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Author and "earth skills" expert Claire Dunn explains why she scooped a kangaroo carcass off the road for the sake of fashion.
On the Australia Day long weekend, I did something more traditionally Aussie than snags [sausages] on the barbie or sunburn on the beach. I tanned a kangaroo hide. It was only after I had mentioned it casually to a friend on Facebook who replied "Ba ha ha - what a message!" that I remembered hide tanning was not your usual backyard hobby. Nor was it mine, until 2010 when I embarked on a year-long Independent Wilderness Studies Program, living off the land in a forest on the north coast of New South Wales. The experience quickly dispelled any romantic notions of wild living. I remember one night, my palms bleeding from fire-lighting blisters, standing under a shelter with rain pouring in and wondering what I was doing. But overall I loved it. The rawness and physicality of living outdoors, the intimacy with the elements, and the time to just wander without time or destination. Alongside a curriculum of matchless fire-making, shelter building, hunting and gathering, primitive pottery and bird language, I learned the art of "brain tanning". 'Ick factor' Every animal, so I'm told, has enough brains to tan its own hide, the fats and chemicals contained within being the alchemical ingredient to turn skin into suede. I still struggle to imagine by what experimental process this equation was first discovered, but the proof is smooth against my own skin on the occasions I don my matching hide skirt, top and bag. On Australia Day, it's been a year or so since my last tanning effort, and I'm a little daunted as I rescue my 'roo hide from the lime bath it has been soaking in and fling it onto the fleshing beam which is used to scrape off flesh and skin. With the hair half falling out, it's hard to connect the object in front of me to the animal I scooped off the side of a road in far north Queensland last winter. During the "bush year", roadkill roo provided me with a regular source of food, as well as leather. I didn't eat this one but salted and dried the hide for safe keeping. My tanning companion is Michelle Yang, who is working on a deer hide from a nearby venison farm. She emerges from the kitchen with a bucket of what appears to be strawberry milkshake. Submerging her hands and the hide within it, Michelle looks up at me with a grin. "I'm fine with the ick factor now, but the first time I saw brains being mushed up for tanning I almost upchucked," she says. My shoulders soon remember the arduous process of turning stinky skin into leather. Into the night I lean my weight against the beam, and painstakingly scrape off layers of snotty epidermis until the matrix of small fibres underneath appear, each patch as unique as a fingerprint. Looking closer I'm struck again by how incredible skin really is - thin, flexible, water wicking and so strong. Michelle is several steps ahead of me, working the deer's skin with practiced fingers. She turned her suburban Melbourne backyard into a traditional tannery after learning the skill during a visit to the US. She works with rabbits too. It's a passion that's turned into a business. Michelle ran her first Backyard Buckskin course this year. "I just love the craft of it, the re-learning of what used to be such a part of indigenous life," she says. "I also love that I'm making use of something that would be otherwise thrown out, and turning it into beautiful, durable clothing that I can also throw in the washing machine." 'Cherishing life' Michelle is not the only hide-tanner of my acquaintance. She's part of a loose east coast collective who gather occasionally to practise these and other "earth" skills. Among them is Dan White, a life coach from northern NSW who picks up carcasses of wallabies near his home to feed both his dogs and his penchant for hides. "If anyone took a look in the back of my van and saw plastic bags, knives, and rope they might be a bit worried," Dan says. With a house adorned with "chicken bits, possum handbags, roo hides, wings and bones", Dan seems to loves the shock value it provides his guests. "People think I'm a fruit loop, but then when I explain to them why I do it they get it," he says. "Rather than about death I'm cherishing the life of these animals, it makes me feel closer to them. What's not normal to me is buying meat wrapped in plastic at the shop." I feel that same sense of closeness to the roo on Australia Day, although the holes I'm accidentally scraping are making it look more like Swiss cheese than a potential pair of shoes. My hide emerges from the brain bath like a cross between chamois, modelling clay and a rubber mat. Rain dampens our plans to soften and smoke the hides (another long and tiring process), so I return mine to the freezer until a later date. Perhaps I'll make it an Australia Day ritual, an honouring of a lost art that also honours the lives of our wildlife. Claire Dunn is a writer, rewilding facilitator and barefoot explorer. She is the author of My Year Without Matches: Escaping the City in Search of the Wild.
HIV is evolving to become less deadly and less infectious, according to a major scientific study.
By James GallagherHealth editor, BBC News website The team at the University of Oxford shows the virus is being "watered down" as it adapts to our immune systems. It said it was taking longer for HIV infection to cause Aids and that the changes in the virus may help efforts to contain the pandemic. Some virologists suggest the virus may eventually become "almost harmless" as it continues to evolve. More than 35 million people around the world are infected with HIV and inside their bodies a devastating battle takes place between the immune system and the virus. HIV is a master of disguise. It rapidly and effortlessly mutates to evade and adapt to the immune system. However, every so often HIV infects someone with a particularly effective immune system. "[Then] the virus is trapped between a rock and hard place, it can get flattened or make a change to survive and if it has to change then it will come with a cost," said Prof Philip Goulder, from the University of Oxford. Weakened The "cost" is a reduced ability to replicate, which in turn makes the virus less infectious and means it takes longer to cause Aids. This weakened virus is then spread to other people and a slow cycle of "watering-down" HIV begins. The team showed this process happening in Africa by comparing Botswana, which has had an HIV problem for a long time, and South Africa where HIV arrived a decade later. Prof Goulder told the BBC News website: "It is quite striking. You can see the ability to replicate is 10% lower in Botswana than South Africa and that's quite exciting. "We are observing evolution happening in front of us and it is surprising how quickly the process is happening. "The virus is slowing down in its ability to cause disease and that will help contribute to elimination." Drug bonus The findings in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences also suggested anti-retroviral drugs were forcing HIV to evolve into milder forms. It showed the drugs would primarily target the nastiest versions of HIV and encourage the milder ones to thrive. Prof Goulder added: "Twenty years ago the time to Aids was 10 years, but in the last 10 years in Botswana that might have increased to 12.5 years, a sort of incremental change, but in the big picture that is a rapid change. "One might imagine as time extends this could stretch further and further and in the future people being asymptomatic for decades." The group did caution that even a watered-down version of HIV was still dangerous and could cause Aids. HIV originally came from apes or monkeys, in which it is frequently a minor infection. Prof Jonathan Ball, a virologist at the University of Nottingham, told the BBC: "If the trend continues then we might see the global picture change - a longer disease causing much less transmission. "In theory, if we were to let HIV run its course then we would see a human population emerge that was more resistant to the virus than we collectively are today - HIV infection would eventually become almost harmless. "Such events have probably happened throughout history, but we are talking very large timescales." Prof Andrew Freedman, a reader in infectious diseases at Cardiff University, said this was an "intriguing study". He said: "By comparing the epidemic in Botswana with that which occurred somewhat later in South Africa, the researchers were able to demonstrate that the effect of this evolution is for the virus to become less virulent, or weaker, over time. "The widespread use of antiretroviral therapy may also have a similar effect and together, these effects may contribute to the ultimate control of the HIV epidemic." But he cautioned HIV was "an awfully long way" from becoming harmless and "other events will supersede that including wider access to treatment and eventually the development of a cure".
Although their manifesto calls for a near-total halt to immigration, the far-right political party Britain First is now actively trying to appeal to Polish immigrants.
By Kayleen DevlinBBC Trending They are a fringe group, with no elected officials at any level, but Britain First has about 1.9 million Facebook likes - more than any other UK political party. And now they're trying to use that social media footprint to make explicit appeals to Polish immigrants living in the UK. A string of Britain First videos that seem designed to attract a Polish audience have appeared online. Recent ones include a video from Jacek Miedlar, a Polish far-right former priest, an interview with a Polish media outlet that has over half a million views, and videos by Polish Britain First supporters encouraging others to support the party. Miedlar, who has over 25,000 subscribers on YouTube, is an activist known for his anti-Semitic and anti-Islamic views. He has tried to travel to the UK twice this year to attend Britain First rallies but was stopped by UK authorities. The videos have been posted despite Britain First's anti-immigration manifesto which calls for cash payments to foreigners to leave the UK, a complete halt to immigration except for people who marry British citizens, and a call to make it "an act of treason to implement any policy or measure, or sign any agreement, that facilitates and/or results in significant numbers of foreigners entering the sovereign territory of the United Kingdom with the aim of settling." Despite the party's hard line on immigration, Britain First deputy leader Jayda Fransen told BBC Trending that post-Brexit, all European immigrants who are already in the UK should be allowed to stay, as long as they aren't criminals or Muslims. The party also supports a total ban on Islam in the UK, a policy they believe will attract some support from Polish migrants. Poles form the largest immigrant community in Britain. There were an estimated 831,000 Polish-born residents in 2015 - a jump of almost 750,000 compared with the number in 2004, the year Poland joined the European Union. Rafal Pankowski from the Polish anti-hate charity Never Again says the party's attempts to appeal to UK-based Polish people may have something to do with what he perceives to be a trend towards the far-right in Polish society. "We have been witnessing a rise in far-right activity in Poland itself as well," he says. "And unfortunately the Polish people in the UK have been victims of discrimination and hate crime especially since the Brexit referendum. And some of them have been turning to Polish far-right nationalist groups for a sense of belonging." 'Not pleasant' Wiktor Moszczynski, a former spokesperson for the Federation of Poles in Great Britain, agrees that there has been a spike of far-right activity amongst Polish people living in the UK, but says that such activity has recently died down. "At the moment the trend tends to be towards the right in Polish society, both in Poland and to some extent here in the UK, but when I say right that doesn't necessarily mean radical right," Moszczynski tells BBC Trending radio. "Suddenly these groups began turning up in demonstrations in the UK over the last two or three years generally wearing Polish fascist symbols, but what I do have to say is I have not seen anything of this in the last year," he says. "I have been spoken to by the police who are very concerned about these groups, so we do know that there may still be an undercurrent. But at the moment the problem seems to have been in remission, temporarily at least." He says a majority of the younger Polish community are resistant to the influence of far-right groups, including Britain First, but nevertheless the far-right spike is "not pleasant, particularly at a time when we're trying to build up sympathy for the Poles living in this country on the way they've been treated after the Brexit vote." 'Far-right rise' A recent report from the campaigning group Hope Not Hate said the largest and most organised neo-Nazi group in the UK is the National Rebirth of Poland. The presence of groups like these, Hope Not Hate says, has fuelled extreme far-right activists. Britain First rarely runs candidates. When they do they receive a small amount of the vote, such as the 1.2% of the vote party leader Paul Golding attracted in the 2016 London mayoral election. Its outsized social media following is due to a combination of factors including paid advertising, a core group of dedicated followers, and the use of less controversial posts - for instance messages encouraging people to support the troops or the royal family - and other tactics to drive up the numbers of likes. The group's Facebook page has also become something of an international hub people attracted to its anti-Islam message. According to an analysis by Trending, less than half (44%) of the group's Facebook likes come from accounts based inside the UK, with large numbers of likes coming from the US, Australia and Canada. Around 23,000 of the page's likes come from Polish accounts. By way of comparison, 87% of the Labour Party's 1 million likes come from UK accounts. The figure for the Conservative Party (more than 600,000 likes) is 78%. Fransen claims the party has a "growing number" of Polish members and supporters, but refused to provide membership figures. She says the party's low appeal at the ballot box can be explained by the fact that the group has been concentrating on direct action, including turning up at the homes and offices of elected officials. Pankowski believes the membership figures are very small, yet says his organisation saw via social media a number of Polish flags and Polish people at a Britain First rally in Birmingham last month. In one video from the event, a UK-based Polish former wrestling champion Marian Lukasik, can be heard advocating the assassination of German Chancellor Angela Merkel because of her country's refugee policy. Lukasik has recently made other videos in support of Britain First. "Britain First decided to attract support among the Polish community in the UK against Muslims, and a small section of the Polish community in the UK is probably prone to such messages," Pankowski says. "But obviously it's ironic because Polish migrants and Muslim migrants in the UK actually have a lot in common in terms of the everyday challenges they face." Blog by Kayleen Devlin You can find BBC Trending on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @BBCtrending. All our stories are at bbc.com/trending.
A Met Office weather warning remains in place in Northern Ireland with strong winds causing travel disruption due to Storm Erik.
Winds in the region of 60mph (97km/h) are expected as the Atlantic system moves north east. In Londonderry, the Foyle Bridge was closed to high-sided vehicles on Friday morning. The Rathlin ferry service has been cancelled because of the weather. A driver had a lucky escape in south Belfast after a tree fell onto their car on the Milltown Road, which has been closed by police. The public has been warned of of disruption, with "delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport" likely. NI Direct also warned that there could be "power cuts, large waves in coastal areas, fallen trees, and risk of flying debris". About 2,500 customers are without electricity in the Republic. A yellow warning for Northern Ireland issued by the Met Office is in place until 15:00 GMT on Saturday. The storm was named by Irish weather service Met Éireann, which has issued an orange warning for Counties Donegal, Galway, and Mayo. It expects severe gusts of up to 80mph in those areas. A Status Yellow warning has also been issued for the rest of the island. Storm Erik brings 'weather bomb' conditions by BBC News NI Weather Presenter Cecilia Daly Erik is the sixth named storm this season, after Ali, Bronagh, Callum, Diana and Deirdre Storm Erik will approach Ireland and the UK bringing severe and damaging gusts. The low pressure area was deepening rapidly as it approached the north west of Ireland and north-west Scotland on Friday morning. This is known as rapid cyclogenesis, or explosive cyclogenesis, because the centre of the low pressure drops quickly over a short period of time and therefore the storm intensifies rapidly. This is also sometimes known as a weather bomb. Peak gusts across Northern Ireland will be 60 to 70mph but could be close to 80mph towards the west coast of Ireland and this is why Met Éireann issued an orange warning for Counties Galway, Mayo and Donegal. Stay up to date with the forecast here.
Surgeons will be able to block the planned publication of data on their individual performance, it has emerged.
By Nick TriggleHealth correspondent League tables for 10 specialities, including vascular and orthopaedic surgery, are due to be published in England this summer. Such detailed information is currently published on heart surgeons only. But NHS leaders have now said Data Protection Act rules prevent them from requiring any surgeons to release individual information. The publication of surgery-specific data was first called for in 2001 by Prof Sir Ian Kennedy, who chaired the inquiry into the excessive number of deaths of babies undergoing heart surgery in Bristol. Since then, only heart surgeons have published data down to an individual level. Some doctors have been resistant to widening publication of data, as there is a fear that it may give a misleading impression. Those doctors that take on the most difficult and complex cases may look to be performing worse, when in fact they could be the leading specialists in their field. NHS England said so far 4% of surgeons had said they did not want the information disclosed - although this does not mean the data is hidden from regulators which investigate cases where performance is outside of the normal range. A spokeswoman said: "We urge all consultants to think very carefully about the effect on their patients and their colleagues if they chose to opt out on the basis of legislation designed to protect personal data." But she added: "The experience with the publication of cardiac data strongly suggests that consultant surgeons who do feel uncomfortable quickly come on board when they see the enormous benefits publication brings to their patients and to themselves." A Department of Health spokesman said if there were any legal grounds for surgeons not participating in the league tables, patients and their families would be entitled to ask why and might prefer their operation to be carried out by someone who was "prepared to be fully transparent". The spokesman said: "Patients should be able to see how individual senior doctors are performing. That principle has been agreed for many years and has been successfully implemented in cardiac surgery." The Royal College of Surgeons said: "We see this as a watershed moment for the profession and strongly urge surgeons to take part in this important initiative."
David Cameron says he opposes plans to cut Oxfordshire's children's centres from 44 to eight in a bid to save £8m.
In a statement, the Witney MP described them as "vital" services, adding: "I firmly believe they should remain open." He said the county council should protect frontline services and make cuts elsewhere. Ian Hudspeth, leader of the authority, said it needed "to take some tough decisions". He said: "We've got £88m-worth of savings to deliver, part of that is around children's centres [and] the early intervention centres, to make sure we can still have the social workers who will provide the vital social care that vulnerable and disadvantaged children in Oxfordshire require." Mr Cameron said: "There is still significant scope for sensible savings across local government to be made by back office consolidation, disposing of surplus property and joining up our local public services." Under the proposals, which have prompted protests in the city, eight remaining centres would be used to form part of a new referral service for babies and children up to 19 years old. The council, run by a Conservative-Independent alliance, also proposes stopping services such as stay-and-play sessions for children and parents and open-access youth sessions. The Green Party will urge Labour-led Oxford City Council to oppose the plans at a meeting later. Councillor David Thomas, who put forward the motion, described the centres as "critical". Fears that some children's centres could close first led to demonstrations in Chipping Norton in October 2013. By December that year Mr Hudspeth said children's centres were no longer under threat, but last December they were back on the agenda.
The newly bereaved are at greatly increased risk of heart attack after the death of a close loved one, US researchers say.
By Michelle RobertsHealth reporter, BBC News Heart attack risk is 21 times higher within the first day and six times higher than normal within the first week, a study in the Circulation journal of nearly 2,000 people shows. Symptoms to watch for include chest pain and shortness of breath. Experts say intense grief puts extra strain on the heart. The psychological stress associated with loss can raise heart rate, blood pressure and blood clotting, which, in turn, can increase the chance of a heart attack. A person's sleep and appetite are also likely to be disrupted. Compound this with self-neglect - such as not bothering to take regular medication - and the result can be grave. The researchers say it is important for family and friends to be aware of these risks and to keep an eye out during such difficult times. Emotional Lead investigator Dr Murray Mittleman, of Harvard Medical School's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, said: "During situations of extreme grief and psychological distress, you still need to take care of yourself and seek medical attention for symptoms associated with a heart attack. "Caretakers, healthcare providers and the bereaved themselves need to recognise they are in a period of heightened risk in the days and weeks after hearing of someone close dying." The researchers reached their estimates by studying 1,985 heart attack survivors and comparing how many of them had recently been bereaved. Among the study participants, 270 (13.6%) experienced the loss of a significant person in the prior six months, including 19 within one day of their heart attack. Heart attack risk went up significantly within the first week after the death of a close loved one. The risk was highest in the first seven days following bereavement and declined steadily thereafter. Vulnerable The elevated risk ranged from about one in 300 to less than one in 1,000 depending on the individual's general heart health before bereavement. Those with a history of heart disease already fared worse. Prof Peter Weissberg of the British Heart Foundation said: "We're already aware that, under exceptional circumstances, emotional stress can trigger a heart attack. "But we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that heart attacks triggered by stress normally only happen in people with underlying heart disease. It's very important that if you're taking medication because you have, or are at high risk of, heart disease, don't neglect taking it following a significant bereavement." Past research has already shown that recently bereaved people have heart rhythm changes which may make some of them more vulnerable to health problems. And grieving spouses have higher long-term risks of dying, with heart disease and strokes accounting for around half of the deaths, findings suggest.
Ambulances were called to trampoline parks in the UK more than 300 times in a year, figures obtained by BBC 5 live's Daily programme show.
One park, Flip Out Stoke, called out an ambulance more than once a week on average. But Jump Lanes, Londonderry, had no callouts across the 12 months. Statistics from a Freedom of Information request show callouts made by 30 parks in 12 months to April 2016. More than 140 UK trampoline parks have opened since the first in 2014. One park in Chester is investigating after three people broke vertebrae in their backs on the same day. Operators insist the number of injuries is very small compared to the total number of users. Thirteen ambulance trusts across the UK confirmed that, between April 2015 and April 2016, 30 parks required 315 ambulance call outs. The figures showed: Flip Out Stoke is a franchise of the same company behind Flip Out Chester, where an investigation into the injuries is under way. Flip Out has closed the Jump Tower section of the Chester park. It said the call out rates should be taken in the context of the number of users - 200,000 visitors have been to the Chester site since it opened in December 2016. Another of the company's franchises, Flip Out Portsmouth, had a lower call out rate, with paramedics attending eight times in its first 106 days - an average of once every 13 days. Broken back A broken limb was the top injury suspected [14 of the 65 call outs] with broken legs the most common. The other most common suspected injuries were spinal, head, back and foot. Student George Magraw, 21, was one of the three people who broke their back on the same day jumping from Flip Out Chester's 4m high 'Tower Jump'. He told BBC Radio 5 Live: "I'd been jumping on the trampolines for ten minutes when I moved on to the Tower Jump. "I jumped off the ledge just how I'd been told in the safety video but as soon as I landed I was in pain. "I crawled out of the foam pit and stood up. I could definitely feel that the bone wasn't right. "The staff gave me first aid and offered to ring an ambulance but my dad was only minutes away so he took me instead. "When I arrived at A&E I was quickly put on a bed and taken for an X-Ray. It was then they told me I'd broken my back." 'Dangerous place to be' George's transfer to a specialist unit in Walton was delayed because the centre was already dealing with another customer injured on the jump. His mother, Janet Magraw, is now warning parents to understand the risks: "I always thought that going to a trampoline park, it's a soft landing and everything's okay. "I've since heard from lots of medical staff that that's not the case - it's quite a dangerous place to be. "I personally wouldn't recommend anybody going to them. At half term it was sickening me that there was a big queue of little kids going into that place. "As a mum, you just really feel it could be life-changing." 'Excellent record' A spokesman for Flip Out Chester said since its December 2016 opening, around 200,000 people had visited and it had "an excellent safety record". "We welcome feedback from our customers and we are investigating these claims to establish exactly what happened," he said. 'More speed' CEO at Oxygen, David Stalker said it got the design of their park wrong when it first opened. He said: "The trend was towards opening up spaces, rather than zoning the trampolines into smaller areas as we do now. "The more open space you have, the more speed you can gain. The result was more injuries." He added: "We've now altered the designs for future parks and changed the layout at Southampton." Sporting injuries One of the smallest parks, Jump Lanes in Londonderry, which has around 25,000 visitors a year, had the fewest call outs - none in 12 months. Air Hop in Guildford is one of the largest parks. Its smaller site in Bristol saw fewer callouts with eight in 193 days - one every 24 days. Spokesman Chris Gilmour said trampoline parks should be viewed in context of other activities that carry risk. He said: "Hospitals will tell you that, yes, they get injuries from trampoline parks but they see worse from people playing football or rugby. "When you look at the percentage of customers who are injured it's in the hundredths of a percent." The BSI [British Standards Institution] published standards for trampoline parks, at the request of the industry, earlier this month. They include minimum specifications for the number of stewards and rules on specific safety features. Peter Brown, chair of the UK's largest industry body the International Association of Trampoline Parks UK [IATP] said many parks were already up to standard. New parks would have to comply and inspections would begin in August. "Any issues we find will have to be put right within a reasonable timeframe, depending on how significant it is. In the most severe cases we will insist attractions are closed until fixed." Bouncing craze The number of parks in the UK has increased sharply since the first one opened in May 2014 - inspired by a craze that started in 2004 in the United States. Thirty-seven had opened by November 2015, rising to 110 by November 2016, and 144 in early March 2017. By Easter 2017, the IATP estimates there will be 150 parks in operation across the UK, with at least 15m visitors per year.
Pope Francis did say the Ordinariate for ex-Anglicans was unnecessary - but that does not mean it will be Papal policy, an Anglican bishop has said.
By Trevor TimpsonBBC News Bishop Gregory Venables told the BBC the published account of Cardinal Bergoglio's remarks to him was correct. A spokesman for the UK Ordinariate commented that it was set up with the highest Catholic legal authority. A Vatican spokesman said last month the Ordinariates were "a permanent feature" of the Catholic Church. The Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham was set up in the UK in 2011 in a move strongly supported by the last Pope, Benedict XVI, to allow discontented former Anglicans a place within the Catholic Church where they could preserve elements of their "Anglican patrimony". It was followed by two other Ordinariates, covering North America and Australasia. Bishop Venables, who is the Anglican Bishop of Argentina, told the BBC News website that Cardinal Bergoglio, then Archbishop of Buenos Aires, had invited him to breakfast in 2009 when the Ordinariate was first suggested. Remarks to friends In Bishop Venables' words as published by the Anglican Communion News Service, "he called me to have breakfast with him one morning and told me very clearly that the Ordinariate was quite unnecessary and that the Church needs us as Anglicans." Bishop Venables told the BBC News website that the quotation of him was accurate, but had not been meant for publication and had appeared on the Anglican Communion website without his consent. He said he had merely made some remarks to some friends which he had not circulated widely, and added that he did not believe the remarks would reflect the future position of the Catholic Church. Pope Francis, "as Pope, will assume a position which is balanced, and which honours what others have said," Bishop Venables stressed. Asked about the remarks, Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said that ties between the two churches had been strengthened in recent years, especially during Pope Benedict's visit to Britain, and that they looked likely only to get stronger still. Last month Fr Lombardi told the Catholic Herald that the establishment of the ordinariate was a project, "particularly close to the heart of Pope Benedict XVI." He said: "The ongoing development of these structures in the future will be a lasting legacy of his pontificate, but also a continuing contribution to the work of Christian unity and ecumenism. He also said "The Personal Ordinariates are a permanent feature in the life of the Church and a sign of our lasting and unswerving commitment to that ultimate goal". A spokesman for the Ordinariate said the words that had appeared were those of Bishop Venables, not the Pope. Great gifts "The Personal Ordinariates were established by an Apostolic Constitution, the highest form of legal document in the Catholic Church," he said. "We welcome the election of our new Holy Father and rejoice to be in the full communion of the Church, whilst also bringing the great gifts of our Anglican heritage as a treasure to be shared with all." In his published remarks, Bishop Venables also said of the new Pope: "He is much more of a Christian, Christ-centred and Spirit-filled, than a mere churchman. He believes the Bible as it is written. "I have been with him on many occasions and he always makes me sit next to him and invariably makes me take part and often do what he as cardinal should have done. "He is consistently humble and wise, outstandingly gifted yet a common man. He is no fool and speaks out very quietly yet clearly when necessary."
A pair of "demon pigs" also nicknamed the "ugliest pigs on earth" have arrived at London Zoo.
The hairless babirusas, named Budi and Beth, will spend the first few weeks settling into their dens before they begin venturing outside where visitors will be able to spot them. The unusual animals have been likened to creatures from JK Rowling's Harry Potter books. Zookeeper Hannah Joy said: "No-one could call them beautiful." The pigs, which have wrinkly grey skin and long wet snouts, have joined the zoo as part of an international breeding programme for the species, which is classed as "vulnerable" in the wild due to habitat-loss and being hunted for the bushmeat trade. Ms Joy said people who live alongside them in Indonesia call them "rat pigs" or "demon pigs, because of their long, misshapen tusks - which are actually teeth growing through their noses that curl backwards". Budi has features like Harry Potter character Professor Lupin, who turns into a werewolf at night, and Beth resembles house elf Dobby, she added. "Just like those famous characters they've absolutely won us all over - the way they wag their long stringy tails when they're happy is a joy to see. "We are determined to rally the public in sharing our love for the unique-looking swines, reputed to be the ugliest on earth." Beth has just turned two while Budi is a year old and will grow up to sport the crooked, spiral tusks the male pigs are famous for. "They may not be Indonesia's most photogenic residents, but babirusas do fulfil an important role in the forest's ecology - turning the soil and spreading seeds as they forage," said Ms Joy. "They really are fantastic beasts who need our help."
As the investigation into who was behind the Boston bombings goes on, Muslim communities are braced for a backlash should the perpetrator share their faith.
By Lynsea GarrisonBBC News The day after the Boston Marathon bombings, Yusef was treated differently. The 10-year-old went to his Ohio school and was surprised by a question from a classmate, according to his family. While the class was discussing the explosions, the classmate is said to have asked: "Does that mean Yusef is going to blow up the school?" A confused Yusef, whose family asked that his last name not be used, says he repeated the classmate's question. But the teacher apparently only heard Yusef's end of the exchange, a misunderstanding that resulted in detention and having his locker searched. This story is exactly what Anum Hussain feared when she first heard of the bombings. Hussain is a regional director with the Muslim Inter-Scholastic Tournament and teaches Muslim youth about bullying. Having grown up in the aftermath of 9/11, Hussain worries that this generation of Muslims could be bullied because of the blasts - especially if the person responsible is a Muslim. "The sad truth is that regardless of the facts, people are already getting unfairly stereotyped," says Hussain. "We're all on the edge of our seats praying that the person who did these acts isn't a Muslim. We're tired of being blamed for the actions of one person." It's a sentiment shared by many, especially among Arab, African, Asian and Sikh Americans. As the FBI investigation inches closer to finding a suspect, these communities fear a new wave of ethnically charged violence and harassment. Some Muslims see progress in the way they are treated, and are heartened by the official response to the Boston attacks, which has used language with care and deliberation. "It starts with the leadership of the country, if they are being able to do this slowly, it will trickle down to the people," one woman at a meeting of the Islamic Society of Northeastern University told the BBC. "Even news and online articles are starting to tone down a little from a few years ago. People are starting to understand that not all Muslims are bad." But others are concerned that the good work of the past few years could be quickly undone if the bomber is Muslim. "Despite some of the headway and normalcy achieved since 9/11, it could be extinguished in an instant if the perpetrator fits the caricature of a terrorist," says Khaled Beydoun, a critical race studies fellow at UCLA School of Law. When Beydoun heard about the Boston attacks, he was worried about a friend who was running in the marathon. But a familiar fear crept into his mind as he thought about who was responsible for the attacks. From crises such as the Newtown shootings to the blasts in Boston, Beydoun has always worried about the national reaction if the perpetrator is a Muslim or "looks" Muslim. "It's part of this collective consciousness that Muslims and Arab-Americans experience in any time of crisis," says Beydoun. He thinks that white suspects are treated differently to suspects from minority groups. "With a white American versus an Arab or Muslim American, we know from previous incidences that a white terrorist will be framed as an individual aberration," he says. "Whereas a culprit who is an Arab, Muslim or black American will vilify an entire community of people." Many people point to the shootings in Newtown, Oak Creek, and Aurora as examples - the white men all responsible for those tragedies were described as being mentally ill, not representative of an entire culture or race. As major cities across the nation tightened security to prepare for additional threats, Muslims and advocacy groups braced for their own set of dangers. Past data points to spikes in hate crimes associated with major attacks in the US, especially after 9/11. The Muslim Public Affairs Council is one of the organisations preparing for a potential backlash against Muslims in the US. President Salam Al-Marayati says the organisation has reached out to Homeland Security officials and law enforcement, routine steps for any advocacy group working with Muslims and vulnerable communities. While no-one can predict the magnitude of response if the person responsible for the Boston bombings is Muslim, it could be comparable to 9/11, says Trevor Aaronson, author of the Terror Factory. "You'll see a similar ratcheting up of Islamophobia that right now exists under the surface," he says. The prospect of harassment reminiscent of the post-9/11 environment worries Hussain. "I didn't start getting bullied until after 9/11," says Hussain. "And it continued through middle school, through high school and up to college; it's not something that ever stops." Muslims have been under the public microscope since Monday's bombings. In the absence of facts and a suspect, pundits are scrambling to speculate on who is to blame. Inaccurate media reports quickly identified a Saudi national as a person of interest, but the man was later cleared of any association with the attacks - he was merely a victim of the explosion. "The fact that this individual was brown, Arab-looking and on site put him within the terrorist caricature that people have in mind," says Beydoun. An outpouring of tweets and blog posts have also been circling the social sphere. Many of the messages are ones of support, but several expose a xenophobic undercurrent in the American response to the tragedy. Tweets with racist expletives blamed "sand monkeys" and "towel heads" for the attacks, while the word "Muslim" even trended on Twitter this week. While many people say it shouldn't matter what the culprit's faith or ethnicity is, Beydoun knows it will sadly have major significance. "Does it matter if it's a Caucasian woman?" he asks. "No, probably not. But does it matter to the millions of Muslims living in the US? Yes, it does. It has very practical significance on the trajectory of our entire lives, and on the frightening backlash against entire communities." For Hussain, while she's frustrated with some of the reactions since the bombings, she's overwhelmed by the support from the Boston community and remains hopeful for a fair outcome of the FBI investigation. "My hope is that regardless whether the person who committed these terrible acts is white, Muslim or black, people will remain understanding," she says. "People will understand that the bombings have nothing to do with any group or religion." It's a hope she clings to while watching the news with anticipation.
North Korea has fired an intermediate range missile in the direction of Japan, US military officials said.
The land-based missile was fired from near Panghyon airfield, and flew for 37 minutes before landing in the Sea of Japan, said the US Pacific Command. Japan has lodged a protest and PM Shinzo Abe said the launch "clearly shows that the threat has grown". Pyongyang has increased the frequency of its nuclear and missile tests in recent months, raising tensions. South Korea said Tuesday's projectile was launched at 09:40 local time (00:40 GMT) and flew about 930km (578 miles). The missile may have landed in waters claimed by Japan as its exclusive economic zone, according to Japanese officials. The US said it did not pose a threat to North America. Meanwhile Pyongyang is due to make an "important announcement" later on Tuesday, reported South Korea's Yonhap news agency. This is the 11th detected missile launch this year. North Korea last test-launched missiles in May. It fired projectiles on two separate occasions, both towards the Sea of Japan. While Pyongyang has appeared to have made progress, experts believe North Korea does not have the capability to accurately target a place with an intercontinental ballistic missile or miniaturise a nuclear warhead that can fit on such a missile. The big question - by Stephen Evans, BBC News, Seoul The big question is: What range does this missile have - could it hit the US? One expert already thinks that it might be able to reach Alaska but not the lower states. David Wright, a physicist with the US-based Union of Concerned Scientists, said: "If the reports are correct, that same missile could reach a maximum range of roughly 6,700km (4,160 miles) on a standard trajectory. "That range would not be enough to reach the lower 48 states or the large islands of Hawaii, but would allow it to reach all of Alaska." It's not just a missile that North Korea would need, but also the ability to protect a warhead from the intense heat and vibration as it re-enters the atmosphere, and it's not clear if North Korea can do that. On the prospect of North Korea being able to strike the US, President Donald Trump tweeted in January: "It won't happen." The truth is that it might - most experts think within five years, probably less. What would President Trump do then? Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters on Tuesday: "North Korea's repeated provocations like this are absolutely unacceptable." Mr Abe said Japan would "unite strongly" with the US and South Korea to put pressure on Pyongyang. He added that he would call on Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin - who are meeting in Moscow - "to play a more constructive role". US President Donald Trump also responded swiftly on Tuesday to the missile launch. On his Twitter account he made apparent reference to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, saying: "Does this guy have anything better to do with his life?" "Hard to believe that South Korea and Japan will put up with this much longer. Perhaps China will put a heavy move on North Korea and end this nonsense once and for all!" Mr Trump had earlier called Mr Kim a "pretty smart cookie". He has also repeatedly called on Mr Xi to pressure North Korea to end its nuclear and missile programmes. Beijing is Pyongyang's closest economic ally. The latest missile launch comes a day after Mr Trump spoke on the phone separately with Mr Xi and Mr Abe about North Korea. The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a denuclearised Korean Peninsula. In South Korea, recently-elected President Moon Jae-in has called for an emergency meeting of the country's security council. Mr Moon also met with US President Donald Trump last week, with the US leader warning Pyongyang of a "determined response". The US recently started setting up its controversial Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (Thaad) system in South Korea, which is aimed at protecting against North Korean missiles. Neighbours such as China have objected to it as they believe it undermines their security and the regional balance. On Tuesday, Mr Xi and Mr Putin reiterated their opposition to Thaad, reported Chinese state news agency Xinhua.
An experienced hillwalker from West Yorkshire has gone missing while on a trip in the Highlands.
Martin Rhodes, 46, was last seen in the Kinlochewe area at about 08:30 on Wednesday. Police, Torridon and Dundonnell mountain rescue teams, the Search and Rescue Dogs Association and a helicopter have been making searches. Concerns for Mr Rhodes' wellbeing have been heightened by a change to colder weather in recent days. Insp Jamie Wilson, of Police Scotland, said: "Martin is an experienced hillwalker but it is out of character for him to be out of contact for this length of time. "We are continuing to urge anyone with information which could help locate him to get in touch. "Our searches have been focused on the popular Slioch hillwalking route from Kinlochewe but I would ask anyone who believes they might have seen Martin, or has information on where he planned to walk, to let us know." The officer added: "With the conditions having turned colder, I would also ask anyone with a shed, outhouse or somewhere that a person could have sought shelter to check them thoroughly."
A £2m plan to revitalise two of Wrexham's 19th Century town centre markets has been backed by councillors.
It comes after a report warned that the Butchers' Market and General Market were suffering from vacant stalls and falling visitor numbers. Most of the cash will be spent on the Butchers' Market where only half of the stalls are occupied. One butcher, Mike Evans, urged the council to work with traders to minimise any disruption to business. The Grade II-listed Butchers' Market could get a new layout, better signs and a pop-up shop showing off local produce, according to a report to Wrexham council's employment and business scrutiny committee. Mr Evans told councillors: "Hopefully you can work with us and make the right decision for the market if you get the funding. "The decisions you do make could have a huge effect on traders, their employees and families." Officers said traders would be kept informed throughout the process. A £4.5m revamp of the town's former People's Market into the Ty Pawb arts and cultural centre prompted complaints from traders about disruption due to delayed building work. Meanwhile, tailor Rachel Prince from the General Market said traders there felt they had "been forgotten for a very long time". "Money has been wasted on consultants, jobs that don't need doing and wasted on other things," she said. "We want to change; we want to have a better market and we want the money to be spent in the right way." Councillor Marc Jones, who sat on the taskforce which formed the proposals, said he understood the frustrations raised by business owners. However, he said funding was now in place to do a "proper job", adding he was "very passionate" about the market quarter. "It's the heartbeat of Wrexham and that's what makes Wrexham different from other towns," Mr Jones said. The plans will go to the council's ruling executive board for final approval, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
The room a teenage girl was staying in when she disappeared from a Malaysian jungle resort had a broken window handle, an inquest heard.
The body of 15-year-old Nóra Quoirin, from London, was found after a huge search of dense rainforest last August. A police officer told the inquest Nóra's family reported the fault before she went missing. The family has always insisted the window was shut before they went to sleep on the night she disappeared. BBC News Philippines Correspondent Howard Johnson, who covered the story from Malaysia last year, said the inquest has previously heard police believe Nóra left through the window. The family were staying in Sora House in Dusun eco-resort near Seremban, about 40 miles (65 km) south of Kuala Lumpur, when Nóra was first reported missing a day after they arrived on 3 August 2019. Her body was found on 13 August by a group of civilian volunteers in a palm-oil plantation about 1.5 miles from the holiday home. Negri Sembilan criminal investigations officer Ass Supt Chong Mee Chyi, said when the family checked in they contacted the management when they realised the window could not be closed securely. Ms Chong said the family told her the resort took no action to fix the window and that the owner told them the accommodation "is very hot, so the window can be opened to allow for wind to enter". The officer earlier told the inquest that when she first met the family the day after Nóra was reported missing, her mother, Meabh Quoirin, kept repeating "I believe that my daughter is abducted". She told the inquest she asked about Nóra's characteristics and if she had a history of wandering off and Ms Quoirin said never before. "The mother said it's not likely that her child would go out on her own. Her child would not go anywhere far without being accompanied by her family," she said. The family has always insisted it was highly unlikely Nóra - who was born with holoprosencephaly, a disorder which affects brain development - would have gone off alone. Coroner Maimoonah Aid then asked Ms Chong about what other activities the family did before 22:00, when they said they went to sleep. "They said they were in the living room, happy and chatting, before going to sleep… I asked them, after checking in, did you go out of Sora House to go anywhere within or outside the Dusun area? They said no," she said. The inquest will continue on 1 September.
Parliamentarian Mangala Samaraweera said that the government is engaged in sacrificing the lives of security forcers for political gain.
In a statement issued this week, Mangala Samaraweera claimed that, "three thousand soldiers have died in combat during 2008 and further nine thousand had been wounded". When asked about the source of the figures, he told the BBC, "We get the information from within the military. Government is hiding the damage. even the Prime Minister had stopped giving casualty figures in parliament as part of the monthly emergency debate". He also said that lives of soldiers are being sacrificed because the defence secretary and army commander do not have an understanding or strategy to conduct the war. political settlement He said that although the Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga administration was forced in to war but never pushed Tamil civilians towards the Tamil Tigers. “Alongside fighting the war we seriously discussed a political settlement” Said Samaraweera. Responding to a question Samaraweera said that while in the Kumaratunga cabinet he never opposed the ceasefire agreement between the LTTE and Ranil Wickramasinha administration but only questioned certain aspects of the agreement. “President Kumaranatunga took over three ministries and there could be criticisms regarding that” Said Samaraweera"
Lib Dem MP David Ward has had the party whip withdrawn over comments he made about Israel.
By Gary O'DonoghueChief political correspondent, BBC Radio 4 He posted a tweet at the weekend calling the country an "apartheid state" and saying that "Zionists" were "losing the battle". It comes after a long-running dispute with the party's leadership over his use of language and comments he made about "the Jews". Mr Ward said he would not apologise for his tweet. The Board of Deputies of British Jews said his suspension from the Lib Dem parliamentary party, which lasts until 13 September, was "too little, too late" and "an empty gesture". 'Strength of feeling' Mr Ward, MP for Bradford East, wrote on his website in January that he was "saddened that the Jews, who suffered unbelievable levels of persecution during the Holocaust, could within a few years of liberation from the death camps, be inflicting atrocities on Palestinians in the new State of Israel and continue to do so on a daily basis in the West Bank and Gaza". This led to a complaint to the Lib Dems from the Holocaust Educational Trust. At the weekend, Mr Ward posted a tweet, asking: "Am I wrong or are am I right? At long last the #Zionists are losing the battle - how long can the #apartheid State of #Israel last?" Following a meeting on Wednesday with Mr Clegg and chief whip Alistair Carmichael, the party whip was withdrawn until 13 September. This means he has been expelled from the parliamentary party, although the Commons will rise later on Thursday for the MPs' summer break, which ends on 2 September. In a letter to Mr Ward, Mr Carmichael wrote that he had felt "immense disappointment" at the latest comments. He said: "We were in unanimous agreement that questioning the continued existence of the state of Israel fails the test of language that is 'proportionate and precise'. "We want to be clear with you that in this process we are not concerned about your views and opinions on the policies of present or previous Israeli governments, nor the situation in the Israeli-occupied territories, nor the strength of feeling with which your views are held. "As we have sought to impress upon you repeatedly, we are having to decide on whether language you chose to use in January and February, and now this month, is language which brings the party into disrepute or harms the interests of the party." 'Regrettable' Mr Carmichael continued: "It is also immensely frustrating for us to find ourselves constantly responding to questions about disproportionate and imprecise language from you. "These interventions cause considerable offence rather than addressing questions of political substance about the plight of the Palestinian people and the right of Israel's citizens to live a life free of violence." But, questioned about his tweet at the weekend, Mr Ward said: "I will not apologise for describing Israel as an 'apartheid state'. I don't know how you can describe it as anything else. "I am genuinely quite shocked at the reaction to the kind of thing many people say." Mr Ward initially defended the comments he made in January, saying the party's response - reprimanding him - had been "regrettable", but later apologised for the "unintended offence" which his words had caused. He also insisted that neither he nor his comments had been anti-Semitic. Mr Ward, who visited the West Bank in December last year, denied in March that he had been ordered by the party leadership to attend "language classes". Following the withdrawal of the whip, Jonathan Arkush, vice-president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said: "We note that the Liberal Democrats have at last taken some action to address the completely inappropriate and offensive comments that he has made. "However, suspension of the whip for just two months when Parliament is not sitting is too little, too late. It is a token and frankly an empty gesture." Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said: "David Ward has never fully apologised for his comments, which deliberately abused the memory of the Holocaust and caused deep pain and offence. "It is about time the whip was withdrawn, but the timing allows Mr Ward to repeat his unacceptable views when Parliament returns in the autumn."
More homes and businesses across Scotland have been given access to a faster internet connection following cable upgrades.
About 80,000 people will be able to access high-speed broadband as part of an £8m investment by BT. The new infrastructure will allow internet users to achieve download speeds of up to 20 megabits per second. The improved copper wire broadband has now been rolled out to 1.7m Scottish properties. The latest series of upgrades cover communities in Aberdeenshire, Angus, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway, East Dunbartonshire, Fife, North Ayrshire, the Scottish Borders and West Dunbartonshire. Seven locations in the north of Scotland - Alness, Dingwall, Invergordon, Tain, Thurso, Lerwick and Kirkwall - have benefitted from the investment as part of wider efforts to improve links in the Highlands and Islands. Essential investment Infrastructure Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: "Broadband, just like roads and railways, is a vital part of Scotland's infrastructure. "I very much welcome this latest announcement from BT. It is essential that households and businesses everywhere in Scotland have access to high-speed connectivity to enable our economy to thrive." Brendan Dick, BT Scotland director, said: "Increasingly, broadband is an essential part of everyday life, whether you're Christmas shopping online, sharing photographs and videos with the family, working in an office or as a homeworker, improving your education or just wanting to download a film or programme online. "It has the power to transform every aspect of our lives and is a vital part of ensuring the future prosperity of communities across Scotland."
The mouth-watering food served up by South East Asia's street food vendors is a vital part of region's character and tourist appeal. So what happens if you make them pack up and move indoors?
By Lucy HookerBusiness reporter, BBC News, Singapore In the tiny, two-metre square kitchen where Melvin works alongside his mother, there's barely space for both to stand between the boiling vats of braising gravy, the buckets of offal, bags of rice and a row of suspended duck carcasses. Melvin grew up watching his parents run the stall in Singapore, instilling in him a passion for hawker food. "I love this job. I love being a hawker," he says, before admitting it's a "very tough" way of earning a living. They don't take short cuts, so work starts early, shortly after 7am, collecting fresh ingredients, rolling up the rattling metal shutters, then laboriously washing out tubes of pig intestine and fatty strips of pork skin in plenty of cold water. Eggs must be parboiled, vegetables and tofu chopped, the meat cooked and portioned, sauces and garnishes prepared. But somehow by lunchtime their stall is ready to churn out anything up to 200 portions a day of kway chap and braised duck, a dish originating from Guangdong in southern China, and rich in the flavours of orange peel, star anise, chilli and cinnamon. In most Asian cities food hawkers line the streets, with pungent cooking aromas enticing passers-by. But Melvin's customers tuck into their meals under cover, on the second floor of a purpose-built shopping complex. They eat at formica-topped tables and cooking smells are sucked away by a humming extractor fan. "Street food is no longer street-side food here in Singapore. It's a style of food that came from the street," says KF Seetoh, a culinary consultant and unofficial spokesperson for the city state's food hawkers. Singapore is a city built on migration. Waves of Indians, Chinese, Indonesians and others have flooded into the region's most prosperous city, joining the native Malays. But from the start, migrant workers craved familiar dishes from home. "In the 1950s there were 22,000 itinerant vendors on the streets," says Mr Seetoh. "Some people said get rid of them." Instead, he says, the authorities made "a very practical decision" - to bring them indoors. It is an approach that has served Singapore well. The country is renowned for its rich variety of affordable food. Two of the city's hawkers have been awarded coveted Michelin stars. Several have created lucrative enterprises, a few have even expanded abroad. Singapore's government has applied for hawker culture to be recognised by Unesco for "intangible cultural heritage" status, alongside the likes of Belgium's beers and Turkish coffee houses. That success, Mr Seetoh argues, is largely due to Singapore's decision to sanitise and regulate the sector. "They said if you are going to eat it, it better be safe, because we don't know where these folks on the street got their supplies from. Did they wash their hands? Are they hygienic?" From the 1960s onwards, vendors were installed in purpose-built hawker centres across the rapidly developing city state, provided with running water, electricity, grey water drainage and extraction hoods. Along with the new facilities came regulations. Don't chop and prepare food on porous wood - surfaces must be stainless steel. Keep cooked and uncooked meat separate, and stored at precise temperatures. Wear gloves. Check the source of your ingredients. Each stall is given a hygiene rating. "It is what we expect from this uber-efficient government," Mr Seetoh says. "We call that peace of mind. Who doesn't want that? The answer is plenty of others in the region. Malaysians scoffed when Singapore applied for Unesco heritage recognition, arguing the city's food had lost its authenticity since coming off the streets. Bangkok is now attempting to follow in Singapore's footsteps by bringing its own street food vendors into purpose-built centres in a bid to clear space on the pavements. However, the authorities are facing widespread opposition from those who say the character and appeal of Thailand's capital will be lost if its food hawkers are brought indoors. Jorge Carillo, an anthropologist who studies South East Asia's street food sector, says moves like this are being encouraged by a preference amongst a new generation of customers in countries like Vietnam for higher hygiene standards and air-conditioned shopping centres. On top of that, costs are rising, while customers expect prices for street food to remain low. But, above all, what is undermining the sector's prospects is the day-to-day reality of the job, he says. "I have this issue with some people, because they keep pushing to keep street food because it gives the city character," says Mr Carillo. "The reality is that selling street food is very hard work." "What is changing is job opportunities are coming up, and people simply are stopping to do this very hard work" he says. One woman hawker in Bangkok he interviewed starts shopping for ingredients at 3am, goes to her stall at 7am and then sells food for eight to 10 hours. "If she gets another opportunity to do another job of course she's going to stop," he says. The same is true in Singapore, as the first generation of hawkers, now in their 60s and 70s retires. It is proving difficult to persuade millennials, many of whom have degrees, and aspire to be entrepreneurs or work in Singapore's air-conditioned high-rises, to take up the baton. It's not what their parents want for them either. Melvin is an exception. "Initially my mother was very against her children being hawkers because of the long hours," he says. "She wanted me to work in an office." When his father passed away Melvin couldn't bear to think of the family business closing but they now take home only around 6,000 Singapore dollars (US$4,200; £3,500) a month between them for a six-day working week. "There are so many challenges, and these are very stacked up against the hawkers," says KF Seetoh. He adds that he's been "shouting and crying about the impending demise of this food culture" for some time - all because of this generational threat that no-one seems to know how to tackle. There are bright spots of hope though - newcomers such as Michelle Yee Yuan and her husband Alan who gave up office jobs to open a stall not far from Melvin's. They serve a Korean-style ham cha, a mix of vegetables, peanuts, and rice combined with a bitter herb soup. The ingredients are designed to appeal to health-conscious younger consumers, and they work hard to push their presence on social media, fighting for every customer. "To get a new person to try our food is one of the challenges," says Michelle. She says it has been hard, working 12-14 hours a day sometimes, at the beginning she was so exhausted she fell ill a lot. She and Alan are taking home about half of their previous joint income. Everything, says Mr Seetoh, is stacked up against new entrants like Michelle and Alan. And yet Michelle says she loves the job, the environment and working alongside her husband all day. "And I am working for my own creation," she says. You can listen to the accompanying radio programme on this topic from BBC World Service's The Food Chain.
People living on the Isles of Scilly have said they fear "selfish people" travelling there to escape stricter restrictions elsewhere.
The islands are the only place in England under tier one rules, with everywhere else in tier three or four. This means the population of 2,200 can visit pubs and restaurants, with the rule of six and table service in place. There have been no recorded positive Covid cases on Scilly, 28 miles off the coast of Cornwall, since September. Jonathan Smith, an organic farmer and councillor for St Martin's, said: "It's an interesting paradox that Scilly remains the only place left in tier one" as "we are probably the place in the country for fewest options for travel, shopping and eating out in the winter months." Linda Thomas, 69, from St Mary's, said staying in tier one is "no time for jubilation" as residents worry about their relatives on the mainland and the risk of the virus coming to the islands. "Having seen our family and friends in Cornwall go from a tier one to a tier three in under a week because of mindless selfish people from higher tiers travelling down is very disturbing," Ms Thomas said. "We know that some of these people were heading to the islands and I have no doubt that some made it." Another islander, Barbara Simpson, 78, said: "Those who freely admit they have come to Scilly to get away from the virus obviously have no idea - or don't care - of the risk they pose to us. "The total lack of awareness and arrogance of these people is staggering." The Council of the Isles of Scilly said: "We strongly urge anyone planning to travel to the islands to reconsider, in light of what bringing the virus to the islands could mean for our community, particularly at this time of year."
Closing the government scheme which is paying furloughed workers' wages is a "mistake", an economic research group has said.
It could push unemployment to 10% this year, the research suggests. The latest furlough figures show 9.5 million people are using the scheme, the same as a week ago, and at a total cost of £31.7bn to the Treasury. But those figures are likely to drop quickly, says the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR). "The planned closure of the furlough seems to be a mistake, motivated by an understandable desire to limit spending," said Garry Young, NIESR deputy director. "The scheme was intended by the chancellor to be a bridge through the crisis and there is a risk that it is coming to an end prematurely. "The scheme has been an undeniable success in terms of keeping furloughed employees attached to their jobs." The Treasury says the scheme will have protected millions of jobs for eight months when it comes to a close. "It is in no-one's long-term interests for the scheme to continue forever and right that state support is slowly reduced as we focus on getting furloughed employees back to work," it said in a statement. The UK's coronavirus furlough scheme will finish at the end of October. Earlier this month Chancellor Rishi Sunak said he was sorry he could not protect every job. He also admitted that some of the £1,000 bonuses being offered to take back furloughed staff would go to firms that were already keeping workers on. From August, employers must pay National Insurance and pension contributions, then 10% of pay from September, rising to 20% in October. 'Very uncertain' Workers are having 80% of their salaries paid for by the government - up to £2,500 a month - under the scheme, which was originally intended to last until the end of July. NIESR's research suggested that UK economy could shrink by 10% this year and is unlikely to recover until the end of 2023. It comes after analysis from the EY Item Club earlier this week that the UK economy could take until 2024 to recover and that unemployment will rise to 9%. That is a more pessimistic outlook than the think tank's last forecast in April, which suggested a 7% drop in economic output. However, the outlook is "very uncertain" and these forecasts are a "plausible outcome" rather than a confident prediction, said Mr Young. "Unemployment is going to rise to about 10% by the end of this year, before dropping back next year, and we think that an extension of the furlough scheme would have been a relatively inexpensive way to limit that rise in unemployment," he said. He estimates that if the furlough scheme had been kept open, there would have been only 1.25 million using it by the end of the year, "hence it would be a bit cheaper to keep it going". 'Tricky period' "The economy is entering a new phase now as it's opened up but people are not confident yet of social consumption," affecting hospitality, Mr Young said. "It's a tricky period." Debt could reach 105% of the size of the economy, he said. But with low interest rates, this is more manageable, he said. "A lot of the government borrowing is being financed by borrowing in this country. People are saving more because they can't spend and indirectly that's financing the government spending." Savings in bank accounts mean banks are able to deposit more at the Bank of England, which can then buy government bonds, financing government schemes such as furlough, he said. Of the debt, "you will have to deal with it at some stage," he said. A review of taxation may be needed to see how the debt can eventually be reduced, NIESR thinks.
Road rage killer Kenneth Noye has failed in his bid to have the minimum term he must serve for murder reduced.
Noye, 63, was jailed for life at the Old Bailey in 2000 for the stabbing of 21-year-old Stephen Cameron on the M25 at Swanley in Kent in 1996. A High Court judge sitting at Newcastle Crown Court ordered he must spend at least 16 years in jail before he can be considered for parole. The victim's mother, Toni Cameron, 63, said she hoped Noye would die in jail. "It has been 14 years since Stephen was killed and the pain does not go away," she said. "Noye is a born criminal. It will never be safe to let him free. 'No justification' "He should spend the rest of his born days in prison. He is evil." Noye fled to Spain after the stabbing but was extradited in 1998. Two previous appeals by Noye, in 2001 and 2004, were also unsuccessful. His minimum term was set at 16 years in 2002 by the then Home Secretary David Blunkett. Tariffs are now set by judges and people who are serving a life term who were notified of their minimum term by a home secretary can apply to the High Court for a review. The decision means Noye could be freed in six years' time because of time already spent in jail. Giving his judgment, Mr Justice Simon said: "I have concluded on this review that there is no proper justification for reducing the minimum term. "For this reason I set the period which must be served before the applicant can be considered for parole at 16 years. "The period during which the applicant was held in custody, 11 months and 24 days, must be deducted from this period." Noye had argued the tariff should be reduced to 10 years to give him credit for time spent in custody after he was arrested in Spain. He also said he had been suffering from depression and post traumatic stress disorder in jail. Noye murdered Mr Cameron with a knife he kept in his car as the victim's fiancee, Danielle Cable, looked on. Noye was already well-known to police before the attack. He had been jailed for 14 years in 1986 for handling gold taken in one of the world's biggest bullion robberies, the 1983 £26m Brinks-Mat case. Noye admitted killing an undercover detective investigating the case when he found him in shrubbery in the grounds of his home in West Kingsdown in 1985. A jury found he had been acting in self-defence. He also claimed self defence in the killing of Mr Cameron, but was convicted of murder by a majority of 11-1. 'Feared' criminal The policeman who led the murder investigation, former Det Supt Nick Biddiss, said Noye was a career criminal who deserved to be behind bars. "Noye committed an act of murder and should serve life in prison - and life should mean life. "He received his tariff and should serve it. He seems to forget the effect he has on his victim's family. "He's constantly making appeals to the courts and it must have a very debilitating effect on Stephen Cameron's family. "(Noye) made a lot of money out of crime and was part of that culture in south-east London and the north Kent area. "He was well known, well respected and well feared in the criminal fraternity. "They were very cautious of him and will probably continue to be so."
It has been the worst June in 20 years for shoppers coming through the doors in Wales' high streets and retail centres.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said there were 5% fewer shoppers compared to the same time last year. Footfall on high streets is down 6.1% - and it is a drop of 5.6% for shopping centres. Welsh shoppers were "grappling" with increasingly uncertain circumstances, said the BRC's Sara Jones. "Whilst these concerns are seen across the UK, Wales seems to be especially hit by this," added the consortium's head of policy in Wales. Out-of-town retail parks performed better but are still slightly down on June 2018 and worse than the UK average. The overall picture was described as "very difficult". The retail industry employs 130,000 people in Wales in 12,000 shops. Costs have been rising, including wages and business rates. There has been a 9% drop in the number of shops here in the last 10 years. Competition from online sales continues to be a challenge. "The Welsh retail industry is working hard to adapt and renew itself as customer expectations change and technology revolutionises our sector," said Ms Jones. "However, in such challenging circumstances, government needs to take action on costs and the economy to support our members." She wants a reform of the "archaic" business rates system to be fairer and more responsive to economic conditions. The Welsh Government's Finance Minister Rebecca Evans met the BRC policy head last month to discuss the retail picture in Wales. The government said it had already pumped an additional £23.6m into this year's business rate relief scheme, which officials said supported 15,000 small and medium sized businesses in Wales. "Our relief schemes are targeted to the needs of ratepayers in Wales and reflect the differences in the tax base between Wales and other countries in the UK," said Ms Evans. "I am committed to working with the sector to improve and modernise our system to make sure that it is fit for the future."
The earliest known occurrence of one of Earth's rarest minerals has been found in Scotland, scientists have said.
The 1.2 billion-year-old reidite was found in rock samples taken from the Stac Fada Member, a large geological area in the north west Highlands. Reidite is only known to form in nature during meteorite impact events. The discovery reinforces a theory that Stac Fada's geology was formed by material thrown out by a meteorite impact 1.2 billion years ago. What's happening in Scotland? Keep in touch through our live page. A team of Curtin University geoscientists working with the University of St Andrews made the find. They said the reidite found in a stone called zircon was more than double the age of the previous oldest known occurrence at 450 million years. It was found in samples taken from a layer of rock previously thought to have been created by volcanic activity but more recently linked to an ancient meteorite impact. The geology extends to about 31 miles (50km) from Stoer, north of Lochinver, to Poolewe. A crater from the meteorite impact has still to be found, though it may already have disappeared because of other geological processes. Pete Harrison, of the North West Highlands Geopark, described the new discovery as a "final piece" of evidence it was a meteorite. He said: "This looks like proof that the Stac Fada Member was caused by a meteorite impact 1.2 billion years ago. "It is amazing that this mineral has survived so long as it was formed at high pressure during the impact." The North West Highlands Geopark was established in 2004 and has just had confirmation that it will have its Unesco-recognised geopark designation revalidated for another four years.
Plans to get communities to fix their own potholes have been described as a "backward step".
Oxfordshire County Council is considering handing over grants to parish and town councils who would carry out repairs on its behalf. Some local authorities are piloting the scheme but others have refused. "The county council is legally responsible for the roads, and it's not doing that," said Allan Cobb of Kennington Parish Council. The county council said it had received a lot of complaints about the condition of Oxfordshire's roads. In September 2015 it launched a scheme called Oxfordshire Together (OXTOG) that aimed to get residents "to take part in running the place where they live" to "make the money go further". OXTOG mainly focused on grass cutting but there are now plans to give parish and town councils grants to "directly deliver funded services on the county council's behalf", including temporary pothole repairs. "The initiative offers a list of options the parishes can choose to take up only if they wish," a county council spokesman said. "There is no expectation or requirement for parishes or towns to take up any of them, but the option will be there if they need to." A handful of local authorities are testing out the scheme. "The state of many of the roads are a real danger to drivers and cyclists," said David Pheasant, vice-chairman of Shiplake Parish Council. "We have seen an improvement in repair response times since becoming involved. "In the long term we would hope increased financial funding for roads materialises." Mismanagement Kennington Parish Council, meanwhile, said it had declined the offer. "If we take that on it would be a backward step," said vice-chairman Allan Cobb. "We don't have a large legal department like the county council. If we needed any legal help, we would need to pay for it. "It's total mismanagement by the county council."
Lawyers for Adnan Syed, the subject of the hit US podcast Serial, will be allowed to present new evidence in his case after a court ruling on Friday.
Syed, 35, is serving a life sentence for the murder of Hae Min Lee in 1999. His defence team is trying to reopen the case based on some of the questions raised in the Serial podcast over whether Syed had received a fair trial. A judge in Baltimore has allowed lawyers to submit new evidence for the first time since his conviction. Serial, which was released in weekly instalments at the end of last year, became a global hit, breaking records as the fastest podcast to reach five million downloads on iTunes. In it, journalists went through every detail in the investigation into the death of Lee, for which her ex-boyfriend Syed was convicted. Apparent errors and possible new evidence were discovered by the Serial team, leading to calls for a new investigation. Lawyers will now be allowed to present new evidence on two fronts: the reliability of mobile phone records and the testimony of a potential alibi. In the 2000 trial, prosecutors relied heavily on mobile phone records that allegedly placed Syed at a park in Baltimore where Lee's body was buried. Syed, who was 17 at the time, has always maintained his innocence. But a motion filed in court in August said a newly recovered mobile phone document showed "the cell tower evidence was misleading and should have never been admitted at trial". The new hearing, a date for which has yet to be decided, will also hear evidence from a potential alibi for Syed. Asia McClain, a friend of Syed's who was not heard in the original trial, claims to have seen him in a library at the time of the suspected killing. The fact that Syed's first lawyer, Cristina Gutierrez, failed to submit this evidence in the original trial was one of the arguments used to win him the right to appeal in February. Court papers show the hearing will also look at why Syed's defence team did not present Ms McLain as a witness and whether there was "potential prosecutorial misconduct" as a result.
Mourners at the funeral of schoolboy Noah Donohoe have heard how "a tangible sense of shock and disbelief has gripped the community" since the news of his death emerged.
The body of the missing Belfast teenager was found in a storm drain in north Belfast last Saturday. He had been missing since Sunday, 21 June. A small, private funeral service was held at St Patrick's Church on Donegall Street in Belfast. In his homily, Fr Michael McGinnity said that since his body was discovered, many people have been "consumed by a sadness that cannot be put into words". Addressing Noah's mother, he said: "Countless people across Belfast and far beyond it... are holding you, Fiona, and your family in their thoughts and prayers. "People everywhere are united in their heart-felt sympathy towards you and the wider family circle." He added: "None of us can begin to imagine the depth of your sorrow and the visceral depth of your grief. "At the same time, we gather here, very conscious of your gratitude to so many people who have reached out to you as a family in your hour of need." Fr McGinnity paid tribute to those "who took to the streets from across the community, day after day, in search of Noah". "We also remember the police and rescue teams who were relentless in their efforts to find him," he said. Noah's school friends attended a prayer service at St Malachy's College during the funeral. After the funeral at St Patrick's, his funeral cortege made its way to the school, a place where Noah "loved and was loved" according to a statement on behalf of the family. Larger crowds had gathered making social distancing difficult. The cortege proceeded up and down the school's entrance avenue, while students formed a guard of honour. Fr McGinnity said they too were "united in heart-felt sympathy for Noah's family". "We also hold in our hearts today Noah's friends as they come to terms with their devastating loss. We remember the messages they sent to Noah's family, and the many tributes they paid to Noah on social media and across the airwaves. "Those messages and tributes have been a source of immense comfort to Noah's heartbroken family." Quiet streets as funeral makes its way by Catherine Morrison, BBC News NI Ahead of the service, Noah's St Malachy's school friends and members of the basketball team he played for walked alongside the hearse and provided a guard of honour at St Patrick's Church on Donegall Street. His mother Fiona, aunts Shona and Niamh, and their wider family circle led the cortège. People lined the street outside, including some of the volunteers from the Shore Road who had helped search for Noah. The only sound was the bells of St Patrick's as the cortège passed by. In his death notice, Noah's family said his "beautiful, pure young soul fills the hearts of his mother Fiona, his aunts Niamh and Shona, their beautiful children and his uncle Gearoid". It added: "He comforts his grandparents Margot, Gerry and Linda and his beautiful, strong friends. He will be safe in the hugs of his aunt Siobhan in heaven." In a tribute to those who helped to search for the schoolboy, the message added: "Noah's love was great enough to reach the selfless hearts of north Belfast and beyond as they showed overwhelming compassion and empathy in bringing Noah home. Love has no boundaries." A number of family members attended a vigil in north Belfast on Sunday evening. They released 14 blue balloons, in memory of Noah. People clapped as the Community Rescue Service volunteers who looked for him walked past. Noah's school said it was "blessed to have had such an outstanding student and person as a most valued member of our family". St Malachy's College said Noah's "caring nature, calm demeanour and big smile were some of his great gifts that helped others do their best". The school said that Noah was a talented musician and keen rugby and basketball player. He also received a number of awards in his three years at the school, including The Spirit of the College Award, full attendance and class prizes. "We are all deeply saddened at Noah's passing away, and we offer prayers for and support to his mother, Fiona, family members, friends and also his extended family - all of us associated with St Malachy's College," the statement added. "Noah will always be a treasured member of our Malachian family."
A former Dundee City Council supervisor stole smoke alarms and other equipment and sold them to try to pay off a £65,000 gambling debt, a court heard.
Iain Gardyne spent almost four years stealing thousands of pounds worth of items before selling them on eBay. He was caught after another user of the site recognised the local authority-approved equipment. Gardyne, who subsequently resigned from his post, was sentenced to an eight-month 20:00 to 07:00 curfew. Dundee Sheriff Court was told the former electrical contracts supervisor stole more than 200 separate items, which had an estimated value of between £5,000 and £10,000. Gardyne, 55, admitted stealing council property between October 2015 and June last year. He stole 93 heat alarms, 66 sensors, 40 smoke alarms and 12 heat detectors. 'Genuinely remorseful' Gardyne claimed the items were previously used and had been taken from homes while they were being replaced by new equipment. However, a number of the items were sold with information suggesting they were guaranteed for at least a decade from point of sale. Jim Laverty, defending, said his client was a genuine first-time offender. Mr Laverty said: "He understands this is a serious matter involving a breach of trust. "He did resign, but it was very much a case of jumping before he was pushed. He is working for himself. He is genuinely remorseful." Sheriff George Way said: "He has lost out on a good job, he has lost his reputation, and no doubt there has been a lot of stress. "This type of breach of trust has to be quite seriously considered and severely dealt with. A custodial sentence would be justly merited."
A golden eagle suffered a "lingering death" after its legs were broken by a trap, RSPB Scotland has said.
The bird had been fitted with a satellite transmitter which showed it had not moved for several days. Its body was found, lying face down with its wings folded, under a tree and close to a lay-by on a quiet country road near Aboyne on Deeside. RSPB Scotland has offered a £1,000 reward for information that leads to a successful prosecution in the case. However, the Scottish Gamekeepers Association said it would be carrying out its own inquiry because it believed there were "irregularities" in the case. The bird was found on 5 May, before being taken for a post-mortem examination at the Scottish Agricultural College laboratory in Aberdeen. This concluded that the bird had suffered two broken legs due to trauma "that could be consistent with an injury caused by a spring type trap" and that the severity of these injuries "would prevent the bird from being able to take off". The bird had been fitted with a transmitter by RSPB Scotland staff, in full partnership with a local landowner, a few days before it had fledged from a nest in the Monadhliath Mountains, south-east of Inverness, in July 2011. By re-examining the satellite data, RSPB Scotland staff discovered the young bird spent its first few months in that area before venturing further afield. By April 2012 it was frequenting an area of upper Deeside, before moving south-west into Glenshee. On 28 April, the bird moved eastwards into Angus. The following day, at 06:00, it was located on a hillside overlooking Glen Esk. Over the next 15 hours, a succession of satellite tag readings, accurate to within less than 20 metres, showed that the bird did not move from this precise spot until at least 21:00 that evening, after nightfall. However, by 04:00 the next morning, it appeared to have travelled, during the hours of darkness, some 10 miles north, to the location where its body was discovered five days later. Satellite readings revealed that while the bird did not move from this position, it was probably alive until 4 May. Follow-up enquires by both Tayside and Grampian Police found no further evidence about how the eagle sustained its injuries. 'Lingering death' It could also not be established how the eagle came to move from Glen Esk to a position under a tree branch on Deeside overnight. However, a number of eagle down-feathers were found between the lay-by and the bird's final resting place. Ian Thomson, RSPB Scotland's head of investigations, commented: "It is disgraceful that this magnificent bird was subjected to such suffering. The post-mortem evidence suggests that this bird was caught in an illegally-set trap, smashing both legs. "The data obtained from the satellite transmitter indicated that the eagle did not move from one spot, on a hill high above Glen Esk, for over 15 hours. "Then, during the night, when eagles do not readily fly, it has inexplicably moved to a new position, hidden under a tree and close to a road. Here, over the next four days, this eagle suffered a lingering death." Stuart Housden, RSPB Scotland director, added: "Anyone who cares about our wildlife will be disgusted by what appears to be an appalling crime and the lengths taken to hide the facts from discovery. "Whilst efforts to stamp out the illegal poisoning of birds of prey are perhaps beginning to yield results, this dreadful case shows that the persecution of our raptors continues through the use of traps and other means. "We call upon anyone who can provide further information about this case to contact the wildlife crime officer at either Tayside or Grampian Police without delay. "Cases like this really do have a negative impact on Scotland's reputation as a country that respects and values all its wildlife heritage. I am today offering a £1,000 reward for information that will assist a successful prosecution." A spokesman for the Scottish Gamekeepers Association said there were "a number of irregularities" in the case. Legal traps He said: "After looking at what the scientists have inferred may have happened, and also studying the interpretations thereafter, the SGA has decided to open its own inquiry and will conclude this before commenting on a case it believes is far from clear cut. "As an organisation we will be happy to present our findings to the police in order to assist the investigation." It said its members received information and guidance on how to set and operate legal traps. "As an organisation we have been extremely pleased at the dramatic fall in bird of prey abuse cases in Scotland, with only two confirmed cases in 2012, and will continue to work towards there being none," he added. A satellite-tagged golden eagle, named Alma by researchers, was found to have been illegally poisoned in Glen Esk in 2009, while other poisoned eagles fitted with transmitters were found in Grampian in 2011, and in Lochaber earlier this year.
Schools in England are to be required to give vocational routes as much time as academic subjects to help students who want to land apprenticeships.
Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said ministers wanted to "level the playing field", making sure young people are aware of all options open to them. Ministers raised concerns over some schools, which only promote vocational education to less able pupils. Apprenticeship providers must be given access to schools, Mrs Morgan said. She added: "As part of our commitment to extend opportunity to all young people, we want to level the playing field - making sure they are aware of all the options open to them and are able to make the right choice for them," said Mrs Morgan. "For many young people, going to university will be the right choice and we are committed to continuing to expand access to Higher Education, but for other young people the technical education provided by apprenticeships will suit them better. "That's why I'm determined to tackle the minority of schools that perpetuate an outdated snobbery towards apprenticeships by requiring those schools to give young people the chance to hear about the fantastic opportunities apprenticeships and technical education offer." 'Earliest opportunity' The responsibility for providing careers advice was handed to schools early in the last Parliament and many independent local careers advice services were scrapped. This prompted concerns from further education providers that schools may only offer limited advice, rather than opening up the full range of options open to students. The new legislation would require schools to collaborate with training providers, university technical colleges and colleges to make sure students were aware of all the paths open to them through apprenticeships, including Higher and Degree-level Apprenticeships. The Department for Education said the government would look to bring in the legislation "at the earliest opportunity" with more details to be set out in the careers strategy. Apprenticeship providers and staff from colleges would visit schools as part of careers advice from early secondary school years under the plans. Martin Doel, chief executive of the Association of Colleges (AoC), said: "To make informed choices for the future, young people need high quality, impartial careers information about all post-16 education and training options, including apprenticeships and technical and professional education. "We have long been calling for an improvement to the system and welcome the changes outlined. Colleges recognise the critical nature of good careers education and will be very keen to continue to work together with their local schools. This announcement will make that a reality." All young people in Wales, aged over 16, can apply for an apprenticeship, but they would usually need to have four to five GCSEs. In Scotland, apprenticeships are handled by a national vacancy handling service for youth opportunities.
An art gallery at a Derby museum is closing for four months as a refurbishment gets under way.
The Joseph Wright Gallery, operated by Derby City Council, will be redecorated and some paintings will be cleaned during the £150,000 revamp. The gallery, which first opened in 1882, features paintings by 18th Century Derby artist Joseph Wright. A Derby City Council spokesman said the gallery is expected to reopen on 25 February next year. Wright was renowned for his paintings on scientific and industrial themes but also painted landscapes, portraits and subjects from literature and contemporary history. "These refurbishments will improve the gallery's excellent reputation within the community and its role as a local and regional art gallery," David Potton, head of museums and libraries, said.
Police are investigating bomb threats made on social networking site Twitter against several female journalists.
Guardian columnist Hadley Freeman, Independent columnist Grace Dent and Time magazine's Catherine Mayer all said they had been threatened. Anonymous account-holders tweeted that bombs had been placed outside their homes, primed to explode at 22:47 BST. Twitter said it planned to make reporting abuse easier after an MP and campaigner received rape threats. MP Stella Creasy and feminist Caroline Criado-Perez, who successfully fought for a woman's face to be pictured on £10 bank notes, were targeted last weekend. Meanwhile, a petition calling on Twitter to do more to prevent online abuse has topped 100,000 signatures. 'Woman with profile' Sara Lang, a social media manager for US-based campaign group AARP, said she too had received a bomb threat, but police in Washington DC had since confirmed that her house was safe. Freeman, who had earlier published a column entitled "how to use the internet without being a total loser", reported the threats to the Metropolitan Police. The anonymous author of the tweet had "failed to understand my column", she wrote. An investigation into the threats, which make the tweeters liable to be arrested, was then launched, a Met spokesman confirmed. The anonymous accounts have since been suspended, but screen grabs of the tweets have been circulated on the social media site. Ms Mayer said she had been tempted to ignore and delete the "not very credible-sounding" tweet. But the police advised her, Ms Dent and Ms Freeman not to stay at their homes overnight and had searched her building for suspicious devices, she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. Ms Freeman remained home as she "did not think it was worth taking that seriously". She explained there was no rationale for why she was targeted, adding: "There's some kind of assumption that you have done something, that you must have written something particularly controversial... "My great crime is that I'm a woman with some small amount of public profile - that is enough it seems." 'Twitter moderators' The incidents follow rape threats directed at Ms Criado-Perez and Ms Creasy, which led to the separate arrests of two men - a 21-year-old in the Manchester area and a 25-year-old in South Shields. Both were bailed after being questioned in connection with harassment offences. Meanwhile, Twitter representatives could be called to face questions from the influential Culture, Media and Sport Committee of MPs in the autumn about how it tackles such issues, chairman John Whittingdale said. The company's director for trust and safety, Del Harvey, said the website did not hold information to reveal where a message had been sent from so could not identify the correct local police force. But Ms Freeman added: "Threatening to bomb and rape people is illegal. We need to apply the law in the same way online as we do in the real world. "There should be a button to report abuse more easily. Twitter makes millions - they can afford some moderators." There is already a "report abuse" function on the iPhone app version of the micro-blogging site and Twitter has said it plans to bring it to other phones and platforms.
"Tremendous progress" has been made in talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Donald Trump said on the summit's second and final day.
"I think truly progress has been made," the US president said, declaring the relationship as "outstanding". The two men and their staff sat face to face for talks at Mr Trump's Mar-a-Lago retreat in Florida. Last year Mr Trump said China had "raped the US" and vowed to brand the superpower a currency manipulator. But at a welcome banquet it was all smiles and the good spirits appeared to continue on Friday as Mr Xi's visit concluded with a working lunch. On the night of the Chinese president's arrival, a US airstrike on an airbase in Syria was launched in response to a suspected chemical weapons attack. The attack was made public on Thursday evening just moments after Mr Xi and his wife left the resort following dinner. Beijing has avoided publicly taking sides on the issue. Xi likely to be angry - Carrie Gracie, BBC China editor China's position on Syria is much closer to Russia's than to the US. And the Chinese government will guess that the timing of the American missile strike was a blunt message that without more robust Chinese help on dismantling Kim Jong-un's nuclear programme, the next target for pre-emptive American military action might be North Korea. In Chinese protocol, sudden moves disrupting setpiece occasions are avoided wherever possible, and in private, President Xi is likely to be angry that President Trump chose to strike on the very night of his visit. But in public Mr Xi stuck to his script about the virtues of co-operation while Mr Trump insisted they'd formed an outstanding relationship and made great progress. As the two presidents went into their final lunch there were no specifics though, and in the aftermath of the US missile strike on Syria, all the big questions which bedevil the US China relationship have been kicked down the road for President Trump's visit to China later this year. "We have made tremendous progress in our relationship with China," Mr Trump said on Friday, without going into detail. Mr Xi urged co-operation on trade and invited his host to visit China. According to a statement on China's foreign ministry website, Mr Xi told Mr Trump: "We have a thousand reasons to get China-US relations right, and not one reason to spoil the China-US relationship." An A-Z of hot topics for Trump and Xi What can Trump do about trade with China? The cost of Trump's 'Winter White House' On Thursday evening, they dined on pan-seared Dover sole and New York strip steak in an ornate candle-lit private dining room decked with red and yellow flowers. Mr Trump's daughter, Ivanka, and her husband, Jared Kushner, who both work at the White House, were also among guests. The leaders of the world's two most powerful economies are a study in contrasts - one a softly spoken Communist Party apparatchik and the other a brash Manhattan property tycoon. During the election campaign, Mr Trump said massive trade deficits and job losses could no longer be tolerated. But he has so far not followed through on his threat to formally brand China a "currency manipulator", nor to hit Chinese imports with punitive tariffs. The Republican president's blue-collar supporters hope he can translate his China-bashing election rhetoric into concrete gains for American manufacturing workers. One of the most urgent issues for the US is nuclear-armed North Korea, which is trying to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of hitting the west coast of the US. Beijing has so far been chary of isolating its neighbour, fearing its collapse could spawn a refugee crisis and bring the US military to its doorstep. Some protesters lined the streets on Thursday to voice their opposition to China's policy in the South China Sea.
A family said they have been forced to sleep in a minivan after their flight home was cancelled due to coronavirus.
Zoey Davies, from Kempston, Bedfordshire, said they felt "cursed" as the Lanzarote holiday was to replace a trip lost when Thomas Cook collapsed. They were due to fly back on Saturday but their easyJet flight was cancelled amid new measures announced by the Spanish government. The airline said rescue flights were operating. Ms Davies said: "It's been a nightmare." "I'm losing the will to live. It's just hard, really hard, I'm trying my best to stay strong for the kids but I'm having a few meltdowns." Ms Davies, her five children aged between one and 14, her partner Steven Bruce, and her sister Hannah Thaine, flew to the island on 7 March and were due to return home on Saturday. The family were initially given one night in a hotel, provided by the airline, which was extended to cover another night. However, after returning to the airport on Monday the family said they were told they would not be able to travel on any rescue flights and were sent away. Ms Davies booked a hotel but it was cancelled the same day citing new regulations from the Spanish authorities. "It's raining and freezing cold, we're in summer gear and there are no shops open so I don't know what to do." Since then the family have been living and sleeping in a rented minivan and said they had struggled to find anywhere to get food for themselves and milk for the baby. Ms Thaine, 19, said: "[easyJet] have left us not having a clue what to do. It's really draining... the kids are so confused they don't know what's going on, it's hard trying to tell them we're going home but don't seem to be able to get anywhere. "We have been living off snacks, crisps and whatever we can get hold of." A spokeswoman for easyJet said: "Customers won't be stranded as we will be operating rescue flights including from Lanzarote. "We are advising affected customers of their options by email and SMS which includes the option of rebooking or requesting a refund." Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]
About 80 people were evacuated because of flooding related to mine works, authorities have confirmed.
A major incident was declared after at least eight streets were left under water in Skewen, Neath Port Talbot. Emergency services said there were no injuries and all those evacuated had been found accommodation, but people are asked to avoid the area. More than 30 residents of Cwrt-Clwydi-Gwyn care home were among those moved as a precaution. Up to 45 firefighters were involved at the scene, along with boats and pumping equipment, and emergency services said they would remain overnight. In a joint statement the police, fire service and Neath Port Talbot Council said the cause of the flooding was being investigated and "the water level will continue to be monitored". Deputy chief fire officer Roger Thomas, from Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, had said earlier 100 properties were involved. He added: "First and foremost, our thoughts are with those who have been affected by the events of today. "This incident involved a large multi-agency response to what was a dynamic and fast-moving incident, with incredible efforts by everyone involved to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the affected community." The Welsh Government said it would work with councils across Wales to deliver payments of £500-£1,000 to households affected by flooding following days of heavy rain brought by Storm Christoph. Neath and Port Talbot council said a local rest centre was available, and measures had been put in place to protect against Covid-19. Chief executive Karen Jones added: "Council officers have been on site since around midday and there will be a continued council presence in the area throughout the night. "Our main focus at present is on continuing to support residents who had to leave their homes and ensuring others have a safe place to go if further evacuations are necessary." Council leader Rob Jones said earlier that early indications suggest the flooding is related to mine works - but the volume of water involved was making it difficult to fully assess the situation. The Coal Authority confirmed it had begun an investigation into what happened. "There are a number of historic underground mining features in the area," chief executive Lisa Pinney said. 'We carried children to safety' Nathan Wilcox, who has lived in the village for 10 years, said he looked out of the window and "saw all the water gushing down the bank and over the bollards". Water then flooded over sandbags into the utility room of his house. "All the neighbours were out asking people if they needed help... some of us carried children out and make sure they were safe, other people were helping with sandbags to try and keep the water out the best we can," he said. "It's surreal, I could never imagine anything like this happening." Georgina May Branston, 22, said she was in work when she got a panicked phone call from her mum, and came home to find the street "totally flooded". "It's worrying, it's the anticipation of what we are going to have to do," she said, saying they had watched the flood waters rising towards their home. "With everything going on, this is the last thing people need." At the scene Rhys Williams, BBC News Three hours since the incident was first reported water is still flowing as strongly as ever on Drummau Road. The fire service said the water level rose more than 2ft (0.7m) in an hour up to 15:30GMT. Residents said they were told by emergency service personnel that an underground mine shaft had collapsed. About a hundred homes have been evacuated and more could be forced to leave if the water continues to rise. Cwrt-Clwydi-Gwyn care home has told relatives that 32 residents would be moved to its other homes in the area due to the flooding. "Whilst all residents tested negative for Covid-19 on Sunday, as a precautionary measure, residents will self-isolate when they join their new home," a spokesman said. "Whilst this relocation is an important measure to keep everyone safe, we know the virus remains a very real risk, and we will be maintaining all possible infection control processes during the transition." What is the issue in Skewen? Skewen lies within an old coal mining hotspot, with several former colliery sites near the village as coal was mined in the 19th and early 20th Century. There were colliery sites in the village near what is now Drumau Road, in the north of the village and another close to Old Road, near Neath Abbey. Skewen was part of a collection of collieries between Neath and Llanelli. Graham Levins, secretary of the Welsh Mines Preservation Trust, said old mines often contain groundwater which can flood in heavy rain. He said: "A lot of them go very, very deep down, much below the local water level and that's why they had all the big wheels to pump the water out. "It fills up with water and will find a way out. Normally rainfall you get it doesn't cause a lot of problems but when you get really heavy rain the water drains down through the ground and builds up."
India has surged ahead of China and Britain as the largest source of settlers to Australia, but can skilled migrants from the sub-continent forever resist the magnetic appeal of their homeland?
By Phil MercerBBC News, Sydney Many are students who are seduced by one of the world's great "lifestyle powers" and go on to thrive under the cobalt skies of their adopted homeland. The latest figures show that 29,000 Indians, most of them qualified professionals, including software engineers and cooks, became permanent residents in Australia, which is more than 15% of the total intake according to the 2011-12 Migration Programme report. But homesickness and a hankering for familiar haunts and faces can be unsettling for both new and old arrivals. "There is something unique about India and even though it is a difficult country and you want to probably work elsewhere, there is something about the richness of Indian culture and the affection of the people around you which keeps pulling you back," said Professor Amitabh Mattoo, the Kashmiri-born director of the Australia-India Institute at the University of Melbourne. "Of course, then there is also nostalgia, which can often make you dream about things that probably didn't exist," he added. Indian culture Raman Bhalla, from the Hindu Council of Australia, arrived in search of a better career and a higher standard of living in 2000 as Sydney enjoyed its Olympic glow. Now with a family and a successful job, he concedes that one day when his children are older, the lure of building a business back in India could be impossible to ignore. "I do call myself Australian first now, but I do have a strong association with Indian culture," the 37-year-old chartered accountant told the BBC. "In a way I do feel guilty about leaving India, but even though I am here I can still contribute to India and possibly one day I'll even be able to go back." "India is a fascinating country; the culture, the experience and the people, and you always feel you belong to the country. I can never imagine getting away from that feeling," he added. Clearly, many migrants down under will never return to live in India. The diaspora here is growing and increasingly confident and concerns about racism, that surfaced during an ugly spate of attacks on Indian students in Melbourne and Sydney in 2009-10, have subsided. Ana Tiwary, a filmmaker in her early 30s who lives in Sydney, moved to the city from the United States to be with her Australian-born husband in 2007. "India is quite irresistible with the rising economy and a lot of Western countries seem stagnant in comparison to the fast pace of India," she explained. "I have lived in many different countries over the years, so I do not crave India to the extent of wanting to return, but I would like to spend several months each year in India. "There is so much to learn, experience and do in India that no other country has to offer. But in the past six years, I have started to feel an emotional connection with life in Australia," said Ms Tiwary. 'Curry and cricket' While some are setting down deeper roots, other migrants are itching to try their luck back home as India rises. "India is at the cusp of evolution as a country that is attractive to a lot of people," said Ruchir Punjabi, a website entrepreneur with offices in Sydney and Bangalore. "The cliched saying "you can take the Indian out of India but you can't take India out of the Indians" holds true and that is also partly why people want to go back and be comfortable around the environment they grew up in," added the young businessman from Ahmedabad. Asked if or when he would make the move back home, Ruchir said simply: "There's a very good chance it might be sooner than I realise." Professor Mattoo believes that the flow of people between two nations that reach out into the Indian Ocean will increase because they have mutual values. "If you look at the two countries you see how much they have in common beyond the usual stereotypes and cliches of the Commonwealth, curry and cricket. These are both multicultural, federal democracies, which have an interest in stability in Asia," he said.
Plans to make all UK voters prove their identity will "disproportionately" discriminate against ethnic minorities, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said.
The government outlined plans in the Queen's speech on Monday to require people to bring photo ID to polling stations in order to vote. Mr Corbyn claimed the move was an attempt to "suppress voters" and "rig" the next general election result. Ministers say there will be free ID for people who can't prove their identity. However, people will still have to apply to their local councils for the documents as an alternative to other forms of approved photographic ID, such as passports and driving licences. The proposals follow two trials which involved five areas in England during council elections last year and 10 areas in May this year. During the first trial, about 340 people were turned away from voting and did not return with ID, compared to about 750 people in the second trial. That represented less than 1% of eligible voters in both trials. Currently, only voters in Northern Ireland have to show photo ID before they can cast their vote. Speaking at a rally on Monday, shortly after the Queen's speech, Mr Corbyn said the plans were a "blatant attempt" by the Conservative Party to "deny people their democratic rights". He added: "The people that the Tories are trying to stop voting will be disproportionately from ethnic minority backgrounds, and they will disproportionately be working class voters of all ethnicities." Research in 2015 by the Electoral Commission, the independent body that sets the standards of elections in the UK, indicated that about 3.5 million citizens, or 7.5% of the electorate, did not have access to any approved photo ID. The research suggested that women are considerably less likely than men, and black people considerably less likely than white people, to have a driving licence. Certain ethnic groups such as Gypsies and Irish Travellers are also much less likely than the average to have a passport, it found. The government said the plans would help give the public confidence that elections are "secure and fit for the 21st century". Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg told LBC the practise of showing ID has been used for many years in Northern Ireland and the "integrity of the voting system is important", particularly in regard to postal voting. While there would be "administrative inconvenience" for people who don't currently have any other documents, he said people would not have to pay for them. Any changes to the rules would require new legislation, the Cabinet Office has confirmed, making it extremely unlikely it will happen if there is a snap election later this year. Boris Johnson does not have a majority in the Commons, meaning his ability to pass new laws is extremely limited without the support of the opposition. 'Marginalised' Campaign group the Electoral Reform Society said its research suggested there were only eight allegations of impersonation made out of the millions of votes cast during council elections in 2018. Its chief executive, Darren Hughes, said 3.5 million voters did not have access to photo ID, making them vulnerable to missing out. "When millions of people lack photo ID, these mooted plans risk raising the drawbridge to huge numbers of marginalised voters - including many elderly and BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) voters," said Mr Hughes. However, Conservative Party chairman James Cleverly accused Mr Corbyn of "sowing the seeds of division". "If anything, tougher checks against electoral fraud will protect the democratic rights of all communities," Mr Cleverly added.
The government has said it is confident there will not be a second U-turn on the type of fighter planes to be used on the navy's new aircraft carrier.
In May, the coalition said it was changing from its proposed "catapult and trap" planes to jump jets. But newspaper reports say problems with the US-led Joint Strike Fighter project could force another change on the UK. However, Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said he had had reassurances at the "highest level" in Washington. In its defence review in 2010, the coalition announced that it was cancelling the previous Labour government's decision to purchase jump-jet version of the Joint Strike Fighter (the F35-B) and opt instead for the catapult and trap (F35-C) type, which required a different set-up on deck. But, in May this year, it performed a U-turn, saying it would revert to the F35-B, as costs had increased. It added that the price of this change of mind would amount to £100m. 'Mothball' Now the Sun newspaper reports that another alteration is likely. It says the US - which is leading the F35-B project - is likely to cancel its orders, as Washington struggles with a government debt crisis. The newspaper adds that this could force another change on the UK government. But Mr Hammond told MPs: "We've made a decision to revert to the Stovl [short take-off and vertical landing] system. We are quite confident of the delivery." He added: "We've had the highest-level discussions with US officials who support the programme." Fellow defence minister Nick Harvey said people "shouldn't believe everything" they read in the press, adding: "We have every confidence that it will come into service as planned." As part of its defence spending review in 2010, the government decided to "mothball" one of the two aircraft carriers, HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Queen Elizabeth, ordered by Labour. Abandoning the plan to fit the "catapults and traps" needed by the F35-C to one of the carriers while mothballing the other, opened up the possibility that both could eventually become operational, it argued.
Many of us can't bear to listen to or watch recordings of ourselves. But when you're the star of some of the year's biggest films, that can get difficult.
Adam Driver walked out of a US radio interview when they played a snippet of him singing in Netflix's acclaimed drama Marriage Story. The actor left NPR's talk show Fresh Air during a clip of his performance, the show's executive producer said. The Oscar-nominated American is also in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. He previously starred in BlacKkKlansman and recently earned praise for The Report, about an investigation into the CIA's "enhanced interrogation techniques" after 9/11. But despite his success, Driver has previously spoken about his aversion to revisiting his own performances - which was described as a "phobia" in a recent New Yorker profile. That phobia apparently struck when NPR played a clip of him singing Being Alive - originally from the musical Company - in Marriage Story, according to The Daily Beast. Executive producer Danny Miller told Variety in a statement: "We don't really understand why he left... We knew from our previous interview with Adam Driver that he does not enjoy listening back to clips of his movies (that isn't unusual, a lot of actors feel that way)." Driver was in a studio in New York, with host Terry Gross in Philadelphia. Gross suggested he take off his headphones to avoid the pain of listening to the 20-second clip - the same arrangement they used in a 2015 interview. "But this time around, after the clip concluded we were informed by our engineer in NY that he had walked out of the studio, and then left the building," Miller added. "We still don't understand why Adam Driver chose to leave the interview at that point." Driver has not yet commented on the exchange. Five other celebrity interview walk-outs In the 2015 interview, Gross asked Driver why he declined to listen to himself. "I don't want to hear the bad acting that probably was happening during that clip," he replied. "I've watched myself or listened to myself before, then always hate it. And then wish I could change it, but you can't." He has also spoken about feeling "like I had to puke" when he was obliged to sit through 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but hid in a green room during the Cannes premiere of BlacKkKlansman, for which he received an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor earlier this year. Follow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected].
Two up-and-coming British film-makers will rub shoulders with Hollywood's finest at the Oscars next month after roping in Martin Freeman and Tom Hollander to star in their low-budget short film.
By Ian YoungsEntertainment reporter, BBC News While Dame Judi Dench, Steve McQueen and Steve Coogan lead the British charge at this year's Oscars, two less familiar names - Mark Gill and Baldwin Li - are among Britain's best hopes of scooping a golden statuette. The Manchester-based pair are nominated for best live action short film for The Voorman Problem, a whimsical 12-minute story of a psychiatrist dealing with a prisoner who has convinced his fellow inmates he is a God. Based on a section of David Mitchell's novel number9dream, it is, according to the bookies, favourite to win. The film was actually made three years ago. Unfamiliar with the conventions of casting A-list actors, director Gill and producer Li originally asked Kevin Spacey to be their star after watching the movie Seven on TV. "I'd forgotten how magnetic he was without really doing a great deal," Gill says. They bypassed Spacey's agent and wrote to him directly at the Old Vic theatre in London, where he is artistic director. "At that time we were fresh faced, I didn't have an agent, no-one told us what we could and couldn't do," Gill recalls. "It feels quite liberating when you don't know the process." Spacey declined - but liked the script and suggested they approach Hollander, best known in the UK for TV show Rev, with whom Spacey had worked at the theatre. "Tom got in touch straight away and said he'd love to do it," Gill says. "And then Tom helped us get Martin." Hollander gives a terrifically mischievous performance as the prisoner Voorman, while Freeman, known as Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit films and Dr Watson in the Sherlock TV series, is the puzzled psychiatrist. They also came to "a good agreement" with David Mitchell to use the short extract from his book. "David described it as the equivalent of sampling because we weren't taking the entire book, we were just taking a section of it," Gill says. The pair decline to reveal how much The Voorman Problem cost to make. Gill will only say: "It should have cost a lot more than it did. "The good thing about having freelanced around Manchester is that we had loads of connections. The crew were very discounted, let's put it that way." Gill started his career filming behind-the-scenes footage for Doctor Who DVD extras. Li began as a sound man and vision mixer on TV programmes such as The Jeremy Kyle Show and Stars in Their Eyes. For new film-makers, having the words "Oscar nominated" before your names is almost the best career boost you can have. "Oscar winning" would be even better. If they won, they would be following in the footsteps of Peter Capaldi, who won the same award in 1995 before becoming The Thick Of It's Malcolm Tucker and then Doctor Who. Andrea Arnold, who won in 2005, went on to make the feature films Fish Tank and Wuthering Heights. "You read so much about awards and there's a lot of cynicism around them," Gill says. "But for new film-makers I think it really helps. "Making any film - short or feature film - is so difficult, Even if it's good or bad, I have respect for people just getting a film made. And if winning this makes it 2% easier, it's worth it. "My dad said, 'You're not worrying that you've peaked too early, are you son?' I wasn't 'till you said it Dad." The pair are now developing their first feature film, which will be a biopic. But they will not disclose whose life they will be filming. The Oscar nomination has helped win over people who may fund their feature, Li says. "It does not necessarily change their minds but it does make them accelerate their commitment." Opening doors Gill adds that it is now "easier to get meetings" with industry figures. "They're phoning my agent rather than us having to [phone them]," the director says. "We haven't been to the States yet so we've been told to prepare for…" Li finishes his sentence with a smile: "Schmoozing." While the vast majority of the British film industry is centralised in London, Gill and Li see no reason why they should not continue their careers in Manchester. One of the few examples of a film production company succeeding outside the capital is Sheffield-based Warp Films, which made This Is England, Four Lions and Submarine. "What they've done is fantastic and some of the films they knock out have been some of the best British films of the last 10 or 15 years," Gill says. Li adds: "Ultimately that's a great model and they've shown that things like that can be established away from the big smoke."
Following the terror attacks in Brussels, campaigners on both sides of the EU referendum debate have been making claims about whether the UK is safer in or out of the European Union.
In particular, they've stressed the importance of border controls, intelligence sharing, and the role of European courts in Britain's security. The BBC's Reality Check team has taken a closer look at the facts behind the claims. Borders The biggest issue for many campaigners is how much difference the EU's rules on freedom of movement make to Britain's ability to police its borders. At the very start of the referendum campaign, Iain Duncan Smith claimed Britain's "open border does not allow us to check and control people that may come", and that made attacks like the ones in Paris in November 2015 more likely in the UK. On the other side of the argument, Sir David Omand, former director of GCHQ, said: "We are part of an established information sharing network with our partners whilst still retaining control of our border." So what are the facts? EU freedom of movement allows citizens of all the other 27 EU countries to travel freely to the UK, to visit, study or work. There is a UK border, and everyone, including citizens of EU-member states, has to produce a passport to cross it. In practice, holders of EU passports are not routinely subjected to detailed checks. The UK is not a member of the Schengen area of borderless travel. Most EU countries are, as well as some non-EU countries like Switzerland and Norway. Lack of internal border checks within Schengen has enabled terrorists - and their weapons - to move freely across continental EU, to execute attacks and to escape. Being outside Schengen and being an island makes travel to the UK harder for potential attackers. But, as noted above, they are not likely to be subject to detailed checks when they try to cross into the UK if they hold an EU passport. In the wake of the Paris November 2015 attacks, the EU renewed efforts to improve sharing of passenger name record data for flights and there were also calls for the establishment of an EU-wide intelligence service. Intelligence sharing One of the most important counter-terrorism measures is sharing information between different security services. There is no EU-wide intelligence-sharing arrangement, and nor is there likely to be any time soon. Security and intelligence services are intrinsically secret organisations which share their information only with those they trust to keep their secrets too. That does not apply uniformly across the 28 member states of the EU. The UK's biggest intelligence relationships lie outside the EU. It shares intelligence with the US and with three other English-speaking countries: Canada, Australia and New Zealand, forming the "five eyes" alliance. There are direct agreements between certain member states. These are not dependent on membership of the EU - so would they change in the event of Brexit? Not likely, according to Sir Richard Dearlove, former director of MI6. In an interview for Prospect magazine, he said: "Britain is Europe's leader in intelligence and security matters and gives much more than it gets in return. "It is difficult to imagine any of the other EU members ending the relationships they already enjoy with the UK." While there is no EU-wide intelligence agency, there is an EU-wide enforcement agency - Europol. It helps fight crime and terrorism across the EU by providing expertise, building criminal databases and supporting investigations on issues ranging from trafficking of people and drugs to money laundering and cyber-crime. Europol's director, Rob Wainwright, says: "I have seen huge progress in the EU in building up a far stronger capability to fight terrorism and serious crime." One such advance is the Prüm Convention, an agreement on sharing of DNA, fingerprint and vehicle information, to identify foreign criminals and solve serious crimes. Fourteen EU countries have signed it (the UK voted to join the agreement in December 2015) and it is open to all EU members. There is also the Schengen Information Service, which is highly valued by UK officials for alerting them to suspects crossing borders. Then there's the European Arrest Warrant, an EU-wide agreement, that speeds up and simplifies extradition procedures between EU countries. Last year, the mechanism was used to extradite two British Islamist extremists, Trevor Brooks and Simon Keeler, from Hungary to the UK. In 2005, Hussain Osman, London underground bomber was extradited from Italy to the UK. Analysis by Mark Urban, diplomatic and defence editor, Newsnight While I have found many British military and intelligence experts who agree with Sir Richard that Nato defence arrangements and bilateral intelligence exchanges would probably continue unaltered by Brexit, the majority I've spoken to still express opposition to Britain leaving the EU. They point to emerging security ties at the European level. Missing out on this, they argue, counts for more than the increased ability to control the movement of EU nationals that "outers" such as Iain Duncan Smith argue would make Britain more secure. Read more of Mark's analysis here. European courts When campaigners talk about European courts threatening British security, they're usually referring to the role the courts play in deporting - or, more correctly, blocking the deportation of - criminals and terror suspects. Most of the examples they're talking about, like the 12-year-long case of Abu Qatada, have been rulings emanating from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) or rulings of British courts under the Human Rights Act (HRA). Crucially, the ECHR is not an EU body. Its job is to uphold the European Convention on Human Rights which was drawn up after the Second World War, partly thanks to Winston Churchill. The Human Rights Act incorporates the convention into UK law. So leaving the EU wouldn't be enough to get around the convention. The UK would also have to withdraw from the ECHR and abolish the Human Rights Act. These are things David Cameron has said in the past he's prepared to do, so could the UK just leave the ECHR and remain in the EU? Tricky - legal opinion is divided on whether adherence to the ECHR is a condition of EU membership (as this House of Commons Library research paper makes clear). Campaigners sometimes refer to another court: the European Court of Justice (ECJ). Its role is to uphold EU law including the right of free movement, and so it can rule on deportations. Under EU rules, citizens of other EU countries can only be deported or denied entry on the grounds of public policy, public security or public health. Holding a criminal conviction isn't enough. The person must pose a threat to the interests of society. And the threshold goes up after five and ten years of residence in the UK. EU law also gives additional rights of entry and residence to the family members of EU citizens even if they're from elsewhere. That means it's more difficult for Britain to deport or bar entry to criminals who are from the EU or related to EU citizens. The ECJ is very definitely an EU institution, and so if the UK left the EU it would cease to be bound by its rulings. Instead the government could introduce new rules which made it easier to block people or throw them out, subject to other international agreements READ MORE: The facts behind claims in the EU debate
More than 75,000 people have signed a petition by an international LGBT group calling on a Chinese university to apologise to two lesbian students.
Xiaoyu Wang, whose girlfriend publicly proposed to her at their graduation ceremony, was refused her diploma. The Guangdong University of Foreign Studies reportedly told the couple their act had "violated regulations". Ms Wang has since received her diploma, but said the couple were told to "keep our homosexuality to ourselves". Jean Ouyang, who proposed to Ms Wang, told Chinese media the "mental and emotional harm" caused by the actions could not be erased. "The most romantic day of my life turned into a nightmare", said Ms Wang. "I'm devastated and humiliated, but I'm fighting back and need your help," she wrote on social media. The university has declined to comment to media about the case. Chinese lesbian sues ministry over gay 'disorder' textbook Chinese couple lose fight for gay marriage recognition China human rights: Trailblazing in the LGBT community Officials with the on-campus Communist Party had reportedly told the couple that they would "face punishment", after pictures of them kissing went viral on Chinese social media. Ms Wang says that one official accused her of spreading vulgar content and misbehaving in public despite warning from the university. "We decided to propose to each other on campus because it's a way to express our feelings, and raise awareness of LGBT issues," the 23-year old translation student told the BBC. Ms Wang says that university officials also outed her to her parents by asking them to come and collect the diploma together with their daughter. An official also sent the video of the marriage proposal to Ms Wang's mother, she said. "My biggest headache now is how I mend my relations with my parents," Ms Wang told the BBC. "Last week, my mother called me and said I hurt her badly." The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender group (LGBT) All Out has called on the university to "apologise publicly to the two students". It added that "comprehensive measures to prevent discrimination and homophobic harassment on campus", should also be taken. Some supporters delivered the All Out statement to the university headmaster, who said he would take a look at it, reports said. A 2012 poll by an LGBT organisation, Aibai Centre, said that in a survey of 421 students, most of whom identified as gay, 77% of them said they had been subjected to bullying on campus because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Ms Wang said the couple's case was not an isolated one and that discrimination should end. "I'm sick of staying silent," she wrote. "No school should intimidate students for who they are or who they love. My case is just one in many, but it could spark a change."
The European Commission has announced further reductions in Irish sea fishing quotas.
By Martin CassidyBBC NI rural affairs correspondent The proposals for 2012 include zero catches of cod and a 17% reduction in prawn landings. Local fishermen have described the proposals as "horrendous" and have claimed they represent the end of the line for white fish boats in the Irish sea. The biggest issue for the white fish fleet is the zero cod catch next year. Haddock quotas are also to be cut by 25%. Dick James of the Northern Ireland Fish Producers Organisation said the quota plan will leave white fish boats unviable. There is also anger over a 25% reduction in the herring catch at a time when fishermen have said there is evidence stocks are in a healthy state. The biggest financial blow comes from the plan to reduce the prawn catch by 17%. Fishermen said the proposal is at odds with science, which points to a stable prawn stock. Fisheries Minister Michelle O'Neill expressed her disappointment. "In the coming months I and my officials will work with the local fishing industry, to develop the arguments we will put to the commission to ensure a more reasonable outcome that will accommodate the environmental, social and economic objectives that we have for fisheries. "I will also be working closely with other fisheries ministers in Britain and the south to agree our negotiating priorities at the Fisheries Councils in the autumn," she said. DUP MEP Diane Dodds said the new quotas "could spell the end for some of Northern Ireland's fishing fleet". "I will be lobbying the Commission to adopt a more common sense approach," she added. "It must take into account the fact that stocks are healthy and that our fishing fleet are responsible in their duties to sustainable fishing practices." The proposal to reduce prawn landings is closely connected with the by-catch of cod. The proposals will form the basis for the annual quota negotiation at the November meeting of fisheries ministers in Brussels.
An injured bittern found by a roadside pond in Hertfordshire has been spotted thriving in Suffolk almost two years after it was saved.
The rare bird was nursed back to health and ringed before her release at the RSPB nature reserve at Rye Meads in Hertfordshire in September 2016. Photographers have now managed to snap the bittern, identified by a metal ring, at the charity's Lakenheath Fen site, 70 miles away. The find was described as "incredible". According to the RSPB, bitterns are scarce and secretive members of the heron family and only nest in reedbeds. They are known for their distinctive "boom" call. In 1997 there were though to be only 11 "booming male" breeding bitterns in Britain. The figure rose to 166 in 2017. The bird was discovered injured in Letchworth and looked after by volunteers at Wildlife Welfare in Stevenage before its release at Rye Meads. It was spotted locally five months later. Special permission had to be sought from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) to have it ringed on its left leg with a unique number. The bittern was then photographed by enthusiast David Gowing from the RSPB's Mere Hide at Lakenheath Fen before officials from the RSPB and BTO verified its identity. Visitor experience officer, David White, said: "Bitterns are not known for flying very far during their lives so it is incredible to think that this bird has come all of this way. "If this bird hadn't been ringed we would have never known where it had come from and how far it had travelled to get here." He said the hope was the bird would breed with one of at least 10 booming males currently on the site. Dawn Balmer of the BTO said: "The photo of the bittern in flight enabled us to identify exactly where and when the bird had been ringed. "Only a handful of bitterns are ringed each year (three in 2016), so this has provided valuable information on survival and movements".
A £500m expansion of world-renowned film studios has been agreed by councillors despite opposition over the impact it would have on the local area.
Opponents argued more than doubling the developed area of the 60-hectare (150-acre) Shepperton site would have a detrimental impact on the green belt. However, Spelthorne borough councillors heard it would lead to more jobs and would boost the creative sector. Shepperton Studios Ltd has produced Mamma Mia and Mary Poppins Returns. The plans include building new studios, workshops and offices, together with space for creating purpose-built film sets. Shepperton Studios director Andrew M. Smith said: "The UK is currently missing out on a significant number of international films because of a shortage of sound stages. "The increased capacity proposed at Shepperton Studios will meet head on the need for additional purpose built sound stages to accommodate blockbuster-size movies." Shepperton, which is part of the Pinewood group, said the development would secure the future of more than 1,500 jobs and ultimately provide a £322m boost to the local economy. The council received more than 100 objections, including people with concerns over their impact on the green belt, traffic and nearby listed buildings, including the neighbouring Grade I-listed Church of St Mary Magdalene. Council planning officers acknowledged the intrusion on the landscape but argued there was an economic case for such a big expansion. The report said: "Careful consideration has been given to the government's conflicting aims of protecting the green belt and promoting sustainable economic growth, and it is concluded that the harm... is clearly outweighed by the national economic argument and the support for government policy aims." The outline plan was approved by an extraordinary meeting of the planning committee on Tuesday, subject to a series of conditions and referral to the secretary of state for housing and local government.
The number of adults with diabetes in the world has more than doubled since 1980, a study in the Lancet says.
Researchers from Imperial College London and Harvard University in the US analysed data from 2.7m people across the world, using statistical techniques to project a worldwide figure. The total number of people with all forms of the disease - which can be fatal - has risen from 153m to 347m. The authors called for better detection and treatment to combat the rise. Its authors said 70% of the rise was down to people living longer. The rise has been most pronounced in the Pacific Islands. In the Marshall Islands a third of all women have the condition. Majid Ezzati, of Imperial College London, said: "Diabetes is becoming more common almost everywhere in the world. "Unless we develop better programmes for detecting people with elevated blood sugar and helping them to control their weight, diabetes will continue to impose a major burden on health systems around the world." Diabetes leads to inadequate blood sugar control, which can damage the kidneys and cause blindness. It can also cause heart disease and strokes. The study looked at Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Researchers believe most cases were Type 2, which is closely linked with lifestyle and obesity. Of developed nations, the US had the highest prevalence. The diabetes rate was relatively low in western Europe. Drug market booming The study, carried out in conjunction with the World Health Organization, found that the diabetes rate had either risen or stayed the same in virtually every country. Spending on diabetes medicines - already worth £22bn annually - could hit £30bn by 2015, according to drug research firm IMS Health. Dennis Urbaniak, of pharmaceutical firm Sanofi, said: "This is a chronic, progressive condition. "What we are most worried about is the number of people out there with diabetes that is not optimally controlled." Dr Iain Frame, director of research at charity Diabetes UK, said: "Although this study shows the prevalence of diabetes in the UK is lower than most other developed countries, we should be cautious about how the information was collected and analysed. "Nevertheless, we should not be complacent about our country's health since it is clear that rates of obesity and Type 2 diabetes are still rising at an alarming rate. "There are 850,000 people in the UK who have Type 2 diabetes but don't know it, which may help to account for the lower numbers estimated." The risk factors for Type 2 diabetes are being overweight, of South Asian or Black origin, aged over 40 or having a family history of the condition. If you have at least two risk factors it is recommended that you ask your doctor for a blood test.
Dog attacks in Wales have increased by 81% in the last decade, a BBC investigation has found.
Research by Week In Week Out found there were 407 hospital admissions from incidents in 2012/13 alone, with 91 of those aged 14 or under. Andy MacNab, a consultant in emergency medicine at Morriston Hospital, Swansea, said they were treating two or three dog bites a week. Animal charities want legislation which punishes the dog's deed, not its breed. Although there were amendments to the Dangerous Dogs Act, they want it to go further. The RSPCA says owners would have to abide by dog control notices if their pet was a nuisance or out of control. But the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the amendments gave more "flexibility". 'No concern' Charities told BBC Wales' Week In Week Out of their concerns over backstreet breeding. Researchers for the programme contacted 20 people who were advertising dogs, such as huskies, to find out what questions they would ask potential buyers. None wanted to know if the dog would be living with small children. When researchers said the dog would be kept in a small flat with a newborn baby and no garden, six out of the 20 expressed concern about the size of the home and three refused to sell their animal because of the circumstances. But four were happy to sell dogs that could potentially be classed as illegal pit bull types as defined by the Dangerous Dogs Act. Week In Week Out used the latest NHS Wales data which suggests there has been an 81% increase in dog attacks since 2002/03. "The most emotive wounds that we see tend to be the facial wounds - it tends sadly to be in children," said emergency medicine consultant Mr MacNab. "Even with good plastic surgery there is usually a cosmetic consequence to a dog bite on a face. "Very severe dog bites particularly to children may require many hours in theatre and admission to hospital for days, occasionally may even lead to intensive care admissions." The Dangerous Dog Act, which was passed in 1991, banned four breeds in the UK - pit bull terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino and Fila Brazilierohas. But it has been criticised as hurried legislation and some have argued it has failed to effectively deal with the problem of dog attacks, The RSPCA has said punishment should concentrate on a dog's deed rather than the breed. Prof Kenton Morgan from Liverpool University, who has led research into how to reduce the risk of dog bites, agreed with the charity. "I think the Dangerous Dog Act was a knee-jerk reaction," said Prof Morgan. "If you review all the literature there is no evidence that the breeds that have been stipulated are more likely to bite than any other dog so I don't think that breed directed legislation is effective. In fact, in Holland they've recently repealed their breed-directed dangerous dogs act." Increased penalties Until last year, the Welsh government was considering introducing dog control notices as part of the Control of Dogs (Wales) Bill. However, it dropped those plans in order to work with the UK government on the introduction of a new law covering England and Wales. The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill, which amends parts of the Dangerous Dogs Act, will come into effect in May. It includes increased penalties and sentencing to tackle the issue of nuisance dogs, but does not include control notices and has left the RSPCA disappointed. Steve Carter, the RSPCA's director for Wales, said: "We thought the dog control notice was a very effective way of dealing with the issue, through training, education and by enabling owners to understand how their actions are impacting on their animals. "We think the Westminster legislation is very generic and dogs are just in there because they form some of the behaviour." Natural Resources Minister Alun Davies has said his officials have been working closely with Westminster and Defra and does not rule out taking legislation for dogs back under Welsh control. "It is not something which we have walked away from," he said. "If I am persuaded that the UK legislation doesn't deliver the statutory framework that I believe is necessary then yes, we will go back to our legislation and yes, we will pursue legislation." Defra has said the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime, and Policing Act will allow police and local authorities to issue community protection notices before any dog attack takes place. It will address the same issues as dog control notices but will offer greater flexibility, the department said. The programme comes after the death of six-day-old Eliza-Mae Mullane at her home at Pontyberem, Carmarthenshire, where Dyfed-Powys Police seized and destroyed two family dogs. Week in Week Out is on BBC One Wales on Tuesday, 18 March at 22:35 GMT
Police have stopped a motorist for driving a car with a front tyre missing.
The Peugeot was also missing the front panel on the driver's side and leads appeared to be dangling on to the road. Officers stopped the 2001-registered car on a Pembrokeshire road on Thursday evening. Dyfed-Powys Police said it had no insurance and its MOT ran out in July 2016. A tweet by the Pembrokeshire Roads Policing Unit said the driver passed their test last November. Officers reported the motorist for driving a vehicle in a dangerous condition. The tweet added: "And yes, it was being driven in that condition on public roads."
Conservationists have issued a warning after water scooter users were photographed "intimidating" a pod of dolphins off the coast of Cornwall.
"They were circling around and around, distressing the pod," a witness said in response to the incident on Wednesday. "[It was] absolutely shocking, appalling behaviour," they said. Disturbance by boats can affect dolphins' ability to feed, breed or nurture their young, the Marine Management Organisation said. Intentionally or recklessly disturbing dolphins is a criminal offence and can incur a maximum sentence of six months in prison. More news and stories from Devon and Cornwall. Local police were made aware of the incident near Falmouth Harbour, while the harbour master Mark Sansom sent a patrol boat out to offer the pair some advice. Members of the public commented on the picture on social media, branding the behaviour "disgusting" and "sickening", and labelling the perpetrators "thugs" and "louts". Dan Jarvis from British Divers Marine Life Rescue said: "You can see in the picture that there's a lot of high speed manoeuvring going on. The dolphins wouldn't have liked it and they would have been distressed. "These creatures are protected by law. A crime may have been committed here, and ignorance isn't an excuse. "There are clear guidelines freely available about how to act towards animals to avoid causing distress," he added. "Its completely unfair that some people put their enjoyment first and think about the animals' welfare second." According to the Wildlife Safe (WiSe) scheme, motor vessels should:
Pollution levels soared for a third day in a row in Singapore, as smoky haze from fires in Indonesia shrouded the city state.
The Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) hit 401 at 12:00 on Friday (04:00 GMT) - the highest in Singapore's history. The index also reached 400 in one part of Indonesia, which is readying helicopters and cloud-seeding equipment in an effort to tackle the fires. Indonesia has said it is unfair to blame it solely for the forest fires. A senior official in the Indonesian president's office said fires had been spotted on land owned by 32 companies in the region, some of them based in Malaysia and Singapore. Schools in parts of Malaysia and Indonesia have closed temporarily. Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsieng Loong warned on Thursday that the haze could remain in place for weeks. "We can't tell how this problem is going to develop because it depends on the burning, it depends on the weather, it depends on the wind," he said. "It can easily last for several weeks and quite possibly it could last longer until the dry season ends in Sumatra which may be September or October." 'Life threatening' A PSI reading above 300 is defined as "hazardous", while Singapore government guidelines say a PSI reading of above 400 sustained for 24 hours "may be life-threatening to ill and elderly persons". "Healthy people [may also] experience adverse symptoms that affect normal activity," the government says. The PSI dropped down to 143 at 17:00 (09:00 GMT), although this is still classed as "unhealthy". Before this week's episode, the previous air pollution record was from September 1997 during the 1997-1998 South East Asian Haze, when the PSI peaked at 226. Singapore resident Nicole Wu told the BBC that she had stayed indoors for the past two days. "It's terrible. In my flat the windows are all closed with the air conditioning on," she said. "My mother has to wear a mask to go shopping." "I can't even see what's happening outside my house due to the smog. You can't see birds [or] moving objects," she added. Philip Koh, a doctor, told AFP news agency that the number of medical consultations he had had in the past week had increased by 20%. "My patients are telling me they are worried about how long this is going to last and how much higher this is going to go," he said. In Indonesia's Riau province, where the fires are concentrated, the PSI reached 400 on Friday, the head of the local health office told the BBC. Schools there are to remain closed until the air quality improves. The chief of the health department Zainal Arifin said there was an "increasing number of asthma, lung, eye and skin problems due to higher CO2 levels". "I call for residents to stay at home and reduce outdoor activities," he said. Diplomatic strain Singapore's National Environment Agency has started providing hourly PSI updates on its website, in addition to the three-hourly updates it previously provided. Around 300 schools in southern Malaysia have now been closed as a result of the smog. Schools in Singapore are currently closed for the holidays. There are also reports of flight delays affecting both Singapore's Changi airport and Riau province in Indonesia. The fires are caused by illegal slash-and-burn land clearance in Sumatra, to the west of Singapore. The smog has strained diplomatic relations between Singapore and Indonesia - two countries that usually share good relations, the BBC's Karishma Vaswani in Jakarta reports. Mr Lee said Singapore had provided satellite date to Indonesia to help it identify companies involved and said that if any Singapore firms were involved, that would be addressed. Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency said it would deploy two helicopters to conduct "water-bombing" operations, as well as planes with cloud seeding equipment. One of the Malaysian companies named by the Indonesian presidential official denied that it was burning forest to clear land, but said some small farmers operating on its property were doing so. Palm oil giant Sime Darby said in a statement that it was strictly following its zero-burning policy throughout its operations, but that it could not control the activities of local growers farming on its concession area. More than 100 Indonesian firefighters are attempting to put out the fires in Sumatra. However, an official in Riau province said they were "overwhelmed and in a state of emergency". "We have been fighting fires 24 hours a day for two weeks," Ahmad Saerozi, the head of the natural resources conservation agency in Riau, told AFP news agency. He added that the fires were in peat around three or four metres below the ground, making it particularly hard to fight them. "It is still burning under the surface so we have to stick a hose into the peat to douse the fire," he said. "We take one to two hours to clear a hectare, and by then another fire has started elsewhere." Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said "all the country's resources" would be mobilised to extinguish the fires.
The government is being urged to hand over control of Richmond Park to local councils.
Richmond Council wants Tourism and Heritage Minister John Penrose to transfer management of the 2,500 acre park to the authority. The government is planning to give the mayor control of all eight Royal Parks. A DCMS spokesperson said the government was committed to transferring management of all Royal Parks to the Greater London Authority (GLA). Earlier this week Mr Penrose announced that plans to introduce parking charges in Richmond and Bushy Royal Parks in west London were to be scrapped. Management board He said the decision had been taken following fierce public opposition and alternative ways would be found to raise money. Councillor Nicholas True, Leader of Richmond Council, said: "The fiasco of the parking charges and the failure of the Royal Parks Agency to recognise the wishes of local people re-enforces the point that management of Richmond Park needs to be put under direct democratic control." Richmond Council's proposal has been backed by the leaders of Wandsworth and Kingston Councils whose boroughs also border the park. They have agreed the most appropriate way to run the park would be for Richmond Council to have responsibility for the day-to-day management. Representatives from the other two councils would sit on a management board to have input into longer-term plans and operations. A spokesperson for the DCMS said: "It remains the government's intention to transfer management of all eight Royal Parks to the GLA. "The role of the Local Authorities in the management structure of Richmond Park will be a matter for the mayor".
More than 10% of women aged between 16 and 19 in England and Wales say they have experienced domestic abuse in the past year, research suggests.
The Office for National Statistics' annual report on domestic abuse says they are the group most likely to be victims of it. Women in their 20s and early 40s are also vulnerable, figures suggest. About 7% of men who are still in their teens have also experienced it, according to the data. Domestic abuse includes non-physical abuse, threats, force, sexual assault or stalking by a partner or family member - the most common of which is abuse by a partner. The report pulls together data from the police, the government and victim support groups. The latest Crime Survey for England and Wales for the year ending in March shows about 1.2 million women and 713,000 men reported being victims of some form of domestic abuse. However, a large proportion would not have gone to the police. 'Great courage' The police, meanwhile, recorded 1.1 million reports of domestic abuse over the same period, which probably includes repeated instances of abuse against the same victim. Of these reports, 488,000 were recorded as crimes and fewer than half resulted in an arrest. Of the domestic abuse cases referred to the Crown Prosecution Service by police, just under three quarters (72%) resulted in a decision to charge. And of the cases that went to court, 76% led to convictions. The CPS says victims failing to turn up to court and retracting their statements were behind about half of all the unsuccessful prosecutions. Katie Ghose, of Women's Aid, said involving official bodies took great courage because many victims were worried they would not be believed, were not given the space to make the call or feared repercussions from their abuser. She said criminal cases should not rely solely on a victim's evidence to see it through to prosecution. Instead, police officers should gather evidence from the scene, as they do with fraud, burglary and traffic offences. 'Postcode lottery' The policing areas which saw the highest number of domestic abuse incidents and crimes last year were Durham, Cleveland, Gwent, South Wales and London. Cheshire, Dyfed-Powys, Surrey, North Yorkshire and Thames Valley saw the least, the report found. It also looked at the number of refuge beds available for victims, which Women's Aid said had become a "postcode lottery" because of local authority funding cuts and poor commissioning practices. Wales has the most with 10 bed spaces for every 1,000 domestic abuse victims. South-west England has the fewest with two per 1,000 victims. The ONS says its analysis of the figures indicates a gradual downward trend in levels of domestic abuse. Alexa Bradley, from the ONS, said: "Domestic abuse is a particularly difficult problem to tackle, not least because victims may be reluctant to report abuse or to support action against their abusers."
A bid to sink an old warship off the Dorset coast to create an artificial diving reef has been back by Dorset County Council cabinet members.
Community group Weymouth and Portland Wreck to Reef plan to sink a ship off Ringstead Bay. It could generate up to £1.2m for the local economy each year. A Castle Class Falklands patrol ship would be sunk one mile (1.6km) south of Kimmeridge bay by October 2011. The next part of the project is to seek a licence for the wreck from Defra. 'Economy boost' Weymouth and Portland Wreck to Reef, a non-profit community group, plan to lease an area of sea bed from the Crown Estate, but the estate can only sign a contract with a statutory body such as a local authority. The council had previously turned the project down as it considered diving on a wreck to be a high-risk activity and was concerned about liability in the event of accidents. But the authority now thinks these risks can be mitigated by a requirement on its arrangement with the reef organisation. Weymouth and Portland Wreck to Reef said the Crown Estate and the county council had made "a raft of compromises about negotiating about taking the lease on," following a meeting last September. The group believes the wreck would re-energise the struggling diving industry in Dorset and help boost the local economy.
A historic pub weighing machine has been severely damaged after an oversized lorry drove into it, closing a town centre road.
A vehicle struck the Grade I-listed structure at Ye Olde Bell & Steelyard in Woodbridge, which overhangs New Street. The pub's landlord said the truck passed height restriction signs before hitting the old weighbridge. Suffolk Police said they would be interviewing the lorry driver. The collision happened at about 07:10 BST. Hugh Thomas, tenant landlord of the pub, said: "It's an iconic piece of Woodbridge and certainly an iconic piece of the pub." 'Disgusted' The Woodbridge Museum said as only one of two left in the country, the registered monument, which was once used to weigh loaded wagons, would have to be rebuilt. The term steelyard is an old name for a weighing balance. Bob Merrett, from Woodbridge Museum, said the machine, which operated via levers, pulleys and metal weights, would weigh carts before and after they were loaded with goods - usually corn - and taken to the riverside for onward transport. "I'm disgusted really and gutted that such a historic part of the town has been damaged," he said. The weighing machine is believed to have been part of the building since the 1600s and probably stopped being used in the 1800s with the advent of the railways, Mr Merrett said. In the 1970s, a wagon was weighed to show the public how the machine was once used. Mr Thomas said the pub's owner, Greene King, its insurers and listed building officials had been notified about the damage. New Street is one of the main roads in the town centre and police closed it to traffic. A Greene King spokesman said a structural engineer had been sent to the building and an assessment was being carried out. Related Internet Links Ye Olde Bell & Steelyard, Woodbridge Woodbridge Museum Suffolk Constabulary
Two people have been arrested at the start of a four-week crackdown on troublemakers ahead of the Notting Hill Carnival.
Operation Razorback has begun targeting gangs who plan to use the carnival as a venue for violence and criminal activity. An 18-year old woman and a 25-year old man were arrested on Monday, The west London carnival will be held on Sunday 29 August and Monday 30 August. 'Sophisticated' operation "The eyes of the world turn to west London over the August Bank Holiday," a Scotland Yard spokesman said. "Using carefully gathered intelligence, officers will use the next four weeks in the run up to carnival to disrupt those planning trouble and disorder," the Scotland Yard spokesman added. All entrances to the site will have search points to prevent weapons being taken to the carnival area, according to the Metropolitan Police (Met). There will also be a special focus on cracking down on pickpockets. Ch Insp Jo Edwards said: "The Met's message is a clear and simple one - come to carnival to have fun and enjoy this wonderful cultural experience, but don't come to cause trouble. "More than a million visitors went to carnival last year, but there was no serious disorder and there were no firearms incidents for the third year in a row. "Operation Razorback is a highly sophisticated and detailed operation aimed at ensuring those who set out with the sole intention of causing trouble at Carnival will not succeed." Director of Notting Hill Carnival Ancil Barclay said: "We are pleased to be working closely with the police to make sure this year's carnival is safer than ever. "The message is very clear - carnival is a fun day out and a fantastic tradition but any violence or anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated."
Sierra Leone's leader Ernest Bai Koroma is not seeking to stay in office after 2018 despite calls for him to do so, the government spokesman says.
However, he hinted that the constitution could allow it if that is what "the people" wanted. Supporters argue that the 18-month emergency caused by the Ebola outbreak interrupted Mr Koroma's plans and he should have more time to complete them. Bids by some African presidents to stay in power have led to political tension. Government spokesman Alpha Kanu told the BBC that while President Koroma has never said he wants to go beyond a second term, Sierra Leoneans have the "constitutional right" to express themselves. He said that the calls from some sections of the population are "the expression of gratitude from a grateful population who believe that President Koroma has worked hard enough". If it had not been for Ebola, the country would be much more developed than it is, Mr Kanu added. The BBC's Umaru Fofana in the capital, Freetown, says that the demand for the president to stay on is particularly prominent in his home area in the north of the country. Some of his supporters - mostly rural women and young people - have been seen in well-designed T-shirts carrying the inscription "more time", he says. They argue that the constitution allows parliament to extend a presidential term in times of war or a state of emergency. In 2001, for example, parliament extended President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah's term because of the civil war. This is what Mr Kanu referred to as "loopholes in the constitution". He said that "if there are a cacophony of calls" from the people for an extension "it can be done" by parliament. But our correspondent says the current state of emergency, which was put in place because of the Ebola outbreak, is likely to end soon, which would mean the legitimate excuse for a term extension would be gone.
A mother and three children had their lives taken away in minutes in an arson attack on their home. What was the family like and how has the community coped since their deaths?
By Sandish ShokerBBC News Online While the Taufiq household slept a gang targeted their home in revenge for the earlier killing of their friend. Except they had got the wrong house. The fire in Spinney Hill Leicester, on 13 September last year, engulfed the house killing Shehnila Taufiq, 47, daughter Zainab, 19, and sons Bilal, 17, and Jamal, 15. Seven men, and a teenager have been found guilty of causing their deaths. Two of them were convicted of murder and six were convicted of manslaughter. The trial heard how petrol was poured through the front door letterbox shortly after midnight before a cigarette lighter was used to start the fire. Prosecutors said the family had become trapped upstairs "with the primary means of escape unavailable". Firefighters found their bodies together in one of the back bedrooms. Neighbour and friend Nazma Amamji says she still has flashbacks of that tragic night and for two months could not stand in her kitchen which overlooks the Taufiq's home. She said her sons often played football with the two boys and were still struggling to come to terms with the deaths. "In a shot of a second I never saw them again. To lose them is a tragedy," she said. "It was horrendous, everybody shouting, trying to break the windows. Everybody was out there to do something. "I was just devastated. They were a second family to us. Our lives have really changed." Mrs Amamji paints a picture of the peaceful, respectful family who lived next door. "She (Shehnila) knocked on my door eight years ago like an angel, introduced herself to me and we just got on from there," she recalls. "The children were lovely. I treated them like my own. "The people who have done this are just sick. I don't know how they can do it. You have to have a really disgusting heart to do something like that." 'Family dream' The family were regular worshippers at the Jame Mosque in Asfordby Street, Leicester. Shehnila Taufiq, a scholar and cleric, and her children had moved from Dublin to Leicester to carry out theological studies at the Jame'ah Uloomul Qur'an Muslim school. Photos of her and her daughter were not released to the media in order to protect their modesty. Her husband, Dr Muhammad Taufiq Al Sattar, stayed in Dublin where he works as a neurosurgeon at Beaumont Hospital. Dr Sattar, 52, said his family had planned to return to Dublin at the end of their studies to open an Islamic community and education centre. He said they had recently spent their life savings on buying a derelict house in the Blanchardstown area of the city and he vowed to fulfil his family's dream. "They had a vision for life in Ireland," added Mrs Amamji. "The project was very, very important to them." Shopkeeper Sattar Raidhan added: "They were well known. They didn't have any quarrels with anyone round here. "How does this happen to a nice family like them? "They were a very good, religious family." Hours before the attack on the Taufiq's home Antoin Akpom, a local football coach, had been stabbed to death in the street following an argument. Police very soon linked the two incidents and said the house fire had been a case of mistaken identity. The defendants had intended to target the home of a man they believed had stabbed their friend. However, he lived elsewhere on the street. Community leader Suleiman Nagdi MBE said the night's events had shocked the whole of Leicester. "In my 36 years living in Leicester it was one of the worst days of my life here," he said. "The situation that arose was something I had never woken up to. It had a devastating effect on the whole community. "What took many of us by surprise was Dr Sattar's tower of strength. He never spoke about revenge. He simply wanted to put his wife and children to rest. "I think he drew strength from his religion and it helped him through the troubled time. "We are a very strong community here and cohesion is something we pride ourselves on. "The Taufiq family has shown us that at a time like this we can still stand together, forgive each other and I think that is important for us." 'Revenge is bitter' The eight defendants had met through their love of football at Leicester Nirvana FC. It was there that they also met Antoin Akpom. Football coach Dilip Chauhan said the group "were not known street boys". "There was a big shock in the community that it was these boys that were arrested," he added. "I do feel a bit responsible that the youths we were mentoring and guiding have ended up like this." Friend of the defendants Roy Cole said their motive would have been revenge for losing one of their own. "The only thing that would have gone through their heads was that they needed to get revenge," he said. "They had lost one of their own and they wanted to show this individual that they were serious. "The flames of Wood Hill, the blood on Kent Street, the funeral at Spinney Hill park - those things will never go away. "What we can do is hope and pray that we can rise from the ashes and turn this awful situation into something positive. "And we can learn that revenge is not sweet, it's actually bitter."
People living in a former hotel owned by football manager Harry Redknapp will now not be evicted on Monday.
Residents previously told the Local Democracy Reporting Service they were being moved out of the former Belgravia Hotel in Bournemouth. But Mr Redknapp's company Pierfront Properties said it would not evict anyone living on the site next week. A spokesman said they were "working closely" with charity Shelter to help the 12 residents leave "one by one". The former hotel has been used as accommodation for homeless people since 1988. Plans to convert the hotel into flats and houses were approved by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council earlier this month. Two previous applications to demolish the hotel building had been refused. The majority of objections to the plans were from people living in the building, including Edward Hyde who told BCP it would exacerbate the homeless situation and put the welfare of residents at risk. Concerns were also raised about residents being evicted without a new place to live, but a Pierfront spokesman said there "were never any plans to remove any residents on Monday". The council's cabinet member for housing Kieron Wilson said the authority would make "direct contact" with any residents facing eviction in the future.
The Lord Provost of Glasgow has been criticised after it emerged her expenses included claims for 23 pairs of shoes.
The Daily Record reports Eva Bolander submitted receipts totalling more than £8,000 over a 28-month period. A council spokesman said the SNP councillor incurs personal expenses as she is required to represent the city at hundreds of events. But Glasgow Labour MSP James Kelly said her position was not tenable. Mr Kelly said: "While services for homeless people across Glasgow are being cut, the SNP Lord Provost has been touring the city in a grotesque spending spree at the taxpayers' expense. "In just one trip to John Lewis she spent more on herself than what a worker being paid the national minimum wage earns in a whole week. "Eva Bolander should pay back the money and resign." 'Do the right thing' Scottish Conservative Glasgow MSP Annie Wells said: "For any politician to think they can claim something like this on expenses is a joke. "It's not even one or two misdemeanours - these revelations show a pattern of behaviour which will be completely unacceptable to council tax payers in Glasgow. "She must now do the right thing and stand down - there's simply no way she can continue in this senior role after these reports. She also owes the people of Glasgow an almighty apology." The figures, obtained under a Freedom of Information request, cover claims between May 2017 and August this year. The paper reports Ms Bolander spent £1,150 on shoes, including a single order for two pairs from Watford-based Sole Bliss which cost £308. The Lord Provost's expenses also included £389 for Harris Tweed fabric, around £992 for 14 dresses and £435 for seven blazers. Ms Bolander - who earns £39,310 - got her nails done 20 times and claimed for 10 hair appointments totalling £751. The most expensive items were a pair of £358 spectacles and £200 hat from milliner William Chambers. By Jamie McIvor, BBC Scotland Local Government Correspondent There is no accusation of impropriety against the Lord Provost of Glasgow Eva Bolander. The money spent was within the civic allowance allocated to the council by the Scottish government. The issue here is whether the amount spent on clothes was necessarily politically wise at a time when local government continues to face tough financial choices. For opposition parties, the story seems like an open goal. Try justifying spending on clothes to someone unhappy about a cut or an unfilled pothole. Ms Bolander's supporters would point out that her role involves representing the council (and indeed Glasgow itself) at a large number of events in the city and beyond. There is little love lost between the Labour and SNP groups on Glasgow City Council. Labour is still reeling that the SNP gained control of the administration in 2017 - promising a greater degree of openness and transparency. The question is whether spending this amount of money on clothes is an appropriate use of public resource - does it send out the right signals about the administration in Glasgow or about local government in general? This is to a large extent about the optics. The money may be a drop in the ocean within Glasgow City Council's overall budget but, given the cuts and savings local government has made in recent years, opponents will not be hesitant to suggest what they would consider to be more appropriate uses of taxpayers' money. A council spokesman said: "The national committee that oversees councillors' pay recognises that the requirement to represent their city at hundreds of events means Lord Provosts often incur personal expenses. "For that reason, the Scottish government allocates a civic allowance to each council. "For Glasgow City Council, this is subject to a yearly maximum of £5,000." The civic allowance, which was introduced by the Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee, replaced the clothing allowance and reflects a councillor's public profile. For that reason the Lord Provost is eligible to claim more than a backbench councillor. Last year the council came under fire for accepting a Rolls Royce Ghost for use as the Lord Provost's car at a time when it was preparing to increase nursery fees by 57%. It later emerged the anonymous donor was Boyd Tunnock, owner of the Tunnock's biscuit business. The businessman said he just wanted to do "a good thing" for the city.
Liverpool's markets are once again publicly owned after the city council bought them from its current operator.
Liverpool City Council has taken over all day-to-day operations with immediate effect after buying the markets for a nominal £1 from Geraud, which has operated them since 2003. All staff will continue to be employed under a new company, Liverpool Markets Ltd. The council said the move is part of its plans to invest in the markets. Geraud Markets UK operated the markets with the council under a joint-venture agreement which had been due to run until next year. Malcolm Kennedy, cabinet member for regeneration, said: ''This deal is a watershed moment in the history of Liverpool's markets and ensures they will once again become a major asset in our flourishing retail sector. ''As a city council we are investing millions in upgrading the facilities and the time had come to take back full control of the operations. ''As a result of this new deal we will be able to host, manage, promote and deliver the markets in-house and ensure a standard of quality befitting the new facilities that we are investing in. ''This new approach will give current tenants, future traders and customers a single point of contact that will enable us to improve the market offer right across the board from farmer's markets, international markets and the Christmas markets." In a statement, Geraud said: "Geraud confirms that the sale concluded today. We understand that the terms of the agreement are confidential."
UKIP leader Nigel Farage has clarified his party's position on the NHS after admitting he had once advocated a form of NHS privatisation.
A video compilation of his speeches on the Guardian's website showed Mr Farage suggesting public funding of the NHS be replaced by a private insurance model. Mr Farage said it was an idea he "threw out for debate" two years ago. But he told the BBC that it was rejected and there is "no more debate, no more argument". And he denied that he had ever advocated an American-style model, saying he had alluded rather to the insurance-based French and Dutch systems when arguing that "we may have to think about ways in the future about dealing with healthcare differently". 'Efficiencies' The UKIP leader said he is now standing behind his party's "settled" health policy, which is centred on an NHS free at the point of delivery. And he added: "I don't want to be criticised for just saying to people, 'Can we just think about something differently?'" Setting out the changes he wanted to see in the NHS, Mr Farage told the BBC: "There are reforms we want within the system. Yes, we want efficiencies. "Yes, we think that actually the PFI (private finance initiative) deals that Labour has hung round the necks of our hospitals - we're really going to urge local authorities to buy those out as soon as they humanly can - and we'll also be talking about middle management in the NHS, which has grown by 48% since 1997." Writing in Friday's Independent, Mr Farage has given further details of the party's health policies - many of which emerged at its autumn conference in Doncaster - including plans to ensure all foreigners have medical insurance. Labour leader Ed Miliband said on Thursday that he wanted to "take apart" UKIP's policies in the run-up to next May's general election. "Nigel Farage can twist and turn but he cannot deny it: he wants to privatise the NHS," Mr Miliband tweeted. In response, Mr Farage has challenged Mr Miliband to a head-to-head TV debate before next year's poll.
Australia's former Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton once looked set to seize the prime ministership.
He forced an internal party vote, hoping to unseat Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. The vote did oust Mr Turnbull, but Mr Dutton lost the race for the top job in a stunning upset to Scott Morrison, the current treasurer. Mr Dutton is a polarising figure whose ministerial duties were last year expanded into a super portfolio - giving him considerable power. He is a more hardline conservative than ex-prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and is best known for overseeing Australia's tough and controversial policies on asylum seekers. Mr Dutton had alluded to such perceptions in a press briefing. "It is good to be in front of the cameras where I can smile and maybe show a different side," he said. Rise to leading conservative Born in Brisbane, Mr Dutton spent nine years in the police force before being elected to the House of Representatives in 2001. He has since occupied various ministries including health and sport, before taking over immigration in 2014. Since then, Mr Dutton has been responsible for managing some of Australia's most divisive policies - including offshore detention for asylum seekers and refugees. Canberra sends all asylum seekers who arrive by boat to islands in the Pacific and gives them no prospect of settling in Australia. The policy has frequently drawn criticism from the UN and human rights groups, but Australia has insisted it saves lives at sea. Mr Dutton told Fairfax Media in 2017: "This is a tough portfolio... but I get a lot of professional satisfaction out of it." His reputation as a competent and respected minister within the government earned him a new super-portfolio based on the UK Home Office last year. In addition to immigration and border protection, Mr Dutton took on responsibility for all of Australia's domestic national security agencies. Along the way he became the most senior conservative in Mr Turnbull's government. Australia's second-longest serving prime minister, John Howard, has described Mr Dutton as a formidable and capable politician. "He can clearly explain and justify the government's policies in an effective way. He's a very good communicator," Mr Howard told the Courier Mail last year (paywall). Controversy and gaffes In 2015 Mr Dutton was widely criticised for making light of rising sea levels affecting Pacific Island nations, after he was caught on camera joking about "water lapping at your door". A year later, political journalist Samantha Maiden revealed Mr Dutton had called her a "mad [expletive] witch" in a text message. Mr Dutton later apologised. He was also among several politicians who boycotted Australia's 2008 national apology to the Stolen Generations - a name given to tens of thousands of Aboriginal children who were forcibly taken from their families under infamous government policies until 1970. Mr Dutton defended himself by saying the apology would not deliver "tangible outcomes" for children today. However, he later said he had overlooked the apology's significance. In January, he controversially suggested people in Melbourne were "scared to go out in restaurants" because of African Australian street gangs - part of wider commentary that drew allegations of racist mischief-making. A frequent critic of the left and focus of its scorn, Mr Dutton has become a ubiquitous subject of memes. In one famous instance, his staff asked for an "unflattering" Fairfax Media image - showing Mr Dutton half in shadow - to be taken down. But Twitter wasn't happy with this request and the picture went viral. A bid for prime minister Mr Dutton had on 21 August launched an unsuccessful leadership challenge against Mr Turnbull, losing by a slim margin of 13 votes - causing him to resign from his cabinet position. He vowed to continue challenging Mr Turnbull if he gained enough backing and on Friday, a second party vote was called. Many observers had predicted that Mr Dutton's bid for the top job could still be successful. Some believed that Mr Dutton could have picked up votes in his home state Queensland, which has several key marginal seats. He was up against Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Treasurer Scott Morrison - but ultimately lost to Mr Morrison by 40-45. Under the Australian system, as in the UK, the prime minister is not directly elected by voters but is the leader of the party or coalition that can command a majority in parliament.
Foreign Secretary William Hague has condemned the killing of a Briton by Islamist militants in Algeria as "cold-blooded murder".
Algeria says one of its citizens also died at a gas facility on Wednesday and about 20 foreign workers, including Britons, are now being held hostage. Mr Hague said the UK and Algeria were working "round the clock" to resolve the crisis. The government's emergency committee Cobra has discussed the situation. The Foreign Office said a "rapid deployment team" had been sent "to reinforce British embassy and consular staff in Algeria" and it was "liaising very closely with all levels of the Algerian government". Algerian troops have surrounded the complex at In Amenas, in the east of the country, operated by state oil company, Sonatrach, along with Britain's BP and Norway's Statoil. The other captives are said to include Japanese, US, French and Norwegian nationals. In a statement, BP said: "The situation on site remains unresolved and fragile. Armed groups still occupy the site and hold a number of site personnel." Militant groups have vowed to avenge France's military intervention in Mali, where its forces have been battling Islamists linked to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) for the past week. Algeria has been allowing French aircraft to use its air space. But speaking during a visit to Australia, Mr Hague cast doubt on claims the incident was linked to Mali, saying: "That is a convenient excuse, but usually operations like this take longer to plan." He added: "Whatever excuse is being used by terrorists and murderers who are involved, there is no excuse for such behaviour... "This is the cold-blooded murder of people going about their business." Mr Hague said: "The safety of those involved and their co-workers is our absolute priority and we will work around the clock to resolve this crisis." Algerian Interior Minister Daho Ould Kabila said the militants, who claim they are holding 41 people, wanted to leave the country with the hostages, but he had refused to let them go. He said the kidnappers were Algerian and operating under orders from Mokhtar Belmokhtar, a senior commander in AQIM until late last year, when he set up his own armed group after apparently falling out with other leaders. The Algeria Press Service has reported that 30 Algerian workers, who were also being held hostage, escaped from the facility. And Ennahar television said that 15 foreign hostages were now also safely out of the area. The reports have not been independently confirmed. Prime Minister David Cameron chaired three Cobra meetings on Wednesday to discuss the incident and Downing Street said he later "expressed his sympathy and support" when he spoke to his Algerian counterpart Abdelmalek Sellal. BP chief executive Bob Dudley said: "BP's overriding priority is to do all we can to ensure the safety of our staff and to support their families during this anguishing time. "We will remain in frequent contact with the families to provide support and update them on developments."
Teachers have criticised a plan to cut funding for education if the Stormont parties do not reach an agreement on forming a new power-sharing executive.
Secretary of State James Brokenshire published indicative figures for a budget he would impose if the parties do not reach a deal. The proposed 2.5% cut would represent a loss of £50m from the education budget. One principal described the cut as "completely savage" and others warned that teachers would lose their jobs. "This is really all the political parties, plus the secretary of state, holding our children and their future to ransom, so that a political deal can be struck to restore the executive," said Kevin Donaghy, principal of St Ronan's Primary School in Newry, County Down. Secretary of State James Brokenshire said he had taken advice from senior civil servants and was attempting to reflect the priorities of the local parties. His intention was to "give clarity" in the absence of an executive, he said. Analysis - BBC News NI education correspondent Robbie Meredith Most of Stormont's £1.9bn education budget is spent on paying school staff and on services like school transport, maintenance and special educational needs. Therefore principals, boards of governors - and the Education Authority - have limited wriggle room when it comes to saving money. Many schools were already feeling the squeeze, and there is no guarantee that the restoration of the executive would provide more cash. But with no local agreement imminent, schools are set to face additional cuts this year. And one principal I spoke to accused the political parties of "fiddling while Rome burns". However, two principals have said the cuts would mean teachers being put of work. Deirdre Gillespie, principal of St Mary's Grammar School in Magherafelt, County Londonderry, said: "The only way that I can stand still, not balance my books but stand still, would be to make three teachers redundant and I simply can't afford to run a school with three less teachers. "It will mean that I will have to reduce my curriculum even further, my class sizes would have to increase and that's impossible because I can't fit any more children into the classroom." Marie Lindsay, principal of St Mary's College in Londonderry, also said the cut would mean "two and a half or three teachers" losing their jobs. "I'm angry," she said. "I read that one of the decisions was to reflect political priorities. "This means our young people are not worth investing in." Ralph Magee, from Andrews Memorial Primary School in Comber, County Down, said schools were on an "unknown playing field". "We need a collective voice here from all school leaders and, I would argue, the education authority as well in saying that schools cannot provide what you're expecting to provide at the moment if you plan for these cuts to come in over the next few years." Stormont's finances have been under the control of a senior civil servant since the start of the financial year because the previous executive did not produce a budget. Mr Brokenshire said the totals he has set out "would not constrain the future ability of an incoming executive to adjust its priorities during the course of the year". His indicative budget includes £42m which has not yet been allocated to departments: If all that money was allocated to education it would eliminate most of the shortfall in the department's budget. Deal unlikely Northern Ireland has been without a devolved government since January, when the coalition collapsed over a botched energy scheme. The late Martin McGuinness, of Sinn Féin, quit as deputy first minister in protest at the Democratic Unionist Party's handling of the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scandal. It led to a snap election to the Northern Ireland Assembly on 2 March, which saw a surge in Sinn Féin's vote. Stormont's two largest parties have been unable to reach agreement to share power since that date, and were warned they face either a second assembly election or direct rule from Westminster. However, Prime Minister Theresa May's decision to call a snap election to the House of Commons made a deal even more unlikely as parties switched to campaign mode. In order to keep day-to-day services running in the absence of locally elected ministers, the Westminster government published emergency legislation last week - known as the Ministerial Appointments and Regional Rates Bill The bill passed its accelerated passage through Westminster on Monday and is set to become law by the end of the week.
With its high literacy rate and traditional mercantile culture, Lebanon has traditionally been an important commercial hub for the Middle East.
It has also often been at the centre of Middle Eastern conflicts, despite its small size, because of its borders with Syria and Israel and its uniquely complex communal make-up. Shia Muslims, Sunni Muslims, Christians and Druze are the main population groups in a country that has been a refuge for the region's minorities for centuries. FACTS The Lebanese Republic Capital: Beirut Population 6 million Area 10,452 sq km (4,036 sq miles) Major language Arabic Major religions Islam, Christianity Life expectancy 78 years (men), 81 years (women) LEADERS President: Michel Aoun Michel Aoun was elected by parliament in October 2016, ending a political stalemate which had left the country without a head of state since May 2014. He is the founder of the mainly Maronite Christian political party, the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM). He was army commander-in-chief from 1984 until 1989 and was appointed prime minister of the interim military government in 1988. He launched an unsuccessful "liberation war" against the presence of Syrian forces in 1989 and fled to France in 1990. When Syrian troops left in 2005, he returned to form an alliance with pro-Syrian parties. Prime minister (resigned): Hassan Diab The academic and former education minister Hassan Diab took office in January 2020 on a promise of tackling the country's financial problems with a technocratic cabinet. His predecessor Saad Hariri had resigned in October following mass protests against economic stagnation and corruption. But Mr Diab proved unable to pull Lebanon out of crisis before his government was overwhelmed by the impact of the Covid-19 lockdown. This was followed by rioting after a massive chemical explosion in Beirut port, prompting his resignation in August. The ambassador to Germany, Mustapha Adib, was charged with forming a new technocratic government, but retuned his commission in September after irreconcilable differences over the distribution of ministries. MEDIA Lebanon's broadcasting scene is developed, lively and diverse, and reflects the country's pluralism and divisions. It was the first Arab country to permit private radio and TV. These outlets dominate the broadcasting scene and air some of the most outspoken TV talk shows in the region. News websites have emerged as a key information source. TIMELINE Some key dates in Lebanon's history: 1516-1918 - Lebanon is part of the Ottoman Empire. 1920 - The League of Nations grants the mandate for Lebanon and Syria to France, which creates the State of Greater Lebanon out of the provinces of Mount Lebanon, north Lebanon, south Lebanon and the Bekaa. 1926 - Lebanese Representative Council approves a constitution and the unified Lebanese Republic under the French mandate is declared. 1944 - France agrees to transfer power to the Lebanese government on 1 January. 1975-1990 - Lebanese civil war 1992 - After the first elections since 1972, wealthy businessman Rafik Hariri becomes prime minister. 2000 - Israel pulls out of south Lebanon 2005 - Former prime minister Rafik Hariri is killed by a car bomb in Beirut, sparking anti-Syrian rallies and a political crisis.
Music streamed on sites like Spotify and Deezer will count towards the UK album charts from March, the Official Charts Company has announced.
By Mark SavageEntertainment reporter The change comes after music streaming doubled in 2014, with 14.8 billion individual tracks streamed in the UK. Audio streams were successfully added to the singles chart in July, when Ariana Grande scored the first combined sales and streaming number one. Streams will be included in the album chart using a similar methodology. Data will be counted from 23 February, and the first chart to include streams will be published on Sunday 1 March. "It won't make a significant impact initially," said chart company boss Martin Talbot, adding streams would account for "an uplift of about 10% in the Top 40". Instead, the move is intended to future-proof the chart "so it's ready to reflect changing consumption habits", he told the BBC. Sales of CDs dropped by 8% in 2014, while streaming now accounts for 12.6% of all the music consumed in the UK - a figure that is set to rise again this year, with 1.5 billion tracks streamed in January alone. Music streamed on eight different services (see table below) will now be counted towards the album chart, with the notable exception of YouTube. Talbot said negotiations with Google's video streaming service were ongoing. The BBC understands YouTube's data causes problems for chart compilers because it does not separate official, record label-sanctioned streams from user-generated videos. However, the launch of YouTube's new music subscription service, Music Key, later this year could change that. The move comes with the backing of the music industry, despite several high-profile artists expressing concerns over the royalty rates paid by streaming services. Taylor Swift removed her music from Spotify last year, saying: "I'm not willing to contribute my life's work to an experiment that I don't feel fairly compensates the writers, producers, artists, and creators of this music." Ed Sheeran took the opposite view, telling the BBC he "owed his career" to streaming services. "I think Spotify are paying the right amount," he said. "We're just not seeing it, because the labels aren't making as much as they used to, so they want to keep a lot of the money that Spotify give them, and not pay it out to us. Which is the truth. It is the truth." Chart anomalies Adding streaming data to the singles chart has proved relatively straightforward - with 100 streams of a song counting as the equivalent of one purchase. But turning streams into albums-related data is trickier. In the US, the Billboard chart equates 1,500 streams of any song from an album to one sale. However, that leads to situations where the popularity of one song pushes the entire album up the chart. For instance, Mark Ronson's recent album Uptown Special sold 9,800 copies over the counter in its first week of release, but it made the top 10 of the US Billboard 200 with a final tally of 48,582 sales, propelled by streams and downloads of the hit single Uptown Funk. The Official Chart Company says it will weight its data to avoid similar situations. It will look at the 12 most-streamed tracks from each album, then down-weight the two most popular in line with the average of the next 10. These streams will then be added together and divided by 1,000. This "stream factor" will then be added to the physical/digital sales of the album, to produce an overall "sales figure" that determines an album's position in the countdown. "We're trying to do it the right way and make sure the album chart doesn't become a reflection of the popularity of Blurred Lines and Uptown Funk and tracks like that," said Talbot. The BPI, which represents the music industry, welcomed the makeover. "The Official Charts are the definitive measure of an artist's popularity in the UK, so it's crucial they keep pace with the different ways that fans enjoy music," said chief executive Geoff Taylor. "The album is the ultimate expression of an artist's creativity, so we're delighted that fans listening to albums on streaming services will now be contributing to the Official Albums Chart." "Reports of the death of the album have been exaggerated," added Spotify's Kevin Brown. "Indeed the majority of streams in the UK come from albums". "We are delighted to see the consumption of albums by the millions of music fans on Spotify in the UK now being reflected in the Official Album Chart."
For oncologists worldwide, India can look like a puzzling outlier when it comes to cancer.
Soutik BiswasIndia correspondent For one, despite reporting more than 1.5 million new cases every year, India's cancer rate remains lower than, say, the economically advanced US. That's about 100 cases per 100,000 people compared with 300 in the US. This may be easier to explain: Indians are a vastly younger people and as people get older, the chances of getting cancer get higher. But survival rates are poor - barely a third of patients survive beyond five years or more after being diagnosed with the disease. What is more difficult to explain is why more women in India are diagnosed with cancer than men, according to a new study published in The Lancet Oncology. Men report a 25% higher incidence of cancer than women all over the world, but India bucks this trend. Sharp rise Having said that, more men die of cancer in India than women. But that is because breast, cervical, ovarian and uterine cancer, that account for more than 70% of the cancers in women in India, allow higher chances of survival on treatment. Indian men suffer largely from lung or oral cancer - both related to smoking and ingesting tobacco - which are more virulent with lower survival rates. Breast cancer is now the most common cancer among women in India, accounting for 27% of all cancers among women. Oncologists say there has been a sharp uptick in cases in the last six years. At 45-50 years, the peak age of onset of breast - and ovarian cancer - in India appears to be a decade younger than the peak age (above 60 years) in high-income countries. This could be due to genetic and environmental factors. Cancer is, at times, a genomic disease. Studies have shown the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes usually increase a woman's risk of breast cancer four to eightfold and can explain why some families have lots of relatives diagnosed with breast cancer. But less than 10% of the breast cancers in India are inherited, so genomic screening may not be very useful to find out the cause in the vast majority of female cancers. Then there are regional variations. The incidence of breast cancer is the highest, for example, in the capital, Delhi, but oncologists are not sure why. They can only speculate about increased awareness and higher rates of diagnosis, and not much more. Dr Ravi Mehrotra, director of the National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research and one of the authors of the study, believes that known risk factors for breast cancer - high-fat diet, obesity, late marriage, fewer children, inadequate breast feeding - may be leading to more cases in what is a rapidly urbanising country. Also, he says, many women may be diagnosed late because of lack of awareness and reluctance to go to doctors. In the US, for example, 80% of breast cancers are diagnosed relatively early in the first and second stages. In India, most of the breast cancers are diagnosed in the third and fourth stages. The only silver lining, say oncologists, is that 60% of those with breast cancer in India survive for five years. "But we still don't know fully why women are reporting such a high rate of breast cancer," says Dr Mehrotra. What can be more easily tackled is cervical cancer, mainly caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV), and accounting for nearly 23% of all cancers among women in India. Since 2008, HPV vaccines have been offered to girls aged 11 to 13, and cases of the cancer caused by this virus have fallen sharply worldwide. In India, only Punjab and Delhi have HPV vaccination programmes. 'Preventable cancer' But cervical cancer is still the second most common cancer among women in India, and accounts for a quarter of deaths among women suffering from cancer. "It is one of the most preventable of all cancers," says Dr Mehrotra. "No women should be dying of cervical cancer." India needs a louder and more transparent conversation about reproductive sexual health. It also needs to include the HPV vaccine in the bouquet of free mass vaccinations provided by the government. According to the Lancet paper, India - a country of more than a billion people and 4,000 anthropologically distinct groups - needs genomic studies to identify country-specific genetic biomarkers. It also needs cancer prevention strategies that work for its people. For example, the Lancet suggests parallel studies of women cancer patients in the Punjab region of India and the Punjabi diaspora in the UK. "This might offer an unique opportunity to study the genetic and environmental influences on cancer development in genetically related populations that have been subjected to different environmental factors." India launched a cancer control programme in 1976, but there's not enough funds because the government spends a mere 1.2% of GDP on healthcare. But sometime this year, the government will launch free cancer screening for oral, breast and cervical cancer in 165 of the country's 700 districts. "Things are looking up," says Dr Mehrotra. "But we have a long way to go. We still have a long way to go before we solve the many riddles."
Relatives of elderly residents at four care homes in Hampshire are joining forces with union bosses to challenge council plans to shut the homes.
Unison and Unite unions said Hampshire County Council could use its reserves to update the homes in Basingstoke, Lyndhurst, Romsey and Petersfield. The council said the homes were no longer fit for purpose and would cost more than £10m to modernise. A public consultation on the closures is under way until the end of October. 'Little signs' Bulmer House in Petersfield, Cranleigh Paddock in Lyndhurst, Deeside in Basingstoke and Nightingale Lodge in Romsey could close making 190 staff members redundant, unions fear. The 121 residents would be placed in other care homes or offered care in their own homes, the council said. Sheila Shields, whose mother at Cranleigh Paddock suffers from severe dementia, said the staff were all dementia trained and "know the little signs to look for". She added: "My mother can't ask to go to the toilet, it has to be noticed that she's fidgeting and wants to go." Richard Bambridge from Unite said he had been petitioning members of the public who were "universally against the closure of these homes". Tim Cutter from Unison said: "This is the council trying to distance itself from providing care and basically privatising it". He added the council had "no excuse" not to use its £400m reserve money. The council said the homes had become unsuitable because of "narrow corridors, insufficient space for care equipment and shared toilet facilities". It added the three month consultation would discuss alternative means of care and accommodation.
The issue of sectarianism continues to plague Scottish football, despite efforts to crackdown on the problem.
A BBC Scotland undercover investigation has revealed sectarian and political singing at matches under the control of both the Scottish Football Association and the Scottish Premier League. Rangers, which says it has a rigorous policy to deal with fans displaying sectarian behaviour, has banned 548 supporters for singing offensive songs in the past seven seasons. Celtic has banned six supporters in the last five seasons. These are statements in response to BBC Scotland's investigation into sectarianism, Bigotry, Bombs and Football. Strathclyde Police "We have continually said that sectarianism is not a problem that you can arrest your way through. "The issue is not whether one police officer can wade into a crowd of hundreds of people singing songs and start making arrests, it is why on earth people think it is appropriate to sing these kind of offensive songs in the first place - particularly at a youth cup final. "We are working with the clubs, the government and the football authorities to find real and lasting solutions to this problem. "Progress has been made but, as your footage shows, much remains to be done." Celtic Football Club "The recent sustained level of threats and acts of violence against our manager and others associated with Celtic has been unprecedented in Scottish football. Clearly, this must stop. "In a modern Scottish society there can be no excuse for threats, acts of violence and other behaviour which glorifies sectarianism. We are sure all right-minded people will condemn these actions. "We are also aware that a small minority associated with Celtic continue to tarnish the club's name through offensive political chanting at away grounds. "As a non-political organisation, open to all since its formation in 1888, we stand firmly against this kind of behaviour and will continue to tackle this form of conduct which is unacceptable and has no place in football. "Given all that has happened this year, prior to the beginning of the new season, Celtic will be seeking to meet all relevant parties within the Scottish game to ensure that we can work together in addressing the issues of offensive behaviour and sectarianism."
More than £10m is to be spent on replacing street lights in a town in Dorset.
The Borough of Poole Council has approved plans to install energy-efficient LED street lighting across the town. About 17,420 lights will be replaced over the next six years. The council said the plans would improve street lighting, reduce safety risks and cut energy costs and carbon consumption. '£20m saving' The council said energy costs for its street lighting had more than doubled in the last 10 years. It said street lighting accounted for about a quarter of its entire carbon footprint. By replacing the existing lights, the council estimates it will save about £20m in energy costs over the next 30 years. Councillors have approved borrowing to meet the cost of the replacements, which is estimated to be about £10.4 million. Proposals for street lights to be automatically switched off between midnight and 6:00 BST will no longer go ahead. Instead, the new lights will remain switched on throughout the night in all areas and dimmed during hours when highway use is limited.
Amama Mbabazi was once a staunch ally of Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni and was nicknamed his "super minister".
But he was fired as prime minister in 2014 - after more than 20 years in government - and is now running against him in the country's presidential elections. Mr Mbabazi told the BBC that as an independent candidate who has worked closely with the president he represents "change with continuity". But an election promise which has attracted much press attention is his promise to repatriate the remains of former dictator Idi Amin and build a museum in his honour. Some observers suggest his chances of winning are so slim that his real aim could be to take votes away from opposition candidate Kizza Besigye in an effort to keep the incumbent in power. 'Idealistic lawyer' However, Mr Mbabazi's presidential campaign hit a stumbling block at his very first campaign meeting last July when he was arrested, along with one of his daughters, for violating public order laws by attempting to hold meetings without permission. He was later released without charge and was quick to hit out at President Museveni, saying he was directly behind the arrest. He told the BBC's Newsday programme that the only other time he had been arrested was in 1976, under the rule of Amin. "Even Idi Amin did not arrest my children," he said. Mbabazi's dates with history: In a YouTube video declaring his intention to run in the election, Mr Mbabazi described his younger self as a "young idealistic lawyer with a hunger for justice" who "joined the struggle against the destructive forces that were threatening to derail our self-governing hopes". "That hunger still remains," the 67-year-old insisted. But during armed rebellion of the 1980s against Milton Obote's government, which was led by Mr Museveni in the bush, he worked as an external co-ordinator and did not fight on the front line, something which attracted criticism. 'Doesn't booze' He and his wife and children fled to Kenya in 1981 and then Sweden only returning after Mr Museveni's National Resistance Army eventually took power in 1986, according to his campaign biography. He then went on to work closely with President Museveni for the next two decades, earning the nickname "super minister" because he held the defence and attorney general portfolios at the same time. Over the years he held three key cabinet positions before becoming prime minister in 2011. More on Uganda's election: President Museveni once described him as a "clean man, he doesn't booze or involve himself with women, and he is a hardworking man". Not everyone was a fan and some of colleagues in parliament described him as elitist. Mr Museveni sacked him from government nearly 18 months ago amid allegations that millions of dollars had gone missing from the prime minister's office - something Mr Mbabazi denied. He hinted at an election rally that the two had fallen out over Mr Museveni breaking a promise that he would step down, Uganda's Observer newspaper reported. My Mbabazi went on to describe the government as a "system that has become weak" and said that the country needs to "rediscover our democratic principles". His presidential ambitions have cost his wife Jacqueline, with whom he has six children, her position as chair of women's league of the ruling National Resistance Movement. He says in his youth he was hurdler, loved rugby and was an avid singer. And a short clip on his YouTube channel, posted a year ago, shows him performing what looks like an impromptu piano recital.
More cases of measles have been confirmed on Merseyside, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) has said.
There are now 85 confirmed cases and a further 44 probable cases are being investigated. The HPA declared an outbreak of the illness last month after six people needed hospital treatment. It said most cases were in children who had not been given the MMR vaccine and babies and toddlers too young to be vaccinated. Teenagers and young adults who were not vaccinated as children are also at risk, it said. Parents are being warned to ensure children are fully vaccinated. Dr Roberto Vivancos, from the HPA's Cheshire and Merseyside Health Protection Unit, said: "Measles is highly infectious and unvaccinated children are at risk when it gets into a community, as it has done here on Merseyside. "Furthermore, when unvaccinated older children pick up an infection they can pass it on to vulnerable infants who are too young to be vaccinated. That would appear to be what's happened in this outbreak." Measles is an infectious viral illness that is spread when infected people cough or sneeze. The most common symptoms are fever, cough, sore eyes and a rash that develops 3-4 days after the onset of illness, starting with the face and head and spreading down the body. There was only one confirmed case of measles on Merseyside in the first six weeks of 2011.
A man who was a keen athlete, a rescue diver and competed in Iron Man competitions drowned while on holiday in Romania, an inquest has heard.
Adam Hughes, 21, from Truro, Cornwall, was on a three-week cycling holiday in August 2019 when he decided to swim across a river in Turnu Magurele. He disappeared after he went in and his body was found two days later 3km (1.9 miles) down the river, the inquest in Truro was told. A coroner recorded an open verdict. 'Violent death' His family did not attend the inquest in Truro but his mother had said he was "very keen athlete who had competed in Iron Man events", the hearing was told. She said he had cycled through Ukraine before meeting a friend and heading to Romania, the inquest heard. Mr Hughes, who made daily videos of his trek in Ukraine and Romania, went to a cafe in Turnu Magurele, near the Bulgarian border, and decided to swim across the river. Cafe staff saw him swim halfway across the river, and then he was not seen again. A post-mortem examination found he suffered a "violent death - mechanical asphyxia following submersion", which Cornwall coroner Andrew Cox said was drowning.
Thorntons has issued a profit warning after the hot weather over Easter led to a sharp drop in its chocolate sales.
The retailer said the hot weather in the Easter week contributed to a 22.8% drop in like-for-like sales compared with the same week last year. The Easter trading period accounts for about a third of all store sales in the first four months of the year. It now expects pre-tax profits for the year to 25 June to be £3m-£4.5m, down from the £6.1m it reported last year. The Derbyshire-based company had previously expected profits to be about the same level as last year. 'Weak footfall' Like-for-like sales in Thorntons' own stores fell 12.6% over the 16 weeks to the end of April, compared with the same period a year ago. Overall group sales - which includes commercial sales, franchise stores and the Thorntons Direct delivery business - fell 0.7% as commercial sales largely made up for falling store sales. "The past quarter has been extremely challenging particularly in our own stores and for franchisees and we foresee this weakness in High Street footfall and spending continuing," said Jonathan Hart, Thorntons chief executive. "We took steps to ensure that our ice cream was available in more stores than last year ahead of the Easter trading period. "However, these significant additional sales were insufficient to offset the impact of the weather on those of our core chocolate items." Shares in Thorntons closed down 12.8% at 70 pence. In February, Thorntons had reported a fall in half-year profits after the freezing winter weather hit sales and disrupted its supply chain. Related Internet Links Thorntons
Singer-songwriter Sam Smith has won the Brits Critics' Choice award, which will be presented to him during next year's Brits nominations in January.
The award is open to artists who will release their debut albums in 2014. 21-year-old Smith has already performed with Mercury nominees Disclosure and sang on the number one single La La La by British producer Naughty Boy. He beat shortlisted artists Chloe Howl and Ella Eyre to claim the prize, won previously by Adele and Jessie J. This year's nominees all feature on the BBC's Sound of 2014 longlist, whose winner will be revealed on 10 January, 2014. Smith is set to release his debut single Money On My Mind in February with an album is expected in Spring. He picks up his prize at the Brit nominations, hosted by Radio 1 breakfast host Nick Grimshaw, at ITV Studios on 9 January. The annual award ceremony takes place at London's O2 Arena on 19 February, with Katy Perry and Arctic Monkeys confirmed to play on the night. Arctic Monkeys, One Direction and Ellie Goulding are all expected to feature amongst the nominees. Universal Music will also release a compilation featuring all the artists who have been shortlisted for the Critics' Choice award since it launched in 2008.
The US is violating UN rules by refusing unmonitored access to the Army private who is accused of passing secret documents to WikiLeaks, the UN's chief torture investigator has said.
UN special rapporteur on torture Juan Mendez said the US had has broken rules by insisting on monitoring conversations with Pte Bradley Manning. Mr Mendez says he needs unrestricted access to Pte Manning to do his job. Pte Manning, 23, is being held in a military prison awaiting trial. The intelligence analyst, who joined the US Army in 2007, is accused of leaking 720,000 secret military and diplomatic US government documents. They were later published by the whistle-blowing website Wikileaks. Advocates for government transparency have called for the released of Pte Manning, placing pressure on the US government. 'Unfettered access' After being confined alone in a cell for 23 hours per day in a detention facility in Quantico in the state of Virginia, Pte Manning was transferred to Fort Leavenworth military prison in Kansas in April. Mr Mendez said the US had told him Mr Manning was being treated better now than when he was in Quantico. But the UN investigator said the US must allow him to determine whether the conditions at Quantico that Pte Manning experienced amounted to "torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment". "For that, it is imperative that I talk to Mr Manning under conditions where I can be assured that he is being absolutely candid," Mr Mendez said in a statement. Mr Mendez said that because the US is a "strong supporter of the international human rights system", the country's actions "must seek to set the pace in good practices that enhance the role of human rights mechanisms, ensuring and maintaining unfettered access to detainees during enquiries". Pentagon officials have previously said Pte Manning is being held in appropriate conditions considering the seriousness of the charges against him. He has been charged with using unauthorised software on government computers to download classified information and to make intelligence available to "the enemy", as well as other counts related to leaking intelligence and theft of public records.
Smoking on the touchlines at children's football matches is being banned by the Football Association of Wales.
A total of 522 junior clubs affiliated to the FAW will be required to enforce the ban and will have to tell spectators that smoking is not allowed. It is being phased in this month at under-12s games and will then be expanded to take in under-14s. Smokers' group Forest said the number of smokers at games would be small and "most eyes will be on the football". Clubs are being given promotional material to help them to publicise the ban, which has been set up with anti-smoking campaign group ASH Wales. It comes after a pilot was held at Rhondda and District Football League's mini and junior football games and at the South Wales Women's and Girls' League junior matches. The Welsh Government plans to ban smoking in playgrounds by March. Health Minister Vaughan Gething praised the ban by the FAW and its trust, which supports grassroots football. "Voluntary bans like this one help protect children from seeing smoking as an acceptable and normal behaviour and can help prevent them from taking up smoking in the first place," he said. Dr David Adams, from the FAW Trust, said: "As a parent of children who take part in grassroots football, I am delighted with our partnership with ASH Wales, and that the FAW and FAW Trust are leading the way to help the next generation of children grow up recognising the health risks associated with smoking." What do people think? Former smoker Su Griffith agrees with the ban, saying "losing two hours not being able to have a cigarette isn't going to kill them". Liam Jones said it was a "good idea" to protect people from second-hand smoke. "It can affect kids' minds as well, thinking it's OK to smoke," he added. Evelyn Roberts said the ban was "fine as long as there is a smoking shed or somewhere else for them to smoke". And non-smoker Donna Williams said: "For the health of young children, I agree with banning it." Parents at a children's football training session in Cardiff supported the move. George Oliver said he did not see most parents smoking on the sidelines, but anything which re-enforced the message "has got to be a really positive thing". Gemma Walsh said the move was "a good idea", while Rob Morville agreed, adding: "If you've got parents on the sidelines smoking, that's only going to give a bad impression to the children." Suzanne Cass, from ASH Wales, said there was "an urgent need to address youth smoking prevalence which is still at an unacceptable level". "This policy will make a big difference to children's perception of smoking and we very much hope that this will prevent many of them from taking up the habit in later life," she said. Simon Clark, director of smokers' lobby group Forest, said "smoking in the open air does not put anyone else's health at risk". "This is virtue-signalling by the FAW and further evidence that the war on tobacco is now a moral crusade with unintended consequences for tolerance and moderation," he said. "A genuine problem at children's football matches is pushy parents screaming abuse at referees."
A school in Herefordshire that was due to close this summer may reopen with the help of volunteers.
Herefordshire County Council decided last year to close Dilwyn Primary School, which is near Leominster, due to falling pupil numbers. But governors have applied to run it as a free school funded directly from central government. The school currently has 30 pupils but it has been described as a key part of the village since it opened in 1845. Free schools are schools which are set up by groups of parents, teachers, charities, trusts, religious or voluntary groups. They are free from government control but are still subject to inspection by Ofsted. John Spachman, chair of the board of governors, said if the school did not receive confirmation of its application in time for the next school year in September it would operate as an independent school for 12 months. He said: "We have the application in for a free school opening in 2011 and it's not impossible we'll achieve that. "We have very talented teachers who have put a very exciting curriculum together. "Learning should be fun and we're going to create a school where children enjoy the process of learning." Mr Spachman said he did not want to say how much money would be required to run the school but it would not be as high as people might think. Madeleine Spinks has two pre-school age daughters she would like to send to the school. She said: "The school is such a key part of the village. "I was angry when I heard it was going to close. "All of the parents are very determined and they've all offered to help." She said offers from people in the village included qualified teachers offering to work for free and residents being prepared to mow the grass and do administration at the school.
An armed robber nicknamed the "Skull Cracker" has been jailed for life for raiding a Surrey building society while on the run from an open prison.
Michael Wheatley, 55, pleaded guilty to the £18,350 raid at Chelsea Building Society in Sunbury on 7 May. He also admitted possessing a firearm and being unlawfully at large. Judge Christopher Critchlow at Guildford Crown Court ordered him to serve a minimum of 10 years. Wheatley appeared via video link from prison. The court heard he previously robbed the same building society branch 13 years ago and staff had been told to be on their guard following his disappearance. Judge Critchlow said this was a "special case" because of Wheatley's prolific record of violent armed robberies and committing offences after being released from prison. "It is clear the public must be protected from you for a long time," he said. Blunt weapon The court heard Wheatley had 23 previous convictions for robbery, two for attempted robbery and 18 for related firearms offences. He was serving a life sentence at Standford Hill prison on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, when he was granted day release and failed to return on 3 May. He was arrested in Tower Hamlets, east London, after being on the run for five days following the Sunbury raid. In 2002 he was given 13 life sentences for raids on banks and building societies. Wheatley earned his nickname for using an imitation handgun as a blunt weapon to hit people - including a 73-year-old woman - during his robberies. He had gone on the run twice in the past and each time staged a series of violent robberies before being caught and re-jailed. His failure to return to Standford Hill sparked a storm of protest. Release ban Conservative backbencher Philip Davies, MP for Shipley in West Yorkshire, said whoever had allowed him out of prison was "a berk" Prisons minister Jeremy Wright later said there would be a full review of the release on temporary licence process. Following sentencing, justice secretary Chris Grayling said: "Keeping the public safe is our priority and I will not allow the actions of a small minority of offenders undermine public confidence in the prison system "With immediate effect, prisoners will no longer be transferred to open conditions or allowed out on temporary release if they have previously absconded, and there will also be no unrestricted 'town leave'." Kevin Perry, 53, of West India Dock Road, east London, also appeared via video link from prison charged with assisting an offender, perverting the course of justice and handling stolen goods. Mr Perry did not enter any pleas and was remanded in custody until 18 July.
EE has announced which six UK cities will be the first to get faster 5G mobile networks.
Building on existing trials, EE will turn on 5G in London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Belfast, Birmingham and Manchester by mid-2019. By the end of 2019, another 10 cities will get EE networks which could transmit data at speeds faster than 10 gigabits per second. Other UK networks are now trialling 5G to accelerate their rollout next year. Security fears When 5G networks are operating, Britons can expect higher speeds and better reliability, said Marc Allera, head of the consumer division at EE-owner BT, in a statement. "We have an ambition to connect our customers to 4G, 5G or wi-fi 100% of the time," said Mr Allera. He suggested that customers would "pay a little more" for 5G because of its speed and responsiveness. The other 10 cities will be Glasgow, Newcastle, Liverpool, Leeds, Hull, Sheffield, Nottingham, Leicester, Coventry and Bristol. Vodafone, O2 and Three are all running trials of the futuristic network technology and are using these as a test bed while they develop services. In early November, Three said it was well into work to prepare its network for 5G by boosting capacity and installing hardware that will work with existing and faster, future networks. Vodafone said its trial in Manchester was now part of its "commercial network" and similar sites in five other cities would soon start. It has given no date for when it would offer a 5G service. O2's test systems are based around the O2 arena in London and it is also running other trials in locations around the UK. It has written to every company in the UK FTSE 100 inviting them to join tests of how the new mobile tech could help their businesses. The announcement comes soon after the government wrote to UK telecoms firms warning those building 5G networks to take care when selecting which hardware they use. The letter, reported in the Financial Times, said a review of hardware used for the UK's national infrastructure started in July could delay any rollout. It said the review could place limits on how much equipment firms could use from Chinese electronics firm Huawei. Huawei has been stopped in Australia and the US from being used for 5G networks.
Health chiefs in Cumbria have again suspended visiting at one of the county's largest hospitals following a norovirus outbreak.
Restrictions have been put in place at Carlisle's Cumberland Infirmary because of the vomiting and diarrhoea bug. North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust imposed a similar ban in January after patients became ill. A trust spokesman said people visiting children or critically ill relatives would still be allowed on to wards. Essential visits He added: "We have temporarily suspended visiting at the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle due to an ongoing norovirus outbreak on three wards. "We appreciate people want to visit their loved ones, but by suspending visiting we can contain the outbreak faster. "If people feel visiting is essential, such as for children or a loved one who is critically ill, then they should contact the ward in advance to arrange this." Also known as the winter vomiting bug, norovirus is estimated to affect between 600,000 and one million people in the United Kingdom annually.
Indonesia says it may ban Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio from returning over his comments on rainforests being cleared for palm oil plantations.
Mr DiCaprio entered Indonesia on a tourist visa and on Sunday visited Gunung Leuser National Park in Aceh. "A world-class biodiversity hotspot... but palm oil expansion is destroying this unique place," he posted. If the comments were judged as "incitement", he would be banned in future, a top official told the BBC. ''In terms of [his] visa and immigration permit, Leonardo DiCaprio did not do anything wrong: He entered and left Indonesia legally. But, we still investigate," Heru Santoso, spokesperson for the director general of immigration department, said. "If DiCaprio's posting in his social media can be categorised as incitement or provocation, we can blacklist him from coming back to Indonesia." It is not the first time a Hollywood star has run into trouble in Indonesia over their environmental activism. Star Wars actor Harrison Ford was threatened with deportation in 2013 for "harassing state institutions" after interviewing the then forestry minister about illegal logging. 'Black campaign' In posts on his Instagram account, Mr DiCaprio said he was working to save the Leuser ecosystem, "the last place on Earth where Sumatran orang-utans, tigers, rhinos and elephants coexist in the wild". On Twitter, he posted a link to a petition addressed to the Indonesian President Joko Widodo, calling for the area to be protected. Some members of the government have accused him of running a "black campaign" to discredit the government and the country's palm oil industry. But Farwiza Farhan, chairperson of the group Forest, Nature and Environment of Aceh, told BBC Indonesia that the Oscar-winning actor had done nothing wrong. "The claim that he was trying to discredit Indonesia doesn't make sense because these environment campaigns are local movements," she said. "He just gave his support. Tourists can come and speak their opinion. When Leo arrived in Medan he was shocked that the haze was so thick, he asked us: 'Is this smoke or clouds?'" More on palm oil: What causes South East Asia's haze? Palm oil threat to Indonesia's orangutans Is Malaysia's palm oil worth the cost?
A major shake-up of health services in Leicestershire and Rutland is "vital" to avoid a £400m funding shortfall, health leaders say.
The Better Care Together plan proposes cutting acute hospital care from three to two sites in Leicester, reducing the number of overall hospital beds. More reliance on community-based services will produce a more efficient health service, officials say. But there are concerns there may not be enough GPs to support the plan. 'Financial pressures' The transfer of more acute services to the Royal Infirmary and Glenfield Hospital in Leicester will mean the city's General Hospital would be used for diabetes care, rehabilitation, psychological therapies and outpatient clinics. The five-year plan, which will be open to consultation, also calls for the redevelopment of an emergency floor at the Royal Infirmary and the creation of a new "cutting-edge cardiovascular and renal service" at Glenfield Hospital. "The overall aim is for organisations to work together to provide more community-based support for patients to live at home - so reducing the risk of serious illness requiring admission to hospital," the report said. Professor Azhar Farooqi, of the Leicester City Clinical Commissioning Group and a local GP, said: "The case for change is compelling. The financial pressures give us a real opportunity to make improvements for our patients by doing things differently." Chief executive of University Hospitals Trust of Leicester John Adler said financial pressures meant the local NHS funding gap will reach almost £400m in five years. The plan is expected to result in fewer hospital beds and a smaller workforce, but the exact number of job cuts is "not yet clear", the report said. "It is not simply a matter of dumping our work on our primary care colleagues - it is our specialists working in an integrated way with GPs and primary care providers." But GP and county councillor Dr Terri Eynon said that, while the changes were "important", falling numbers of GPs in Leicestershire meant there may not be enough doctors to support increased care in the community. "The proposals are excellent, the aspirations are superb. Who can complain? But how are we going to make this happen?" she said. The capital costs of the changes are expected to reach £320m, with most of the funding from national grants.
Health authorities are trying to find out what poisoned at least 20 condors in the Andes mountain range between Chile and Argentina.
The huge endangered birds, with a wingspan of up to 3m, were found near the town of Los Andes, about 80km east of the Chilean capital, Santiago. The authorities say two birds died, but 18 are recovering at a clinic. They suspect the damage may have been caused by eating carcasses of poisoned cattle, fox or puma. Witnesses alerted the authorities on Sunday after seeing the condors, known for their effortless gliding at high altitudes, flying low and crashing into rocks. 'Phosphorous compounds' Once on the ground, they were not able to take off again and walked apparently dizzily and foaming from the beak, authorities say. Two of the birds were reportedly found dead, as well as two foxes. "[The poisoning] seems to have been caused by the ingestion of an ill animal or one that ate another being with some phosphorate compound," the regional director of the Chilean Farming and Cattle Service, Pablo Vergara, told the Argentine newspaper Clarin. The chemical compound can be found in herbicides and poison used to kill animals considered to be pests. The poisoned condors were taken to a veterinary clinic, given an antidote and are said to be recovering. The possibility of finding more animals with the same symptoms has not been ruled out. The Andean condor is one of the world's biggest bird species and is considered a symbol of the region. Scientists estimate less than 10,000 condors live in the wild.
The polls have just closed. A phrase we're perhaps quite accustomed to these days.
Laura KuenssbergPolitical editor@bbclaurakon Twitter All day, voters in many parts of England and in Northern Ireland have been casting their ballots, expressing their views on the politicians who had put themselves up for scrutiny, stepping forward for the chance to be part of important decisions about our communities - on housing, the transport we use, the care provided to the youngest and oldest in our society. Each and every area will have its own many stories, each of us our own motivations for which box, or none, we tick. What happens in towns, villages and cities, and the decisions made by town halls and councillors has a huge bearing, of course, on these results. These elections are not taking place everywhere, so the results can't and won't give us a complete geographical picture. Turnout tends to be low in council elections, so in that sense too, the results are not representative of the whole voting public in the same way as a general election, where many millions more of us take part. Not all of the parties are even standing. Neither of the two new arrivals, Change UK and the Brexit Party, are taking part. And quite fittingly in a country like ours, there are plenty of quirks. In one Surrey borough for example, the residents' association party has held control for years and years and anyone else can pretty much forget their chances of getting a look in. In Cheshire West and Chester, the kind of area where general elections are traditionally won and lost, the lines of the map have been redrawn this time round, so it's still a fight between Labour and the Tories, but in a different way. Whatever happens in the next 24 hours as the results emerge, bear in mind that the results of these local elections are not a beautifully clear, let alone reliable, crystal ball that will reveal the future. But these contests are an enormous set of elections, much bigger than the normal set of local ballots, and an important chance to test how the craziness of our national politics right now is going down with the public. Polling matters of course, and goodness knows, there is plenty of that about. Recent surveys are certainly not pretty reading for the government, nor do they suggest their main opponents, Labour, streaking ahead. They are a useful but only hypothetical guide to the currents of the public's thinking. Real votes in real elections are what count, and tonight's a real chance to get a flavour of what the Great British voting public really thinks. We'll be on air as the results come in overnight, on BBC One and BBC News, with loads of coverage online too.
The jury in the trial of a former Labour peer accused of sexually abusing children when he was a teenager has been discharged.
Nazir Ahmed, 63, denied two counts of attempting to rape a girl under 16, indecent assault of a boy under 14 and raping a boy under 16. The alleged offences were said to date from the 1970s when Mr Ahmed, formerly Lord Ahmed of Rotherham, was 14. Jurors were told they were being discharged for legal reasons. At Sheffield Crown Court, Judge Jeremy Richardson QC said discussions with the prosecution and defence teams were ongoing. Mr Ahmed's brothers, Mohammed Farouq, 70, and Mohammed Tariq, 65, also from Rotherham, were accused of indecent assault of a boy under 14, but were unfit to plead and faced a trial of the facts. Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected]. Related Internet Links HM Courts & Tribunals Service
Calls to ChildLine from children in care in the UK have risen by 32% in the past five years, the charity has said.
One in 26 children in local authority care - a total of 3,196 - contacted it in 2009, reporting issues like neglect and sexual and physical abuse, it said. It is calling for all those in care to have access to an independent advocate to speak up for them. The Association of Directors of Children's Services was unavailable for comment when contacted by the BBC. There were more than 83,000 children being looked after by UK local authorities in 2009, including those in foster and residential care, and those in institutions like prisons. Unsettled ChildLine said children as young as five were reporting serious failings in the care system. Many, it said, talked about being "sick of life" and wanting to "give up and die", and complained of emotionally abusive or uncaring carers and being bullied by other children. A significant number were deeply unsettled after being moved as many as 15 times a year, it said, and many had to be counselled about running away or self-harm. ChildLine quoted one 14-year-old, Sarah, as saying: "I am in care because I was sexually abused by my stepdad. My carer has hit me and touched me up. I've reported it but they are not taking my accusation seriously." Sue Minto, head of ChildLine, told the BBC that a lack of money should not be a reason to ignore the problem. "Even if there is an issue about cost we need to have an awareness that these children are desperately unhappy," she said. "Budget or no budget, we have to find a way to help them have a voice." At present, children are only entitled to an independent advocate if they are making a formal complaint. But Ms Minto said children needed regular access to an adult who could act as their friend and with whom they could speak more informally than a social worker or other local authority figure. "Children need their own advocate for them so that they have an opportunity before their meetings to really talk about what they want and how they're feeling, and have some help to have that expressed at these meetings," she added. Charity the NSPCC, which oversees ChildLine, is piloting a new advocacy service for 600 children in six local authority areas.
The earliest evidence of human settlement in Britain, found near a Norfolk caravan park, will form a central part of a new exhibition at the Natural History Museum.
Displays will feature stone tools, found in Happisburgh, which suggest humans arrived in the UK 900,000 years ago. The individuals were a primitive predecessor of Homo Antecessor. The exhibition in London runs from 13 February to 28 September. Entitled "Britain: One Million Years of the Human Story", the show traces the changing population and landscape of the UK, drawing on more than 10 years of research by a large network of scientists, led by experts at the Natural History Museum. 'Ancient past' Prof Chris Stringer, a human origins researcher, said: "Britain has one of the richest yet most underappreciated records of early human history in the world. "It has taken more than 10 years for our 50-strong team of archaeologists, palaeontologists and geologists to unlock the secrets of our ancient past. "This is the first time the key specimens from our research are together in one place. I hope people will be able to really get a feel for how different and changeable Britain was and see some of the incredible material and relics that have been found right beneath their feet." Nick Ashton, curator of Palaeolithic and Mesolithic collections at the British Museum, said at the time the ancient tools were made in Happisburgh, Britain was linked to mainland Europe by a land corridor. "The area would have been totally different with Happisburgh on the River Thames, surrounded by a coniferous forest." Work started on excavating the site after a hand axe was found on the beach in 2000 by Mike Chambers while walking his dog. He said: "I did not realise when I found it how important it was. My wife had to convince me to take it to the museum." The hand axe, with dimensions of just 12mm (0.47in) in height, 7mm (0.28in) in width and 4mm (0.16in) in depth, was used as a butchery tool to carve flesh from bones.
A church warden accused of murdering a man he was engaged to told an NHS 111 operator dementia caused his injuries.
Oxford Crown Court heard Ben Field, 28, of Wellingborough Road, Olney, called for help for 69-year-old Peter Farquhar in September 2015. Mr Field told the operator Mr Farquhar had fallen and struck his head. Mr Field denies murder, conspiracy to murder, possessing an article for the use in fraud and an alternative charge of attempted murder. He has admitted four charges of fraud and two of burglary. In a call to the NHS in September 2015, which was played to the court, Mr Field told the call handler: "He falls frequently because, err, you know something that's yet undiagnosed but it, it's probably a dementia." The court was told Mr Field's plan was to kill Mr Farquhar and neighbour Ann Moore-Martin, 83, to benefit from their wills. To make the pair think they were losing their minds he laced Mr Farquhar's food and drink with drugs and neat alcohol, jurors heard. The court also heard Mr Field wrote religious messages on Ms Moore-Martin's mirrors which she believed were messages from God. Mr Field is charged alongside Martyn Smith, 32, of Penhalvean, Redruth, Cornwall, who denies murder, conspiracy to murder, two charges of fraud and one of burglary. Mr Field's brother, Tom Field, 24, of Wellingborough Road, Olney, denies a single charge of fraud. The trial continues.
Lebanon's Shia Hezbollah movement and its allies have nominated university professor and former education minister Hassan Diab to be prime minister.
Mr Diab reportedly failed to secure the backing of the main Sunni-led bloc, which could make it difficult to form a new government and secure Western aid. He emerged as a candidate when outgoing PM Saad Hariri withdrew on Wednesday. Mr Hariri resigned in October following mass protests fuelled by anger over corruption and economic mismanagement. Negotiations on a replacement stalled over the make-up of the new government, with some parties backing the protesters' demand for an independent cabinet of unaffiliated technocrats and others insisting that the cabinet includes politicians. How was the prime minister chosen? On Thursday, President Michel Aoun held formal consultations with members of parliament on who to name as prime minister - a post that must go to a Sunni Muslim under Lebanon's complex confessional power-sharing system. Mr Aoun was required to designate the candidate with the most support. Mr Diab was nominated by the biggest Shia Muslim factions, Hezbollah and Amal, as well as Mr Aoun's Maronite Christian Free Patriotic Movement (FPM). Together the groups control a majority of the seats in the 128-member parliament. The second-placed candidate was Nawwaf Salam, a former judge at the International Criminal Court at The Hague. Mr Hariri's Sunni-led Future Movement did not nominate anyone and told the president that it would not participate in the next government, a source close to the prime minister told Reuters news agency. Mr Hariri had been expected to be nominated for a third term in office after the Sunni religious establishment threw its support behind his candidacy. But he withdrew on Wednesday night, saying: "It has become clear that despite my absolute commitment to forming a government of specialists, the positions [of others] are not changing." FPM leader Gebran Bassil, Mr Aoun's son-in-law, called the move "responsible". What's Mr Diab's background? Mr Diab, 60, has a PhD in computer engineering from the University of Bath in the UK and has taught the subject at the American University of Beirut since 1985. In 2006, he was appointed AUB's vice-president of Regional External Programs (REP), the university's consulting and professional development arm. Mr Diab served as education minister between 2011 and 2014, under then-Prime Minister Najib Mikati. According to a 2018 biography, Mr Diab is one of only a few non-party affiliated technocrats to have been a minister in Lebanon. He was also the first Lebanese education minister to have a professional background in higher education. After leaving office, he returned to his teaching and administrative roles at AUB. Elie Ferzli, the Greek Orthodox Christian deputy speaker of parliament and Hezbollah ally, said Mr Diab's nomination took "into account some of the basic prerequisites wanted by the people" and called him a "person of integrity". But Mr Mikati, who had backed Mr Hariri's candidacy, said he was sceptical that Mr Diab would be able to lead Lebanon out of its political and economic crises. Why are people protesting? The demonstrations have been the largest seen in Lebanon in more than a decade. They have cut across sectarian lines - a rare phenomenon since the devastating 1975-1990 civil war ended - and involved people from all sectors of society. In addition to the formation of an independent, non-sectarian cabinet, protesters want an overhaul of the political system and end to government corruption. Lebanon's debt is equivalent to more than 150% of gross domestic product (GDP), its economy has stagnated, and its currency has lost value against the US dollar for the first time in two decades. The country's public infrastructure, which was already stretched before more than one million refugees arrived from neighbouring Syria, is also ailing. Electricity and water supplies are disrupted frequently and rubbish often piles up on the streets. On Thursday, Amnesty International called on the Lebanese authorities to launch a thorough, independent criminal investigation into the violent crackdown by security personnel on largely peaceful protesters in Beirut on Saturday, in which at least 135 people were injured. The human rights group alleged that security forces used excessive force to disperse protesters, firing huge amounts of tear gas into crowds, and chasing protesters down streets and alleys at gunpoint and beating them. Low-level clashes also took place on Monday and Tuesday evening, with police using tear gas against protesters throwing stones, water bottles and fireworks.
The first major UK exhibition of the work of French designer Yves Saint Laurent has proved so popular that it is being extended.
Style is Eternal, which showcases key items from his 50-year career, has been running at the Bowes Museum in County Durham since July. It has been the most popular exhibition in the museum's history, attracting three time the usual visitor numbers. The initial closing date of 25 October has now been extended to 8 November. The show highlights how the designer revolutionised womenswear and includes dresses from the late 1950s which have never been seen in public before. There have been 55,000 visitors to date, a figure which is expected to reach 70,000 by the time it closes. Adrian Jenkins, Director of The Bowes Museum said: "It has been a wonderful moment in the museum's history. "The exhibition has dazzled visitors and informed us of Yves Saint Laurent's huge contribution to the world of fashion, evident in the way women dress every day."
Gloucester Cathedral is back in the black thanks to a £355,000 legacy from an anonymous benefactor.
The cathedral recorded a £28,000 deficit last year, with the Church saying the recession had hit income. This year's annual report reveals the cathedral made a surplus of £128,000. Chapter Steward Mark Beckett said: "This result, despite the recession, is due to the generosity of many people - the congregations, charity trusts, local people and visitors." The cathedral receives no money from the government or from its local parishes and - unlike many equivalents - has a policy of not charging visitors.
Survivors of the Parkland school shooting in Florida have hit out at comedian Louis CK after he was heard poking fun at them in a stand-up set.
The leaked audio apparently came from one of his comeback routines a year after he admitted sexual misconduct. In it, he ridiculed the Parkland pupils who have become anti-gun activists. Survivor Ryan Deitsch tweeted: "It's a shame when you sink so low that your comeback plan is to make fun of school shooting survivors for speaking out." Another survivor, Sofie Whitney, said he "must be really intimidated by us kids". Alex Wind said the audience members who could be heard laughing and clapping at Louis CK's jokes were "just as much at fault". And Delaney Tarr, who had to hide in a cupboard from the gunman, added her voice. Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime was killed in February's shooting, suggested the comic "come to our house and try out your new pathetic jokes". Jaime was one of 17 people who were killed when a 19-year-old expelled former student opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on 14 February. A group of students went on to set up the campaign group March For Our Lives to lobby for tighter gun control measures. In his routine, Louis CK could be heard making fun of the survivors, saying: "Why does that make you interesting? You didn't get shot. You pushed some fat kid in the way, and now I've got to listen to you talking?" A version of the comic's expletive-laden set was posted on YouTube on 30 December. Louis CK's career took a downturn after he admitted several instances of sexual misconduct in November 2017. He said he had "wielded power irresponsibly" and could hardly wrap his head around the "scope of hurt" he had caused. His statement also said: "I have spent my long and lucky career talking and saying anything I want. I will now step back and take a long time to listen." That time seems to be up, however, and he returned to performing low-key shows in comedy clubs in August. Part of the leaked routine also included criticism of young people identifying as gender neutral and people with learning difficulties. The BBC has contacted Louis CK's lawyer for a response. Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected].
A school in Pembrokeshire could lose its sixth form due to falling numbers of pupils and subjects available.
A request from governors at Milford Haven School to hold a consultation on closure has been backed by councillors. Chair of the governors Pat James said it had been "one of the most difficult decisions" they had ever taken. Local councillor Mike Stoddart said the authority's deal with Pembrokeshire College to offer A-levels had been a "death warrant" for school sixth forms. A report to Pembrokeshire County Council said Milford Haven School currently had 44 sixth form pupils, less than a quarter of the total it had in 2010, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. 'Overwhelming' evidence The number of subject choices on offer had dropped from 22 to nine, plus the Welsh baccalaureate. The school also faces a budget deficit of £120,000, with the cost of its sixth form £245,926 for 2019/20. Mrs James wrote a letter to the council, following a meeting of the governors, saying: "Having explored every avenue over a period of time the evidence for closure is overwhelming." Paul Rapi, a Plaid Cymru councillor for Carew, said it was a "sad day" and was "not the way we should be going with our education". He predicted other schools would soon follow, and blamed a lack of funding for sixth forms by the Welsh Government. Mr Stoddart, a non-aligned councillor for Milford Haven, said: "It's even sadder because all this has been brought about under the auspices of an administration I support." He blamed the council's signing in 2017 of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Pembrokeshire College in Haverfordwest to provide A-level courses, which he had strongly objected to. "Once that MoU was signed it was the death warrant for A-levels in our schools," he said. "Milford is only the first, Tenby can't be far behind and so it goes on." The Welsh Government said school organisation at a local level was a matter for local authorities. "We continue to prioritise education spending, which is why we recently announced the single biggest investment in teachers since devolution - a £24m package of professional learning to help raise standards in the classroom," a spokesman said.
A man has died after a crash on the Isle of Harris.
Emergency services were called to the A859, south of Ardhasaig, at about 09:05 following the one-vehicle accident. Police Scotland said the 29-year-old male driver was pronounced dead at the scene. Sgt Kate Park, appealing for witnesses, said: "His next of kin have been made aware and our thoughts are with them at this difficult time". Related Internet Links Police Scotland Non Emergencies - Phone 101 - Police Scotland
Scientists are working on techniques that would allow them to routinely monitor the health of corals worldwide from orbit.
By Jonathan AmosBBC Science Correspondent The EU's new Sentinel-2a satellite has the capability to look into the water column, to see whether reefs are undergoing change. Current, anomalously high temperatures are driving a huge coral bleaching event across the globe. Early work suggests the Sentinel can detect the effects from 780km up. The satellite's two images on this page show Fatu Huku Island in French Polynesia. The one below is a full colour view of the 1.5km-long rocky outcrop. At the top of the page, however, is a picture that displays only the "blue band" from the satellite's camera. Selecting this 490-nanometre wavelength makes the submerged reef around Fatu Huku jump out. "The blue band really goes into the water. The shorter the wavelength, the better the penetration you have," explained Dr Benjamin Koetz from the European Space Agency (Esa). "With Sentinel-2a, we can see 10-15m into the water, which you just couldn't see if you were using the green band, for example," he told BBC News. Esa is sponsoring a project called Sen2Coral, which had Sentinel-2a make repeat observations of the volcanic island from February to April this year. In that time, it detected a change in sea-bottom radiance - a brightening - that is very likely related to bleaching. A dedicated field team sent to the island at the end of February confirmed that sea-water temperatures were consistently above 30C and that parts of the reef were stressed. More work is needed though to confirm the associations. Imaging 'sweetspot' Excessively warm water will cause coral polyps to expel their symbiotic algae. This drains a reef of its colour. It is not necessarily fatal but it can weaken the ecosystem, making it vulnerable in the face of other threats such as disease. Bleaching has been occurring globally on a large scale of late because of the El Nino phenomenon, which sees surface temperatures spike in many ocean regions but particularly in the central and eastern Pacific. Scientists had previously tried to observe corals in the same way as at Fatu Huku using the American Landsat spacecraft and the French Spot platform. The former does not have quite the resolution needed (just 30m versus S2a's 10m), and the latter's camera does not have the optimal band to penetrate the water column. Ultimately, if the S2a techniques can be fully validated, it should be possible to automate the detection of change at reefs. Scientists could then use the Sentinel to alert them, not just to possible bleaching but to other deleterious impacts such as pollution incidents and nutrient run-off from land. The EU satellite is ideally suited to this kind of application. It is designed to map all land surfaces (and the coastal regions where corals tend to live) every 10 days. When its sister satellite (Sentinel-2b) is launched next year, this repeat time will fall to five days. All the data is free and open. "Sentinel coverage is systematic in the sense that it covers within 20km of the coast. But this doesn't, of course, include all the corals in the world, and one of the objectives of this project is to try to understand what exactly is needed," said Dr Koetz. "If we wanted to have a systematic coral reef observatory, we would have to increase the image acquisition plan, to take in all of the Great Barrier Reef, for example." The coral work of Sentinel-2a was highlighted at Esa's Living Planet Symposium which took place in Prague earlier this month. [email protected] and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos
About 200 staff at a Leicester hospital say they are concerned missing overtime payments are due to their NHS trust's troubled financial position.
Union Unison said 200 staff at the Leicester Royal Infirmary had not received pay for extra shifts and overtime this month. The University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust has an overspend of £7m, three months into the financial year. In a statement, the trust said payments would be processed in a week's time. "All staff have received their basic pay for June, but additional payments are dealt with separately, and a small number of those payments go through a supplementary run which occurs in the week following payday," the statement said. 'Conflicting information' But Adrian Morgan, area organiser for Unison in Leicestershire, said staff had been told different things when querying the missing payments. "A couple of people have phoned payroll and asked why they haven't got their enhanced payments and they were told the signature on the overtime sheet isn't legible or acceptable any more but these are from managers that have signed forms for years and years. "It is very conflicting information," he said. Mr Morgan said staff were beginning to suspect the trust was hanging on to payments "to try to garner some interest". Staff are currently considering a vote of no confidence in the senior management team after Malcolm Lowe-Lauri, the trust's chief executive, e-mailed staff in June saying they might not be paid in July. Staff were reassured this would not happen but managers confirmed a further £1m overspend for last month. The trust needs to make savings of £158m over the next five years due to government spending cuts.
The director of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) says she does not have enough reassurance about safe staffing to propose an end to strike action.
Health workers in Northern Ireland have been staging industrial action in protest against pay and staffing. On Tuesday, trade unions had a "positive" meeting with Health Minister Robin Swann, who offered £30m to restore pay parity. Talks with the Department of Health continued into Wednesday night. They were said to have ended on an "upbeat" note, however, Pat Cullen of the RCN said it was "deeply concerning" that after her meeting with Mr Swann, she spoke to departmental officials who said that there "may be difficulties with the minister committing to the issues of safe staffing". The unions are expected to see their individual executives on Thursday. Nurses are due to strike again on three days next week - Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Ms Cullen said she could not suspend planned strike action for next week unless there is "a formal commitment on safe staffing that will deliver for patients and nurses". "At this point in time, I do not have enough detail and reassurance that I could put to the Northern Ireland board and propose that we suspend our strike action," she said. The Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance (NIPSA) union said industrial action "will remain in place until this dispute is resolved to the satisfaction of members". Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme, the new health minister said he would meet the unions later on Wednesday for further clarity. He said he thought reassurances "had gone far enough" but he would work with health unions and added that there were "no guarantees about the financial package that is coming". But he stressed his commitment to health staff who he praised for the care they showed his son, who was born with a heart defect. "I owe so much to our health service, and when the health portfolio came up, I couldn't pass it by personally because of what we, as a family, owe to our NHS," he said. On Tuesday, the unions expressed concern that the money is coming from Stormont's finances and not additional funding from Westminster. They are expected to respond to the pay offer on Thursday. Nurses and healthcare workers began industrial action over staffing levels and pay, which does not rise in line with healthcare workers in Scotland, England and Wales. On Tuesday, Finance Minister Conor Murphy said he recognised the updated pay offer was coming from within existing Stormont finances, but said it was not a case of "robbing peter to pay Paul". He said as the executive had not yet been able to tie down funding commitments from the British government, they had "dipped into existing finances". He added that the proposed financial support was "way short" of what was expected. BBC News NI political correspondent Enda McClafferty said he understood that the financial package was £2bn.
A killer condition linked to 1,500 deaths every year in Wales is not always being treated in the same way in Welsh hospitals, new research claims.
Sepsis can lead to shock and rapid organ failure following an infection. A snapshot of 290 hospital patients showing signs of sepsis found only 12% were initially screened and treated in line with best practice. Health Secretary Vaughan Gething said more needed to be done and he was "open minded" about potential options. Last year, more than 7,500 people were admitted to hospitals with sepsis. It can be treated effectively with antibiotics - if spotted quickly enough. Research, due to be published later this week, was led by intensive care consultant Dr Tamas Szakmany. "We have seen in our study this year there was big variation in how the clinical teams were responding to sepsis," said Dr Szakmany. "There are important pockets of very good practice and we have seen there are hospitals, there are health boards, where the response is less good." The issue is the focus for BBC Wales' Week In Week Out programme, following Welsh weatherman Derek Brockway as he explores how his own father Cliff died of sepsis last year. 'I'm frightened - I don't feel well' On 30 December 2014, 17-year-old Chloe Christopher collapsed and died after developing sepsis. Her mother Michelle told Derek Brockway about the heartbreaking last moments of her daughter's life. The Welsh health secretary told the forecaster: "We have got a health improvement programme. "We are the first country within the UK to have this early warning score system... but it has always been about how consistently that has been adhered to. "If we level out that variation, we will end up saving more lives. So I wouldn't pretend to you or anyone else that we are perfect where we are." Mr Gething said he is considering whether to make hospitals screen patients with symptoms in the same way. "I am open minded to that, absolutely," he said. "I am not going to run away from choices to be made about improving the service." Early indications from the second annual snapshot by Dr Szakmany's team, expected to be published next year, suggest there has been an improvement.
Detectives investigating a brutal murder which happened almost five years ago have appealed for help to find a man who may hold information.
Alan Wood, 50, was bound and tortured in his home in Lound, near Bourne, Lincolnshire, in October 2009. Det Supt Stuart Morrison, who has led the investigation from the start, said the force wants to trace Polish national Pawel Wrzyszcz. He is thought to have lived and worked in the Peterborough area at the time. Det Supt Morrison said: "I would like to stress that he is not a suspect in this case and we would simply like to talk to him to see if he has any information that may help." He added: "Our determination to catch Mr Wood's killer has not waned and someone out there could hold a key piece of information to help us bring those responsible to justice." 'Most disturbing crime' Mr Wood, who ran a small gardening business, had no known enemies, according to Lincolnshire Police. He was subjected to a "brutal and sustained" attack at his home, during which he had his throat cut a number of times and an attempt was made to decapitate him. Manor Lodge, where Mr Wood lived, was kept as a crime scene for two years but was recently demolished. The force said despite the use of extraordinary levels of violence, those involved walked away with just a few hundred pounds. Mr Wood's bank cards were stolen and used in Bourne and nearby Stamford over the following couple of days. But police said it is still not known why the "most disturbing crime in Lincolnshire in recent history" was committed, apart from a possible financial motive. The investigation to date has looked at 16,000 possible suspects.