what impact the outbreak will have on ticket sales for other films.
Meanwhile, more major Hollywood films have encountered problems with censors in conservative countries as more gay characters have been portrayed.
Last year, Russia censored scenes in the Sir Elton John biopic Rocketman and Avengers: Endgame as a result of LGBT references.
In 2017, Disney's Beauty and the Beast was banned in markets including Kuwait and Malaysia over a reference to Josh Gad's character LeFou being gay. Russia gave it an over-16 rating.
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A cap on how much gamblers can stake on betting machines could see 1,000 jobs go in Wales, an organisation representing bookmakers has claimed.
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From April, the maximum stake on the fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) will be cut from from £100 to £2.
The Association of British Bookmakers (ABB) said this would mean "up to half of all betting shops in Wales closing".
Dai Lloyd, chairman of the Welsh Assembly's health committee, said the FOBTs "destroyed lives".
"It literally does destroy lives in terms of all that worry and concern about huge debts mounting and mounting," Mr Lloyd added.
Shaun Payne, owner of SP Racing bookmakers in Llandrindod Wells, Powys, told BBC Radio Wales he could be forced to close and said the change would not tackle gambling addiction.
"There's nothing stopping me going into a shop and spending £100 on scratch cards and then going back and buying another £100 of scratch cards," he said.
Mr Payne claimed online gambling and late-night roulette games on television were more dangerous.
"I thought that's what the Gambling Commission was trying to stop, but that doesn't seem to be the case," he added.
"Customers tell me that by the time they have got in their car, they could have changed their mind, whereas online it is quick."
Councils could soon be given more power over where bookies can open, to stop clusters appearing in poorer areas.
A consultation has been held by the Welsh Government over changes to planning rules which would mean former banks or building societies would need planning permission to become bookmakers.
At present, they do not as they are classed in the same category - financial and professional services.
'Gambling left me suicidal'
Sarah Grant from Cardiff spent years addicted to gambling. She bet online and in shops and won and lost thousands of pounds in single days.
She became homeless and spent days on end in betting shops because they would give her free tea, coffee and toast while she was gambling.
"It's like you live life on a high and low all the time, there's no in-between," she said.
"So you're either completely high because you're gambling, you're really quick and all your thoughts are going fast and you're thinking about what you're going to win and do, where your next bet is going.
"And then, all of a sudden, you lose and you realise you've run out of money and you're just down on the floor, like, suicidal, sometimes at that point because you just panic and think 'what am I going to do now?'"
According to the Gambling Commission, 25,000 people self-reported as having a problem with gambling in Wales in 2016 - with a further 100,000 estimated to be at risk.
There are almost 390 betting shops in Wales, employing nearly 2,100 people.
An ABB spokesman said: "We hope that the Welsh Government will work with us to help mitigate the impact on jobs following this change in legislation."
In 2017, betting shops made £3.2bn from FOBTs and over-the-counter bets, with the machines accounting for 57% of the total - up from 38% in 2008-09.
Prof Robert Rogers, from Bangor University's public health collaborating unit, said: "The evidence suggests that, overall, there are more betting shops in areas of high deprivation.
"This is a concern because we also know that harm tends to be higher in these areas than in less deprived areas."
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US gaming giant Las Vegas Sands has unveiled plans for a London-themed resort in Macau.
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The resort is part of plans to spend $1.1bn (£830m) on renovating the firm's five properties in China's gambling enclave.
Sands said that the revamped resort would feature some "recognisable landmarks".
The move comes as Macau's gambling revenues begin to bounce back after a Beijing-led crackdown on corruption.
The Londoner will replace Sands Cotai Central, which currently features more than 6,000 hotel rooms, 4,000 sq ft of retail space and a 1,700-seat cinema.
Robert Goldstein, Sands' president and chief operating officer, said the resort's facade would resemble "something with all the iconic architectural look and feel of Big Ben".
"If you think about London, it's iconic in so many ways, the buses to the Beefeaters, and there's just so many opportunities there," he added.
"Our team is having great fun playing with that."
Sands has invested more than $13bn into the region since 2002, when it became the first US company to open a casino there.
Its latest announcement comes as Chinese authorities place increasing pressure on the region to diversify away from gambling, leading to a race by major firms to build resorts before casino licenses start to expire in 2020.
Macau is the only place in China where gambling is legal, but its reputation as a money laundering centre recently made it the focus of prosecutions against several high-profile government and casino officials.
But more gambling money is making its way into the semi-autonomous region of southern China. Macau's Gaming Inspection and Co-ordination Bureau reported gambling revenues of 67bn patacas ($8.3bn) between July and September this year, up 22% from 2016.
In its latest quarterly results, the firm said that during the same period, total net revenues for Sands China - its Chinese subsidiary - increased 12.2% to $1.93bn.
"Our strategy to again boost our investment in Macau is testimony to our unwavering belief in the secular growth trend in China," said Sheldon Adelson, the founder, chairman and chief executive of Sands.
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A review of the trade and importation of exotic animals as pets in Scotland is to be carried out.
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Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead announced the plan following talks with animal welfare charity OneKind.
It will examine how imported, and native, species can be better protected and consider the impact tighter legislation could have.
It comes amid concerns over the sale of non-domesticated animals like monkeys, meerkats and snakes on the internet.
There have been several recent cases of exotic animals being abandoned, such as a monitor lizard found in a supermarket toilet in Edinburgh and a snake which slithered into a legal office in Clydebank.
Mr Lochhead said: "There is an increasing desire across Europe, including in Scotland, to keep exotic pets.
"There are potential threats to animal health and welfare, human health and our native species that accompany this trend and merit serious investigation.
"Current legislation in Scotland already provides protection for the welfare of exotic animals kept as pets, forbids the release of non-native animals and also has the power to ban the sale or keeping of certain invasive species.
"However, I feel that perhaps more can be done to protect not only the exotic animals that are being brought into the country, but our own native animals and environment."
The environment secretary said he would seek views and advice from animal welfare groups, veterinary organisations and biologists across the country.
The review will consider the possibility of introducing a "positive list" approach which gives a single list of animals that may be kept as pets.
Under current legislation there is a "negative list" where access to certain specific species is prohibited or subject to a requirement for licence due to concerns surrounding invasive potential or public safety.
More than 1,000 species of mammals, birds, invertebrates, reptiles and amphibians, and hundreds of fish species, are sold in the pet trade.
Libby Anderson, OneKind policy director, said: "We are delighted that the cabinet secretary has taken our concerns about the animal welfare and conservation issues surrounding exotic, non-domesticated pets so seriously.
"OneKind believes that the most effective means of solving these problems is to limit the quest for evermore unusual specimens as so-called pets.
"We recommend the introduction of a positive list system to identify those animals that are suitable for private keeping, and prohibit or stringently license the keeping of all other types. Obviously, exceptions can be made for certain specialist purposes."
The Scottish government is planning to conduct a wider review of pet welfare, including the breeding and sale of animals for the pet trade, and it is likely that the review of the exotic pet trade will be addressed as part of this project.
Issues around the sale of various animals online will also be looked at as part of the review of pet welfare.
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A £2.4bn potash mine on the North York Moors will be operational within the next 5 years, its developers said.
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Sirius Minerals, a fertilizer producer, hopes to start preparatory building work at the site near Whitby shortly, with the mine opening in 2021.
A 23-mile (37km) tunnel will be built, so minerals can be transported to a processing plant on Teesside.
The company claims it will create more than 1,000 jobs, but opponents said it will damage the landscape and wildlife.
The term "potash" is used to describe a range of minerals containing potassium, with the company mining polyhalite.
Plans include building a minehead at Dove's Nest Farm, Sneaton, with shafts 4,921ft (1,500m) deep.
It aims to initially produce 10 million tonnes of fertilizer per annum, rising to 20 million tonnes subject to council approval.
Chris Fraser, managing director of Sirius Minerals, said the mine will create a "world leader in the fertilizer industry".
He said: "In delivering this project we can create thousands of jobs in North Yorkshire and Teesside, deliver billions of pounds of investment to the UK and put the country at the forefront of the multi-nutrient fertilizer industry."
In June, the North York Moors National Park Authority approved plans for the mine, with "stringent conditions" for its construction and working.
Andy Wilson, chief executive of the authority, previously said the "economic impact of the mine outweighed the environmental harm".
The Campaign for National Parks said the mine was "completely incompatible with national park purposes" and the promised economic benefits would "never justify the huge damage" to the area's landscape, wildlife and tourism.
An open letter, signed by 29 groups including the RSPB and the Campaign for National Parks, had urged the rejection of plans for the mine.
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Macedonia's June election has been postponed after the constitutional court moved to halt electoral activities, amid intense pressure at home and abroad.
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Opposition parties have boycotted the election because of prolonged political turmoil that has rocked the former Yugoslav republic.
The court declared the dissolution of parliament unconstitutional.
Parliament then reconvened and agreed to cancel the vote.
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said conditions for the June poll "were not there" and all main political parties in the Balkan nation should now address the serious issues at the heart of the crisis.
In particular, she demanded the immediate rescinding of pardons handed down in April to 56 people implicated in a wiretapping scandal that sparked the turmoil in February 2015. A US embassy statement echoed the appeal, warning against "selective justice".
Macedonia president halts wiretapping inquiry
Protesters ransack president's office
Macedonia - profile of Balkan nation
Opposition leader Zoran Zaev accused the government last year of tapping the phones of more than 20,000 people, including politicians, journalists and religious leaders.
He produced a steady stream of recordings and made a series of allegations from corruption in the upper echelons of government to covered-up killings.
The government denied the accusations and said Mr Zaev was trying to destabilise Macedonia. Former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski stepped down in January and was among those pardoned by President Gjorge Ivanov on 12 April.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn helped secure a deal last year for a special prosecutor to investigate the wiretaps and for early elections but the agreement has all but broken down.
The president said in April that he wanted to "put an end to the agony" of the investigation and defend national interests ahead of the June vote.
His move led to outrage among opposition parties and thousands of protesters took to the streets of the capital, Skopje and ransacked the president's office.
The president's decision left only Mr Gruevski's ruling VMRO DPMNE party planning to stand in the election. Further demonstrations involving both sides have been taking place for the past three weeks.
Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg added his voice on Wednesday to calls for President Ivanov to revoke the April pardons. Macedonia has ambitions of joining both Nato and the EU.
"The door of Nato is still open, but it is crucial that the country's leaders address problems on the rule of law," Mr Stoltenberg said.
German diplomat Johanes Haindl is due to visit Macedonia on Thursday for talks with political leaders.
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The bells in various Manx churches are to ring out in harmony as part of a celebration of the London 2012 Olympics.
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Everyone has been invited to ring some kind of bell on Friday morning.
The project is the idea of Turner prize-winning artist and musician Martin Creed.
The Bishop of Sodor and Man, Robert Paterson said: "Big Ben will be ringing tomorrow, and bells of this Diocese will be too."
Creed's project is called: "Work No. 1197: All the bells in a country rung as quickly and as loudly as possible for three minutes at 08:12 27th July."
Everyone from enthusiastic children with hand bells, bicycle bells and doorbells, to experienced tower bell ringers is invited to join in.
To get involved all individuals, communities and organisations are encouraged to register at the project's website.
The ringing marks the first day of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
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Current and former senior BBC managers and members of the BBC Trust have been questioned about executive pay-offs by the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
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Two recent reports have found that the corporation paid outgoing senior managers £2.9m more than was contractually necessary in severance payments between 2006-12.
Mark Thompson, former director general
Mr Thompson ran the BBC between 2004-12. In the three years up to the end of 2012, £25m was paid in severance payments to senior executives, according to a scathing National Audit Office report published in July.
The largest payment went to Mr Thompson's deputy Mark Byford, who received £949,000 in 2011. Mr Thompson said the pay-offs were necessary to reduce the number of senior managers, which would save money over time.
But a bitter row erupted between Mr Thompson and the BBC Trust over whether the trust knew about and authorised the overpayments.
At the hearing on Monday, he said the BBC Trust put him under "ferocious pressure" to cut senior staff numbers in order to reduce costs.
He said he stood by his claim that the trust had misled the PAC over the events in the past. He denied that he had kept the trust in the dark about severance packages, saying it had been "fully informed" of what was going on.
He also denied that the payment to Mr Byford was more than he was contractually entitled to, explaining he had been "advised it was contractual".
Mr Thompson became chief executive of the New York Times in November.
Chris Patten, BBC Trust chairman
Lord Patten, a former Conservative minister and governor of Hong Kong, became chairman of the BBC Trust in 2011.
The trust, which replaced the BBC governors in 2004, is supposed to oversee the corporation on behalf of licence fee payers.
At a Public Accounts Committee hearing in July, Lord Patten told MPs he had been "shocked and dismayed" to learn of the overpayments after they had been made.
At the follow-up hearing on Monday, he insisted that he could not have known about the pay-offs because the most significant decisions were taken before he joined.
"I'm accused of having misled the committee on something that I never knew and couldn't have been expected to know," he said.
He said a briefing he was given before the publication of the BBC annual report for 2010/11 said pay-offs to Mr Byford and former marketing boss Sharon Baylay, who left with £390,000, were "contractual payments".
The pay-off row follows heavy criticism of Lord Patten's handling of the Jimmy Savile scandal. In July, he said he would stand down from the trust when his four-year term ended in 2015.
The latest controversy has put the future of the trust in the spotlight, with some reports suggesting it will be scrapped and regulation of the BBC handed to media watchdog Ofcom.
Anthony Fry, BBC Trust member
Anthony Fry is the head of the BBC Trust's finance committee. He steps down from his role this autumn after becoming the Premier League's new chairman.
At the PAC hearing in July, Mr Fry said of the pay-offs: "We were assured that they were within contractual terms. We were told that they had been signed off in the proper fashion by the remuneration committee of the BBC executive board."
In the September follow-up, Mr Fry told the PAC there had been "months and months of arguments" between the trust and the BBC management over financial issues such as pay, perks and bonuses - although he admitted that severance packages were not given much attention.
"It became a battleground. I got the distinct view... that our views were not being taken with what I believed was the seriousness they deserved," he said.
Lucy Adams, BBC HR director
Ms Adams, outgoing director of human resources, is responsible for overseeing all recruitment, training and development as well as remuneration and benefits.
In July, she claimed Mr Byford's payout was in line with "custom and practice" at the time. She added that the "overwhelming focus was to get numbers out of the door as quickly as possible".
At the time, she said she did not know of a key letter from BBC management to the BBC Trust saying the pay-offs were in line with the contractual terms.
But last week she said she had made a mistake in her evidence to MPs, admitting that she helped compose the letter but did not recognise it from its description during the July hearing. She apologised during the 9 September session.
Ms Adams, who is paid £320,000 a year, recently announced she would leave the corporation in March 2014 after five years, without any severance pay.
Sir Michael Lyons
Sir Michael Lyons was chairman of the BBC Trust between 2007-11.
The payment to Mark Byford took place during his tenure. He said the trust had been "damaged" by the controversy, adding that the pay-off process could have been handled more "cleverly".
However, he said he did not think the process of cutting the number of senior managers at the BBC could have been done more cheaply. "I am not personally convinced that's the case," he said. "My judgment tends towards that of the director general here."
On the question of who signed off the payments, he said he had discussions with Mr Thompson about Mr Byford's exit but insisted there was "nothing at all that could constitute approval by me".
Responding to Mr Thompson's assertion that he "disclosed completely" the terms of the payments for Mr Byford and Ms Baylay to the trust, Sir Michael replied: "Mark Thompson clearly does believe that he conveyed to me that the severance terms for Mark Byford would 'double dip' - that he would work some time but he would be paid in lieu of notice.
"I don't think I was given that information... I don't think that is possible."
Marcus Agius
Marcus Agius became senior independent director on the BBC executive board in 2006.
He was chairman of the BBC executive board remuneration committee, which was responsible for approving significant pay-offs.
He told the committee there had been "a great deal of concern" within his committee "about these redundancies and the amounts".
"We challenged and tested Mark Thompson and after sustained debate we were finally persuaded on value for money grounds," he said.
He said it had been worth paying Mr Byford extra to ensure his presence during a period of internal turmoil. "We were absolutely conscious of the need to manage the BBC during a period of considerable upheaval and turmoil and to keep Mark Byford doing the job he needed to do."
Mr Agius left his role at the BBC when his term expired last year. He was also chairman of Barclays until 2012, when he resigned in the wake of the Libor inter-bank lending rate scandal after more than five years in that role.
Nicholas Kroll, director of BBC Trust
Nicholas Kroll runs the BBC Trust Unit, which supports the BBC Trust with independent advice and administrative support.
Mr Kroll said the trust had "specific responsibility" for payments to the director general only - not other members of the executive board.
Mr Kroll was involved in some tetchy exchanges with Mr Thompson, accusing him of not disclosing the details of Mr Byford's package to the trust.
He also said Mr Thompson expected the Trust Unit to do "some sort of jigsaw analysis of various pieces of paper in order to work out what he means".
Before joining the BBC Trust, Mr Kroll worked as a senior civil servant in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, where he helped establish the BBC Trust in 2004, as well as the Treasury and the Department for Transport.
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North and South Korean soldiers have made several friendly crossings into each other's territory for the first time since the countries were divided.
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The men were checking the dismantling of guard posts in the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) along the border as part of the two sides' recent rapprochement.
Footage showed the soldiers shaking hands at the border before crossing.
The Korean War in the 1950s left the peninsula divided and no formal peace treaty has ever been signed.
As part of the talks between the divided peninsula, the South's President Moon Jae-in and the North's Kim Jong-un agreed to remove some of the guard posts on the heavily fortified border.
The two leaders held a historic meeting in April, which led to talk between North Korea and the US.
Since November, both North and South have blown up or dismantled 10 of their border posts.
On Wednesday, South Korean inspectors visited each of the guard posts on the North's side while North Korean inspectors later inspected the same process in the South.
"This marks the first time since the division that the soldiers of the North and South... are peacefully crossing the military demarcation line," the South Korean defence ministry said in a statement.
Both sides still have more guard posts in the DMZ, both over and underground.
'The insurmountable obstacle remains'
Laura Bicker, BBC News, Seoul
This would have been unthinkable 12 months ago.
Last November, shots rung out across the DMZ after a North Korean soldier made a dash across the border. Now the two sides are shaking hands, exchanging cigarettes and walking into each other's territory peacefully for the first time.
Seoul hopes that these small steps will be irreversible and it will become difficult for either side to backtrack on what they believe is a path towards peace.
But the insurmountable obstacle remains - the North's nuclear weapons.
The US maintains it will never allow an agreement to formally end the Korean war, nor will it lift economic sanctions imposed upon the North while the Kim regime poses a nuclear threat.
So yes, applaud these images and the progress that they represent, but it's worth keeping in mind just how very far this potential peace process has to go.
Last month a train travelled from South Korea across the border into North Korea for the first time in decades, as part of a commitment by the South to help the North modernise its rail network.
There has been speculation Mr Kim could visit Seoul this year but the South's government earlier this week said that no such trip was expected before 2019.
Despite its misleading name, the DMZ is one of the world's most heavily fortified places.
The area is a strip of land 250km (155 miles) long and 4km (2.5 miles) wide that runs across the peninsula.
It is heavily mined and fortified with barbed wire, rows of surveillance cameras and electric fencing - and is guarded by tens of thousands of troops on both sides.
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The Duchess of Cambridge has said the challenges of parenting and home schooling during lockdown have left her "exhausted".
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During a video call with a group of parents Catherine also joked about her three children recoiling in "horror" when she had to cut their hair.
Asked to rate her maths ability, the duchess scored herself minus five.
She urged people "to reach out to loved ones and friends" if they were struggling or feeling isolated.
Catherine took part in the discussion with three parents, whose children attend Roe Green Junior School in Kingsbury, north-west London, alongside head teacher Melissa Loosemore, on Tuesday.
As part of a "show and tell" exercise during the call, Ms Loosemore asked the group to write down "one word that describes parenting during this pandemic".
The duchess chose the word "exhausting", while the other parents had similar feelings, writing "hectic", "patience" and "challenging".
Explaining her decision, Catherine said: "I think as parents you've the day-to-day elements of being a parent, but I suppose during lockdown we have had to take on additional roles that perhaps others in our communities, or in our lives, would have perhaps supported us and helped us with."
She added: "I've become a hairdresser this lockdown, much to my children's horror, seeing mum cutting hair.
"We've had to become a teacher - and I think, personally, I feel pulled in so many different directions and you try your best with everything, but at the end of the day I do feel exhausted."
Parent Nicole Seidemann, who has four children aged 11, nine, six and four, agreed with the duchess' comments, saying she was "definitely a full-time teacher right now and struggling to do much else".
In another exercise, the parents were asked to write down who had been their support during the pandemic, with Catherine choosing her husband, William.
Back in April, the duchess described home schooling her children - Prince George, seven, Princess Charlotte, five, and Prince Louis, two - as "challenging" but said they had kept to a "strict routine".
Catherine has previously highlighted the impact of lockdown on parents through her work on early childhood development, with research from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's Royal Foundation finding loneliness among parents of young children had "dramatically increased" during the pandemic.
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Almost 30 suspected cases of mumps - a contagious viral infection that causes swelling of the glands - have struck students at universities in Wales.
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By Matt LloydBBC Wales
Public Health Wales (PHW) is investigating a series of cases in Cardiff and the Cwm Taf area.
It is urging people to make sure they have received the MMR vaccination.
Cardiff University, Cardiff Metropolitan University and the University of South Wales have advised students to be aware of symptoms.
PHW has been informed of 28 suspected cases, as of 16 October, though said it was continuing to monitor the situation.
Just three weeks into the new academic year, Cardiff Metropolitan University, which saw a similar outbreak in April, said it was aware of a number of cases and was supporting those affected.
The University of South Wales has asked anyone diagnosed with the virus to contact staff, while Cardiff University said it was unaware of any cases among its student population but said the position remained "changeable".
People have been advised to make sure they are up to date with their MMR vaccination against measles, mumps and rubella.
Immunisation rates have been falling for a number of reasons and the UK has lost its measles-free status.
But while the MMR jab provides 99% protection against measles, PHW said it only provided immunity against mumps to about 85% of recipients.
Rhianwen Stiff, a consultant in communicable disease control for PHW, said: "It is possible to see mumps in individuals who have been vaccinated with MMR.
"Mumps is spread by coughs and sneezes and directly through contact with the saliva of an infectious person such as through sharing drinks or kissing.
"It is important that people with suspected mumps keep away from university and social gatherings for five days after their symptoms start, wash their hands frequently and especially after blowing their nose and don't share items such as water bottles or cigarettes with others."
Mumps is most recognisable by the painful swellings at the side of the face under the ears.
Other symptoms before the swelling may include:
Anyone with these symptoms is advised to see their GP.
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The triple-Tony award winning actor Frank Langella is to play King Lear for the Chichester Festival Theatre.
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Langella will star in Shakespeare's tragedy at the Minerva theatre in November.
The production, directed by Angus Jackson, will then transfer to New York in early 2014.
In a career spanning five decades, Langella's stage and screen roles have included Zorro, Dracula and Sherlock Holmes.
One of his best known roles is for playing Richard Nixon in Peter Morgan's play Frost/Nixon, which first ran at London's Donmar Warehouse in 2006. The part earned Langella one of his three Tony Awards.
The play reconstructed the tension behind the famous TV interviews in 1977 between the former US president and British journalist David Frost, played by Michael Sheen.
Langella and Sheen reprised their stage roles in the 2008 movie version, for which Langella received an Oscar nomination.
"We are absolutely delighted to announce that this legendary American actor has accepted our invitation to lead the company of King Lear here at Chichester," said Jonathan Church, artistic director at Chichester Festival Theatre.
He added that he was "equally delighted" to be returning to the Harvey Theater at BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) in New York after a previous collaboration, Macbeth, in 2008.
Langella's additional Tony wins were for roles in Seascape and Fortune's Fool, as well as three more nominations for Man and Boy, Dracula and Match.
His recent film appearances include Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps and Robot and Frank, in which he played an ageing jewel thief.
Upcoming movie appearances include biopic Grace of Monaco, alongside Nicole Kidman, and Stephen Frears' Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight.
The role of King Lear - often cited as one of the most coveted roles for older actors - has been played in recent years by Jonathan Pryce at the Almeida, Derek Jacobi at the Donmar Warehouse and Ian McKellen at the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Sam Mendes will direct Simon Russell Beale in a production of King Lear at the National Theatre in January 2014.
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The head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI, has for the first time spoken in Arabic during his weekly address to pilgrims to the Vatican.
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"The Pope prays for all the Arabic-speaking people. May God bless you all," The Pope said.
The introduction of a sixth language is to express support for Christians in the Middle East, officials said.
The Vatican said Arabic was also introduced to remind all faiths to pray for peace in the region.
At the weekly papal audience which draws pilgrims from many countries, a priest read a summary of the Pope's address in Arabic for the first time, joining other briefs in French, English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Slovak, Czech, Polish, Hungarian and Russian.
Vatican officials said that they hoped the use of Arabic during the event, broadcast live on television and radio throughout the world, would send a comforting word to Arab Christians in the Middle East, home to many Christian holy places.
A Pakistani-born UK tourist said he thought the move was a good idea.
"Everybody has a lot of respect for the Pope, irrespective of what religion you follow or what language you follow. But, still, I think it will be a very good idea," Khalid Hussain told the Associated Press news agency.
The BBC's Alan Johnston, in Rome, says that plight of Christians in places like Syria, Iraq and the Palestinian Territories is a continual worry for the Vatican.
Members of these communities have been leaving to escape violence and oppression, or to go in search of better economic opportunities elsewhere.
And with this exodus, our correspondent adds, the ancient Christian presence in the Middle East is now very much in decline.
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The company behind a pub called The Hobbit, which has been at the centre of a copyright row with a Hollywood film company, is to go into liquidation.
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Landlady Stella Roberts said she could no longer afford to keep the pub, in Southampton, open.
She admitted she would be a "gibbering wreck" when it came time to surrender the lease on Sunday.
In 2012, Stephen Fry and Sir Ian McKellen stepped in to support the pub in the dispute with the Hollywood firm.
The Saul Zaentz Company accused it of copyright infringement by using the name "The Hobbit" and other JRR Tolkien characters and film images in the pub.
But Ms Roberts said she would still be leaving the pub after 12 years even if the dispute had not happened.
She said: "That's still ongoing - although it won't make much difference to me now because I'm taking all the theming away from the pub - but drinking habits among the students have changed and our biggest clientele is students.
"I don't blame them. They come out later, they drink less in pubs, they drink more at home. It's cheaper for them and supermarkets sell cheap booze.
"People are doing what they have to do to survive."
Ms Roberts, who describes herself as a "huge fan" of Tolkien's works, added: "As we're starting to remove things from the pub it gets harder and harder.
"Today we took down a lot of the pictures that have been hand-painted and the oils that have been done over the years.
"It's difficult because I'm now looking at bare walls but I have no choice."
Much of the memorabilia is now being auctioned on eBay.
The pub is expected to remain known as The Hobbit and will reopen on Monday under new owners.
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A UK firm has announced plans to build what it claims is the biggest photovoltaic (PV) solar power plant in Africa.
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By Matt McGrathEnvironment correspondent, BBC News
The Nzema project, based in Ghana, will be able to provide electricity to more than 100,000 homes.
Construction work on the $400m (£248m) plant is due to start within 12 months.
The developers say that they are optimistic that finance for the project will be confirmed within six months.
Fully cooked
The initiative is being developed by Blue Energy, a UK-based renewable energy investment company.
Dozens of solar projects have been announced across Africa in recent years but few have been on this ambitious scale says industry analyst Ash Sharma at IMS Research. He says the 155 megawatt plant will increase Ghana's generating capacity by 6%.
"It is the biggest single project that's going ahead at the moment," he told BBC News. "It is not the biggest in the world, but if it goes ahead it will be the biggest in Africa."
He says that a key element in helping the project go ahead has been Ghana's renewable energy law under which the plant has been awarded a feed-in tariff for 20 years. These are premium prices, guaranteed for the working life of the site.
Project director Douglas Coleman, from Mere Power Nzema Ltd. who will build the plant, told BBC News that it was "fully cooked" in planning terms.
"The project has land, it has planning consent, it has a generating licence, and it has received a feed-in tariff," he said, "it is the right plant in the right place at the right time."
He was confident that the finance needed to build the plant could be raised in the next six months.
The company behind the scheme is majority owned and funded by members of the Stadium Group, a large European private asset and development company with £2.5bn under management.
Ash Sharma believes that the backing of this firm plus the feed-in tariff makes the idea viable.
"One of the biggest stumbling blocks has been overcome and the financing looks like it could be in a good position to succeed I would say."
Not concentrating
Unlike many other solar projects in Africa that use concentrated solar power, the Nzema plant will use photovoltaic (PV) technology to convert sunlight directly into electricity. Douglas Coleman says the characteristics of the Sun in Ghana favour PV.
"We can predict with great certainty on an annual basis, the output from the plant. That predictability means we can harmonise with the needs of the transmission network, to balance load with generation."
While concerns have been raised in recent weeks about the future of North Africa's Desertec project that aims to export solar power to Europe, researchers are far more hopeful about the prospects for local African markets.
Demand for renewable energy has been held back in emerging economies like Ghana by high costs, but a recent glut of solar panels on world markets has seen prices tumble - much to the advantage of African countries.
"The reason the technology hasn't taken off so far is that it has been too expensive," says Ash Sharma, "but the costs of solar have decreased dramatically in the last two years, they've fallen by 40% plus, and this has really enabled it to be used in emerging regions in Africa and Asia."
Installation of more than 630,000 solar PV modules will begin by the end of next year with electricity being generated early in 2014. It is due to reach full capacity at the end of 2015.
Follow Matt on Twitter
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People in England have been cautioned against using coronavirus antibody tests being sold by some retailers.
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NHS England's medical director Prof Stephen Powis said experts were "evaluating" antibody tests, which show if someone has already had the virus.
Such tests are not yet available through the NHS, but some are being sold commercially.
"I would caution against using any tests... without knowing quite how good those tests are," said Prof Powis.
Currently, the coronavirus tests available to all adults and children aged over five are swab tests - taking a swab up the nose or from the back of the throat. These tests tell you if you currently have Covid-19.
A second type of test - the antibody test - is a blood test that looks for antibodies in the blood to see whether a person has had the virus.
Health officials in England have already approved an antibody test. There is no date for when it will be rolled out, but Health Secretary Matt Hancock said earlier this week the government was in "the closing stages of commercial negotiations".
On Wednesday, Superdrug became the latest business - and first high street retailer - to offer the antibody test. The kit costs £69 and buyers need to take a blood sample at home, which is sent off to a lab for testing.
Questions over immunity
Speaking at the No 10 daily briefing on Wednesday, Prof Powis said: "Public Health England have been evaluating the new antibody tests, the commercial tests that are becoming available."
But he added: "I would caution against using any tests that might be made available without knowing quite how good those tests are... I would caution people against being tempted to have those tests."
Setting out some of the uncertainties around the commercial tests, Prof Powis said: "Once you have the virus, the body's immune system develops antibodies against it and it's those antibodies that are detected typically a number of weeks after you've had the virus.
"What we don't absolutely know at the moment is whether having antibodies and having the antibodies that are tested in those tests means that you won't get the virus again.
"So I wouldn't want people to think just because you test positive for the antibody that it necessarily means that you can do something different in terms of social distancing, in the way you behave.
"Because until we are absolutely sure about the relationship between the positive antibody test and immunity, I think we as scientists would say we need to tread cautiously going further forward."
Superdrug said it was "confident" in the accuracy and reliability of the test, which it said has a sensitivity of 97.5%. That means it will detect positive antibodies 97.5% of the time, so there is a chance a negative result may be wrong.
There is a variation in the accuracy of tests. A test developed by scientists in Scotland and Switzerland had a 99.8% accuracy rate for giving a positive result.
Dr Colin Butler, from the University of Lincoln, said the commercial tests "should give a good indication" of whether an individual has been infected with Covid-19.
But he added: "Whilst this may be an indication of functional immunity, confirmation of this is awaited from large scale studies presently under way. Until it is, individuals should not assume they are fully immune to further infection."
The World Health Organization says there is no evidence people who have recovered from Covid-19 and have antibodies are protected from being infected again.
The new coronavirus, called Sars-CoV-2, has not been around long enough to know how long immunity lasts, but there are six other human coronaviruses that can give a clue.
Four produce the symptoms of the common cold and immunity is short-lived. In two coronaviruses - the ones that cause Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers) antibodies have been detected a few years later.
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Barack Obama has urged the UK to stick with the EU, as he began his final trip to Britain as US president by having lunch with the Queen.
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Mr Obama, who is on a three-day visit with his wife Michelle, is meeting PM David Cameron for talks.
Mr Obama has told the Daily Telegraph being in the EU magnified Britain's influence across the world.
But London Mayor Boris Johnson called his view "hypocritical", describing the EU system as "alien" to US traditions.
Prime Minister David Cameron is hosting Mr Obama at Downing Street.
The leaders are holding talks on the fight against so-called Islamic State (IS) and will later be joined by the UK's home, foreign and defence secretaries, and the chancellor.
Mr Cameron and Mr Obama are expected to discuss the progress being made in combating IS in Iraq and what more can be done to tackle the group in Syria.
The situation in Libya, where the West is considering how to support the newly-established Government of National Accord (GNA) in the battle against IS, will also be discussed.
The pair will later hold a joint press conference.
Earlier the president and First Lady Michelle Obama attended a private lunch with the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor Castle - the day after the Queen's 90th birthday celebrations.
The Obamas brought the Queen a photo album of her many visits with US presidents and first ladies.
The album begins with her visit to the United States in 1951.
Then known as Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, she toured George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate and met with President Harry Truman at the White House.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry will welcome the Obamas for dinner at Kensington Palace on Friday evening.
Analysis
BBC deputy royal correspondent Sarah Campbell
The Duke of Edinburgh drove the Queen into the Castle grounds to meet the president and first lady as they disembarked from their helicopter.
After a quick chat, there was some discussion over where people should sit, with Mr Obama opting for the front seat.
Prince Philip, aged 94, returned to the wheel.
This is the third time the couples have met and the first time in the historic surrounds of Windsor Castle.
Their last meeting was during a visit in 2011 when the Obamas stayed in Buckingham Palace.
In 2009, in what was taken to be a sign of a friendly relationship between the families, the first lady was photographed with her arm around the Queen's waist.
In their meetings since, including today, there does seem to be a genuine warmth between the two families.
Today's lunch is private. To the frustration of the many journalists covering this visit, whatever the Queen makes of the president's views on Britain in Europe will remain within the castle walls.
'Silent testament'
The president's intervention in the UK's forthcoming EU referendum on 23 June has been hotly debated and sparked claims of "hypocrisy" from those who want to leave the EU. They claim the US "would never contemplate anything like the EU for itself".
In an article for the newspaper, President Obama acknowledged that ultimately the matter was for British voters to decide for themselves.
But he also said: "The outcome of your decision is a matter of deep interest to the United States.
"The tens of thousands of Americans who rest in Europe's cemeteries are a silent testament to just how intertwined our prosperity and security truly are."
In response, Mr Cameron tweeted: "The US is one of our closest allies. So it's important to hear Barack Obama on why we should remain in the EU."
EU referendum: In depth
The UK's EU vote: All you need to know
EU for beginners: A guide
Is Britain safer in or out of the EU?
A-Z guide to EU-speak
Who's who: The Vote Leave team
Who's who: The Remain campaign
BBC North America editor John Sopel said the president had not needed to make his intervention and could have been much more nuanced.
"That he has is a mark of the profound concern felt in Washington about the implications of a British departure from the EU," he said.
However, BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said a Brexit-supporting cabinet minister had stressed that Obama's view "was not the settled view in the USA. The Republicans don't agree and there is disquiet at his blatant meddling in UK politics".
The minister had suggested Ted Cruz supported Brexit, she added.
'Stick together'
Speaking to the paper, Mr Obama said that the US's relationship with the UK had been "forged as we spilt blood together on the battlefield".
He went on to say the UK had benefitted from being inside the EU in terms of jobs, trade and financial growth, and that it "magnifies" the UK's global influence.
"This kind of co-operation - from intelligence sharing and counter-terrorism to forging agreements to create jobs and economic growth - will be far more effective if it extends across Europe. Now is a time for friends and allies to stick together," he wrote.
Former US State Department spokesman James Rubin told BBC Breakfast the president had not offered any words of reassurance about Britain's future relationship with the US if it left the EU because "it won't be OK".
"We have a phrase in America: 'Friends don't let friends drive drunk,'" he said, adding that it would be "a big mistake for Britain to leave the EU and set asunder what has been a very successful relationship".
'Hypocritical'
But Vote Leave's Boris Johnson said although he was a "big fan" of Mr Obama, remaining in the EU is "clearly something we have a disagreement on".
He said: "America's a proud democracy built on principles of liberty. It is hypocritical for us to be told by America to embroil ourselves ever more deeply in a structure which would be absolutely alien to American traditions.
"I think most Americans would accept that there is something rum about asking us to subordinate our democracy in this way, when America would not dream in a million years of doing likewise."
Mr Johnson originally criticised Mr Obama in an article in the Sun but has since been criticised for making comments about the president's "part-Kenyan" ancestry.
Tory MP Iain Duncan Smith, who is also part of the Vote Leave campaign, echoed Mr Johnson's comments, adding: "I can imagine no circumstances under which he would lobby for the US Supreme Court to be bound by the judgements of a foreign court."
Former British army commander Richard Kemp told the BBC Mr Obama's comments on security were "diametrically opposite to the reality" and staying in the EU would be worse for UK's national security and for international security.
Mr Obama's UK stay is part of a tour taking in Germany and Saudi Arabia, which he left on Thursday after having discussions with King Salman on issues including Iran, Syria, Yemen and the fight against so-called Islamic State militants.
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A foodbank in Cumbria has reported a 600% increase in the number of people using its service over 18 months.
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North Lakes Foodbank now feeds about 240 people a month, up from about 40 people a month at the start of 2010.
Jessie Hendry, project co-ordinator, said she was "not surprised" at the increase in light of the current economic climate.
Four permanent collection points at supermarkets in Allerdale have been launched to encourage more donations.
Thr foodbank, which has distribution centres in Whitehaven and Cockermouth, works by redistributing donated food to people who are going through financial crisis and struggle to buy food.
'Rising demand'
Ms Hendry said: "We are experiencing people with less hours at work and who are on a lower income and with the whole economic crisis that the country is in it's not a surprise.
"We are here to meet a demand and certainly that demand is rising."
The scheme operates with voucher holders such as charities, citizens' advice bureaux and children's services, giving people vouchers so they can collect boxes.
It gives out about a 1.5 tonnes of food a month which is donated by churches, schools, community groups and small businesses.
The foodbank is one of 230 across England set up by the Trussell Trust.
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Junior doctors will be withdrawn from a children's ward unless senior staffing levels are increased, Health Education England (HEE) said.
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HEE has previously raised concerns about the safety of patients and staff at Boston's Pilgrim Hospital due to a shortage of staff.
Junior doctors will be removed from August, it said.
United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust (ULHT) said it was working hard to address staffing at the unit.
More from Lincolnshire
An HEE spokesperson said: "Patient safety and the safe supervision of junior doctors are both of paramount importance to HEE.
"And, while the current trainees in the paediatrics section in Boston will stay in post until August, to ensure the protection of patients and doctors in training HEE will not put more junior doctors into the unit until the trust can demonstrate the unit is adequately staffed with established senior clinicians."
Earlier this year, the children's ward came under review by ULHT after concerns over severe staffing shortages.
In February, the hospital was forced to cancel all non-urgent children's operations due to a lack of staff.
A number of options were proposed for the future of the service, including a temporary closure, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.
However, Dr Neill Hepburn, Medical Director at ULHT, said: "We are working hard to recruit staff and no final decision has yet been made."
"We are doing everything we can to maintain children's services at Pilgrim, in addition to working up temporary proposals to put in place should the staffing situation remain precarious," he said.
"This includes continuing to work closely with HEE to seek further clarity on their intentions for doctors in training," he added.
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Football participation is a good way to get men to slim down, a Scottish study published in The Lancet shows.
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Some 374 overweight soccer fans were invited to take part in a 12-week programme of training sessions at their local football club.
A year later, the men had lost and kept off about 11lb (5kg) each compared with 374 overweight fans put on a waiting list for the programme.
The Glasgow researchers say it proves male-friendly weight loss plans work.
All 748 men in the study were offered healthy-eating advice and tips on weight management, but only half were invited to professional football clubs for weekly training sessions.
Thirteen clubs took part: Aberdeen, Celtic, Dundee United, Dunfermline Athletic, Hamilton Academical, Heart of Midlothian, Hibernian, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Kilmarnock, Motherwell, Rangers, St Johnstone and St Mirren.
As well as losing weight when they were on the 12-week programme, nearly 40% of men who participated in the programme maintained a weight loss of at least 5% of their original body weight 12 months later.
Co-author Prof Kate Hunt, from Glasgow University, said: "Weight management and dieting are often wrongly viewed as women's issues, meaning that some men do not want to take part in existing weight management programmes."
But given the right circumstances, men are also keen to slim, she says.
"Participants really enjoyed being with other men like them, with a shared interest in football and similar health issues to address. They loved having the opportunity to spend time at the club, using parts of the stadium that they couldn't ordinarily access.
"And they appreciated the chance to be encouraged, trained, and informed by the club's coaches. This model has real potential for the future."
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The number of Welsh 'A' roads in a poor condition has increased by more than 50% in the three years up until 2011.
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By Carl RobertsSunday Politics Wales
Councils say that a "significant problem" exists and are borrowing tens of millions of pounds from the Welsh government to repair damaged roads.
But the Welsh Local Government Association said Welsh roads will be in a "reasonable condition" this winter.
The Welsh government also said stocks of gritting salt are almost double what was held in the autumn of 2010.
The latest figures seen by BBC Wales for Sunday Politics Wales suggest that recent harsh winters have led to an increase in potholes across the country.
The statistics show that in the three years up to 2011 the number of main 'A' roads in a poor condition increased from 4.3% to 6.6%.
Updated figures for this year from the Local Government Data Unit show that more than one in every eight roads in Wales was in a poor condition - a rate of 13.5%.
Councils are responsible for the maintenance of 95% of roads in Wales, while the Welsh government looks after the remaining 5% of trunk roads.
Malcolm Griffiths, who runs a garage in Aberdare in the Cynon Valley, told Sunday Politics Wales that he had seen an increase in the number of cars with tyres, hubs and springs damaged by potholes in the last two years.
"A basic coil spring on a vehicle these days, you're looking at £45 to £50 plus the labour on top of that," said Mr Griffiths.
"An average alloy wheel, say for a Fiesta, could be in excess of £140. And we then you're only looking at the basic vehicles at the moment.
"You've then got to get the wheels alignment checked on top of that - which is £30 upwards."
Winter grit salt
An annual survey by the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) suggested that it would take 17 years to clear the backlog of potholes in Wales, compared to nine years in London and 11 years in the rest of England.
AIA director David Weeks said: "Wales has been the poor relation in terms of funding and maintenance and condition of roads.
"There are a lot of reasons for that - there's a lot of rural roads in Wales which are not a high priority.
"There's also a lot of very important roads within the network linking communities which have been allowed to deteriorate, which the survey has flagged up."
He said another factor was the frequency of road surfacing - in Wales that gap can be more than 70 years, compared to 45 years in England and Scotland.
But Welsh councils are attempting to close some of those gaps by borrowing £172m from the Welsh government over three years under the Local Government Borrowing Initiative (LGBI).
An initial £60m has been allocated to councils which the Welsh government expects to "to address the pressures on road maintenance budgets and boost investment in local highway improvement schemes."
It is understood the Welsh government will shortly write to councils to invite them to submit bids to receive more funding under the LGBI.
"We recognise that there's a significant problem with the roads in Wales and that's why over the last year we've been working with the Welsh government to look at ways of investing additional funding," said Cllr Andrew Morgan, the WLGA deputy spokesperson for environment, sustainable development and waste.
"Certainly going into the winter, most authorities would have spent their allocation of the Local Government Borrowing Initiative funding which is in excess of £60m this year.
"That's direct investment into the roads and into the infrastructure but that's over and above the investment the local authorities normally put in.
"So I would say the roads this winter would certainly be in a reasonable condition but this investment is not just a one off it's a three year programme with the WG so over the next three years we should see a sustained improvement in our roads - both A, B and unclassified roads," Cllr Morgan said.
With winter approaching, the Welsh government said they have improved facilities for the storage of road salt and they will also be using it more efficiently.
The current stock of road salt stands at 243,000 tonnes compared with the 137,000 tonnes which were available in Autumn 2010.
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Fifteen schools in Birmingham are being inspected as a result of allegations of an "Islamic takeover plot", the Department for Education has said.
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Anonymous claims that hard-line Muslims were trying to take over the running of some city schools were made in a letter sent to local authorities last year.
Ofsted inspectors have so far visited 12 schools in the city.
The Department for Education said it would take firm action where standards were not being met.
'Witch hunt'
On Thursday, the city council confirmed a freeze on the recruitment of school governors while it investigates the claims.
The authenticity of the so-called "Operation Trojan Horse" letter has not been established.
It was apparently written by someone in Birmingham to a contact in Bradford.
It was sent to the city council in 2013 and has led to a number of investigations. Part of the inquiry will focus on whether the plot is genuine or fake.
The letter makes various claims including that parents could be encouraged to turn against the leadership team if they are told the school is "corrupting their children with sex education, teaching about homosexuals, making their children pray Christian prayers and [carrying out] mixed swimming and sport".
It also outlines ways and means by which schools can be taken over.
But a governor at one of the schools implicated in the letter has repeatedly described the allegations as "a hoax".
Tahir Alam, from Park View Education Trust, has said the school was facing a "witch hunt" based on "all sorts of false allegations".
Ten MPs have asked for the council and DfE to jointly review any lessons to be learned following the investigations.
The DfE said the allegations were "very serious" and it was vital investigations were "carried out impartially" and said it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.
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South Korea says it has not received a response from Pyongyang on a summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump.
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In a surprise development, Mr Trump on Friday accepted North Korea's invitation to direct talks.
South Korean officials said Mr Kim was prepared to give up his nuclear weapons.
Details on the planned talks remain vague, with no agreement yet on the location or agenda.
Analysts are sceptical about what can be achieved through talks given the complexity of the issues involved.
"We have not seen nor received an official response from the North Korean regime regarding the North Korea-US summit," a spokesman for the South Korean Ministry of Unification said on Monday.
"I feel they're approaching this matter with caution and they need time to organise their stance."
Involving China and Japan
South Korean President Moon Jae-in has described the chance to hold talks with North Korea as a "precious chance" to achieve "permanent peace".
His country's officials who spoke to President Trump are now on the way to China and Japan to brief the leaders of each country on the upcoming talks.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in's top security adviser, Chung Eui-yong, is scheduled to meet China's President Xi Jinping.
Meanwhile, Suh Hoon, chief of the intelligence agency, is headed to Tokyo to speak with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
While China is seen as North Korea's last remaining financial backer, Japan is the ally of Washington that along with the South has received the most military threats from Pyongyang.
Unprecedented step
The surprise proposal for the summit comes after more than a year of heated rhetoric between North Korea and the US, and global concern that the hostilities might escalate into military confrontation.
North Korea has conducted several nuclear tests over the past few years and has developed long-distance missiles it says can carry nuclear bombs as far as the US mainland.
Talks between the countries would mark an unprecedented step in the conflict as no sitting US president has ever met with a North Korean leader.
Still, details of the meeting remain unclear.
"Pyongyang probably wants to wait to see how the offer was received in Washington," Andray Abrahamian, Research Fellow at Pacific Forum CSIS, told the BBC.
"There's already been a bit of confusion in the messaging from the White House so it probably makes sense to get some of the ground rules established before go public with it," Mr Abrahamian said.
What does Pyongyang want?
If the summit goes ahead, Mr Trump is expected to meet the North Korean leader by the end of May, while South Korean President Moon and Mr Kim will hold separate talks ahead of that.
Observers are divided on whether talks could pave the way to Pyongyang giving up its nuclear ambitions or whether North Korea is merely seeking a propaganda win and a break from years of crippling international sanctions.
"Their short term objectives will be to get some relief from the sanctions," Mr Abrahamin said.
"Many pundits seem vexed that Kim Jong-un will use a summit for propaganda. This should not be a big concern....[it] doesn't mean that the United States is giving approval to its political system, human rights record or weapons programmes," he added.
CIA director Mike Pompeo on Sunday defended Donald Trump's decision to meet with Mr Kim, saying the president understands the risks of the talks and the administration had its eyes "wide open" to the challenge of dealing with North Korea.
The US president told supporters at a rally on Saturday that he believed North Korea wanted to "make peace" but said he might leave talks if no progress for nuclear disarmament could be made.
According to US media reports, Mr Trump made the decision to meet Mr Kim without consulting key figures in his administration, and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson confirmed to reporters the decision was one "the president took himself".
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The boss of a Scottish civil engineering firm has become the guardian angel of his council's roads by filling in potholes for free.
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Mark Armstrong realised he could help cash-strapped Highland Council by using leftover asphalt from road laying jobs his staff had completed elsewhere.
Now he fills in potholes in his local area, paying his workers for the extra time required.
He claims it benefits his business by saving him money in vehicle repairs.
Mr Armstrong, who owns MA Ventures and employs 15 people in Alness, Easter Ross, told the BBC Scotland News website: "I had a couple of incidents with potholes which caused significant damage to our vehicles.
"We do a lot of tarring work on roads in the north and we were dumping a lot of material at the end of jobs.
"I thought instead of dumping it, we could put it to good use."
Mark contacted Highland Council who took up his offer of help.
The council - which agreed a £7.3m package of cuts and restructuring in February - has informally agreed to let him do the work as an already approved contractor.
Mark said: "The council gets a lot of grief over this but it's not their fault. They just haven't got the funding.
"Their priority is the A and B roads. So we try to take care of the local roads, mainly housing estates that the council would never get round to."
The only cost to Mark is to pay his men for doing the work - which he says they are happy to do.
He is now encouraging any other companies in a similar position to do the same.
"If you are in construction and have the resources, I don't see why you wouldn't get involved.
"It benefits everybody and it's great for community spirit."
Highland councillor Carolyn Wilson said Mark's offer of help was gratefully received:
"I was delighted when Mark came to me," she said.
"It is great to find someone who is public-spirited with a bit of common sense.
"I don't think we would ever get around to doing these smaller roads.
"Highland Council maintains the roads in a third of the geographical area of Scotland. Our roads department could spend millions and still not get everything done."
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A seal stopping highly explosive gases escaping into a tank crew's turret was not in place before a lethal blast, an inquest has heard.
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Royal Tank Regiment corporals Matthew Hatfield, 27, and Darren Neilson, 31, died after the incident at Castlemartin Range, Pembrokeshire, on 14 June 2017.
The inquest heard the pair were only in the tank because they were taking another soldier for a "guest shoot".
Two others injured in the blast survived.
Resuming the inquests on Monday, Senior Coroner for Birmingham and Solihull Louise Hunt said a crew of four, including the two deceased, took the tank to the British Army range's firing point without written permission.
It had been used by another team for an annual crew test but a piece of equipment fitted to the rear of the tank barrel, called the bolt vent axial (BVA), had been removed for cleaning.
Police investigators said its removal was standard practice, as it required post-firing inspection, and it was placed in a box within the tank turret called the "brew bin".
Evidence was also heard the tank shell's ammunition, known as "bag charges", may have been "incorrectly stowed" outside boxes within the turret.
Det Sgt Matthew Briggs, of Dyfed Powys Police, told the hearing in Solihull: "As there was no BVA, there would be no gas-tight seal and the force of the bag charge would have come back into the turret."
Ms Hunt told the hearing "unusual noises" were heard by witnesses before the explosion.
She read a statement setting out what then happened: "At around 15:30, a hissing sound was heard and noises and smoke.
"Cpl Neilson was seen to be climbing out of the commander's turret and there was an explosion.
"He was projected out the turret, landing some distance away."
The coroner heard evidence the tank had only been taken out because the deputy safety training officer, WO Stuart Lawson, had asked permission to go out and fire a tank.
Maj John Poole, who was in command of Castlemartin Range, told the inquest that according to Ministry of Defence rules in pamphlet 21, it needed "two-star written authorisation" - effectively from a brigadier rank officer - to allow a non-trained soldier into a tank.
WO Lawson and another soldier, Trooper Michael Warren, in the tank were injured, but survived the blast.
Maj Poole said he did not know if the men were trying to "show off to Mr Lawson" or trying to fire the tank "as quickly as possible".
But when asked if he was aware of the practice by other crews, he responded: "Well, we're here because somebody else hasn't stored charges correctly."
The inquest also heard from family members and colleagues of the two men, who described them as "superb" soldiers.
Cpl Hatfield, from Amesbury, Wiltshire, was described as "truly dedicated to the British Army", whose greatest achievement in life was said to have been becoming a father.
He had been in operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere during his career.
"To say that his loss has had a massive impact on us is an understatement," his fiancée Jill McBride said.
Cpl Neilson's wife Jemma told the inquest her husband, from Preston, Lancashire, was "Army through and through".
"He adored the Army…he served in Iraq and Afghanistan," she said.
"He was my world, my soul mate and hero. He was an amazing husband and daddy."
Both men served with the Royal Tank Regiment in Tidworth, Wiltshire.
The inquest continues.
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A person whose body was discovered by a rural road could have lay dead there for "some time", police say.
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Officers were called to Markfield Lane in Botcheston, Leicestershire, shortly before 13:20 GMT on Tuesday to reports of a body being found nearby.
The road was closed for several hours while investigations were carried out.
Det Insp Tim Lindley said officers were working to "establish the circumstances surrounding the find and the identity of the deceased".
He said their investigations were at an early stage.
"What we can confirm from early enquiries is that the person found appears to have been deceased for some time and in light of this, our inquiries are more complex and may become more lengthy," he added.
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A revamp of a derelict Grade II-listed hotel which has been a "blight" on a town for two decades is set to begin.
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The Robin Hood Hotel, in Newark on Trent, Nottinghamshire, closed in the late 1990s and has remained boarded up ever since.
The £6.6m project, due to create about 70 jobs, will see the building being "demolished by hand" to preserve the listed structures.
It will then be turned into a 66-bedroom Travelodge hotel in 2020.
The hotel was considered a "landmark" building in the town and for the past 20 years locals have called for the site to be developed.
David Lloyd, leader of Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: "We promised that we would work to bring an end to this blight on the town and work will start on [Monday].
"In little over a year's time the construction work should be completed and the new hotel and associated units will bring new jobs and business to the town and district, as well as helping to support and grow the visitor economy."
The council said there would be "short-term inconvenience to motorists" while the work is carried out.
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Sarah McAleer may have survived sepsis, but the trauma turned some of her hair white almost overnight.
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By Marie-Louise ConnollyBBC News NI Health Correspondent
The County Down woman first developed what felt like flu symptoms in December 2016.
Days later, the 42-year-old was admitted to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast and diagnosed with pneumonia and sepsis.
In the process, she suffered a collapsed lung, a damaged liver and was completely drained of energy.
To mark World Sepsis Day on Wednesday, she hopes her story will educate others about an infection that kills about 44,000 people each year in the UK.
"After looking at my records, I recall a doctor rolling his eyes and saying that's some infection you have on board - in fact you have sepsis," she said.
'Stabbed with a knife'
Sepsis is a life-threatening illness caused by the body's response to an infection.
It develops when the chemicals that the immune system releases into the bloodstream to fight an infection such as pneumonia cause inflammation throughout the entire body instead.
It can be triggered as a secondary response to an infection, but most commonly occurs in response to bacterial infections of the lungs, urinary tract, abdominal organs and the skin.
Sarah's symptoms were typical - first of all extreme shivering, sweating and then pain spread throughout her body.
According to Sarah, at first doctors in the emergency department confused her symptoms for flu. It was only when she returned 48 hours later that her condition was properly diagnosed and she was hospitalised.
In a blog, she described how she felt so ill that she thought she was going to die.
"The pain in my back is like being stabbed with a knife, I feel so sore, like I have been plugged into an electrical socket," she wrote.
So busy was the emergency department, that she spent the first eight hours in an ambulatory ward as nurses attempted to find her a bed in a ward.
She recalled feeling a tremendous pressure building in her body and that her joints screamed with pain.
Doctors told her she was lucky to have been diagnosed in time and given the proper medication.
Sarah feels little is known about sepsis and would like to see a public awareness campaign in Northern Ireland.
As the new lead of the Sepsis Trust in Northern Ireland, she is also calling for more accurate figures about the number of people affected by the infection, including numbers for those who have died.
"I quickly discovered that there are no pneumonia or sepsis recovery protocols in place - in fact my GP didn't really know how to help. Basically I had to do my own research," she said.
While each of the five health trusts have their own sepsis plans - the charities are pushing for Northern Ireland to have one single action plan.
Nine months after her own sepsis ordeal, Sarah said she continues on the road to recovery.
"I feel that it has poisoned every single part of my body inside and out. From my bloods to how it affects my muscles and the daily pain in my back," she said.
"There's also the brain fog, the chronic fatigue, insomnia and the post-traumatic stress. And to the more visible things like how it's turned parts of my hair white."
Sarah now writes about her experience and says it is all about turning something bad into good.
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The 40th Brit Awards is taking place at London's O2 Arena on Tuesday evening.
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The best of Britain's musical talent and some top international stars have dressed up for the occasion, as ever.
A few of them no doubt are acting up too, if recent history is anything to go by.
Before the prizes were dished out, here's how they were looking on arrival.
Lewis Capaldi was the main man to watch, as he was up for four awards, including best male and best single.
The Scottish star also performed at the ceremony.
He made some peace signs at photographers as he strolled down the red carpet this evening in a bright blue shirt jacket.
His main competition, in both the fashion and music prize stakes, came from London rapper Dave, whose debut album Psychodrama won last year's Mercury Prize.
Fun fact: winning album of the year would make the 21-year-old only the second artist, after the Arctic Monkeys, to win both a Brit and Mercury Prize for the same record.
Like Lewis, Dave was up for four awards. He was looking like a real sharp-shooter in that suit jacket.
Billie Eilish was set to perform her new James Bond theme, No Time to Die, for the first time live at the Brits.
She went almost full Burberry for her arrival and gave the cameras a thousand yard stare that any Bond villain would be proud of.
The 18-year-old was also nominated for best international female, alongside another US pop sensation...
...And that's Lizzo, sporting a triple bun hairstyle and a chocolate-wrapper dress.
Lizzo and Billie were up against Ariana Grande, Camila Cabello and Lana Del Rey in a crowded field of superstars.
It's unlikely to faze either of them though, we reckon.
The Brits have been criticised for a lack of diversity this year, with only four women nominated across the four categories open to both male and female artists - best group, best new artist, best song and album of the year.
Stormzy had his cricket whites on tonight, in case an impromptu game breaks out.
He's won Brit awards before and delivered a moment to remember in 2018, with his rain-drenched bare-chested attack on the government over their response to the Grenfell Tower fire.
The grime MC told Radio 1's Nick Grimshaw it's still "weird" having his picture taken by loads of photographers.
"You feel like you're getting attacked with flashing lights and cameras," he said.
"If you see me on the red carpet, it's not elegant."
Newsbeat reporter Sinead Garvin begged to differ, saying Stormzy - up for three awards, including best album - looked and smelled "delightful". We can't confirm or deny that.
Tom Walker arrived in his signature hipster woolly hat rolled up above the ears and his shirt and tie.
He also had his shirt un-tucked so let's hope the hallway monitors weren't lurking around or he wouldn't have been let in.
Which would be a shame as his track Just You And I was up for best song.
Laura Whitmore arrived in a dress covered in newspaper headlines.
She made the headlines herself recently when she took over Love Island presenting duties from Caroline Flack, and this week paid tribute to her late friend live on her BBC Radio 5 live show.
BBC Sound of 2020 winner Celeste was channelling her inner Elizabeth Taylor and told BBC Radio 5 Live's Colin Paterson she was feeling "incredible".
She was in the comfortable position of knowing she's got the rising star award already in the bag, but was slightly nervier about the prospect of performing her breakthrough track, Strange.
"This will be the first time ever that I've performed in front of this many people," she said.
We doubt it'll be the last.
Celeste succeeds Sam Fender, who was named as the one to look out for last year.
This year he was up against the likes of his mate Lewis Capaldi in the best new act category.
He joked he was "just going to turn up, watch Lewis Capaldi win everything and then go home".
The Geordie rocker could well be right but at least he looked good in the pictures in that suit.
It has to be a loose fit, as The Happy Mondays once sang.
Bastille looked like they were in four different bands but somehow strangely pulled it off.
They were up for best British group, against Coldplay, Foals. Bring Me The Horizon and D-Block Europe.
Newly-bleached blonde singer Dan Smith said they were ready to "put on our best loser faces".
Come on lads, you'll never win anything with that attitude.
Billie Eilish might be singing about Bond but Aitch could make a passable 007 himself in this get-up. Don't you think?
The north Manchester rapper was up for best new act, which he said he was excited about, despite the fact "nothing much excites me".
He did promise to bring some "mad bars" [lyrics] to our ears in 2020 though.
Here are some more of the big names on the red carpet, so you have something to hand to your fashion adviser in the morning.
The Brit Awards are on ITV from 20:00 GMT.
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About 100 people attended a public meeting to discuss concerns in the wake of damage caused by Storm Ciara.
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Some residents and traders have been counting the cost of flooding in the storm's aftermath in Llanrwst, Conwy.
Saturday's meeting included rail officials as services have been hit.
Resident Samantha Egelstaff said: "There needs to be more communication, more working together and more focus on vulnerable people."
She told the meeting at the town's Eagles Hotel that a local flood action group was set up to bring people together in the wake of the flooding.
"We created that group because of the total lack of action and lack of preparedness when that storm hit," she said.
Conwy council deputy leader Goronwy Edwards defended the local authority's response to the flooding, saying: "All of our staff we put on call 24/7".
Aberconwy AM Janet Finch-Saunders set up the meeting and she reiterated calls for an independent inquiry into the flood risk around the town.
She said that major flooding incidents have caused "devastation" three times since 2015.
"It's just happening too often," she said.
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) said the Conwy valley flood scheme "successfully defended" properties in Llanrwst and Trefriw from flooding from the Conwy River and flood barriers were also used during Storm Ciara.
Sian Williams, NRW's head of operations in north west Wales, said: "Flooding can devastate communities and whilst flooding can never be completely avoided, we work to reduce the risk to people and property.
"Following storms of this magnitude, there are always questions to answer.
"We will now work closely with Conwy County Borough Council as they prepare a flood investigation report."
Network Rail operation manager Alvan Jones said the storm damage had been "horrendous" for the community and had closed the rail line.
"We are working tirelessly at the moment to ensure that the railway reopens as soon as possible," he said.
Conwy council is hosting a drop-in session at Llanrwst Family Centre on Monday to discuss financial help available to people affected by the floods.
A Welsh Government spokesman said: "The environment minister recently visited Llanrwst to see the flood damage first-hand, and had reports from local residents, Conwy council and town councillors.
"It's crucial we learn from the experiences of the recent flooding to increase the protection of our communities in future.
"We have already committed £350m to flood protection during this assembly term and are already assessing applications to fully fund emergency repairs."
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The number of knot feeding and flying to create swirling dark clouds of birds on the Norfolk coast has reached record numbers.
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By Martin BarberBBC News Online
For the first time about 140,000 have been seen on the RSPB reserve at Snettisham. The previous site record was 120,000 in the winter of 1990-91, the organisation said.
To see them is "just an extraordinary experience", said photographer Les Bunyan, who volunteers at the reserve on The Wash estuary.
"It's not just what you're looking at, it's also the sound you have to appreciate. When you get tens of thousands of birds flying around you - they make a lot of noise."
The birds, which are about 25cm (10in) in length, undertake one of the longest migrations of any animal from their Arctic breeding grounds to the coasts and estuaries of Europe, Africa and Australia where they spend the winter feasting on invertebrates.
Mr Bunyan, 64, has been photographing wildlife for more than 20 years and admits the knot have become something of an obsession.
"I think what gets me when the birds lift into the air - is how small I feel," he said.
"I really do think this sort of thing should be on everybody's bucket list - just make the attempt to get out there and look at this type of thing."
"The UK has very, very few what I would call natural spectacles and I just absolutely adore and love it to bits. No two days are the same and I think that's what keeps drawing me back to it.
"People can be put off by birdwatching in general and they think that people have got to, you know, have all the latest gear and stuff like that."
When the coronavirus lockdown came in in March, time on The Wash played an important role for Mr Bunyan.
"Being outdoors is so good for you and your mental health. It's a bit of a catchphrase these days, 'your mental wellbeing', but it certainly helped me."
RSPB site manager Jim Scott said the weekend's record-breaking numbers "could be that birds have come here from other parts of The Wash, or it's purely down to the migration numbers peaking - we won't know for sure for a few days yet".
He added: "It's a showcase for estuaries in the UK. When you come to Snettisham on a big tide and the waders perform in the numbers it just really takes your breath away and shows how important mudflats are to our wildlife."
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Alibaba Group founder Jack Ma has made his first appearance since Chinese regulators cracked down on his business empire.
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His absence had fuelled speculation over his whereabouts amid increasing official scrutiny of his businesses.
The billionaire met 100 rural teachers in China via a video meeting on Wednesday, according to local government media.
Alibaba shares surged 5% on Hong Kong's stock exchange on the news.
Tianmu News, which is backed by the provincial Zhejiang government, first reported that Mr Ma addressed the teachers as part of one of his charity foundation's initiatives.
The annual event is usually hosted in the resort city of Sanya, but was held online this year because of Covid-19 restrictions.
"We cannot meet in Sanya due to the epidemic," he said in the speech.
"When the epidemic is over, we must find time to make up for everyone's trip to Sanya, and then we will meet again!"
In the video, he was dressed in a blue pullover and spoke directly to the camera from a room with grey marble walls and a striped carpet.
It was not clear from the video or the Tianmu News article where he was speaking from.
Regulatory scrutiny
Last month, China's central bank hauled in executives from Ant Group and ordered a major shake-up of the company's operations.
Mr Ma is a founder and key shareholder of Ant Group, which is China's biggest payments provider.
Before ordering the shakeup of the company, regulators had already scuppered Ant Group's listing on the Hong Kong and Shanghai exchanges.
The $37bn share market offering was expected to be the biggest of 2020.
Separately, China's State Administration for Market Regulation announced an investigation into Alibaba over monopolistic practices.
Suspicions about Mr Ma's whereabouts were raised earlier this month, when he missed the recording of Africa's Business Heroes, a television show on which he was a judge.
Although Alibaba attributed his absence to a scheduling conflict, several media reports said he had not been seen since making comments that were seen as critical of China's banking system at a public event in Shanghai in October.
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A man whose body was found along with those of his children in a house in Leicestershire died from a stab wound, police have said.
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The bodies of David Stokes, 43, and sons Matthew, 5, and and Adam, 11, were found following a disturbance at Welwyn Road, Hinckley, early on Wednesday.
Post-mortem examinations into how the children died have not yet concluded.
Sally Stokes, 44, who left the house before the discovery was made, remains in hospital in a stable condition.
Detectives are not looking for anyone else in connection with the deaths.
Leicestershire Police said trained negotiators were at the address for several hours following calls from concerned neighbours.
After Mrs Stokes left and was being given first aid, officers searched the house and found the bodies of Mr Stokes, Adam and Matthew.
Hundreds of people attended a vigil at St Peter's Roman Catholic church in Leicester Road, to remember the young boys and their father, on Thursday evening.
As police had been in contact with both the man and the woman during the evening, the force has informed the Independent Police Complaints Commission.
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Echo-soundings recorded during Norfolk's "biggest ever bat survey" have indicated the discovery of a new species in the county, said experts.
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Early analysis has revealed signs of the Alcathoe bat.
Researchers from the Norfolk Bat Survey have said they now need to catch the species in order to visually confirm its existence in the county.
First identified in Greece in 2001, it has only previously been recorded in the UK in Yorkshire and Sussex.
The survey, which began in April by the British Trust for Ornithology, will provide "the most accurate picture of bat distribution in the county", said senior research ecologist Dr Stuart Newson.
"We've no confirmed records yet for the Alcathoe bat in East Anglia, but we have had several recordings now which show its characteristics.
"First discovered in the UK in 2010, this species is very similar to Whiskered and Brandt's but with a higher end frequency in its echo-location. Confirmation through mist-netting [capturing] is now needed."
The Alcathoe bat is about the size of the end of a person's thumb.
Heather McFarlane, from the Bat Conservation Trust, said: "The Alcathoe bat is relatively new to science.
"First identified as a new species in Greece 2001, it was identified in the UK at sites in Sussex and Yorkshire by researchers from the University of Leeds in 2010.
"Since then local bat groups have been reporting more potential Alcathoe bats, this could be further evidence that this species is likely to be resident in the UK."
The Norfolk Bat Survey has so far analysed 45,000 bat recordings which have identified 12 bat species living in the county.
Organisers hope to study 100,000 sound recordings, made by volunteers borrowing acoustic recording equipment, by the time the survey ends in September.
According to researchers at the University of Leeds the UK now has 17 species of bat. All are protected by law due to their declining numbers
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The European Commission has blocked a third attempt by Ryanair to take over rival Irish airline Aer Lingus.
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In its ruling, the commission said the merger would have harmed consumers, reduced choice and led to increased prices for passengers travelling in and out of Ireland.
Aer Lingus welcomed the decision and said "Ryanair's offer should never have been made".
Ryanair said it would appeal against the judgement.
The budget airline, which already owns 30% of Aer Lingus, was given a list of objections by the European Commission in October last year and said it had addressed all of the competition concerns raised.
Ryanair's Robin Kiely said: "The EU Commission has regrettably reversed its own precedents in order to prohibit Ryanair's offer for Aer Lingus.
"Ryanair's radical remedies package clearly addressed all of the concerns raised by the EU both in its 2007 prohibition and in its November 2012 statement of objections.
"Ryanair regrets that the EU Commission has again failed to apply its own competition rules and precedents in a fair and dispassionate manner.
"We regret that this prohibition is manifestly motivated by narrow political interests rather than competition concerns and we believe that we have strong grounds for appealing and overturning this politically-inspired prohibition.
"Accordingly, Ryanair has instructed its legal advisers to prepare a comprehensive appeal against this manifestly unjust prohibition."
The Irish government holds a 25% stake in Aer Lingus and has previously voiced its opposition to Ryanair's bid.
Irish transport minister Leo Varadkar said the commission's decision "supports the government's view that a merger would be bad for competition in the Irish aviation market".
"Following detailed consideration of the proposal, the government's strongly held view is that a takeover of Aer Lingus by Ryanair would have a significant detrimental effect on competition, connectivity and employment in the Irish market," the minister said.
"Similar to my own view, the commission considered that the remedies proposed by Ryanair were insufficient to address the competition concerns."
Mr Varadkar said promoting competition among airlines serving the Irish market was at the heart of the government's aviation strategy.
"The continued presence of at least two strong competing airlines serving Ireland's air transport needs is clearly good for competition," he said.
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Apple has announced plans to build a new campus in Austin, Texas, saying the project will involve a $1bn (£790m) investment.
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The company already has an existing base in the city.
The iPhone-maker said it expected the latest move would eventually make it the state capital's biggest private employer.
One expert said the area had a big pool of talent to draw on but was no longer cheaper to hire in than Silicon Valley.
Intel's Atom computer processors were developed at its facility in the city. Dell, Amazon, Samsung, Facebook, Google and IBM are among other large local employers.
"There's a lot of computer chip expertise but Texas is also a massive hotbed for the data-centre industry," said independent technology analyst Chris Green.
"It also has a reputation for its traditional entertainment media scene as well as social-media development, with lots spurred on by the South by Southwest festival and other technology gatherings that have made Austin their home."
Job creation
Apple already employs 6,200 staff at its current facilities in Austin, making it the company's biggest base outside of its home at Cupertino in California's Silicon Valley.
It said the new 133-acre (0.54 sq km) campus would initially be home to 5,000 new workers but had the capacity to accommodate 15,000.
The new posts, it said, would include roles in its engineering, research and development, and sales divisions.
The company also said it planned new sites in Seattle, San Diego and Culver City over the next three years.
The announcements follow an earlier commitment made in January to create 20,000 new jobs in the US by 2023.
At present, the company employs about 90,000 people in the country, including staff in its retail stores.
Apple and other American technology companies have faced calls from President Trump to boost employment in their home country.
Most recently, the president threatened to add tariffs to iPhones and other Apple products manufactured in China if trade negotiations with Beijing did not go the way he wanted.
Last month, Amazon announced plans to build new campuses in New York and near Washington DC as part of its own job-creation plans.
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A council paid out almost £6.9m for the termination of a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) waste deal.
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The figure emerged after a BBC Freedom of Information request about the financial impact of ending the contract on the Dumfries and Galloway authority.
Company accounts of Shanks Dumfries and Galloway show the council paid it a "termination sum" of £6,873,434.
A number of assets transferred to the local authority as a result, including an Eco Deco waste treatment plant.
The council entered into a 25-year PFI contract for its waste services in 2004.
'Commonplace' clauses
However, last year the private company involved sought to terminate the deal citing an annual loss of about £3m.
The contract was ended in September 2018.
A BBC FOI request sought to find out why it had cost the council more than £6m to end the deal when it had been its private partner who wanted it to conclude.
The council initially refused to release the information and an appeal was taken to the Information Commissioner.
However, the council has now revealed some details relating to the case.
It explained that it was "commonplace" for most contracts to have clauses relating to early termination.
It said they were almost a "prerequisite" of such long-term deals as circumstances could change significantly over their duration.
Assets transferred
The council said contractors often put in place infrastructure, and arrangements would be made when a contract ended early to calculate what payments were due.
After the waste deal was terminated, a range of assets transferred to the local authority including the Eco Deco plant in Dumfries, two transfer stations at Annan and Castle Douglas, eight recycling centres and five closed landfill sites.
The FOI also sought to establish if the council expected to face similar losses in running the service to those reported by its private partner.
The local authority said work was ongoing to look at options for a "new model of delivery" which were likely to go before councillors later this year.
It said that, at that stage, a comparison could be made of costs before and after the contract termination.
As a result of the information being released, the BBC has agreed to drop its appeal to the Information Commissioner.
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Three baby boys born in Scotland last year were called M, R and T.
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The names were revealed as the National Records of Scotland published the forenames of the 56,725 births that were registered in 2014.
The independence referendum may have had an influence on some parents, as two children were named Freedom and another three named Indy.
Some other names featured included Bluebell-Fawn, Nicholas-Darius, Leonidas and Dodge.
In December, it was announced that Jack and Emily were the most popular names for babies registered in Scotland.
Some of the other more unusual names in the 2014 list include Arrlo, Draven, Daiquiri, Emmett, Spartacus and Thor.
Juniper, Jolynn-Diamond, Maddyson-Dyamonds, Thirteena-Starr and Lilias-Anne were also names given to Scots born last year.
Scots mothers were perhaps inspired by the hit TV show Game of Thrones, as Khaleesi was the name given to three girls.
In total 3,359 different forenames for boys were used, while 4,427 different girls names were registered.
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Health care giant Johnson & Johnson has recalled 33,000 bottles of baby powder in the US, after health regulators found trace amounts of asbestos in a bottle purchased online.
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Government officials said customers should stop using powder from the affected batch "immediately".
J&J said it had launched a review and prior tests have not found asbestos.
The firm is facing thousands of lawsuits from people who claim its talc products caused cancer.
Johnson & Johnson has strongly denied those accusations.
The firm said it had initiated the voluntary recall of one lot of baby powder, produced and shipped in the US in 2018, out of "an abundance of caution".
It said it was working with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to determine the integrity of the test and the validity of the results finding asbestos, including whether the product was counterfeit and if the bottle's seal had been broken.
"Years of testing, including the FDA's own testing on prior occasions - and as recently as last month - found no asbestos," it said.
The FDA has been testing dozens of products for asbestos, a known carcinogen amid rising concerns among the public. It said there was no indication that the product was counterfeit or had been tainted during testing.
The FDA "stands by the quality of its testing and results", it said.
It is not aware of any adverse events relating to exposure to the lot of affected products, it added.
It urged customers with products from lot #22318RB to contact Johnson & Johnson for a refund.
Shares in Johnson & Johnson fell more than 3% in morning trade.
Legal fight
The recall is the latest bad news for Johnson & Johnson, which is facing billions of dollars in legal claims over other products, including opioids and vaginal mesh implants.
A jury this month awarded $8bn to a man over claims he was not warned that an anti-psychotic drug could lead to breast growth.
As of February, the firm faced more than 13,000 lawsuits over contamination of its talc-based products, including baby powder, with cancer-causing asbestos.
The firm has maintained that its products are safe, but investigations by the New York Times and Reuters last year found that the risks of asbestos in its talc products had worried the company for decades.
Shortly after, the Department of Justice said it was opening an inquiry into the company's knowledge of asbestos risks in its talc products.
The claims have met with mixed fates in court. Some juries have awarded millions in damages, while others have denied the claims.
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