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About 3,000 British slave-owners received a total of £20m (£1.8bn in today's prices) in compensation when slavery was abolished in 1833, research suggests. Among those who received pay-outs were the ancestors of novelists George Orwell and Graham Greene. What does this research tell us about our history? | At the Oscars at the weekend two of the most heralded films - Lincoln and Django Unchained - centred on the issue of slavery and there has been renewed interest recently in the British Empire's role in the slave trade.
Researchers at University College London (UCL) have just finished a three-year study of British slave-owners and found the ancestors of novelists George Orwell and Graham Greene and the architect Sir George Gilbert Scott all owned slaves.
UCL has launched a new searchable database which allows people to look back and see whether their forebears were slave-owners.
The database is open to the public and allows anyone to find out details of the families involved in slavery in the Caribbean; Mauritius; and the Cape Colony (part of modern-day South Africa).
Professor Catherine Hall, who led the research team, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Slavery has been forgotten in conventional British history. What's been remembered is abolition rather than the slave trade, and extraordinarily many people do not know about Britain's colonial past in relation to slavery.
According to ship records it is estimated about 12.5 million people were transported as slaves from Africa to the Americas and the Caribbean from the 16th century until the trade was banned in 1807.
After slavery was abolished in the British Empire in 1833 compensation was paid to the trustees of Orwell's great-great-grandfather Charles Blair.
Colonial networks
Orwell's real name was Eric Blair and he was descended from Charles Blair, a Scot who made a fortune in Jamaica before marrying into the English aristocracy.
UCL found compensation was paid to "trustees of Charles Blair", for the 218 enslaved people on the family's East Prospect estate, at St Thomas-in-the-East in Jamaica.
Prof Hall, a professor of modern British social and cultural history, said: "The most surprising thing is how embedded the whole slavery business is in British society.
"One of the things we found is that far from the slave owners all being concentrated in the great slaving ports of London, Liverpool, Glasgow and Bristol, there are people all over the country making claims of compensation."
Prof Hall said it was "very striking" how many slave owners there were in Scotland.
"The empire offered opportunities to the Scots on a very significant scale and working on the plantations was a favoured choice for Scots seeking their fortunes in the late 18th and early 19th century," she said.
Other famous names who were distantly related to people involved in the slave trade include the Prime Minister, David Cameron; Arts Council chairman Sir Peter Bazalgette; and the celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott.
Most of the slave owners were men, but researchers found many women were also involved, particularly in the Caribbean.
Prof Hall said: "Nearly all of them were small scale though. There are very few wealthy women, because married women had great difficulty in holding any property, so it's single women and widows for the most part."
One of the female slave owners was a widow, Hannah Barnes of Barton Cottage in Dawlish, Devon.
She had an annuity of £400 secured on the Cumberland estate in Jamaica, as well as owning nine slaves in the island's capital, Kingston.
In November 1835 she told the Commissioners of Slave Compensation: "[M]yself, my daughter and her children are entirely dependent for support on what we receive from [my late husband's] Estate; that in consequence of the non-receipt of our remittances for many months past, I am much in want of money."
Prof Hall said: "Our overall finding is that British colonial slave-ownership was of far greater significance in Britain than has previously been recognised.
"What we have done is to establish the life-trajectories of some 3,000 absentee slave-owners in Britain, and analysis of this has allowed us to trace the legacies of slave-ownership in Victorian Britain."
Her colleague on the team, Dr Nick Draper, said: "By looking systematically at estate ownership in the British Caribbean during the last 70 years of slavery we will be able to assess slave-ownership's national significance at the height of the slave system. At the same time we plan to integrate the histories of the enslaved men and women into the histories of the estates on which they lived and worked."
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Young volunteers from St John Ambulance in Jersey are going to share their skill with school classmates.
| Thirty-eight volunteers will be talking to their fellow pupils in 19 of Jersey's schools during First Aid in Schools Week from 21 to 25 March.
St John Ambulance said first aid was a "major skill" for young islanders to learn.
Commissioner Bernie Gavey said: "We have been delighted with the response from the schools."
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The eurozone financial crisis has left nearly 17 million people out work, many of whom are now looking further afield to places like Switzerland. As the BBC's Imogen Foulkes reports from Taesch, this is changing the face of some very traditional Swiss communities. | At first sight, the tiny village of Taesch is a typical Alpine community, with old wooden houses, a church, a shop and a bakery.
But nowadays the most common language on Taesch's streets is not the native German, but Portuguese, and the local shop is doing a brisk trade in Portuguese specialities such as salt cod and red wine.
Although Swiss voters said no to full EU membership more than 20 years ago, Switzerland has signed up to various EU policies, including those governing the free movement of people and labour.
Now, Switzerland's low unemployment rate, just 2.8%, its comparatively high salaries and its healthy economy are attracting thousands of people from across Europe.
More than 140,000 immigrants arrived in Switzerland last year, a rise of 6% on 2010.
Most of them came from EU member states, in particular those worst affected by the crisis in the eurozone, including Portugal.
Yolande Carvalho first arrived in Taesch more than 15 years ago, and remembers when there were just a handful of non-Swiss in the village.
Now, things are very different.
"We, the Portuguese, are half the population," she explains. "When you walk up and down the streets, the shops, everywhere you can speak Portuguese."
In the last year, she has seen more and more of her fellow citizens make the move north.
"There are no options [for young people]," she says.
"If it's a choice between working for 700 euros a month (£590; $920) in Portugal and barely being able to pay the rent or buy food, then you're better off coming to Switzerland."
Dishwashers and bedmakers
Taesch's population now stands at 1,270, more than 700 of whom are foreign, most of them Portuguese.
But why should so many people from Portugal choose a tiny, isolated village deep in the Swiss Alps? The answer lies just a couple of kilometres further up the valley, in the booming resort of Zermatt.
Here there are more jobs than the locals are able to do: in the hotels, restaurants, and in the building trade.
What is more, cleaning hotel bedrooms or wiping bar tables is not work most Swiss want to do any more. Across the country, the tourist industry relies on immigrant labour.
Twenty-year-old Marcel left school in Portugal this year and had hoped to find work there.
"I looked around but there was nothing for me in Portugal," he says. "I had this chance, and I took it."
Marcel's chance is washing dishes in a Zermatt restaurant with two other young men from Portugal.
"I miss my family a lot," he says, "my friends, my home, my town, everything. It's hard but I can do it, I'm strong."
While newcomers may be feeling homesick, the locals are somewhat uneasy about the high number of immigrants.
In Taesch's school the most common language is Portuguese and, in the kindergarten, German is now spoken by only a tiny minority.
"There are 13 children," local integration officer Patricia Zuber says of one class, "and just three of them speak German".
Ms Zuber's job, newly created in Taesch, involves setting up subsidised language courses for immigrants, offering advice on Swiss laws and local life to newcomers, and organising get-togethers where both communities can meet.
"It's important that people here meet each other as people," she explains, "and not as a man from Portugal, or as a man from Switzerland".
"But," she admits, "it's about difficult things. It's about the culture".
Culture clash
Yolande Carvalho, who, as head of the local Portuguese community centre works closely with Ms Zuber, agrees that what might seem like small cultural differences can be big stumbling blocks in the way of village harmony.
"Here, there are rules everywhere," she says with a smile. "And, you know, the Portuguese can be very loud. That's the way we are."
"The locals go to bed at 21:00, even 20:30, and they don't really appreciate it if we are up making a noise until 22:00. So that's something we have to adapt to."
Village elected official Claudius Imboden agrees that the new Taesch is a difficult adjustment for many local people, but believes acceptance and integration are the only realistic options.
"This used to be a farming village," he says. "But now we make our living from tourism and the building industry, and the immigrants are helping us to make that living. We need them."
He admits that some people in the village are unhappy with the changes but argues that they have to live somewhere.
What is more, he points out, the 21st Century wave of immigration to Taesch has causes which local people should be able to relate to.
"One hundred years ago this village was very poor," he explains. "People had to leave to find a living; people from Taesch went everywhere, even to South America. The same thing is happening now, but in reverse."
Referendum for change?
On a national level, the mood is not so positive. Opinion polls show many Swiss would like to opt out of the Schengen agreement on the free movement of people and re-introduce immigration quotas.
The right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP) has collected enough signatures to hold a referendum on opting out, and SVP MP Luzi Stamm confidently expects voter support.
"Everybody underestimated immigration into Switzerland," he says.
"It's much, much larger than anybody thought. I think we have to stop free movement in the sense that it's not controllable anymore, we have to set limits and we have to control it."
For communities like Taesch, though, it will be difficult to turn the clock back, and Mr Imboden believes even the local Swiss residents may not want to.
"Without the immigrants, we probably wouldn't have a school here anymore, because we don't have enough children."
Ms Carvalho says the relationship between locals and incomers is improving all the time.
"I see it on the streets," she explains. "The older people, when they hear the Portuguese kids shouting or laughing, they say 'oh, that's the Portuguese'."
"But now they are smiling when they say it, because these are children, and they are joyful."
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Councillors in Stirling, Perth and Kinross, and Dundee have approved 3% council tax rises.
| The decisions to increase council tax in the regions were made at budget meetings on Thursday.
Councils in Falkirk and Clackmannanshire have yet to hold meetings to set their budgets for 2018/19.
Angus Council agreed a 3% increase in council tax at a meeting on 15 February.
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Retail giant Wal-Mart, which owns Asda in the UK, has reported net income of $3.7bn (£2.3bn) from July to September this year, up from $3.6bn for the same period in 2012. | The multinational retailer said it had been hit by a decline in US sales and the competitive retail environment.
Asda saw like-for-like sales up 0.3% for the third quarter.
It announced a £1bn plan to cut prices and a £250m investment to improve the quality of its products and stores.
Wal-Mart also said its sales had been hampered by currency fluctuations.
Wal-Mart's chief executive Mike Duke said: "Some customers feel uncertainty about the economy, government, jobs stability."
But he added that the chain had "aggressive plans to help our customers enjoy the holiday season".
Asda chief executive Andy Clarke said he was pleased with Asda's performance.
He said: "The market conditions are tough, competition is fierce and our customers' budgets are under intense pressure."
Mr Clarke said that although the economy was recovering, everyday finances were still tight and people had less time to shop.
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A security guard at a Tamil newspaper office has succumbed to injuries after a grenade was thrown at the office in Sri Lankan capital, Colombo. | KK Ratnasignham, editor of Sudaroli, told the BBC that security guard David Selvaratnam died at Colombo National Hospital.
Condemning the attack, Free Media Movement (FMM) said hate speech against media by Sinhala nationalist leaders are fuelling the volatile situation in the country.
Sunanda Deshapriya, spokesman of the FMM, told bbcsinhala.com website that JVP parliamentary group leader Wimal Weerawansa has called Sudaroli ‘a terrorist outfit’, in public on Sunday.
He recalled that senior Tamil journalist Dharmeratnam Sivaram was abducted and killed after a similar hate campaign by the JVP leaders.
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A junction where several people have died is to have thousands of pounds of improvements made to it, after residents filmed the traffic problems. | Measures will be taken to stop cars from overtaking on the Mickledale Lane junction on the A614 at Bilsthorpe and to make it safer to cross, Nottinghamshire County Council said.
It is part of £7m of road improvements across the county.
Six people died in a crash there in 2011.
The council said the improvements, estimated to cost between £50,000 and £100,000, are likely to include a new footway, new lines and hatching and new pedestrian refuge islands.
Previous improvements have included dropping the speed limit to 50mph and installing average speed cameras on the stretch between the A60 and A616 roundabouts.
Residents made a film about the junction last year.
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A 29-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder after a man was attacked on Swansea High Street. | Kyle Dunbar, from the Fforestfach area of the city, will appear at Swansea Magistrate's Court on Boxing Day.
A 39-year-old man remains in a critical condition in Morriston Hospital after the attack, which occurred on Saturday at about 20:40 GMT.
Police have asked anyone with information to contact 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously.
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Police in Dundee are appealing for information after a man was robbed at knifepoint in the city's Hilltown. | Detectives said the victim was sitting on a bench opposite the Spar store at about 13:20 on Sunday when he was threatened by a man.
Officers said two men, aged 35 and 31, were arrested in connection with the incident, but released pending further inquiries.
Police said the man was unhurt but had suffered a "frightening experience."
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Building and repairs group Rok has suspended its chief financial officer and says it is has uncovered "serious failings" in financial controls at its plumbing business.
| The problems at the unit were uncovered following an independent review.
As a result of the problems, Rok said its overall full-year profits would be "significantly below" market targets.
Rok said Ashley Martin, who had been chief financial officer since 2003, had been suspended with immediate effect.
The Exeter-based company said David Miller would now take up the role on an interim basis.
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Seventeen former and serving cabin crew are planning to take legal action against British airlines because they say contaminated air inside plane cabins has made them seriously ill, the Victoria Derbyshire programme has learned. | By Jim Reed and Adam EleyBBC Victoria Derbyshire programme
Figures from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) show that since 2010 they have received more than 1,300 reports of smoke or fumes inside a large passenger aircraft operated by a British airline.
But is there evidence to suggest air quality on flights can pose a serious health risk? We examine the evidence.
What is being criticised?
At the altitude at which commercial jets fly, the air pressure does not allow humans to breathe independently.
To overcome this, hot compressed air is drawn from the plane's engines and, once cooled, directed into the cabin to supply breathable air - known as bleed air.
This does not pose a health risk in itself. But campaigners believe that potential faults in the engine seals can lead to heated engine oil, hydraulic fluids and harmful chemicals called organophosphates - used to lubricate the engine's metal parts - contaminating the air.
They claim this can cause negative health consequences in both the form of fume events - one-off instances where oil fumes from the engine move into the cabin - and long-term, low-level exposure from frequent flying. The only exception being the new Boeing 787, which uses "bleed-free technology".
These health effects are known to campaigners as "aerotoxic syndrome", but British airlines and the CAA maintain there is no scientific evidence that shows the condition exists.
How often do fume events take place?
Prof Alan Boobis, director of Public Health England's Toxicology Unit at Imperial College London, estimates fume events take place in "one in every 2,000 [British] flights". As a result, he says, studies have never been able to record one.
He adds that the information available indicates even during potential fume events, levels of air contamination "are low, and probably below those which would be affecting health in humans".
According to safety reports submitted to the CAA, there were 251 incidents of fumes or smoke in the cabin between April 2014 and May 2015.
These figures just apply to UK airlines so would not include any fume event reported by Lufthansa or Ryanair for example, even if they took place in British airspace.
Where possible, the BBC has stripped out cases which were clearly the fault of broken internal equipment like toilets and air conditioning systems.
Dr Jenny Goodman from London's Biolab Medical Unit, who has treated many crew members, says she has heard anecdotal accounts from airline staff of "old stinkies" - planes in which the cabin fills with fumes every time they start up the engine.
Although the smoke evaporates in such instances by the time passengers go on board, she explains, cabin crew are nevertheless exposed to the contamination.
Does the risk of illness increase with time spent flying?
Dr Goodman believes the risk for health complications is particularly great for airline staff and frequent flyers. "If you fly regularly, or fly as part of your job, you're going to have exposure to constant low-level leakage, which you may or may not be aware of," she explains.
She adds that those on long-haul flights are also more susceptible to illness, when taken regularly: "You're stuck there for hours and hours. You're breathing far more concentrated levels of these substances, and a far greater level of them."
Aviation lawyer Frank Cannon believes pilots and cabin crew are at greatest risk, and as a result of exposure to contaminated air could become unfit to fly. He believes in some instances pilots may be willing to hide cognitive dysfunction or memory deficits caused by the poor air quality for fear of losing their jobs, which puts others at risk.
In other instances, he says, pilots may not be aware of the symptoms, meaning they similarly continue to fly while unsafe to do so.
Prof Boobis says the possibility of long-term health effects from repeated exposure to fume events is an area that needs more research.
What are the symptoms?
Dr Goodman says aerotoxic syndrome affects the central nervous system and brain in particular. While genetic variation means not all people suffer symptoms, the nature of the chemicals present in contaminated air means they can "dissolve in our cell membranes, get into our cells and therefore get into every system in the body".
She says this can lead to wide-ranging symptoms including migraines, fatigue, difficulty thinking, aches and pains in joints and muscles, breathing problems, digestive problems and even an increased risk of breast cancer for women. She adds that many GPs fail to see the link to frequent flying and wrongly prescribe anti-depressants.
But Prof Boobis believes levels of chemicals in the cabin following a leakage are "similar to a normal home or workplace", and do not pose a serious health risk.
He says the symptoms Dr Goodman describes may instead be the result of a "nocebo effect" - in this instance an individual's false belief that they are being harmed by a chemical after smelling an odour in the cabin, most probably from fuel.
He believes this can lead to "serious health issues" in its own right and should not be ignored. But, he adds, it should not be misconstrued as aerotoxic syndrome.
What can be done in future?
Dr Goodman and Mr Cannon say the industry must ensure filters are fitted to aircraft engines. Mr Cannon notes that there are "two or three different companies" making the filters - including one manufacturer that claims it can prevent 99.9% of the contamination.
They both believe that the principal reason the industry is reluctant to fit the filters is that doing so would be seen as a "tacit admission" that aerotoxic syndrome exists.
A report from the Committee on Toxicity in December 2013, commissioned by the Department of Transport and chaired by Prof Boobis, said there was a "continuing imperative to minimise the risk of fume incidents that give rise to symptoms", whether this be through toxicity or nocebo effects.
The CAA said in a statement: "There is no positive evidence of a link between exposure to contaminants in cabin air and possible long-term health effects - although such a link cannot be excluded."
Watch Jim Reed's full film on cabin air quality on the Victoria Derbyshire website.
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Protests over the Hong Kong democracy movement have spread across the globe, with rallies taking place in the UK, France, US, Canada and Australia. | In Vancouver, Toronto and London, demonstrators were confronted by pro-Beijing rallies.
Hundreds also protested in Sydney's Belmore Park on Sunday.
Some wore facemasks due to fears of alleged Chinese state surveillance of citizens who support Hong Kong from abroad.
On Sunday hundreds of thousands of people took part in pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong despite increasingly severe warnings from the Chinese central government.
All photos subject to copyright.
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An old town hall, which is being converted into a library, could also be used as a day care centre for pensioners, says a council.
| The building in Aberystwyth is owned by Ceredigion council but it became redundant when the authority opened a new office in 2009.
Now the council plans to relocate Park Avenue day care centre as it occupies land earmarked for development.
Proposals are to include a kitchen and meeting rooms inside the new centre.
A Ceredigion council spokesman said a feasibility study found that the old town hall would be suitable for a library, as an area to store archives and a day centre.
The work on the building is being jointly funded by Ceredigion council and the Welsh Assembly Government.
The £950,000 project is expected to be completed by this summer.
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On Tuesday in Cupertino, Apple's Tim Cook may finally step out of the shadow left by Steve Jobs. In what is being billed as the company's most important announcement for years, the understated chief executive will unveil the iPhone 6, and the "new category" that he has been promising all year, some kind of wearable connected device. | Rory Cellan-JonesTechnology correspondent@BBCRoryCJon Twitter
This will be touted by Cook and his team as evidence that the sceptics who said Apple could no longer innovate after Jobs were absurdly misguided
But the most significant new product may not be the iWatch - or whatever the chief designer Jony Ive has decided to call it. Instead, we should all be following the money. There has been plenty of talk in recent days of secret negotiations between Apple and the likes of American Express, Visa and Mastercard over a new mobile payments system.
As Apple already has something like 800 million iTunes accounts with linked credit cards, it is very well placed to be a major player in the future of payments. So perhaps we will see news that users of the new iPhone will be able to swipe to pay for goods in stores with their devices. That would involve the new phones at last getting NFC - Near Field Communications - capabilities built in.
This has been rumoured with every new iPhone in recent years, then failed to materialise, much to the disappointment of the technology's supporters. But this time it seems a near certainty. Of course, there are already plenty of ways of paying with your mobile phone, and just about every smartphone now has NFC, but so far consumers have shown only mild interest in the idea of a mobile wallet.
But some experts on digital money think Apple could go much further than just a mobile wallet, with a plan to bring added security to online shopping. Ever since chip and pin was introduced, credit card fraud has been contained on the high street, but soared on the internet.
There are lots of initiatives to upgrade online security - just last week Barclays showed off its new fingerprint sensor which examines the unique pattern of your veins to verify your identity. But most of these systems make online payments so cumbersome that they put many people off the whole idea.
If, however, a mobile phone could identify its owner and therefore provide the shopper, the bank, and the retailers with a guarantee of a secure transaction, then that could be a game-changer. There is mounting speculation that the new iPhone - and possibly the new wearable device - will have some kind of embedded security chip that does just that.
"If Apple can effectively take chip and pin online, that's huge," one payments expert told me. And if that is the case, then Tim Cook and his team will no doubt have negotiated a healthy slice of the margin on every transaction.
This is all speculation of course, and Cook may decide that an audience packed with fashionistas does not want to hear about embedded security systems. What's more, with the dust still settling after the hacking of celebrities' photos from their iCloud accounts there are bound to be questions about entrusting Apple with the security of the payments system.
But amidst all the glitz and glamour of Tuesday's meticulously choreographed event at Cupertino's Flint Centre for the performing arts, listen out for some slightly dull stuff about payments. Nobody knows what the wearable technology market will be worth in the coming years - but it is a fair bet that making Apple the gatekeeper for secure online shopping will prove quite a lucrative business.
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Are prefabs getting a new lease of life? | By Sarah DickinsBBC Wales economics correspondent
Thousands of factory-built temporary homes were erected after World War Two - and many lasted for years.
But the concept of pre-made and flat-packed homes for the 21st Century is part of the Welsh Government's housing plans.
It is allocating £45m to try to increase the number of affordable, sustainably-built houses.
But rather than the "tin towns" of old, which would no longer be considered environmentally friendly, these would be made from Welsh wood.
They would be cheap to run, reducing fuel poverty, with bills expected to be about £100 a year compared with the current average annual UK fuel bill of £1,350.
It is also argued that this style of housing better for the environment.
About 27% of carbon emissions in the UK come from housing. Materials like concrete, plastic window frames and some forms of insulation are all carbon intensive.
Using locally-grown wood and insulation from natural materials are considered to be less damaging for the environment.
Also, evidence suggests houses that are made in factories produce much less waste and have higher levels of safety.
What were traditional prefabs about?
Read more at The Prefab Museum
The Welsh Government has an ambition to build 20,000 affordable homes by next year, but said it wants to "build more and to build better".
Housing Minister Julie James said: "The significant investment we're making in the modular housing industry will enable us to do that."
She said modern methods of construction mean the new-style prefabs are "high quality, desirable and energy efficient, affordable homes that tenants can be proud of".
The aim is for far more council and social homes to be built at "scale and pace", overcoming the capacity constraints faced by traditional house builders.
SO Modular in Neath makes panels and roof and floor timbers for 750 homes each year, in south Wales, London, Bristol and the north of England. The timber all comes from local sources, as far as possible.
Charlotte Hale, operations director, said: "They're far more advanced than [traditional] prefab panels. We can operate up to three shifts and the weather doesn't affect us at all. This is definitely the way forward.
"We're investing a lot in this factory and we'll have a training centre here to develop skills in the industry - in conjunction with Neath Port Talbot College and Cardiff Metropolitan University. Skills are fundamental to modular construction working."
The Welsh Government wants homes built more sustainably and Welsh timber used, rather than imports from places like Scandinavia.
Not only would that reduce emissions from transporting timber but it would create jobs in the forestry sector in Wales, helping the economy.
Ministers would presumably like the private sector to follow suit.
In the meantime, it is using its money to try to bring about a change in the way we build homes and to "kick-start" these methods into the construction mainstream.
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The demolition of Aberdeen City Council's former headquarters has been "slowed down" by the discovery of asbestos, the local authority has said. | Asbestos has been found in some of the divisions between units of windows at St Nicholas House.
Work on the tower has slowed, but is continuing elsewhere on the site.
More than 1,000 council staff vacated the 14-storey building, erected in 1968, for the newly-refurbished Marischal College building in 2011.
The Health and Safety Executive has been informed of the discovery.
A council spokesperson said: "This discovery was entirely unexpected and could not have been reasonably foreseen.
"There is no risk to public health."
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The Reverend Philip North has been appointed as the new Anglican Bishop of Whitby. | He will succeed the Right Reverend Dr Martin Warner, who was appointed Bishop of Chichester in May.
Father North, 45, studied at the University of York and was ordained into the ministry in 1992.
He is currently team rector of the parish of Old St Pancras, London, and was previously the vicar of Holy Trinity in Hartlepool.
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The Arab Spring has seen seemingly indomitable leaderships toppled and a mass call, particularly among young people, for reform. Its fallout has left the leaders of Saudi Arabia feeling under siege, as Middle East analyst Roger Hardy explains. | Consider how the world looks to Saudi Arabia's frail and aging ruler, King Abdullah.
Enemies lurk everywhere. The Arab Spring has unleashed forces which no-one can control, and from which no Arab state is immune.
Iran is deemed to be stirring every pot, from Lebanon to Bahrain.
Neighbouring Yemen is increasingly unstable - and plays host to a branch of al-Qaeda which threatens Saudi security.
Barack Obama's America is seen as betraying the Saudi kingdom in its hour of need.
Saudi Arabia, in short, is under siege - and King Abdullah's instinct is to batten down the hatches.
Echoes from the past
In some ways, Saudi rulers have been here before.
In the 1950s and 1960s, a wave of Arab nationalism emanating from Egypt swept over the Middle East - threatening the pro-Western monarchies such as the House of Saud with destruction.
Then, too, the kingdom felt encircled by hostile forces.
Then, too, petro-dollars and Western support were weak tools for fending off trouble.
Not that oil wealth does not sometimes come in handy.
One of King Abdullah's responses to the Arab Spring has been massive hand-outs to keep his people sweet.
Moreover, the kingdom has more reason than ever to use cheque-book diplomacy in a bid to win friends and influence people throughout the region.
But such measures may not be enough.
If money could buy the kingdom's way out of trouble, its position might be less precarious.
But, with the exception of tiny Bahrain, its influence is limited.
By intervening in Bahrain, with money and troops to crush a Shia insurrection, the king sought to protect one of his flanks - and shore up his defences against what he sees as undue Iranian influence.
But in the longer run, Saudi intervention may make things worse - adding to the sense of grievance among the Bahraini opposition and needlessly escalating tension with Tehran.
An uncertain legacy
The king seems conscious of his own mortality.
He wants to leave Saudi Arabia in better shape than when he found it - which explains his promise to Saudi women that they will eventually get the vote.
He may be an unlikely reformer but he is, in Saudi terms, a reformer nevertheless.
He has never shared the severely puritanical view of Islam of his country's Wahhabi religious establishment.
But his legacy is uncertain.
The two senior princes next in line to the throne - his half-brothers Sultan, the defence minister, and Nayef, the interior minister - are distinctly less reform-minded.
They might be willing to sacrifice women's rights for the sake of appeasing religious conservatives.
That would be dangerous.
Young Saudis, like young Arabs everywhere, want change. Like their counterparts in Tunis and Cairo, they want jobs and dignity and greater freedom of expression.
Sealing off Arabia - returning it to the isolation of the past - is not an option.
Roger Hardy is a visiting fellow at LSE's Centre for International Studies.
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Brexiteers have had great success in commanding headlines with their "Chuck Chequers" campaign. Consign your Brexit blueprint to the dustbin, embrace a more traditional free trade deal and you will unite Conservatives, goes the argument to Theresa May. | Nicholas WattNewsnight political editor@nicholaswatton Twitter
In Brussels there is talk of how the prime minister may have to do a bit of chucking of a rather different variety.
One veteran wonders whether her route to a Brexit deal may ultimately come down to a choice between chucking one of two options: the Democratic Unionist Party or her international trade secretary Liam Fox.
The thinking is that, in the end, there will be no choice between those two options. The prime minister would stand by the DUP and be prepared to wave goodbye to Dr Fox.
Thoughts around a new chucking have arisen because officials in Brussels can see - amid the haze of the fiendishly complex Brexit negotiations - the outlines of a deal.
But it will involve compromises on both sides. And that is where the chucking comes in, with a bit of that by the EU side too.
Who to chuck?
If the prime minister were to endorse the EU's plan to avoid a hard border in Northern Ireland - the so called "backstop" - she would have to chuck the DUP. The current EU plan is to keep Northern Ireland in the EU customs union and parts of the single market to guarantee no checks on the Northern Irish border. That would involve additional checks between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The Democratic Unionist Party - the clue is in the middle part of the name - is adamant that it will never agree to checks that would place additional barriers within the United Kingdom. It is dawning on the EU that most GB politicians agree with Theresa May that no UK prime minister could sign up to this.
So chucking the DUP is not an option.
If the EU's version of the backstop falls then the UK's backstop comes into play. And that's where Liam Fox enters the picture.
The UK is asking for the whole of the UK to enter into a customs arrangement with the EU which would would be half in and half out of the customs union. The UK would observe the common external tariff but would be out of the common commercial policy. This is designed to allow Dr Fox to sign trade deals around the world after Brexit.
The EU is adamant that it will not agree to a half-in-half-out version of the customs union arrangement. One EU source tells me: "You can't accept EU tariffs on goods and then run around the world trying to cut your own trade deals."
So the UK would have to abide by the common commercial policy, severely limiting Dr Fox's ability to sign trade deals. That might mean chucking Dr Fox unless he is happy to limit his jobs to signing deals on services for as long as this version of the backstop lasts.
The chucking doesn't end there. The EU would have to chuck its current stance that a UK-wide customs arrangement could not be included in the withdrawal agreement that is under negotiation. The EU is insisting that only its version of the backstop can be included in that agreement and the UK's idea would have to wait for the future trade deal that is due to be finalised after Brexit.
That is unacceptable to the UK because the withdrawal agreement would lead to an international treaty. So anything outside that treaty may not have legal force.
I understand that EU officials are open to showing some flexibility in this area. If progress is made, if the UK compromises, then the EU could look seriously at including a modified version of a UK-wide customs arrangement in the withdrawal treaty. That could be a hugely significant step.
Nothing is ever straightforward with Brexit so the chucking options may never materialise. The UK insists, for example, that the UK-wide customs arrangement should be time limited with a clear mechanism for it to end once a UK-EU trade deal is agreed.
The EU insists that the Northern Ireland backstop should be "all weather" - a guarantee that it will apply indefinitely if a future trade deal fails to guarantee no hard border in Northern Ireland.
The Brexit talks will pick up, but there are ever present pitfalls as Theresa May found out overnight when she responded favourably to an EU suggestion to extend the transition period.
The prime minister did that to give more time to discuss the future trade deal during the transition. Success there would mean the backstop would never be needed, in No 10's eyes.
The furore back in the UK however, shows that making moves in Brussels can have major consequences on home soil.
You can watch Newsnight on BBC 2 weekdays 22:30 or on Iplayer. Subscribe to the programme on YouTube or follow them on Twitter.
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Wood Group has secured a five-year deal to continue providing engineering and project management services to Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil firm Saudi Aramco. | The Aberdeen-based oil services company said the multi-million dollar framework agreement involved onshore capital programmes.
The contract also includes three one-year extension options.
The services will be supported by Wood Group's office in Al Khobar.
Wood Group first won a contract to provide general engineering services for Saudi Aramco in 2010.
Dave Stewart, from Wood Group, said: "This contract renewal demonstrates Wood Group's proven technical and engineering capabilities in working with Saudi Aramco to deliver projects and modifications, automation and control, pipeline and industrial engineering over the last five years."
In 2015, Wood Group was awarded an offshore contract with Saudi Aramco for greenfield and brownfield engineering services, procurement and construction management support for new facilities in the Arabian Gulf.
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A Tube workers' strike - in protest at ticket office closures and the lost of 960 jobs - is set to severely disrupt the lives of Londoners and visitors to the capital for 48 hours from 21:00 BST. But the city can still be navigated - here are 14 ways to get around London without using the Tube. | By Ed DaveyBBC News, London
1. Get the low down
You can get regular travel updates from the BBC London 94.9 travel team. You can also follow any disruption on the award-winning BBC London travel Twitter feed or on the BBC London Travel Page. And, of course, BBC London's Local Live service will be pulling much of this information together.
2. Catch the bus
Anybody seen in a bus over the age of 30 has been a failure in life, said somebody, although exactly who remains a matter of dispute. However, we can all agree the maxim does not apply on Tube strike day. Some 100 extra bus services will be provided on key routes. And make sure your pay-as-you-go Oyster card is topped up as a number of routes do not take cash.
3. Ride a bike
Contrary to what some believe, the chances of anything awful happening to you on two wheels are relatively small, even in London. Transport for London is urging people to ride a bike. But be warned, during past Tube strikes, the Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme has proved very popular.
4. Don't go to the office
You could "work" from home (pot of tea, long bath, annoying the cat with your unexpected presence). Perhaps tell your boss that you are actually "more productive" at home and cite the London School of Economics to back up what some might consider a rather iffy assertion.
5. Catch the Tube
Transport for London says it hopes to run some services. In the past, parts of some lines have stayed open, due to staff not being members of unions. Whether or not this transpires remains to be seen, but look for updates on the day.
6. Fly - sort of
The Emirates Air Line - a cable car which connects the Greenwich Peninsular and the Royal Docks - will be open as usual and London Underground tickets will be accepted on its services. So, if you have a travelcard (they are not normally accepted on the cable car) and you just fancy checking out the view, it's a good day to go.
7. Grab a taxi
A marshalled taxi service will operate at eight rail stations: Euston, Waterloo, Liverpool St, London Bridge, King's Cross, Victoria, Charing Cross, and Marylebone. The marshals will manage taxi and passenger queues and provide advice and assistance to taxi passengers. All black cabs have to be tall enough to accommodate a passenger wearing a bowler hat.
8. Stay with a friend
If you work in central London and happen to be friendly with any oligarchs, why not stay with them the night before to avoid the journey completely?
9. London Overground
Transport for London says Overground services will continue as normal. However, stations where there is an interchange with London Underground may be affected. The Overground travels through 21 of London's 33 boroughs, and 30% of all Londoners are within a 15-minute walk of a station.
10. Take to the water
Slow let us trace the matchless vale of Thames, Fair winding up to where the Muses haunt, wrote 18th century poet James Thompson. London is home to one of the world's most famous rivers, so why not use it? Enhanced river services will be in place for the duration of the strike.
11. Use a map
Transport for London says walking "may be an option" for shorter journeys. You might not be aware how close your destination actually is having never gone there except by Tube - apparently 30% of Londoners take longer routes than they need to because distances are misrepresented on the Tube map.
12. Docklands Light Railway
A normal service will operate but, as with the Overground, stations where there is an interchange with London Underground may be affected by the strike. More than half a billion journeys have been made on the the DLR since it opened in 1987. Curiously, one of the stations is called Mudchute.
13. Take a good book, make sure your tablets, phones and e-readers are charged
Let's face it, the chances are you will face some delays. So it could be the perfect opportunity for you to finish that book, get your best ever Candy Crush score or do some online shopping.
14. Move out of London
For all of its charms, and although it somehow muddles along, the capital city is in many ways a very testing place to live.
The 48-hour strike is due to begin at 21:00 GMT on 28 April. The second 72-hour strike is planned to start at 21:00 GMT on 5 May.
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What do you think of when you hear the word " single-use "? Plastic bottles, bags? The environment? | Collins Dictionary lexicographers named it word of the year, after a four-fold rise in its use over five years.
They say news stories and the BBC's Blue Planet II have raised awareness of the issue of one-time use plastic.
"Gaslight" (to manipulate others) and "Gammon" (an insult to describe white middle-aged, pro-Brexit supporters) were among the words shortlisted.
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Bishop Edward Daly has now added his voice to a growing chorus of Catholic leaders and commentators across the world calling for an end to the church's requirement that priests should remain unmarried and celibate. | By William CrawleyBBC NI religious affairs presenter
Why he waited to the age of 77 to share this conviction with us is anybody's guess.
The Catholic Church in Ireland was quick to point out that the retired bishop of Derry is "speaking in a personal capacity".
Indeed he is, but he's not alone.
I presented Tuesday's edition of the Nolan Show and asked the public, particularly the Catholics in our radio audience, to tell us what they thought of Bishop's Daly's comments.
The response was almost unanimously in support of his call for reform.
In the past few years, I've lost count of the number of priests who have privately expressed the same conviction. Some have gone public, but most say they feel unable to speak out on the subject.
Perhaps the most highly-placed Catholic leader to call for a re-examination of the traditional ban on married priests is the Archbishop of Vienna, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, whose former theology professor is now pope.
When, last year, he published an article which appeared to challenge the current rule of compulsory celibacy, Cardinal Schönborn was forced to issue a clarification: He was simply calling for a healthy debate. Some close to him later claimed he'd been nobbled by the Vatican.
Speaking out
But Edward Daly, as a retired bishop, has more freedom to share his current views with us than a serving Cardinal-Archbishop.
The argument he offers for changing the church's practice is an old one - it was considered and rejected by Pope Paul VI in his 1967 encyclical Sacerdotalis Caelibatus ("On the celibacy of the priest").
Bishop Daly said he is worried about the decreasing number of priests and the requirement of compulsory celibacy is part of the reason why so many otherwise well-qualified candidates for the priesthood are walking away from the church.
In short, the priesthood forces men to choose between God and family.
It is undoubtedly true that some young men currently struggling with what they believe is a vocation to the priesthood will, after painful reflection, decide that that requirement of celibacy is a rule - a personal sacrifice - too far.
A church divided
The controversy about married priests is one of the longest-running debates in the history of the Catholic Church.
Gregory VII, the great reforming pope of the 11th Century, is often described as the architect of clerical celibacy, but it is clear that the case for an unmarried priesthood was being made within the Catholic Church for centuries before Pope Gregory's reforms.
Supporters of the new rule found evidence for the policy in the celibacy modelled by Christ himself and in the guidance of the early apostles, including St Paul, who once wrote: "An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord's affairs - how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world - how he can please his wife - and his interests are divided." (I Corinthians 7: 32)
Since the 11th century, the Roman Catholic Church has required priests to remain celibate, while other churches, including the Eastern Orthodox churches, have permitted clerical marriage (though, in the case of the Orthodox Communion, bishops are required to remain unmarried).
The Catholic Church's rule is just that - a rule, a discipline, not a doctrine or a dogma, which means that the church is free to change that practice if or when it believes change is necessary.
Old subject, new debate
If this is an old debate, it is equally true that it is still a very current one.
That's because the celibacy issue has been set in stark relief by its relation to other contemporary controversies.
First, there's the clerical abuse crisis, and the widespread sense that compulsory celibacy is at least part of the problem.
This has been roundly challenged by the Vatican and by some recent academic studies.
In a major new report published earlier this year, researchers at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York concluded that compulsory celibacy itself was not the cause of the abuse crisis, but found that many seminaries had failed to prepare priests for a celibate life.
Others disagree.
The theologian Fr Hans Küng, who was stripped of his licence to teach Catholic theology in 1979 after he rejected the doctrine of papal infallibility, argues that celibacy is not the only cause of clerical abuse, but described it as "the most important and structurally the most decisive expression of the church's repressive attitude to sex".
Second, there is the fact that some Catholic priests are married.
Former Anglican priests who left the Anglican Communion after it changed its laws to permit women to serve as priests and bishops have been received into the Catholic Church by a special papal dispensation and ordained as Roman Catholic priests even though some of them are married with children.
I recently interviewed one such priest, ministering in England, who has nine children.
Galling
He's been told by the Catholic Church that he should live with his wife and family as a husband and father, without any requirement of celibacy.
Can you imagine how galling it must be for some Catholic priests to look on as their church permits some of their priestly brothers to enjoy a married life, while they are required to remain single, celibate and, in some cases, lonely and isolated?
Third, there is a vocation crisis.
Not in every part of the Catholic world, for sure, but in many parts of the west, including Ireland, the church is struggling to persuade young Catholic men to join the priesthood.
Where celibacy once looked heroic and sacrificial, it can now appear weird and unnatural.
Those may look like good reasons to change the church's practice to permit married priests, but I wouldn't expect change any day soon.
Clerical opponents will consider any reform an insult to those priests who have faithfully lived celibate lives (and there are many).
And it is a truism of Vatican politics that the Catholic hierarchy thinks in centuries, not decades.
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Sometimes key moments in politics happen in the strangest of places and at unexpected times. Some Russia analysts are now asking whether a martial arts fight in Moscow's Olimpisky Arena last Sunday night was one of those moments. | By Daniel SandfordBBC News, Moscow
The event was a mixed martial arts fight between Russia's Fedor Emelianenko and America's Jeff "The Snowman" Monson.
It turned out the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was in the crowd.
He is almost certain to return to the presidency in the elections in March, after his protege, Dmitry Medvedev, agreed not to stand in order to give him a free run.
Emelianenko won the fight and Vladimir Putin climbed into the ring to congratulate him, and that was when the unthinkable happened.
The crowd booed the previously untouchable prime minister as he started to speak, and continued to boo him except when he was praising Emilianenko.
The whole thing was broadcast live on the state-owned television channel Rossiya 2.
In all subsequent replays of the fight, and edited news broadcasts, the booing was cut out but the genie was out of the bottle.
A clip from Rossiya 2's live broadcast appeared on YouTube and has been viewed 2.5m times.
A similar clip filmed by someone in the crowd, in which the booing is even more prominent, is also very popular.
There were attempts to restrict the damage. It was suggested that the martial arts supporters had, in fact, been booing the American loser Monson, and this explanation was repeated in many Russian newspapers.
Outraged fans
And that is where the story gets really interesting because some Russians, outraged at what they saw as a suggestion that they had shown disrespect to an honourable loser, have bombarded Monson's Facebook Wall with supportive messages, many of them in English, and many of them attacking Vladimir Putin.
Denis Kir from Mezhdurechensk wrote: "You are great! Putin is just stupid and we booed Putin."
Tanya Kuu from Kolomna added: "People in Russia don't respect Putin's mode now."
Artem Dzyuba from Moscow said: "It's clearly heard the crowd was outraged by the prime minister.
"His corrupted government, muppet courts, punishers in police clothes, pocket electoral commissions and people of his clan at all the most important and profitable chairs - it all drives us crazy!"
Paul Protsenko, a student in Yaroslavl, declared that the 21st of November had been the "greatest date for our country because Putin the first time was whistled and shamed!", adding "Russia must be free".
Valentin Dombrovsky mentioned Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov: "Come and tell Mr Peskov that he is wrong, Jeff. And you may punch him once or twice for his mean lies."
One user posted that it was a "Facebook flashmob".
Something stirring?
Opposition demonstrations in Russia can usually muster only a few hundred diehard supporters.
Much of the anti-government political debate takes place online, on Livejournal, Facebook and the Russian equivalent, Vkontakte.
But the attempt to suggest that the crowd had booed a respected sporting opponent rather than the prime minister clearly touched a chord with thousands of ordinary people.
The messages left by Russians on Monson's Facebook Wall now number in the thousands. They do not all criticise Vladimir Putin, but none of them praise him.
Something could be stirring in Russian politics, but probably too late to change the outcome of next year's presidential election.
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The debate around how long an offender should spend in jail and out on licence has been going for centuries. But when - and why - did the length of time prisoners serve in jail actually change? | By Emma HallettBBC News
It is South Carolina in the 1990s. A parole applicant appears before the board. He shuffles into the room in leg irons with red and green lights ahead of him.
Before he can open his mouth the board members hit switches igniting the red lights. For the time being, he is to remain behind bars.
In the United States there are thousands of people serving life-without-parole sentences. Yet early release on parole has been a feature of the English penal system for many years.
In 1948 it was decided prisoners should be released once they had served two thirds of their sentence. At this time there was no parole and they were released without being on licence.
Then in 1967 the Criminal Justice Act introduced the Parole Board and prisoners had the possibility of parole between a third and two-thirds into their sentence.
The board was the creation of two pressures coming together - a wish to find ways of reducing prison populations and a genuine belief in rehabilitation.
"Those things in the 1960s were really important and in tune with the thinking of the time - that you could change the behaviour of an offender if you adopted the right approach," Stephen Shute, professor of criminal law and criminal justice at the University of Sussex, said.
In 1984, then 20-year-old David Shaw - now David Honeywell - was getting his first taste of the parole system. He had served 10 months of a 30 month prison sentence for attempted robbery.
"There were a lot of people not being given parole at this time," he said.
"I was a first time offender, so that was in my favour, but a lot of guys who I was with weren't and a lot didn't get parole."
But within six months he was recalled after making a threatening comment to his probation officer and served the rest of his sentence back in prison.
While there was a general view that supervision after leaving prison was a good idea, it seemed there were a number of problems with the system.
This led to the Carlisle Committee being set up, which would go on to underpin the 1991 Criminal Justice Act.
There was a recognition that not many people were actually getting out at the one third point, and they were tending to be realised half way through their sentence, or afterwards.
"It was thought, wouldn't it be better to have a system which recognises the reality of the situation and doesn't raise the hopes of prisoners and their families unnecessarily," Prof Shute said.
"The solution seemed to be to remove all the short term cases from the parole system and focus attention on the cases that matter, where there is likely to be a higher risk to the public."
The 1991 Criminal Justice Act provided that any person serving a sentence of four years or more, would serve half of their period in custody - where previously it had been a third - and would then become eligible to apply for early release.
By 1998, Mr Honeywell was back inside, sentenced to five years after committing wounding with intent. This time he served half of his sentence in jail before being released on parole.
He was subject to stricter provisions on his parole licence and told he must address his "offending behaviour".
But he struggled with life outside and committed several offences - including assault. He said he had become "reacquainted with the Newcastle underworld", but this time he was not recalled.
"They [probation] were more optimistic and felt like they could work with me and it paid off," he said.
"I was in for longer that time and I got an education."
Mr Honeywell now guest lectures about his experiences and teaches at the University of York, but thinks his rehabilitation could have been speeded up had he been kept in jail for longer in the 1980s.
"I was doing education then, but that got interrupted by the parole and as soon as I came out I was getting drunk, I wasn't going anywhere, so I would have been better off being kept in," he said.
"I wouldn't say that would suit everybody, but for me, I needed to be kept in longer."
Throughout the 1990s the debate about not keeping prisoners in jail unnecessarily versus a threat to the public continued.
Another strand of thinking was that parole undermined 'honesty in sentencing', where a custodial term was announced in court that did not reflect the period of time the offender would actually serve in jail.
But it was argued that if you took that idea to its extreme - that there should be no parole - then you are left with the problem of people whose risk is unpredictable, and when it is safe to release them.
And so in 2005 the provisions of the 2003 Criminal Justice Act were introduced.
It said that any prisoners serving a determinate sentence would serve half of their sentence in custody, be released at the halfway point and remain on licence for the other half of the sentence.
For those serving an indeterminate prison sentence, the court would set a minimum term of imprisonment before the offender can become eligible to be considered for parole.
The Ministry of Justice said changes made to the system have seen sentences get longer and Nicola Padfield, reader in Criminal and Penal Justice at Cambridge University, argues half a sentence on parole is "not a soft touch".
"It's not just come out and it is all over, some prisoners think it is tougher to serve their sentence in the community, on license, than it is in prison," she said.
"Prisoners may be recalled either because of allegations of further offending, which may later be withdrawn, or for breaching conditions of their licence.
"It is definitely not easy to lead a law-abiding life on release, particularly with little money and little support."
Last year, Justice Secretary Chris Grayling announced proposals to end automatic release at the halfway point for those serving prison sentences for certain offences including the most serious child sex offences and terrorism-related offences.
And so the debate around parole goes on.
"These arguments come around and around and around...arguments made years ago are just given new clothes and it will ever be thus," Prof Shute concluded.
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Police have released CCTV images of a man they want to speak to in connection with an assault on a woman in Aberdeen. | The 26-year-old was attacked near Union Square shopping centre in the early hours of Saturday 3 October last year.
The man police would like to trace is described as white, about 6ft tall, and of a broad build.
He spoke with an eastern European accent. Police Scotland is appealing for information.
Related Internet Links
Police Scotland Non Emergencies - Phone 101 - Police Scotland
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In India, people with disabilities are often invisible in day-to-day life, despite numbering tens of millions. Here, the BBC's Ayeshea Perera meets the makers of Inclov, an app that is seeking to give people with disabilities more opportunities to socialise. | "How many of you need alcohol to tell the truth?"
The assembled crowd at Kitty Su, an upmarket nightclub in the capital Delhi, giggles nervously.
But apprehensions soon vanish, and a spirited game of Truth or Dare begins, where nothing seems off the table - from confessions about browser histories to speaking in "animal sounds".
Not too long after, the DJ wheels himself to his console and a mix of Bollywood and English pop music begins pumping out. Wheelchairs and crutches notwithstanding, people begin making their way to the dance floor.
This is the latest instalment of "social spaces", an initiative by Inclov - standing for inclusive love - a matchmaking app created for people with disabilities, although it also has a number of people without any disabilities on its platform.
For many of those assembled at Kitty Su this is their first visit to a nightclub.
"Once I was trying to go out with my friends to a pub in Kolkata to celebrate friendship day, but they didn't let me in saying that my wheelchair would make the other guests feel uncomfortable," says Manish Raj, 34, who is by his own estimation at his "seventh or eighth" social spaces event, which he says is a much more comfortable setting.
"Many Indians with disabilities have restricted social lives from the time they are kids. It's not that they don't want to go out and do things, it's just that even something as simple as getting a cup of coffee is hard for them," says Shankar Srinivasan, who co-founded Inclov with his college friend Kalyani Khona.
India is notoriously disability-unfriendly, in terms of infrastructure, attitudes and policy. Many families who have children with disabilities rarely take them out in public, as it is seen as a source of stigma and shame.
This "invisibility" means that they are not automatically considered a part of public life, and people often to struggle to interact with or accommodate them, meaning that many times they end up being shunned instead.
The idea for Inclov was born after Shankar and Kalyani decided they wanted to "do something in the matchmaking space" and realised very quickly that no-one was thinking about people with disabilities.
They began with an "offline" agency called Wanted Umbrella which evolved into a static site and then a mobile app.
"With almost 80 million people with disabilities just in India, we knew the only way to upscale was through tech," Mr Srinivasan says. But with no technical expertise or money, the two of them raised money through a crowdfunding campaign where they were able to raise 615,000 rupees (£6,976; $8,998) to hire an app developer.
They then conducted extensive interviews with a number of people with disabilities, trying to understand exactly what it was that they wanted from an app like this. When it launched in January 2016, it began with some 100 verified profiles of people and the community began growing.
But soon Mr Srinivasan said they noticed something strange. While people were connecting with each other online and conducting conversations on messaging platforms like WhatsApp, nothing was translating into face-to-face meetings.
"We realised too many external factors were at play. Safety is obviously an issue. And there are other considerations like infrastructure, interpreters, stigma and so on."
That was when Inclov also decided to create spaces where the people registered on its app could actually interact with each other. They had their first meet-up at a cafe in Gurgaon, a suburb of Delhi, with about five people.
Since then they have carried out about 50 other events in cities across India, including Mumbai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Jaipur. The last event at Kitty Su had almost 50 people in attendance.
"We try to create experiences for people, and also through these events, give them some level of access. So the next time they want to go out, they know that these places are available. They won't always need an Inclov," Mr Srinivasan says.
The events all differ. They have taken place in varied venues, including hotels, cafes, beaches and even comedy clubs and karaoke bars.
This has, according to the team, also helped convince establishments about the need to think about people with disabilities. The owners of the Kitty Su nightclub - at the Lalit hotel - for instance, have made sure that all their properties across India are wheelchair accessible and have provided their staff with sensitisation training.
For the most part, the members of the community say Inclov has made a difference to their lives. Kritika Bali, 27, says that although she has always been a "daredevil", she has made a lot of close friends through the app and looks forwards to the social spaces meetings.
But others feel that it could do more.
Shrey Marwah, 26, says he feels that while the socialising is "fine", the community could be mobilised into doing more about addressing issues faced by disabled people. He also said he felt that the app did not accommodate disabled people from lower income communities.
"Inclov in its current form is quite limited. It should also do more to connect disabled people like us with normal people. When I walk for instance, people look at me like I'm something alien. We need to use this platform to do more for acceptance. Also we should use our collective contacts to do more at a policy level to improve things for disabled people."
But Mr Srinivasan says he is quite clear that he does not want Inclov to be a space for activism.
"We are more about being problem solvers rather than going against the government. It is finally the mindset of people that matters, and through our events and so on, we open up perspectives and help change mindsets," he says.
Disability rights activist Nipun Malhotra says he agrees with this perspective.
"This is what is disappointing about India. Why does every disabled person in this country have to be an activist? The problem with any minority in this country is that you end up being an activist because no-one else does it for you. That is what needs to change.
And sometimes all we want is just to be able to meet someone for a cup of coffee."
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Conspiracy theories flourish all over the world but in some countries they appear to be more popular than in others. And in Afghanistan, says the BBC's Auliya Atrafi, they often feature sinister foreign powers - first and foremost, the British... | I grew up with conspiracy theories. Some of them very bizarre.
Bruce Lee was poisoned by his wife, I was told, and when he sensed what she'd done, he tore her apart with his bare hands.
I was also told that he could fly.
And that Hitler was still alive - having escaped the Allies in a Jeep that transformed into a plane then a boat then a submarine, from which he was still sending the occasional message, declaring: "I will be back!"
One theory, however, was particularly persistent - that the hand of the British was behind every evil in Afghanistan.
As a child I wondered why this was, but after I moved to the UK in my 20s, I learned there were some good reasons for the suspicion.
For centuries Afghanistan had been a buffer zone between the Russian and British empires. The two superpowers played out their Great Game of espionage and intrigue in this no man's land. When the map of modern Afghanistan was drawn, it is said, the Afghan King's opinion was hardly a consideration. Three Anglo-Afghan wars were fought before Afghanistan announced its independence in 1919 and the British left for good.
Or did they?
In the Afghan psyche, the British were still lurking in the shadows, spying on them, plotting, and still managing to manipulate their affairs for the worse. There were tales of secret agents disguised as imams misleading the pious, others posing as fortune tellers, of treasures hidden in shrines and guarded by men pretending to be beggars.
This national obsession with conspiracy theories is not unique. A Kurdish friend told me that his mother would blame the British if a wall collapsed in their neighbourhood after a rainy night. Iranians had a character in a long-running soap opera, always paranoid that the British were plotting something. If you act too shrewdly in Bangladesh, my friends told me, people will call you English. In Kabul, we have a word for that too: Chucha E englis - malign English blood.
However, since the beginning of the Afghan civil war in the 1980s our list of conspirators has expanded, and now includes Pakistan's intelligence agency, the ISI, and of course the Americans.
Repeated foreign interventions only made us more inventive.
Find out more
An Afghan taxi driver in London once complained that foreigners wanted to steal our oil and smuggle it out on passenger planes. For others it's uranium the foreigners are after. A judge in Afghanistan told me that Bin Laden was an American spy and was eventually killed because he knew too much. Others believe he is still alive on an idyllic island somewhere in America.
Afghan generals talk of Nato supporting the Taliban with cash and guns - even claiming that translators who dare to talk of this are thrown from helicopters. There are tales of Nato forces buying drugs from Afghan smugglers and transporting them to the West in the bellies of dead soldiers - apparently a lucrative business for whole range of Western profiteers, including the British royal family.
Last year I went to see a friend. His father is an old khan, a tribal chief from the east. After we drank green tea and exchanged pleasantries, I made the mistake of asking him about the presence of the so-called Islamic State group in their area. The khan recited a long speech, which I'd heard a million times before: "It's all a game between the ISI, the Americans and the British. And Afghans are paying the price," he asserted confidently.
Rather puzzled, I asked: "But what will they gain from it all?"
"They plan 50 years ahead, and we are not meant to understand," he insisted.
"If it was that simple, then they would be stupid. We see signs of it, nonetheless, you know - the new blocs forming between Russia, Pakistan and China.
"Think about it. In one week, the Americans were able to destroy the Taliban government - how is it that they can't get rid of the few insurgents hiding in the mountains?"
Obviously thinking the argument was won, he looked away towards Mecca and started praying.
There's always some outsider to blame. Recently, I was finishing my Friday prayers in Kabul with some other reporters when we got a message that a suicide bomber had targeted a Shia mosque.
"Is it the work of IS?" I asked.
"Or perhaps the work of Jews and Christians," another journalist suggested.
I knew it was futile, but I asked anyway: "What good would that bring them?"
"Two things," he said, this time sounding more assured. "Such acts would distance the believers from the places of worship… And also divide the Muslims."
As we walked the badly paved roads inside the green zone, with our trousers rolled up after prayers and our prayer mats tucked under our arms, I was hit by a thought. That for a country so divided by languages, ethnicities and ideologies, there is still one thing that unites all Afghans - distrust of foreigners.
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The scooters first descended on San Francisco like bees on a hot dog stand roof: they caused annoyance, inconvenience and fascination - before ultimately having to be cleaned up by city officials. | Dave LeeNorth America technology reporter
On Thursday those San Francisco officials made a big call: punishing the big players in scooters who chose not to seek permission to operate, while rewarding those which did.
It was in March when Bird, Lime and Spin, backed by millions of dollars, placed hundreds of scooters all over the city - assuming that seeking forgiveness would be the best approach.
It wasn’t. Their hopes of an Uber-esque explosion - whereby the new tech became so popular no-one would dare ban it for fear of a revolt - were dashed when San Francisco said “Enough!” and ordered the scooters off the streets.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) said it wasn’t opposed to scooters. It was just that the companies had to play within the city’s rules and desires over safety, reliability and accessibility. Firms that wanted to get a piece of this new opportunity were invited to submit their proposals. The best would be picked for a trial. Twelve applied.
The SFMTA has now announced the winners. Lime and Bird, considered the leading names in on-demand scooters, were told they weren’t good enough.
On several key criteria, they apparently came up short. Neither firm demonstrated a satisfactory plan for helping low-income residents use the service. Nor did the companies have a good strategy, the SFMTA felt, for promoting the use of helmets. There was also not enough being done to stop riders misbehaving - or for banning those who did. Spin fared slightly better, but it too was deemed unsatisfactory.
Instead, the two firms awarded a one-year permit were Scoot and Skip. Scoot is already well-known to the people of the city having operated a moped rental service. Skip less so - it’s a scooter company that launched first in Washington DC before moving on to Portland, Oregon. It’s also testing in San Jose, Oakland and Berkeley.
That’s far fewer cities than the dozens offered by Lime and Bird. Indeed, Lime accused the SFMTA of choosing "inexperienced scooter operators that plan to learn on the job, at the expense of the public good”.
"I don’t think that’s true,” said Tom Maguire, director of SFMTA’s sustainable streets division. "These are operators with a proven track record.”
‘Being patient'
When I reached Skip’s chief executive by phone on Thursday, he said his company’s slow roll-out wasn’t just intentional - it was polite.
"You know, starting your process off by working with cities often means waiting and being patient before putting scooters on the ground,” Sanjay Dastoor told me.
“We're based in San Francisco, but we actually first launched our scooters in Washington DC - and that's because we were able to work with DC to create a permit pilot programme for electric scooter sharing.
"It's always been our intention from the beginning to work with cities collaboratively as the first step.”
In San Francisco, where the general populace hates tech more than you might think, the scooters became a symbol of immense arrogance.
While Uber was hugely disruptive, they were just cars. The scooters were a new sight, stored in places designed for pedestrians, and in your way whether you used them or not. In just over one month, residents logged 1,900 complaints with the city.
"Complaints ranged from scooters blocking sidewalk access to unsafe riding in the public right-of-way,” the SFMTA said.
"San Francisco Public Works had to impound more than 500 scooters that were blocking sidewalks or otherwise improperly parked.”
Mr Maguire told the tech firms they must innovate to solve some of the problems scooters had created. In awarding the trials, the SFMTA said it was impressed by Scoot’s plan to "use swappable batteries instead of manually taking the scooters off the street for regular recharging”, which it said would reduce congestion. The scooters are charged by a network of people who drive around and pick them up, sometimes to be charged in front rooms, as I experienced myself recently.
Skip proposed a plan to give a “50% discount for low-income users” and training in maintenance and management. Other ideas from Skip include incentives, like ride credits, to park the scooters in more favourable locations.
Different picture in Santa Monica
San Francisco wasn’t the only city making scooter decisions on Thursday.
Santa Monica, the beautiful beach city near Los Angeles, said it would allow four companies to take part in a 16-month trial. The Shared Mobility Device Selection Committee chose Bird, Lime, Lyft and Jump (which is owned by Uber).
In great contrast to San Francisco, Skip and Scoot performed poorly against Santa Monica’s criteria, which considered “experience” and “ability to launch” as key factors.
And so it’s clear each city might make a different call on this one - as well they should. Every city is different. Creating policies that suit best its residents, rather than letting technology companies call the shots, is what people should demand - without fear of being branded “anti-innovation” or luddite.
What scooters could represent, you might hope, is a shift from technology companies wearing rapid disruption as badge of honour, and instead displaying a modicum of respect for the institutions set up to protect and serve society. The streets are paid for by us, not them.
And if tech companies don’t see it that way, city officials are at least showing signs of adapting to the challenges, having been caught on the back foot by the ride-sharing boom.
"I think the change of attitude has been that we will continue to support and welcome innovation,” Mr Maguire says. “But we’ve been much more proactive in defining what the public interest is."
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Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC
Do you have more information about this or any other technology story? You can reach Dave directly and securely through encrypted messaging app Signal on: +1 (628) 400-7370
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A woman has been charged with attempted murder after a flat fire which left another woman with serious burns. | Emergency services were called to Fitzgerald Court, Ipswich, just before 03:45 BST on Monday.
The injured woman, aged in her 30s, has been transferred from Chelmsford's Broomfield Hospital to the Chelsea and Westminster burns unit.
Fiona Foster, 33, of Old Foundry Road in Ipswich, has been remanded by the town's magistrates.
She is also been charged with arson with intent/reckless as to whether life was endangered.
She is due to appear at Ipswich Crown Court on Wednesday.
No pleas have been entered yet.
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Cardiff Airport is to get a £3m loan to develop flight routes as part of £46m Welsh government spending on projects to support the economy. | The money, from its £74m capital reserves, is the latest part of a £13m loan package to attract new airlines.
Airbus will get £2.7m for training facilities at Swansea University and Coleg Cambria in Deeside, Flintshire.
While transport projects in north Wales, including Llangefni link road on Anglesey, will also get £2.7m.
The Welsh government will also set up loan funds for small businesses.
Finance Minister Jane Hutt said the money would boost infrastructure priorities and deliver "real and long-term benefits for people".
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Alex Jones is not a journalist. Free speech has limits and is rooted in reality, not theory. Technology companies have changed their tune. Laws - and perhaps regulators - will have to catch up. In the new public sphere, it is a few companies, not governments, who act as censors.
| Amol RajanMedia editor@amolrajanBBCon Twitter
Through these fluid and arguable propositions the censoring of Infowars - an anti-establishment website founded and fronted by former radio personality Alex Jones - can begin to be understood. Let's take them in turn.
Journalism encompasses many styles and moralities, but few of them have ever been so elastic as to embrace the practices of Jones and Infowars.
Of course, reporters and hacks from time immemorial have lied, got things wrong, and spread hatred. But the specific method and motivation of Jones, which is to offer a counter-blast to majority opinion and build a community online, does not in my view count as journalism. Not even "commentary".
Alex Jones is a conspiracy theorist. His relationship with the truth has long been that of a lawnmower with grass.
He has caused terrible suffering. It is hard to imagine the pain endured by Veronique De La Rosa and Leonard Pozner, whose 6 year-old son Noah was killed at Sandy Hook. But to think that they have been targeted by online bullies, and suffered death threats, after Alex Jones put about the idea that they had killed their boy is just unconscionable. (They are now undertaking defamation proceedings; Jones is counter-suing for $100,000 in costs).
The edges of freedom
That, however, is a moral position. Ethics is morality in practice. How does the cruelty of Alex Jones affect journalistic ethics?
It depends on your view of free speech. Free speech, being a branch of liberty, is a function of experience and experiment. Some people believe there should be no limits to it at all. Naturally, I don't take a position here on where the limits of free speech should be; but I will point out that democracies have tended to enact laws to curb its occasionally harmful consequences.
Twitter won't ban InfoWars' Alex Jones
YouTube, Facebook and iTunes drop InfoWars
These laws have adapted, and been adopted by various people at various time according to circumstance. The edges of these laws are spaces and places contested by brave campaigners, muck-rakers, and idiots alike.
And the reality of free speech is that it is rooted in specific habits, situations, and times, and people who hold a particular view at a particular time are liable to change that view, if the facts change.
Technology companies used to talk in utopian terms about their capacity to spread freedom, connect the world and so on. Some still do. Most of those based in Silicon Valley emerged from a libertarian worldview.
But as experience of their impact in the real world has accumulated, so the idealism has diminished (if not evaporated), and so, now, the approach to freedom - and specifically that of Alex Jones - has been updated.
Step by step
Those who have censored Alex Jones have changed their view - and done so at the end of a long process. Two years ago the likes of Facebook and Twitter were adamant that they were not media companies; that is, they did not strain into the domain of editorial judgements, sorry, journalism.
That claim was always naïve and cowardly. Now it's exposed as false, too. Over the past few years, social media companies have employed thousands of people, called moderators, to enforce editorial standards of behaviour.
Twitter's founder, Jack Dorsey, tweeted that he did not want his service - which has not banned Jones - to become "a service that's constructed by our personal views that can swing in any direction".
Make no mistake. That is exactly what those who have banned Jones have become. Their personal views, even if discussed in a Boardroom, have created a policy through subjective assessments, which has then been enforced through the subjective application of agreed criteria.
When Mark Zuckerberg was consulted about the decision on Jones, as he presumably was, he wouldn't have said "Do please check what the algorithm makes of it all". He would have thought, perhaps as a father, that someone who has caused bereaved parents to go into hiding was not someone his platform should help.
Twitter describes its rules as "A Living Document". Key word, that: "living". Those who have censored Alex Jones this week have done so because the so-called policies they have arrived at, over a long period of time and through sometimes arbitrary choices, are a reflection of the lived experience of those who built them. And the lives of Silicon Valley types suggest that Alex Jones is a nasty piece of work.
New rules, eventually
Now that they are clearly making editorial judgements - while, remarkably, pretending not to - it is abundantly clear that regulators and lawmakers will jump on this as yet more reason to act.
Note that Sharon White, the Chief Executive of Ofcom, wrote in The Times on 13 July that social media companies will have to be regulated. Expect to hear more on this from her in the coming months, because it was a significant intervention for her to make.
Ofcom doesn't have the power to regulate this terrain as yet, and isn't seeking it. Granting such powers would require primary legislation in any case. And it is also a practical nightmare. One consequence of this week is that it radically strengthens the case for new laws, even if to encourage new regulation.
Alex Jones has many fans. He is a divisive character, repulsive to some, and prophetic to others. The controversy around his being denied a platform by huge technology companies is significant not because of what it says about them, but because of what it says about us.
Of course, he still has a voice. He can still use his own website and other channels to disseminate the Infowars worldview. And private companies will always make careful decisions about how best to protect their reputations and integrity. It's just that right now, a few such companies have extraordinary and unprecedented power and influence.
In just a few years, less than a blip in human history, the public sphere has been completely re-invented. It is now not powerful states, but big private companies who, despite their promise to make the world more open, are associated with censorship.
To navigate the coming era, the question we must ask is not "Is Alex Jones bad?" or even "Who should speak?", but "Who controls our freedom to speak?".
If you're interested in issues such as these, please follow me on Twitter or Facebook; and also please subscribe to The Media Show podcast from Radio 4. I'm grateful for all constructive feedback. Thanks.
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The family of a 44-year-old man found fatally stabbed at his home has paid tribute to a "much loved son, brother and uncle". | Lee Moody, of Gladstone Street, Worksop, was discovered injured at the house on Monday night.
Nottinghamshire Police said he was treated at the scene but died from his injuries.
Richard Prendergast, 38, of Raymoth Lane, Worksop, appeared at Mansfield Magistrates' Court charged with murder.
He was remanded in to custody and is due to appear at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday.
Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].
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As many as 40 tonnes of heroin could be passing through Mozambique every year, making it the country's second biggest export, in a trade that is boosted by the use of mobile phone apps, writes Mozambique analyst Joseph Hanlon. | Mozambique is now an important stop for heroin traders who are using circuitous routes for their product to reach Europe from Afghanistan, as tighter enforcement has closed off the more direct paths.
The heroin goes from Afghanistan to Pakistan's south-west coast, and from there it is taken by motorized 20m wooden dhows to close to northern Mozambique's coast.
The dhows anchor offshore and smaller boats take the heroin from the dhow to the beach, where it is collected and moved to warehouses. It is then packed onto small trucks and is driven 3,000 km (1,850 miles) by road to Johannesburg, and from there others ship it to Europe.
Each dhow carries a tonne of heroin, and one arrives every week except during in the monsoon season, which makes about 40 arrivals a year.
Heroin also comes in by container into the country's Nacala and Beira ports where it is hidden among other goods, such as washing machines.
Overall, this means that at least 40 tonnes of heroin pass through through the country each year, according to experts. I estimate that the drug is worth $20m (£15m) per tonne at this point in the trade, making it the country's second most valuable export, after coal.
Mozambique's biggest exports:
Source: Mozambique government; Joseph Hanlon
Out of the export's total value, about $100m is estimated to stay in Mozambique as profits, bribes, and payments to members of the governing Frelimo party.
Since 2000 the heroin trade has been carried out by established import businesses, which hide the drugs in legitimate consignments and use their own warehouses, staff and vehicles to facilitate their movement. At ports, workers are told not to scan containers of certain trading companies so the drugs are not discovered.
Political involvement
Senior Frelimo figures have an overview of the business, meaning that there has been no conflict between trading families and little heroin remains in Mozambique.
Police spokesman Inacio Dina said the authorities were investigating these findings. He said the police were doing their best to stop the drugs trade but admitted it was a huge challenge.
"We must understand that the country's geographical location, with a lengthy coastline, and long land borders, opens various scenarios."
On its part, the international community has largely chosen to ignore the heroin transit trade, because it wanted concessions and reforms in others areas, such as an ever larger role for the private sector.
But a second, less structured, arm of the drugs trade has also emerged, borrowing ideas from the "gig" economy, where freelance workers are contacted through mobile phone apps to see if they are available.
This has been facilitated by the improved mobile phone coverage in northern Mozambique, the growth of WhatsApp and its encrypted message system, and increasing corruption in Mozambique.
In the case of Mozambique's heroin trade, a driver or boat owner will receive a WhatsApp message telling them where to pick up and deliver a package of heroin, and how to be paid.
Secret network
No-one knows the identity of the person who sent the message or their location. For those people coordinating the trade, ordering the movement of 20kg (44lb) of heroin is as easy as ordering an Uber taxi, and totally secret.
Two decades ago, corrupt police officers would have accompanied drivers with shipments of heroin on the north-to-south-Mozambique leg of the journey, to ensure they were not stopped at the numerous police checkpoints.
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Then as mobile telephone coverage improved, drivers were given a number to call if they were stopped. But the extent of the corruption has changed that and drivers are now given a pile of money to pay bribes at checkpoints. Whatever is left of this money when they arrive in Johannesburg is their pay for the trip.
No heroin is seized in Mozambique, but there are confiscations near the border in South Africa, because authorities there are worried about rising use of heroin in Cape Town and other big cities.
Those seizures show that heroin is often branded and sealed in 1kg packages in Afghanistan, apparently to prevent it from being adulterated along the long travel route. Among the brand names that have come to light are 555, Tokapi and Africa Demand.
In this new world of encrypted messaging apps, a buyer in Europe can place an order for 100kg of 555 with a distributor who may be anywhere.
The distributor puts together enough orders to make up one tonne on a dhow, and arranges collection in Mozambique and delivery to a warehouse, contacting local coordinators using WhatsApp or a similar app. In the warehouse, the tonne is broken up again into the different orders which are sent to Johannesburg.
Indeed, Mozambique's heroin trade looks like the trade in any other commodity - just another product moving through Mozambique and coordinated by multinational organisations.
Joseph Hanlon is a visiting senior fellow at the London School of Economics and editor of Mozambique Political Process Bulletin. This is a shorter version of his full report which can be read here.
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Sitting at the top of Catriona Black's 88-year-old mother's bag after her return from a 12-night stay in hospital was an NHS document - it was headed "Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation." | By David Wallace LockhartBBC Scotland political reporter
The form, known as a DNR, means health professionals will not use CPR to try to restart the heart and breathing of a patient.
The pensioner's family say she was "disorientated" and "confused", and question if she understood what the form meant.
NHS Tayside has apologised for how the document was found, and is reviewing the circumstances around the DNR.
BBC Scotland understands it has since been revoked.
Ms Black's mother went to Dundee's Ninewells Hospital on 7 May after she began to suffer hallucinations after a fall.
The family were not permitted to visit due to coronavirus, but two daughters spoke to their mum on the phone during her stay.
They said staff told them their mother was "confused".
Ms Black said she found the DNR "stuffed in a bag" when her mum was discharged.
She said: "I just got such a shock. It was just overwhelming to discover there was something as major as that and no-one had heard."
Her mother's discharge notes said she was suffering from "ongoing delirium".
Ms Black said: "I just don't think that was the time or the place (for a DNR) because I don't think she was fully lucid at any point.
"You don't ask somebody a question like that at a moment of weakness and say: 'Tick the box. That's her. She's a DNR'.
"And then never discuss that again with them."
She says the DNR form has been "preying" on her mother's mind, and that she has been "very distressed about it".
What is a DNR form?
A "Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation" (DNR) form is kept with a patient's health records. It is used when doctors decide that CPR will not work.
CPR can involve pushing down on someone's chest, using a mask or tube to help them breathe, or using electric shocks to restart the heart.
NHS Scotland guidance says there are scenarios where trying to restart your heart and breathing may do more harm than good, by not allowing you to die naturally.
Doctors make the final decision, but they should listen to a patient's opinion.
NHS guidance states: "You may wish to talk to your family, close friends or carers.
"They may be able to help you make a decision you are happy with."
If you cannot understand information given about a DNR, a "legal proxy" can represent your wishes.
Ms Black's sister has power of attorney for her mother, meaning she has the authority to deal with aspects of her welfare if she is incapacitated. She was never informed of the DNR.
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman told BBC Scotland that "difficult conversations" around DNRs "should always be handled with the utmost compassion, care and tact".
'Immediate review'
NHS Tayside said it would carry out "an immediate review" into the circumstances of the Do Not Resuscitate order.
A spokesperson for the health board said: "We have spoken with the family and apologised for any distress caused to them from finding the 'Do Not Resuscitate' form amongst her belongings.
"We are very sorry for the upset this has caused and we have offered to meet with the family so that they have the opportunity to discuss their concerns and ask any questions."
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A section of the Jurassic Coast in Dorset has been closed because of a large landslip, police have said. | Officers were called to the rock fall at East Beach, West Bay, at about 09:20 GMT.
The beach and coast path have been closed between West Bay and Freshwater Holiday Park, near Burton Bradstock.
No-one is believed to have been hurt by the falling rocks. Dorset Police advised people to avoid the area.
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During his first tenure as Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu was dubbed "the magician" by the local media because of his uncanny ability to extricate himself from the most difficult of situations - starting with his unexpected victory over Shimon Peres in the 1996 election. | By Colin ShindlerEmeritus professor, SOAS, University of London
Mr Netanyahu's luck - or expertise - may have run its course. It appears that police investigations into rumours and innuendo about corruption which have been swirling around the Netanyahu family for years are now turning into more solid cases.
There are now four police investigations - two against Mr Netanyahu and his family, two against his inner circle.
Case 1000 accuses Mr Netanyahu and his family of accepting gifts from an array of figures such as the Hollywood entrepreneur, Arnon Milchan, and the Australian businessman, James Packer, which were not "of small value and reasonable in context", according to Israeli law.
Mr Netanyahu's wife, Sara, is suspected of accepting 400,000 shekels (£81,000; $113,100) and of instituting cordon bleu meals on a regular basis for the family at the PM's residence - a privilege usually reserved for state visitors.
The Israeli press lays most of the blame for this state of affairs at the door of Sara, who - it appears - has been instrumental in pushing for this lifestyle and possesses a reputation for treating employees badly.
Case 2000 involves an alleged deal with the daily Yediot Aharanot to secure better coverage for Mr Netanyahu's policies in exchange for weakening its rival, the hitherto loyal, freebie, Israel Hayom, owned by US businessman Sheldon Adelson.
A taped telephone conversation with Arnon Mozes, Yediot's publisher, and the testimony of Mr Netanyahu's former chief of staff Ari Harow - now a state witness - appear to have turned the tide.
Case 3000 involves Mr Netanyahu's lawyer and cousin, David Shimron, who is being investigated in a case regarding the acquisition of submarines from the German shipbuilder, Thyssen Krupp.
Several suspects have been detained including the former commander of the Israeli Navy. Allegations that unofficial lobbying, indirect bribes and senior officials turned state witness are all features of this case.
Case 4000 involves Shlomo Filber, a former head of the Central Committee of Mr Netanyahu's Likud party, who was appointed director-general of the ministry of communications shortly after the 2015 election.
Mr Netanyahu swiftly dismissed the former holder of the post when he proposed a broadband reform. Mr Filber is suspected of supplying insider information to Bezeq, the major telecom company in Israel. He denies this.
Contradicting Zionist values
All this has left a pungent odour rising from the depths - such behaviour is regarded as far removed from the ethos of Israel's founding generation, whether left or right.
Israel's socialist founding father David Ben-Gurion lived in a simple apartment in Kibbutz Sde Boqer in the Negev desert - he paid more attention to his library than to his living conditions.
Another revered Likud prime minister, Menachem Begin, and his wife lived in basic housing near Tel Aviv's seafront.
Significantly, there have also been public demonstrations against corruption by members of Mr Netanyahu's party.
The protesters have invoked the name of Vladimir Jabotinsky, the ideological founder of the Israeli Right - again a figure who famously never looked for riches and condemned corruption.
The changeover from a stagnant command economy, run by socialists, to a globalised, deregulated one in the 1980s produced a plethora of self-made millionaires in Israel.
It also created an incentive for politicians to make their own fortune and to mix with well-heeled businessmen who could help them in their political endeavours.
Mr Netanyahu's predecessors, Ehud Barak and Ariel Sharon, were the subjects of investigation, while Ehud Olmert was convicted and sent to prison.
In one sense, such an atmosphere contradicted the very values of Zionism - not only to create a new state, but to forge a new society unlike the corrupt ones they had left behind.
PM in defiant mood
Mr Netanyahu has ridiculed the accusations levelled at him and hit back Trump-like against the head of the police anti-corruption unit and other officials.
The journalistic investigations in these cases are deemed to be the work of "a leftist media".
During a 10-minute live TV response to the police indictment on Tuesday evening, Mr Netanyahu protested his innocence and reminded his audience of his devotion to the state of Israel.
Describing the charges as a culmination of a campaign of slander against him personally and a vilification of his family, Mr Netanyahu pledged that he would remain at his post and that his coalition of the centre-right and the far-right would continue to govern.
Opposition figures immediately called for his resignation.
Mr Netanyahu's far-right allies in the government do not wish to see him in the courtroom since it would almost certainly mean a breakup of the coalition that has governed Israel for most of the last decade.
Education Minister Naftali Bennett, a political rival of Mr Netanyahu, questioned whether a prime minister should be "overthrown for the sake of a few cigars", while Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked pointed out that Mr Netanyahu did not have to resign if he was indicted.
There is also a dilemma for the public.
Despite the deep suspicion that Mr Netanyahu does not possess a moral compass, he is seen as the guarantor of security in a time of trauma in the Arab world.
He is the national goalkeeper who keeps the nation safe.
If Israel's arch-enemy Iran presses on with its build-up of hostile forces in Syria and continues to supply arms to its allies in Lebanon, the public may close its eyes to Mr Netanyahu's flaws and demand that security concerns take precedence.
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The GCSE results in Wales might look like "same again" but there is a lot going on beneath the surface. | By Bethan Lewis and Steve DuffyBBC Wales News
Performance for the grades A* to C has now been the same for the last three years with 66.6% of exam entries falling into this top band.
But the exam system is getting more complicated, reforms are on the way - and it will not be as straightforward from next year when making comparisons, especially with other UK nations.
How are Wales pupils performing compared to elsewhere?
In 2008, England overtook Wales in terms of GCSE results at A* to C grades. For the last three years, two thirds of pupils in Wales got A* to C grades - and results in England have now dropped to the level here.
The north east of England was doing slightly better than Wales last year but now for A* to C grades, all of the northern and midland English regions are not performing as well as Wales.
Northern Ireland's consistently higher performance - it has improved again - has been put down to its system of selective schools, where pupils are tested at the age of 11 and the brighter ones get places at grammar schools.
"Inevitably comparisons will be made with the results in other parts of the UK, notably with England," said Rebecca Williams, policy officer at teaching union Ucac.
"But the most important comparison, in terms of learners' performance, is the comparison with previous years here in Wales."
Education expert Prof David Reynolds, of Swansea University, said results had plateaued over the past three or four years.
"There have been similar results and you could say the system is maxed out if you like," he said.
"But it's not true, if you look at the range of variations in schools. There are huge differences still between the top and bottom performing schools."
"And if you look within schools, there are big 20-30% variations in the percentage of A* to C within the same school in core subjects"
"If they did as well as the best they could still improve".
He said those in education in Wales had not done enough to "shift around the good practice".
Girls still out-performing boys
The performance gap between girls and boys is not a new phenomenon - it goes back more than two decades - and the pattern between how much better girls are doing than their male counterparts has followed a strikingly similar pattern in Wales to England in recent years.
At the highest grades A* and A, the gap increased to 7.4% in 2016 in Wales, slightly higher than in England (7.2%). When the new top grade came in, it was 5.8%.
So 15.6% of entries from boys were A* and A - compared to 23% of girls. The gap in England was 16.6% for boys and 23.8% for girls.
Looking at the grades A* to C, the gap is now 9.2% in Wales - the highest for several years.
For these grades, 61.8% of entries from boys got A* to C grades compared 71% of girls.
Rob Williams, policy director of the head teachers' union NAHT Cymru said despite boys improving, the gender gap was still a "stubborn feature".
"Teachers know that this is not just a feature of the qualification results as for a significant proportion of boys pre-reading skills, concentration and their readiness to learn on school entry is already under-developed," he said.
"They may already be playing catch-up at the age of four."
Mr Williams added: "For the minority of boys with underdeveloped literacy skills and a less resilient self-confidence, accessing a wider curriculum that relies so heavily on effective reading and writing can be daunting and, particularly as they get older, result in detachment and disengagement."
He said there was a fear that accountability measures at the end of the Foundation Phase - which aimed for a less formal learning approach - were inhibiting the ability of schools "to be true to its principles, narrowing the focus too much, too soon".
He said schools which were innovative used teachers to target resources and engage pupils.
"For example, concentrating on developing their literacy skills, confidence and resilience, teachers have proven to improve boys' ability to access, enjoy and achieve in the wider curriculum," said Mr Williams.
"The best approaches also engage fully with parents, families and the wider community to create greater aspirations for our children and young people.
"If the positive messages about educational achievement and wider benefits are aligned between home and in primary school and beyond, the opportunities for boys to experience continued future success can be maximised."
It may not all be rosy for girls however, with Cardiff University research out this week suggesting they are more likely to feel anxious and that they don't "belong" in school than boys.
Fewer pupils are taking French
There has been another fall in the numbers of pupils taking GCSE French - a drop of 11%.
A study last year found the studying of modern languages had declined rapidly in Wales since 2002, with the then education minister saying he wanted to see children starting to learn at primary school.
There has been a rise in entries for German this year after a drop in 2015, although Spanish entries have gone down.
Rebecca Williams of Ucac said there had been a "steady and dramatic pattern of decline" in recent years.
"There's a combination of reasons for this, including 'crowding out' of the curriculum, that is, having as few as three options, from a range of around 25; the perception that English is the only important international language and that everyone else can speak English," she said.
She added that other factors included "brutal cuts" to support services for the teaching of modern foreign languages such as Cilt Cymru "and the fact that we start teaching languages too late - the older we get, the harder it is, and age 11 is already a late start in terms of language learning."
How are we doing in core subjects?
There is another indicator for how well pupils are doing in core subjects at GCSE but we won't know this for the 2016 exams until later in the year.
Last year, 57.9% of pupils in Wales got five or more GCSEs at A* to C grades, including English or Welsh and maths. It is no longer possible to compare meaningfully with England because of changes in maths introduced there in 2014.
One complication this year though is that the results from independent schools will not be included in the overall Wales performance measures, so we will need to take this into account.
What about schools which are underperforming?
Schools Challenge Cymru is a £20m Welsh Government project geared at improving 40 underperforming schools.
Since Summer 2014 they get access to more money, advice and support in order to boost GCSE performance.
The first set of results under the scheme were published last year and showed that while around two thirds of the schools saw an improvement in their GCSE results, 13 of the 40 schools got worse results.
Opposition parties in the Assembly have questioned the value of the project.
Earlier this year before becoming Education Secretary, Kirtsy Williams questioned First Minister Carwyn Jones about the scheme saying it "only assists a limited number of schools".
This year's results will not be officially available until October but they will be a further test of whether the project has driven up standards.
It is getting (even) harder to compare GCSE results
Major changes in the exam systems and more students taking subjects like maths and English early mean it is becoming increasingly difficult to interpret GCSE statistics.
This year's results will also be the last based on the full set of "old" GCSEs.
In Wales, those taking GCSE maths is 25% down on last summer - but that is because a new GCSE maths syllabus started last September and pupils will be opting to take the first exams in this in November.
And from next year, comparisons year by year and by nation will be even harder.
Other new GCSEs already being taught in Wales include numeracy, English and Welsh language and literature.
Further new GCSE courses are being rolled out in Wales in science, drama, French and from next year for business, history and religious studies.
There is also a big overhaul of qualifications happening in England.
Next year, GCSEs in England will not be graded alphabetically but with numbers - 9 to 1, with 9 the highest grade. The current grade C pass in England will not have a direct equivalent - it is expected to cover the bottom of grade 5 and top of grade 4.
In Northern Ireland, there will be a mixture of numerical and letter grades, with one exam board bringing in an additional C* grade.
So with the A* to G grading remaining in Wales, comparisons will be a complicated business!
Prof David Reynolds said simple comparisons were obviously going to be out.
"The danger is that all we're left with is Pisa which isn't great in comparing countries," he said.
That would increase the pressure on Wales and we will be "left with a testing where we've already done poorly and getting worse and that's worrying."
Pisa - published by the OECD - compares the performances of 15-year-old pupils in reading, maths and science over 58 nations. The next set of test results are expected in December after results for Wales in 2013 were described as "stark".
Rebecca Williams of Ucac said comparisons were becoming futile as the reforms take place over the next three years.
"Once we've got a few years of the new system under our belts, we'll be able to make meaningful year-on-year comparisons within Wales," she said.
Should pupils be allowed to sit exams early?
While in England there has been a move back to 16-year-olds sitting their exams in the summer at the end of their GCSE course, in Wales it is more common for pupils to sit their exams early.
In maths in particular there has been a growing number of so called "early entries" with pupils sitting exams either at the end of Year 10, a year into the course, or in the following November.
Reforms introduced in England in 2013 were meant to stop schools "gaming the system" and encouraging pupils to take GCSEs early to "bank" good grades.
If they failed they would simply retake.
But former English Education Secretary Michael Gove changed the system so that only the first attempt would count towards a school's performance data.
It led to a 40% drop in the number of 14 or 15 year olds entered for exams in summer 2014.
In Wales, there have been similar concerns.
But when the reforms were introduced in England, the then Welsh Education Minister Huw Lewis chose not to introduce the same changes in Wales.
Although he warned that he would intervene in future if schools didn't stop voluntarily and appealed to head teachers to "do the right thing".
For:
Against:
The exams watchdog Qualifications Wales says it intends conducting research looking at the benefits and disadvantages of early entry.
Entry patterns this year may also be different because of GCSE reforms and new courses starting. So, for example, there has been a big jump in pupils taking English literature and Welsh as a second language a year early.
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The unemployment rate in Wales remains unchanged compared to the previous quarter, according to new figures. | The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Wednesday the number of people out of work between January and March 2015 was 99,000.
Across the UK, unemployment fell by 35,000 to 1.83 million in the three months to March.
A Welsh government spokesman said: "We are working... to help create and safeguard jobs right across Wales."
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Adam Nagourney's in-depth profile of Cliven Bundy in the New York Times has liberals crowing and many conservatives scrambling to distance themselves from the Nevada rancher who recently led an armed standoff against government agents. | By Anthony ZurcherEditor, Echo Chambers
The article begins with a recap of Mr Bundy's confrontation with federal officials who tried to round up and auction his cattle to pay for more than $1m (£600,000) in fees and fines for unauthorised grazing on federal land.
Now that the government has backed down, media interest in Mr Bundy has dwindled a bit, as only a handful of press are still showing up at his rallies and press conferences.
On Saturday, it seems, Nagourney and a photographer were the only journalists present as Mr Bundy decided to venture into social commentary. Here's how the Times reporter recounts what happened next:
"I want to tell you one more thing I know about the Negro," he said. Mr. Bundy recalled driving past a public-housing project in North Las Vegas, "and in front of that government house the door was usually open and the older people and the kids - and there is always at least a half a dozen people sitting on the porch - they didn't have nothing to do. They didn't have nothing for their kids to do. They didn't have nothing for their young girls to do.
"And because they were basically on government subsidy, so now what do they do?" he asked. "They abort their young children, they put their young men in jail, because they never learned how to pick cotton. And I've often wondered, are they better off as slaves, picking cotton and having a family life and doing things, or are they better off under government subsidy? They didn't get no more freedom. They got less freedom."
Cue record screech sound, followed by footsteps of reporters rushing to their phones to call Republican politicians who had backed Mr Bundy's cause.
Nevada Senator Dean Heller, who called Mr Bundy's group of supporters "patriots", "completely disagrees with Mr Bundy's appalling and racist statements, and condemns them in the most strenuous way," according to his spokesman.
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, who also expressed support for Mr Bundy, gave a statement to Business Insider: "His remarks on race are offensive, and I wholeheartedly disagree with him."
Commentators on the left have been quick to point out that conservatives can't so easily back away from a man they had previously embraced as a folk hero.
Amanda Marcotte, writing for the Raw Story, said Mr Bundy's remarks were "boilerplate blame-the-victim nonsense from Republicans who are trying to blame black people themselves for racial disparities instead of systemic racism".
"But he failed to employ their standard code words and euphemisms, so he's an embarrassment now," she says.
Mr Bundy's statements shouldn't be surprising, writes the Atlantic's Ta-Nehisi Coates.
"White supremacy is one of the most dominant forces in the history of American politics," he says. "In a democracy, it would be silly to expect it to go unexpressed."
"Prick a movement built on white supremacy and it bleeds ... white supremacy," he adds.
Not all conservatives were backing away from Mr Bundy, however.
TruthRevolt's Ben Shapiro compared Mr Bundy's situation to that of Edward Snowden, who leaked information about US government surveillance programmes.
"Snowden being a traitor did not change importance of his revelations," he tweeted. "Bundy being a racist does not change importance of his situation."
Conservative radio host Dana Loesch tried to put Mr Bundy's statements in a more sympathetic light:
I hope no one is surprised that an old man rancher isn't media trained to express himself perfectly. He seems to be decrying what big government has done to the black family - which big government has negatively affected not just the black family, but all families regardless of ethnicity - so perhaps he included that in his remarks against big government? I'm just trying to figure out how he even got to the point of discussing it and, yes, it's justified to have a healthy suspicion of the New York Times.
One of the primary concerns that critics of Mr Bundy's actions have expressed since the standoff began more than a week ago is that federal enforcement will back down in the face of armed resistance.
Already, a new land controversy was brewing in northern Texas, where ranchers we objecting to a move by the federal government to claim jurisdiction over some land near the Red River. Some were pointing to it as the next Bundy-style faceoff.
With Mr Bundy's recent statements, however, the Nevada rancher's appeal as a conservative hero may be diminished. Whether the movement that he represents will be tarnished along with him remains to be seen.
UPDATE: A video of Mr Bundy's controversial comments is now available on YouTube.
UPDATE #2: On Thursday Mr Bundy appeared to stick by his comments about blacks during an interview on the Peter Schiff Show, although he emphasised that this is all just speculation on his part:
I said I'm wondering if they're better off under government subsidy and their young women are having the abortions, and their young men are in jail, and their older women and their children are sitting out on their cement porch without nothing to do.
And I'm wondering: are they happier now under this government subsidy system then they were when they were slaves when they was able to have their family structure together and chickens and a garden and the people had something to do? And so in my mind I'm wondering: are they better off being slaves in that sense or better off being slaves to the United States government in the sense of a subsidy? The statement was right. I am wondering.
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The inclusion of two female film-makers - Chloe Zhao and Emerald Fennell - in the nominations for best director at this year's Oscars has been hailed as historic. But two other women directors are also competing at the 2021 ceremony with their feature films. | By Emma JonesBBC Talking Movies
Both The Man Who Sold His Skin, by Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania, and Bosnian director Jasmila Žbanić's Quo Vadis, Aida? are nominated for the best international film award.
And at the Baftas, Quo Vadis, Aida? is competing in the same category, while Žbanić is in the running for best director.
Quo Vadis, Aida? is the story of a fictional UN interpreter, played by Jasna Đuričić, and her battle to save her family in the massacre at Srebrenica, where 8,000 Muslim men and boys were killed in 1995 by Bosnian Serb forces. The film was funded by nine European countries, including Bosnia-Herzegovina.
"When we started on the film five years ago it looked like mission impossible," Žbanić explains.
"Bosnia doesn't have a film industry. We produce around one film a year, with a budget of around €1m (£850,000). But this film, partly because of the extras we needed, would cost at least four times that and so had to be a co-production with other countries.
"This is also a sensitive and painful topic, and as soon as we mentioned the word 'genocide', many people shied away, saying, 'It's too difficult.' Now I think, no, it's you who thinks an audience doesn't want to see difficult things.
"The awards nominations are such an incredible honour. A director always hopes their story will reach people's hearts in big numbers, and now we have the Bafta and Oscar nominations, I know how many more people will now see the movie."
One inspiration for the film was the book Under the UN Flag: The International Community and the Srebrenica Genocide by Hasan Nuhanović, but the director describes the main character of Aida as "a combination of many people we met or read about".
"Hasan was an interpreter who was there at Srebrenica and his family was expelled from the space," she explains. "So I did approach him, but it was hard for him to have a film based upon him, and also I wanted a woman as the main character, who wanted to protect her sons and her husband. In the development there were many women as inspiration whose sons were at Srebrenica."
Kaouther Ben Hania's film, The Man Who Sold His Skin, stars Yahya Mahayni as Sam, a Syrian refugee who agrees to make himself into a human canvas and be displayed around European galleries. Italian actress Monica Bellucci has a supporting role as a gallery owner.
The story is inspired by the real-life example of Tim Steiner, who agreed for his back to be tattooed by Belgian artist Wim Delvoye and then sold to a German art collector.
The director says she wants to show audiences how hard it is for a refugee to move around the world, compared with the movement of goods.
"It's not only easier for art to move around, it's easier for everything - for goods, for pasta, for fruits, for perfume, for fashion," she argues.
"My purpose is for the audience to live the experience of this refugee, who was a normal human being, but not 'born in the right place', as he says to the artist who meets him.
"So, I wanted to give the possibility of empathy, to understand the journey of a refugee. But his journey is not a typical refugee journey. We don't have the boat, and it doesn't sink. He becomes a work of art. I wanted this combination between the survival world of the refugee and the luxurious world of contemporary art to make this contrast.
"The art market, like any institution, they have their codes, their way of functioning," she adds. "So in the movie, the gallery owner, the museum guard, the museum director, they have the reflex of working with a work of art, because they signed a contract, and this is what they know. They can't deal with Sam as a human being."
Ben Hania describes her Oscar nomination as "totally crazy".
"It's the first ever nomination for Tunisia, and I'd love to bring Africa an Oscar," she says. "I'm also Arab, and it's my dream to offer all the Arabic-speaking countries an Oscar too."
Žbanić won a Golden Bear - the highest honour at the Berlin Film Festival - in 2006 for her first feature film, Esma's Secret: Grbavica.
Set in contemporary Sarajevo, it told the story of a single mother who was a victim of the systematic rape of women, most of whom were Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims), by Serbian soldiers during the Bosnian war in the 1990s.
"Many things have changed since I studied film as a student," she comments. "We never mentioned any female director in the history of film-making, so for four years I learned about genius men.
"I was 17 when the war started so I didn't have access to many sources. Later, I was told by many of my colleagues that I should be with my small child instead of working when I was making my first film.
"They just tried to put this guilt on me. But now audiences and film crews are getting used to the idea of a woman directing.
"And with this film it shows the female gaze is really different in war, and a different mindset. For me, war can't be sexy. I can't find pleasure in framing this with my camera."
Ben Hania's previous film, Beauty and the Dogs, premiered in 2017, months before the Harvey Weinstein scandal led to the #MeToo movement. It's the story of a young woman who is raped by male police officers.
"I think it's an international experience of women not being heard and not being believed," the director says. "That film is the story of a young woman who is raped by policemen and she has to then go and report her rape to policemen.
"I think it was a very important movie for me to do, because when you are a woman, you face at some point in your life something like this. Somebody telling you to shut up, somebody reminding you that you are helpless, that you can't fight. So, I was doing this movie with all the anger and indignation I have as a woman."
The Oscars Academy's increasing diversity drive "is changing things slowly, but it is really changing," she adds.
"There are now more voters outside the USA too, in Africa and Asia and Europe, so we definitely see this in the movies that are nominated. And we have two women directors in the main section, and two women directors in the international film section.
"And they are beautiful movies - it's not just because they're women."
Quo Vadis, Aida? is available on Curzon Home Cinema in the UK. The Man Who Sold His Skin is yet to receive a UK release date but will be available in the US from 4 April.
BBC Talking Movies' award season specials are available to watch throughout March and April on BBC News and on BBC World News. Viewers in the UK can also watch on BBC iPlayer.
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The operator of the CairnGorm Mountain snowsports centre, near Aviemore, has unveiled its planned revamp of the site that could cost up to £15m to complete. | Natural Retreats wants to make improvements to the restaurant, offer conference space and increase its facilities for making snow.
The company has started a consultation on its plans.
The ski centre in the Cairngorms National Park is owned by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).
Natural Retreats has released a series of architects' impressions of the new look.
A new day lodge with food outlets, shops and a creche and an "adventure zone" have been planned.
Highland Council has been informed of the proposals.
Natural Retreats owns holiday accommodation at a number of locations in the UK and elsewhere.
It has a 25-year lease for the running of CairnGorm Mountain.
Last year, the company said it would invest more than £6m in the resort over five years.
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Darren Aronofsky's epic Noah is now out in UK cinemas. Russell Crowe's portrayal of the Biblical figure has prompted criticism from religious groups, but there are also people who believe it misses a key detail - that Noah might have had albinism. | By Damon Rose BBC News, Ouch
People with the condition have little or no colour, or pigment, in their eyes, skin and hair, and it can also result in severe visual impairment. It is an inherited condition. Those with pure white hair are likely to have the variant OCA1 (Occularcutaneous Albinism).
Though Crowe's Noah has a dirty grey beard, the Old Testament figure who was ordered by God to build an ark, is often depicted with a long white beard.
This in itself is no evidence of albinism but some people have seized on text from the Dead Sea Scrolls which elaborates further. Discovered between 1946 - possibly 1947 - and 1956 in a cave east of Jerusalem, they are thought to contain the earliest known manuscripts of some parts of the Hebrew Bible.
In the scrolls, there is a description of Noah as a child "the flesh of which was white as snow, and red as a rose; the hair of whose head was white like wool, and long; and whose eyes were beautiful. When he opened them, he illuminated all the house, like the sun".
It doesn't exactly sound conclusive.
Mark Sanderson, chair of the UK's Albinism Fellowship group, says: "It's fair to say some people believe he had albinism because of his visual distinctiveness and obvious characteristics, but who knows. I think the link is quite tenuous though others might disagree."
The scroll translation comes via an article written by ophthalmology research professor Arnold Sorsby in the British Medical Journal in 1958. In it he attempts to find the root of a possible inherited genetic flaw by tracing Noah's family tree.
Though Sorsby's article has a serious tone, there is a section at the end that reads as if it were meant humorously. It's left people wondering if Sorsby was writing with his tongue firmly in his cheek.
Others have suggested that the scroll text refers to a tradition of Noah's angelicness rather than a medical condition.
But the theory is cemented in the albinism community through the name of the US support group NOAH, standing for the National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation.
President Mike McGowan says there were members who had heard about a possible link with the Biblical Noah when the organisation was founded, but is keen to distance himself from the ark-builder and stresses that NOAH is a secular organisation. The albinism support organisation in Germany is also known as NOAH.
The new film is said to bring out the dark side of the Noah story. While it might appear ironic, albinism is often used as a device to denote a dark character.
The Skinema website, set up to monitor the portrayal of skin conditions in movies, records many examples of the "evil albino" in films. These include Silas, the murderous monk from The Da Vinci Code, the evil Uber-Morlock from The Time Machine and the violent Bosie from Cold Mountain.
Sanderson is pleased Noah won't be on Skinema's list. "My personal view is that I'm glad Russell Crowe wasn't portrayed as having albinism because almost always when film-makers do it it's negative. I've rarely seen it done positively."
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There's not much Louis Theroux hasn't experienced of humanity. In more than 25 years of documentary making, he's moved in multiple worlds including those of neo-Nazis, Scientologists, pornography stars, those living with dementia - and Jimmy Savile. | By Rebecca Thomas Entertainment reporter
While his approach has altered over the years, from comic gonzo to sober inquisitor, Theroux's ability to extract uncomfortable truths without confrontation has not.
Yet, the one person we don't get to know is Theroux himself. The questions are simple. The expression inscrutable. Only his eyebrows sometimes go rogue. In other words, he gives his interviewee space to show who they are.
Epithets from "faux-naive", "impenetrable" and "wacky" have been employed in an attempt to define him. Theroux says he can, up to point, understand why.
"I plead guilty to, back in the day of Weird Weekends and When Louis Met, sometimes being a 'wacky' satirist, finding fringe people in marginal, wrongheaded or poisoned lifestyles and having fun with them, making them look a bit silly," he says.
"Now I cover stories I'm interested in, funny or not.
"We used to say, 'Where are the laughs?' as a way of eliminating a subject. But it's not about being Jeremy Paxman or David Frost, but being engaging, exciting and interesting and being the best me I can."
As Theroux edges towards 50, his latest project - a memoir - could help unmask the "real" him.
In Gotta Get Theroux This, he turns the focus inwards, to the workings of his TV world and his complicated mind. The title's pun comes from the ironic "cult of Louis" that spawned a range of Theroux-themed merchandise. Theroux wanted to "repurpose the meme, which never struck me as really that funny. Any pun on my name, I've heard a million times".
"But a theme of the book is getting through things, so I focused on challenges, things I found difficult: professional failures and worries, feeling I'm not up to it, I'm in over my head."
Theroux goes into forensic detail as he takes us through his childhood, into adulthood and becoming an alumnus of Michael Moore, to the present day. As for his personal life, it's been a rollercoaster of anxiety, self-doubt and emotional detachment. (There's also been a lot of pot smoking.)
"I take my work arguably too seriously. I neglected my personal life to focus on achieving some sort of professional success. The price of my lack of emotional nous was paid by those nearest and dearest to me."
He's had to learn to overcome the commitment issues which contributed to his first marriage's breakdown and almost broke his second to Nancy Strang, mother to his three boys. Given the commitment he's now asking of readers, he felt it necessary to be as open as possible.
"I owed them something that connects in a deeper way. I needed to be honest and to give more of myself away... feel kind of naked, in a surprising, maybe a shocking way."
Theroux talks about being "socially awkward" and not feeling right in his skin. It started young: aged five or six, he was already contemplating his death.
His father is the American writer Paul Theroux. His mother was a BBC World Service producer. Though loving, their parenting was hands off, leaving Louis and older brother Marcel (also a documentary maker and writer) with au pairs. Paul was also a philanderer. The couple divorced in 1993.
The young Louis, felt "freakish" and had few friends. He was fascinated with the macabre and taboo, and worked and worried himself to "emotional exhaustion" at his private school. Academic success was a pacifier when the rest of life felt out of control. He went on to read history at Oxford.
Theroux says his early resentment of his parents has mellowed but adds, "I'm very much the person I was as a child."
"For me, childhood is the most difficult passage of life. You feel imprisoned, enclosed within the choices made by other people. That can feel overwhelming."
Needing distance, Theroux went to America after graduation (he's lived there on and off for several years). There, he was hired by the influential documentary maker Michael Moore - the man who would shape his future.
Fronting segments on Moore's satirical TV Nation, the naïf Theroux delved into the lives of off-the-wall characters and learned the naturalistic tricks of his trade.
"I can't imagine where I would be today were it not for that fateful day when Michael hired me and later told me to get on a plane and interview apocalyptic Christians. I felt completely out of my depth. But he had faith in me at a time when I didn't have faith in myself. I'd never considered being a TV correspondent. I've made sure I thanked him."
His subsequent move to the BBC and Weird Weekends, again set in the US, gave Theroux more doubts.
"I had enough American in me to be concerned that we might be making one of those 'let's make fun of Americans' type programmes."
Weird Weekends became the vehicle by which Theroux was introduced to the British public. His "going native" rapport-building approach told a truer story than hard-nosed interrogation and won him an army of fans. The pay-off for Theroux was escapism: "When you're on location with people who think the heavens are going to rain down fire, the fact that you haven't renewed your car's tax disc doesn't seem so preoccupying."
However fame and success have sometimes divided Theroux. Even when winning awards, he's been torn between pride and feeling unworthy.
The limelight first blindsided him in the When Louis Met celebrity interview strand. The episode with UK politician Neil Hamilton and wife Christine saw him caught in the media commotion surrounding allegations of rape made against them (later discredited).
"I got into TV almost as a way of becoming invisible, in worlds where I was immersed in something remote from my daily concerns. But then I became the subject of tabloids and news reports. It wasn't comfortable," says Theroux.
But it's the first show he made with Jimmy Savile in 2000 that left an indelible mark. Unsurprising, given what we know now. At the time Theroux could only say he felt Savile was "really odd, like someone with something to hide". The two struck up a kind of friendship, so the revelations about Savile's serial sexual abuse hit hard.
"I was stressed and upset and had a level of guilt, as part of me resisted believing," says Theroux. "I've come to the conclusion it was an understandable human response. The extent of his offending was so broad, it took a while to get your head around it."
He revisited the story in 2016, concentrating on Savile's victims. Personally, he hoped it might "exorcise" the ghosts still haunting him.
"His victims have changed the landscape in the UK and how we think about historic sexual abuse or predatory behaviour by powerful people," says Theroux. "But what also came across clearly is the way some victims don't always immediately recognise it."
The seriousness of the programme was illustrative of the shift in tone of Theroux's documentaries over the last decade. Mental illness, adoption, and rape on campus are among the issues he's covered. The consistency lies in Theroux's human touch. The film-maker says he hopes to be remembered for "showing human nature in an honest way that connects with people for years to come".
His view of humanity now is "we are who we are".
"That can be really positive, altruistic, self-sacrificing and sometimes really bonkers". As for his attitude towards himself, he says: "I'm at peace with not being at peace."
Follow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected].
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Florence & The Machine and N-Dubz are among the artists confirmed to play open air gigs at this year's Somerset House summer series. | Mystery Jets, Air, Noah & The Whale, The Temper Trap, The XX, Corinne Bailey Rae and Soul II Soul have also been confirmed to play in the courtyard of the central London landmark.
The series begins on 8 July and runs throughout the month.
Tickets for the gigs go on sale on 26 March.
The full dates are:
Mystery Jets - 8 July
Air - 9
Noah & The Whale - 10
N-Dubz - 11
The Temper Trap - 12
The XX - 13
Florence & The Machine - 15
Corinne Bailey Rae - 16
Soul II Soul - 18
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Conspiracy theories swirl around many accidents, terror attacks or disasters. It's not surprising, then, that a host of different claims surround the crash of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17. There are theories about fighter jets and different types of missiles. So what really happened? | By Mike RudinBBC News
The story starts on the bleak steppes of eastern Ukraine. A bitter cold wind blew as I walked up to a simple memorial commemorating the tragic death of 298 people in the worst air disaster for two decades. Around the memorial lay a collection of teddies and soft toys - a cruel reminder that 80 children lost their lives here.
On 17 July 2014, the Boeing 777 had left Amsterdam, bound for the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur. But it suddenly broke up in mid-air, killing everyone on board. The air disaster came just four months after the mysterious disappearance of another Malaysian airliner.
At the time, the Ukrainian government and the Russian-backed rebel militia were locked in a bitter civil war. After 15 months of deliberation the official technical report by the Dutch Safety Board concluded that a single, powerful, Russian-made Buk ground-to-air missile hit the plane. It's widely assumed that Russian soldiers or pro-Russian rebels fired it, mistakenly thinking they were targeting a Ukrainian Air Force jet.
But right from the start Russia and the rebels fiercely contested the Western explanation.
Four days after the crash, two of Russia's most senior generals accused the Ukrainian government of deliberately pushing MH17 off its flight path into the war zone. They highlighted a momentary blip on Russian radar, arguing that this showed a Ukrainian Su-25 fighter jet, armed with missiles guaranteed to hit targets within a range of three miles.
Fighter jet theory I
As the theory that MH17 was shot down by a plane not a ground-to-air missile swept across the internet, Billy Six, a freelance journalist from Berlin, joined the hunt for clues.
He spent four months in Ukraine and interviewed more than 100 people in the rebel-controlled area around the crash site. Seven people told him they saw a fighter jet on the day MH17 crashed, and one said he saw a missile being launched from a plane. Billy himself thinks two fighter jets shot down MH17 - one firing its cannon, the other firing a missile.
The first photographer on the scene, Oleg Vtulkin, a member of the pro-Russian militia, rejects the Western account. "There's no way that we would have launched this missile as everyone would have seen it," he says.
Find out more
Conspiracy Files: Who Shot Down MH17? The full story will be aired on BBC Two on 3 May at 2100 BST
Vtulkin didn't see another plane that day, but Natasha Voronina believes she did. She was sitting right underneath the point at which MH17 disintegrated. It was harvest time and she was having a break when she heard a loud bang. She looked up at the sky and saw black smoke and what she describes as "two aeroplanes, little ones like silver toys" fly in different directions.
But Western defence analysts deride the Russian defence ministry's claim that a Ukrainian Su-25 shot down MH17. Nick de Larrinaga, European editor of IHS Jane's Defence Weekly, says the idea is "absolute nonsense". The Su-25 is a close air-support aircraft, designed to operate just above ground level, attacking tanks and other vehicles, he says. It's "effectively a flying tank", which doesn't have a pressurised cockpit. As such, it is not designed to operate at high altitude and shoot down aircraft - which is a major problem for the Russian theory, given that we know MH17 was flying at 33,000ft (10,000m) when it was hit.
This has not stopped the Russian media from continuing to explore the theory. The slogan of the Moscow-based, international news network, Russia Today - "Question More" - neatly encapsulates the Kremlin approach.
Yana Erlashova, one of Russia Today's star reporters, found many witnesses who said they had seen jet fighters.
"I don't push any scenarios or theories, I just report what people say," she told me.
With the help of the Russian Air Force, she staged an extraordinary experiment and demonstrated that the Su-25 is capable of reaching 33,000ft.
But it turns out that this heavily armoured fighter jet can reach that altitude only by discarding its weapons. And firing a weapon at 33,000ft would cause it to stall. What's more Nick de Larrinaga points out the Su-25 is actually slower than a Boeing 777, so it couldn't even have caught up with MH17. Oh, and it uses small, short-range, heat-seeking missiles, which aren't designed to shoot down distant aircraft.
If that wasn't enough, the Dutch Safety Board found that around 800 pieces of shrapnel had ripped through MH17, clear evidence of the deadly power only a ground-to-air missile could deliver. The Buk missile has a 70kg (154lb) warhead, which is far more powerful than the warheads on the air-to-air missiles fired from fighter jets.
But what about the witnesses who described seeing other planes right next to MH17 before it crashed? I spoke to other witnesses who had clear views of MH17 breaking up and are just as adamant they didn't see any other planes that day. What's more, we know MH17 broke up into a number of large pieces, which then travelled in different directions and from the ground could well have looked like fighter jets.
Also, what about the Russian military's claim that another plane was briefly visible on its radar? David Gleave, a former air accident investigator, explains that when an aircraft breaks up in mid-air, sometimes it continues to transmit radar data on the way down. It may even change direction if it loses its tail.
Fighter jet theory II
Undaunted, Russian TV claimed before very long, to have the smoking gun.
Four months after the crash, Russia's most popular TV station, Channel One, broadcast an incredible satellite photograph showing a different, supersonic and deadly effective, fighter jet - supposedly a Mig-29 - at the exact moment it fired a missile at MH17.
But shortly after the images hit the internet, they were debunked. Leading the charge was Eliot Higgins, a former office worker turned blogger, who set up an online investigation website called Bellingcat just three days before MH17 crashed.
Higgins and his volunteer investigators, sensed the photos were fakes made up of composite images from different websites. The fighter jet actually looked more like an Su-27 fighter (made by Sukhoi, the same company as the Su-25) than a Mig-29, and the Boeing 777 was pasted on the satellite photo in the wrong position. The scale was completely wrong.
"It would be about four miles long based on the perspective between the camera and the ground," says Higgins, "or it would be a normal-sized aircraft that was 300m away from the satellite."
Fighter jet theory I (continued)
Soon afterwards, another version of the theory that a plane shot down flight MH17 surfaced. Five months after the crash, a "secret witness" walked into the office of Russia's Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper claiming to have worked in the Ukrainian Air Force. He said a Su-25 had shot down MH17 and named the pilot as Capt Vladislav Voloshin. Nikolai Varsegov, special correspondent for the paper, said the witness claimed he had loaded air-to-air missiles on to Voloshin's plane on 17 July and that when the plane returned to base the missiles were gone. The witness added that the captain was agitated on his return and allegedly said, "The wrong plane was in the wrong place at the wrong time."
So we set out to find the pilot and tracked him to a heavily guarded airbase in southern Ukraine. Standing next to his Su-25, Capt Voloshin explained that he was deeply offended to be accused of murdering 298 people. He said that other than the fact that the witness had worked at the airbase, everything else was a lie. Capt Voloshin had flown a mission that had ended with air-to-ground missiles being fired. Two of his colleagues had been shot down and he had been understandably upset. But this happened six days after MH17 was shot down. On that day - 17 July - he said the Ukrainian Air Force hadn't flown over the rebel-controlled area.
The no-Buk theory
Much of the Russian media still doubts that a Buk missile was involved. Russia Today's Yana Erlashova says she tried hard to find evidence of the huge 18ft (5.5m), 1,500lb (700kg) missile being launched but found nothing at all. Just as the local photographer, Oleg Vtulkin, had insisted.
At the time, however, a series of photos, videos and social media posts were published which point to a missile launcher, heading east on the day MH17 crashed, from the rebel capital of Donetsk deep into rebel-held territory.
The route ends in the corner of a large field, about 15 miles (25km) south-east of where MH17 was hit and about a mile east of the village of Red October - a field right in the middle of the area identified by the Dutch report as the likely launch location. The pro-Russian rebels controlled this whole area. What's more, launching a Buk missile generates searing temperatures and one photograph taken in the same field a few days after the crash, shows a small patch of burnt grass.
But could someone fire a massive missile without anyone taking a picture of it? It turns out that three hours after the crash a photograph was posted on social media. It claimed to show the distant plume of smoke from the missile that brought down MH17.
It's alleged the photos were taken by a man from a classic Soviet-style housing estate, seven miles north-west of the likely launch site.
Use the slider to see the plume of smoke more clearly
Enhanced Image
Original photograph
The first photograph is one of two images that were posted on social media. We have enhanced the second image so that it easier to see the plume of smoke.
But some, including Dutch blogger Max van der Werff who spent time in the area investigating the photographs, think they are fakes. Russia Today's Yana Erlashova, for one, claims the wires in one of the photos prove it couldn't have been taken from the photographer's balcony. She also insists that his ninth-floor balcony didn't have a view of the launch location.
But Higgins insists the cables are in exactly the right position to be caught on camera. Other bloggers, such as Marcel van den Berg who has analysed all the information carefully, argue that the photos are likely to be genuine.
So, to the bemusement of the local stray dogs, we flew a small drone up over the block of flats, and we discovered that you can see the wires, an unusual, conically shaped hill, and in the distance the alleged launch location near Red October.
I also went looking for someone who had witnessed the Buk missile. Finally, I drove down a bumpy track into the small village of Red October, just a mile west of the alleged launch location. Today the brightly painted wooden houses are eerily quiet. Back in July 2014, this rebel-held area was close to the front line, as evidenced by a large shell I saw embedded in the grassy verge.
On the day MH17 crashed, Valentina Kovolenko was digging potatoes with her daughter. Standing in the same spot she told me a large noise had made her look up. At first she thought it was a plane crashing, but she realised it was, in fact, a missile being launched, the like of which she had never seen before and has never seen since.
"We saw what turned out to be a missile but it went behind the clouds. And a few minutes later we heard what sounded like an explosion," she said. From her house Valentina has a commanding view, barring any clouds, and she said she didn't see any other planes that day.
The US Government says it has secret spy imagery of a Buk missile being launched, but it has refused to publish it for fear, apparently, of revealing its technical capabilities. Ray McGovern, a CIA analyst for 27 years, is not convinced, though. He argues the US has led an effusive propaganda effort "to paint Putin in the blackest of colours" to bolster support for sanctions.
The Ukrainian Buk theory
Whether these revealing US spy images exist or not, the Russians have released a series of satellite photographs. They claim to show a Ukrainian army Buk missile launcher, first at a military base, and then - on the day of the crash - at a front-line Ukrainian army position near the village of Zaroshenskoye. So this is a second Russian theory - an alternative to the fighter jet theory - that MH17 was shot down by a Ukrainian Buk missile.
But the online investigator, Eliot Higgins, insists the Russian satellite images - allegedly taken on 17 July - are fakes. They claim to show the Ukrainian missile launcher absent from the military base on the day of the crash. However, a satellite image from American imaging firm Digital Globe that we know was taken on that day clearly shows the missile launcher still there.
Compare satellite imagery from the Russian MoD and DigitalGlobe
DigitalGlobe 17 July 2014
Russian Ministry of Defence 17 July 2014
Also, not a single witness has come forward to say a Buk missile was fired from the second site near Zaroshenskoye. What's more, it seems that the location was not even held by the Ukrainian Army.
The Russian Ministry of Defence also claims a video showing a Buk launcher with one missile missing, reveals a Ukrainian Army Buk on Ukrainian territory. But once again the Russian claims quickly fall apart.
In fact it looks like exactly the same Buk missile launcher that travelled from the rebel capital of Donetsk to Red October on the day of the attack. And the video appears to have been filmed as it headed towards Russia the day after the attack.
The journalist Billy Six - who, remember, believes MH17 was shot down by Ukrainian jet fighters, and who spent several months in the area - concluded it must have been filmed in rebel-held territory.
Soon a new Russian voice added its voice to the Ukrainian Buk theory. Surprisingly it came from the Russian manufacturer of the Buk missile, Almaz-Antey.
The company argues that the holes in the wreckage prove it was an old version of the missile, no longer used by the Russian army, though still in use in the Ukrainian army. Soon after it made this claim though, a photograph from 2013 was discovered with President Vladimir Putin standing in front of exactly this type of missile. And in 2015 those same missiles were proudly displayed at a May Day parade in Siberia.
Not to be put off, the manufacturer responded with some dramatic experiments. It analysed the damage to the fuselage and the likely angle the missile hit the plane. It then showed off a complex mass of calculations from what it called a "special supercomputer device". This time it said the missile was even older and one that was definitely not in Russian service.
Once again, the experts I spoke to in the West were damning. Igor Sutyagin, a former Soviet air defence officer and now a defence analyst at the Royal United Services Institute in London, complained that it is "not scientific". He said the idea was to "kill the truth, providing excessive details to create a smoke screen".
In the town of Snezhnoye just a few miles south of the crash site, I visited an apartment block where a huge gaping hole and scattered rubble is still testament to an Ukrainian air strike just two days before MH17 crashed. Eleven civilians were killed. By the summer of 2014 the pro-Russian rebels were under siege from the ground and from the air. And this may be why a large convoy from the Russian 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade headed from Kursk in western Russia towards the Ukrainian border, just a month before the MH17 crash.
The progress of this convoy was once again tracked by the online investigators at Bellingcat, purely by looking at the social media posts of passing drivers and the Russian soldiers themselves. They spotted among the convoy the same missile launcher that had been seen on the day of the crash in eastern Ukraine. Blotches of paintwork and other marks look identical.
As the rebels had no air force, the Ukrainian Army had no need for air defence. In contrast the rebels had to rely on increasingly powerful ground-to-air missiles to defend themselves. Many Ukrainian planes were hit. Just three days before MH17 was downed, the rebels shot down an Antonov-26 transport plane flying at 21,000ft.
Far from the front line, I was shown inside a Ukrainian Army Buk missile launcher. The mass of switches and indicators clearly needs to be operated by highly trained military personnel. As defence analyst Igor Sutyagin points out, that expertise is present in the Russian Army, it is not likely to be present among the rebel militia.
Perhaps this played a role in the MH17 disaster? A series of phone conversations were intercepted by the Ukrainian security service. One features a rebel soldier apparently reporting to a Russian intelligence officer that the rebels had shot down what they thought was a Ukrainian plane.
The propaganda war
So what's going on? Why have so many conspiracy theories been produced about MH17? And why is it that, unlike most conspiracy theories - for example, those about 9/11 - they have actually been state-sanctioned?
One British author who worked in Russia for several years as a TV producer, has traced how the Kremlin has adapted the doctrine of maskirovka, or military deception, for the digital age. Peter Pomerantsev, author of Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible: the Surreal Heart of the New Russia, claims President Putin has complete control over the Russian media and it now works like a cult, with non-stop conspiracy theories, designed to confuse and bamboozle Russians so that "critical thinking breaks down".
Steven Pifer, a former US ambassador to Ukraine, agrees. He argues the major TV networks, such as Russia Today, "are operating as an arm of the Kremlin and designed to put out a Russian propaganda line". He says the goal "is to put out lots of different theories to raise smoke, to raise dust and to raise confusion and hopefully persuade people that there is no truth here".
Neither the Russian foreign ministry nor the manufacturer of the missile would talk to the BBC. The Russian government rejects any responsibility for the MH17 crash. It insists the official Dutch report is flawed and says it will conduct its own inquiry.
There is just one point on which the Russian government agrees with the Dutch investigators - the responsibility borne by the Ukrainian government for failing to close the airspace over the war zone to civilian aircraft, when its own planes had been shot down at a height well beyond the reach of conventional shoulder-mounted missiles.
Beyond that, Russia seems to have its own distinct version - or versions - of the truth, and former Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, gave me his explanation why.
"Russians supplied a surface-to-air missile system to Russian-led terrorists and they committed this crime. They know who committed this crime and they are scared of being brought to justice."
Correction 11 July 2017: The text has been amended to clarify that of two images showing a plume of smoke, only one was published shortly after the crash. A second photograph, which also showed two wires, was published several months later.
Conspiracy Files: Who Shot Down MH17? The full story will be aired on BBC Two on 3 May at 2100 BST.
More from the Magazine
When flight MH17 was shot down Natalia Antelava was soon reporting from the scene. A chance encounter gave her a personal connection with one of the dead passengers, and prompted her to find the woman's sister.
Babs doesn't know who killed her sister and accepts that she might never find out. But says it has changed the way she feels about the world.
Read the full story: A tale of two sisters and flight MH17
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A coroner has called for a review of smart motorways after an inquest heard the deaths of two men on a stretch of the M1 could have been avoided . Between 2015 and 2018, 11 people a year on average died on smart motorways in England. | The roads replace sections of the network and use the hard shoulder to carry traffic, either at busy times or all the time, with emergency refuge stops in place. BBC Radio 5 Live's Your Call has heard from drivers affected by what they've experienced on the roads.
'There was nowhere to go'
Charlotte Chappell, from Sheffield, developed post-traumatic stress disorder after her car flipped six times following a collision on what the 40-year-old describes as a smart motorway "blind spot" on the M1 near the Meadowhall shopping centre.
She says: "After my experience, I never drive in the left lane. I was driving past Meadowhall which is a route that I do regularly. It was about 7pm at night.
"The left-hand lane on that particular area of the motorway is not a hard shoulder because it has become a smart motorway. It is an exit for coming off and down into Meadowhall and a different stretch of road.
"Sadly, when they designed the motorway and made it into a smart road they put one of the refuge areas at the end of a blind bend. So here I was... driving along at 70mph… came around the blind bend to find that there was somebody in the refuge area with their indicator on who pulled straight out in front of me.
"There was a car next to me on the next lane. There was really nowhere for me to go.
"I tried to squeeze between the two cars and ended up getting flipped over and rolled six times down the road, landing upside down. I was pretty quick to get out thinking I was going to get crushed by all the other cars on the motorway.
"The first thing that the ambulance said to me when they came was 'you're so lucky that you're alive, that you've just walked out of that'. I had no physical injuries really.
"The accident was in December 2018 and I'm still living with the consequences now. I find it hard to sleep, my anxiety levels are through the roof.
"About two weeks later, somebody on the other side of the road died in similar circumstances. It's easy for people to say they're safe but if you're the one person that has an accident as a result of it you just can't know what it's like to have an accident like that until it happens to you."
'I left my driving job'
John [not his real name], from Brighton, left his job as a long-haul driver after seeing several scary incidents on smart motorways.
He says: "They installed the smart motorways on the worst motorway [given] the amount of freight and haulage and the traffic that are bombing along those inside lanes.
"The problem is that the gantry and the lane enclosures do not work. What you have - and I've witnessed this - there was a woman in a large people carrier trying to get three kids out of the car, with the door open on the outside.
"A truck driver basically blocked the motorway for her. I witnessed so many near misses. I had somebody pull out of a lay-by in front of me and I had to slam my brakes and use my handbrake in the inside lane.
"There's just no time for them to get the speed up... like there is on the hard shoulders. They need to knock it on the head."
'Smart motorways? No they're not'
Bob is a traffic officer with Highways England and was speaking to 5 Live in a personal capacity so we have not used his surname. He says smart motorways are a measure to expand capacity while avoiding costly new hard shoulders - and he claims the latest changes to the road scheme do not make it safer.
"Smart motorways? No they're not. It's all about cost. It's too costly to build another hard shoulder… so they are putting in refuge areas. What they are doing now is putting in more of them - but I can tell you now it is still dangerous.
"[When someone breaks down] we get there first - we have to put a roadblock on to make a sterile area. But it's the time it takes us to get to the breakdown or the collision [that is a problem].
"Of course, when we get there, the emergency services are then stuck behind us as there is no hard shoulder for them to travel down - there is three or four lanes of stationary traffic."
'Drivers to blame'
Not everyone is critical of smart motorways, however, with some 5 Live listeners suggesting drivers have responsibility.
The Department for Transport said it aims to make smart motorways as safe as possible.
It said: "We are committed to improving safety, which is why we tasked Highways England with delivering an 18-point action plan to ensure smart motorways are as safe as they can be."
Highways England said it was "determined to do all we can to make our roads as safe as possible".
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Two men have been summonsed to court over a "major" fire in the historic centre of Bury St Edmunds last year. | About 60 firefighters tackled the blaze at the Cycle King store on Angel Hill on 29 September.
Two neighbouring buildings, including the One Bull pub, were also damaged.
A 23-year-old man from Stowmarket and a 24-year-old man from the Bury St Edmunds area will be charged with arson when they appear at Ipswich Magistrates' Court on 28 August.
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A section of one of the main routes in Northumberland has been closed after a tanker containing aviation fuel rolled onto its side.
| The incident happened on the A696 between Kirkwhelpington and the B6342 in the early hours.
Emergency services are at the scene and a pump is removing the fuel from the tanker. Diversions are in place and the road will be shut all day.
It is the second time in less than three weeks that it has been blocked.
On 28 May, a wind turbine stem came off a trailer near Otterburn and the recovery operation took five days.
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A man has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving after a crash in which two women died. | Derbyshire Police said the collision, which involved a blue Vauxhall Corsa and a blue BMW, happened just before 05:40 BST on the A6135 Station Road between Renishaw and Eckington.
The two women, who were travelling in the Corsa, died at the scene.
Any witnesses or anyone with dashcam or CCTV footage is being asked to contact the force.
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Six men have been charged with conspiracy to cause explosions during cash machine raids across England. | The charges relate to incidents involving ATMs across the north west, Midlands, Leicestershire and Oxfordshire, Merseyside Police said.
All six defendants, aged 27 to 39, will appear before Liverpool Magistrates' Court on Thursday.
They are accused of conspiracy to cause explosions and conspiracy to burgle, between January and December this year.
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Farmers who claim more EU subsidies than they should, or who break Common Agricultural Policy rules, are now more likely to be caught out by a camera in the sky than an inspector calling with a clipboard. How do they feel about being watched from above? | By Laurence PeterBBC News
Imagine a perfect walk in the country, a few years from now - tranquillity, clean air, birdsong in the trees and hedgerows, growing crops swaying in the breeze.
Suddenly a model plane swoops overhead.
But there is no-one around manipulating radio controls. This is not a toy, but a drone on a photographic mission.
Meanwhile, hundreds of kilometres up in space, the same patch of land is being photographed by a satellite, which clearly pinpoints individual trees and animals.
What is there to spy on here? No secret military installations, just farmland.
But Europe's farms cost taxpayers billions of euros in subsidies each year, and EU agricultural inspectors are turning to technology to improve their patchy record on preventing fraud and waste.
Satellites have already been in use for several years, and drones are currently undergoing trials.
Scanning a farm with a satellite costs about one third as much as sending an inspector on a field visit - £115 ($180; 150 euros) rather than £310 ($490; 400 euros), says the UK's Rural Payments Agency (RPA), which is responsible for disbursing the subsidies in the UK and checking for irregularities.
"The RPA follows up only on those claims where there is some doubt about accuracy, and then only at the specific fields for which the doubt exists," the RPA says. "This saves time, lifts the burden on farmers and reduces cost to the taxpayer."
Satellites can rapidly cover a huge area in detail and quickly return to photograph it again if necessary.
In 2010, about 70% of the total required controls on farm payments in the EU were done by satellites, which photographed more than 210,000 sq km (81,000 sq miles) of land in all.
But they are not infallible. Austria does not use them, on the grounds that the shadows cast by very mountainous terrain sometimes make satellite images inaccurate.
And Scotland, unlike the rest of the UK, decided against satellites "because of the difficulty of getting enough clear weather for flyovers", a Scottish government spokeswoman told the BBC.
Many things in the countryside are constantly changing and when the satellite passes over, "the animals may be in a field or in a barn - you can't count the numbers very well", says Roland Randall, an English farmer and environmental researcher in Cambridgeshire.
"When planners looked at the aerial photo records of our farm they thought we had an additional building without permission, but it was actually a haystack," he told the BBC.
The satellite checks are done partly to produce accurate maps of farms, showing clearly the areas eligible for subsidies.
But farmers these days have to keep their land in "good agricultural and environmental condition" to qualify for subsidies, so images also reveal whether the farmer is complying with the rules on hedges and ponds, say, or buffer strips around arable fields.
A farmer who breaks the rules risks losing 3% of his or her direct payment - and more if it is a repeat infringement.
There have been few prosecutions in the UK based on satellite evidence, says Ray Purdy, a senior law researcher at University College London (UCL) specialising in satellite monitoring.
One case in the UK was dropped in 2001 because a farmer proved that he had planted a linseed crop, even though the satellite image appeared to show bare earth. The sparse young plants had failed to show up against the bright reflection off chalk downland.
This could be the kind of situation where a drone - an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) - would come in useful.
Drones are best known for their role as remote-control killers in Afghanistan and Pakistan's tribal areas, but supporters see a role for smaller and much simpler drones in agricultural monitoring. They can get up close and take sharp photographs - and unlike satellites, which always look directly down, drones can get an angled view of their subject.
They are currently being tried out in vineyards in the south of France, to check that "grubbing up" of vines is done legally and ecologically.
Wine-growers get as much as 10,000 euros ($13,000; £8,300) per hectare in subsidies for digging up uncompetitive vines - a scheme to prevent new EU "wine lakes" caused by overproduction.
"There has to be 100% control, as it's a huge amount of money," says Philippe Loudjani, an agronomist at the Joint Research Centre, the European Commission's main satellite monitoring hub in Ispra, northern Italy.
"The French are testing to see if the drones need to go up to 10cm resolution - to see what accuracy is required."
Drones are also being tested in Italy, and are already in use on a small scale in Spain's Catalonia region, where authorities say their 25cm and 12.5cm resolution photos are ideal for inspecting the small landholdings with mixed crops that are typical of the Mediterranean.
The EU is hurrying to develop a "strategy for Unmanned Aircraft Systems", which would see the existing very tough restrictions on the use of civilian drones in Europe relaxed.
A discussion paper prepared for a European Commission workshop in Brussels this week, envisages their use not only in crop or farm monitoring, but also terrain cartography, goods transport, monitoring of borders, the fight against illegal immigration and drug trafficking, and intervention in natural or industrial disasters.
"They can also be sent to deliver rescue packages to ship crews in danger at sea," it adds.
However, in the short term it's likely that UAVs will only be widely approved for use within line of sight of an operator and at a distance of no more than 500m, which limits their value for agricultural inspection.
And what about the privacy issue?
Ben Hayes of the campaign group Statewatch worries that Europe is rushing into the use of drones without sufficient public discussion.
"We would accept the argument that there are lots of things they can be useful for, but ... the questions about what is acceptable and how people feel about drones hovering over their farmland or their demonstration - these debates are not taking place," he says.
Ray Purdy of UCL surveyed 202 farmers in the UK, and 428 in Australia - where satellites are routinely used to monitor land use, especially vegetation clearance - and found that only about a quarter in Australia and a third in the UK were against satellite monitoring.
Some farmers voiced concerns about invasion of privacy, but many said remote sensing was preferable to inspectors on their land taking up their time.
A majority in the UK also agreed that the satellites would help to deter fraud.
Rob Allan, a farmer in Warwickshire, said "it's modern life really - I don't think there's anything you can do about it".
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A dog walker and her puppy had to be rescued by coastguards when they got cut off by the incoming tide during a visit to a beach. | The woman was walking her dog along West Shore in Llandudno, Conwy county, at about 16:00 GMT on Tuesday.
Holyhead Coastguard said the pair were trapped on a sandbank by the rising tide, prompting 22 people to call 999.
A spokesman said they were rescued - shocked and with wet feet but unharmed - and the woman was given safety tips.
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Brazil, the world's seventh largest economy, narrowly avoided contracting in 2014 with a growth rate of just 0.1% for the year. | The economy had been growing at a fast pace for the past decade but has slowed considerably in the past four years.
The slowdown is a result of low commodity prices, sluggish global growth and low investor confidence.
Under new Finance Minister Joaquim Levy, the country has moved from stimulus to austerity.
From 2011 until last year, Brazil's government had been trying to stimulate the economy by offering labour tax breaks, subsidising petrol and lowering the price of electricity.
Mr Levy has reined in government spending and raised taxes in order to balance government finances.
As a result, analysts predict 2015 is likely to be a difficult year for the country.
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At the start of this campaign, we started tracking where the party leaders went, in the hope of picking up clues about what to expect. Had we done this in 2015, it would have helped us spot the Conservatives' big push against the Liberal Democrats. We hoped our experiment might help us avoid a 2015-style shock. So how did it do? | Chris CookPolicy editor, Newsnight
The main thing we have learned is that past performance is a poor guide to the future. The Tories were largely using much of the same team as in 2015 and, once again, they were very well funded. But this evidence implies that the Conservative party campaign in England was an absolute catastrophe, and appalling data and analysis drove them to use their resources poorly.
The dots in this graph represent the state of the Tory-Labour battleground before polls opened on Thursday. The higher-up dots show places with more UKIP voters. The furthest left dots show safe Labour seats, and the furthest right dots show safe Conservative seats.
The blue rings show where Theresa May visited. You can see she was more ambitious - going further left - in areas with more UKIP voters.
This stuff matters. While leader visits may be a small part of a party's campaign arsenal, if they were getting that wrong, they were probably getting other campaigning efforts wrong.
So I've drawn in a rough line showing where the Tory campaign thought the battleground roughly was - what we have called an "implied frontier" between the parties. Think of it as the centre of the fight.
Towards the end of the race, the Tories thought it was closer in. Earlier on, they thought it was a bit further out. But treat it as a rough campaign summary. In short, they hoped to flip those Labour seats on the right hand side of the dotted line. This was a strategy aiming for a triple-digit majority - or something close.
Instead, though, everything went wrong.
In a graph below, I have coloured in the seats by who holds them now. And you can see the actual battleground was in a totally different place. That is the second line I've drawn in. You could draw this line in a few ways, but none of them get close to the Tory implied frontier. And the length of that big arrow is the size of the error. This was a double-digit polling error.
Note, amid this, one further piece of evidence on the importance of polling to this disaster. Last month, YouGov broke from the consensus and got close to the real result.
Their model implied a hung parliament. When it was published, the Conservatives' pollsters in England - Mark Textor and Jim Messina - used Twitter to comment on how poor it was. Their reading of the race was, it transpires, way off.
There is another datapoint which supports this conclusion. The campaigns tracker implied the frontier that the Conservatives were aiming for in Scotland was 13 gains. They made 12. And Nicola Sturgeon's patterns of visits suggest she roughly agreed.
So the Conservative campaign there seemed to make sense. It so happens, though, that this was the one part of Great Britain where Mr Messina and Mr Textor were not running the show. The data operation in Scotland was run by James Kanagasooriam of Populus.
Labour's campaigns triumph
Labour's efforts have always been harder to read. They did seem to build events designed to emphasise their presence on local TV bulletins, which made the charts difficult to interpret.
Here, though, is a graph showing Jeremy Corbyn's visits, combined with that same estimate of where the real frontier was.
Look at the right side. However they did it, Mr Corbyn was actually being deployed right there on the front line. The front line is just not where most public polls said it was. Did Labour quietly run a perfect campaign, then?
Labour activists have had a great day, so I hope they do not mind me saying "no".
Before the vote, as I said in my last piece, campaign officials in the party told me that they did not think Mr Corbyn's visits to Tory-held seats should be read as showing their ambitions. He went to places where he was wanted, which was not always a helpful guide to the party's thoughts. In truth, their analysis was, in effect, very close to the Conservative analysis I posted up above.
You can see that elsewhere. When you look at the party's ground operations, they were not matching these visits with resources. I know of MPs who got cut off by the party as dead losses who held their seats comfortably.
Just on Thursday, activists were dispatched to a deep defensive line. Shock gains like Enfield Southgate and Canterbury were shocks to lots of local activists, too, who yesterday were being sent to defend Labour-held seats elsewhere.
To be clear, this is not about people trying to do Mr Corbyn down. I have spoken to people today who could be claiming credit for their foresight, who are wandering around in a state of shock. And, frankly, it is a tribute to Mr Corbyn that Labour did so well, when they put their troops in strange places.
What, then, can we learn?
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A generation after Canada declared a moratorium on northern cod fishing off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, the species is making a comeback. But can the province's troubled fishery survive to take advantage of cod's resurgence? | By Jessica MurphyBBC News, Newfoundland and Labrador
The wharf in Petty Harbour is quiet, and Todd Chafe, a 46-year-old fisherman, is slicing up cod for a nearby family restaurant in a shack near the water.
"Some fellas like to point fingers: 'Ah, this done it, foreigners done it'," he says.
Chafe is talking about the collapse of northern cod off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador 25 years ago.
"We all done it, every single person that went fishing done it. Everybody fished for it so everybody had a hand in destroying it."
On 2 July 1992, after decades of bungled fisheries management, Canada put an end to a cod industry that had supported rural Newfoundlanders for 500 years.
Stocks of the once mighty northern cod had fallen to an estimated 1% of 1980s levels. The government had overestimated how many cod there were and didn't act when it first became clear the fish were disappearing.
That day, in a St John's ballroom, federal cabinet minister John Crosbie announced a moratorium on cod fishing. Angry fishermen pounded on the barred doors trying to get in.
Overnight, 38,000 people were put out of work in Newfoundland and Labrador - the single largest layoff in Canada's history.
Crosbie promised the moratorium would only last about two years. It's been more than 20.
Now there is a glimmer of hope. Northern cod stock has reached about 25% of the levels seen in the '80s.
But there is a fierce debate over what the return of cod fishing should look like in Newfoundland.
Musician Arthur O'Brien entertains the lunchtime crowd at Chafe's Landing, a popular Petty Harbour restaurant, with songs about Newfoundland and Labrador.
As a child, O'Brien used to be part of the fishing economy.
"Right here you're sitting off what was once one of the best fisheries in the world," he says after his set.
O'Brien hails from Bay Bulls, a nearby coastal community. Like many children in fishing villages, O'Brien was a "wharf rat", making pocket money cutting out and selling cod tongues by the dozen or the pound.
Bay Bulls - a fish processing hub - was one of the hundreds of rural towns whose economic backbone was the inshore fishery.
The inshore fishery is relegated to smaller boats that are essentially small independent businesses, unlike the industrial-sized trawlers that fish further out in the Atlantic.
A lot of things changed after the cod fishery was shut down, the 43-year-old recalls. People left the Atlantic province in droves, losing about 14% of its population.
"Every Newfoundlander has someone gone away. Everybody," says O'Brien, who gets a big reaction when he sings about locals leaving to work in the Fort McMurray oil fields in Alberta.
Some 18,800 people from the province went to work in the western province between 1996 and 2006 alone.
Until recently, the decade-long oil boom in both Alberta and in the waters off Newfoundland helped fill the gap left by cod.
But low oil prices have sent unemployment rates in the province ticking upwards and squeezed government revenues.
Crab and shellfish also gave fishermen a reprieve, but now those stocks are also showing signs of stress.
In April, angry fishermen forced their way into the headquarters of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), while others burnt their gear in front of a regional office over cuts to shrimp and crab quotas.
The same month, another fisherman, Richard Gillett, went on a hunger strike outside DFO offices in St John's, demanding a meeting with the federal fisheries minister.
Then in June, search and rescue workers had to airlift the crew of a fishing vessel to safety after they were caught in thick sea ice. The ice has delayed the snow crab season, another source of income.
Neil Ward's son was among the men rescued as the vessel sank below the ice.
"For them to be doing this, it shows how desperate people are," Ward, a store owner in the coastal town of La Scie, Newfoundland, says. "They're willing to take the risk."
DFO has begun to loosen the moratorium, if only slightly. In 2017, the agency extended the length of the cod fishing season and doubled the weekly catch limits in most regions under a "stewardship fishery" programme.
Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW) President Keith Sullivan calls the current levels set by DFO "really, really conservative".
FFAW is asking DFO to further expand the cod fishery to make up for the squeeze fishermen are feeling over cuts to crab and shrimp quotas.
Sullivan sees an opportunity to create an international market for Canadian northern cod, and rebuild the fishery infrastructure.
"People understand it's got to be done sustainably, but they can also see that this is something that's going to bring value back to communities, hopefully for years to come," he says.
But Tony Blanchard, the resource management director for DFO in the region, says "caution" is the current approach. The government will start making annual assessments of the stock in 2018.
Ryan Cleary, a former journalist and ex-federal politician, says fishermen are impatient and the industry, beyond cod, is in crisis.
"It's going to continue to heat up until it boils over," he says.
Cleary, along with Gillett, is trying to launch a splinter union - the Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador - in a bid to take on the FFAW.
He says the independent, small boat operators need their own representation. FFAW says about 10,000 of the 15,000 workers they represent are inshore fishermen.
"The average Newfoundland and Labrador fish harvesters are dying out," he says.
Many coastal fishermen are now in their 60s, with few young people willing to take a risk in an industry that's been struggling for decades, or pay the upfront costs of training, licensing and buying a vessel.
Cleary and Gillett also believe the inshore fishery is facing an unprecedented crisis in many ways worse than the cod collapse, with stocks of most commercial species on the decline or delicate in terms of rebuilding.
"It hasn't gotten better, it's gotten worse." says Cleary. "We didn't learn anything from the moratorium."
Some independent scientists have been raising alarm bells about any imminent ramp up in the cod fishery.
Memorial University's Noel Cadigan says cod stocks are still fragile.
"You can catch more cod now. I don't think we're going to do irreparable harm but we certainly are delaying recovery of the stock," he says.
He worries DFO is under pressure from fishermen who see crab and shrimp stocks failing.
Cadigan and his colleagues say a better management plan - one that includes a timeline for recovery and defined targets along the way - is necessary.
Back on the Petty Harbour wharf, Tom Best is frustrated and worried about what will happen if the moratorium is lifted.
He says politicians and agency staff, most of whom live thousands of kilometres away in Ottawa, were nowhere to be found in the last 25 years when it came to making tough decisions about the fishery's future.
"You could have hundreds of communities in this province prospering from the cod fishery if people just used their brains and their heads," the president of the Petty Harbour Fishermen's Cooperative says.
"People are geared up to do things that were destructive before the moratorium, and they're going to go right back to it again."
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Thank you very much. My fellow Americans: As President of the United States, my highest obligation is to ensure the safety and security of the American people. | History has shown that the longer we ignore a threat, the more dangerous that threat becomes. For this reason, upon taking office, I've ordered a complete strategic review of our policy toward the rogue regime in Iran. That review is now complete.
Today, I am announcing our strategy, along with several major steps we are taking to confront the Iranian regime's hostile actions and to ensure that Iran never, and I mean never, acquires a nuclear weapon.
Our policy is based on a clear-eyed assessment of the Iranian dictatorship, its sponsorship of terrorism, and its continuing aggression in the Middle East and all around the world.
Iran is under the control of a fanatical regime that seized power in 1979 and forced a proud people to submit to its extremist rule. This radical regime has raided the wealth of one of the world's oldest and most vibrant nations, and spread death, destruction and chaos all around the globe.
Beginning in 1979, agents of the Iranian regime illegally seized the US embassy in Tehran and held more than 60 Americans hostage during the 444 days of the crisis. The Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah twice bombed our embassy in Lebanon - once in 1983 and again in 1984. Another Iranian-supported bombing killed 241 Americans - service members they were, in their barracks in Beirut in 1983.
In 1996, the regime directed another bombing of American military housing in Saudi Arabia, murdering 19 Americans in cold blood.
Iranian proxies provided training to operatives who were later involved in al-Qaeda's bombing of the American embassies in Kenya, Tanzania, and two years later, killing 224 people, and wounding more than 4,000 others.
The regime harboured high-level terrorists in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, including Osama bin Laden's son. In Iraq and Afghanistan, groups supported by Iran have killed hundreds of American military personnel.
The Iranian dictatorship's aggression continues to this day. The regime remains the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism, and provides assistance to al-Qaeda, the Taliban, Hezbollah, Hamas, and other terrorist networks.
It develops, deploys, and proliferates missiles that threaten American troops and our allies. It harasses American ships and threatens freedom of navigation in the Arabian Gulf and in the Red Sea. It imprisons Americans on false charges. And it launches cyberattacks against our critical infrastructure, financial system, and military.
The United States is far from the only target of the Iranian dictatorship's long campaign of bloodshed. The regime violently suppresses its own citizens; it shot unarmed student protesters in the street during the Green Revolution.
This regime has fuelled sectarian violence in Iraq, and vicious civil wars in Yemen and Syria. In Syria, the Iranian regime has supported the atrocities of Bashar al-Assad's regime and condoned Assad's use of chemical weapons against helpless civilians, including many, many children.
Given the regime's murderous past and present, we should not take lightly its sinister vision for the future. The regime's two favourite chants are "Death to America" and "Death to Israel".
Realising the gravity of the situation, the United States and the United Nations Security Council sought, over many years, to stop Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons with a wide array of strong economic sanctions.
But the previous administration lifted these sanctions, just before what would have been the total collapse of the Iranian regime, through the deeply controversial 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. This deal is known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA.
As I have said many times, the Iran Deal was one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into. The same mindset that produced this deal is responsible for years of terrible trade deals that have sacrificed so many millions of jobs in our country to the benefit of other countries. We need negotiators who will much more strongly represent America's interest.
The nuclear deal threw Iran's dictatorship a political and economic lifeline, providing urgently needed relief from the intense domestic pressure the sanctions had created. It also gave the regime an immediate financial boost and over $100bn its government could use to fund terrorism.
The regime also received a massive cash settlement of $1.7bn from the United States, a large portion of which was physically loaded onto an airplane and flown into Iran. Just imagine the sight of those huge piles of money being hauled off by the Iranians waiting at the airport for the cash. I wonder where all that money went.
Worst of all, the deal allows Iran to continue developing certain elements of its nuclear programme. And importantly, in just a few years, as key restrictions disappear, Iran can sprint towards a rapid nuclear weapons breakout. In other words, we got weak inspections in exchange for no more than a purely short-term and temporary delay in Iran's path to nuclear weapons.
What is the purpose of a deal that, at best, only delays Iran's nuclear capability for a short period of time? This, as president of the United States, is unacceptable. In other countries, they think in terms of 100-year intervals, not just a few years at a time.
The saddest part of the deal for the United States is that all of the money was paid up front, which is unheard of, rather than at the end of the deal when they have shown they've played by the rules. But what's done is done, and that's why we are where we are.
Iranian regime has committed multiple violations of the agreement. For example, on two separate occasions, they have exceeded the limit of 130 metric tonnes of heavy water. Until recently, the Iranian regime has also failed to meet our expectations in its operation of advanced centrifuges.
The Iranian regime has also intimidated international inspectors into not using the full inspection authorities that the agreement calls for.
Iranian officials and military leaders have repeatedly claimed they will not allow inspectors onto military sites, even though the international community suspects some of those sites were part of Iran's clandestine nuclear weapons programme.
There are also many people who believe that Iran is dealing with North Korea. I am going to instruct our intelligence agencies to do a thorough analysis and report back their findings beyond what they have already reviewed.
By its own terms, the Iran Deal was supposed to contribute to "regional and international peace and security". And yet, while the United States adheres to our commitment under the deal, the Iranian regime continues to fuel conflict, terror and turmoil throughout the Middle East and beyond. Importantly, Iran is not living up to the spirit of the deal.
So today, in recognition of the increasing menace posed by Iran, and after extensive consultations with our allies, I am announcing a new strategy to address the full range of Iran's destructive actions.
First, we will work with our allies to counter the regime's destabilising activity and support for terrorist proxies in the region.
Second, we will place additional sanctions on the regime to block their financing of terror.
Third, we will address the regime's proliferation of missiles and weapons that threaten its neighbours, global trade and freedom of navigation.
And finally, we will deny the regime all paths to a nuclear weapon.
Today, I am also announcing several major steps my administration is taking in pursuit of this strategy.
The execution of our strategy begins with the long-overdue step of imposing tough sanctions on Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The Revolutionary Guard is the Iranian Supreme Leader's corrupt personal terror force and militia. It has hijacked large portions of Iran's economy and seized massive religious endowments to fund war and terror abroad. This includes arming the Syrian dictator, supplying proxies and partners with missiles and weapons to attack civilians in the region, and even plotting to bomb a popular restaurant right here in Washington DC.
I am authorising the Treasury Department to further sanction the entire Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for its support for terrorism and to apply sanctions to its officials, agents and affiliates.
I urge our allies to join us in taking strong actions to curb Iran's continued dangerous and destabilising behaviour, including thorough sanctions outside the Iran Deal that target the regime's ballistic missile programme, in support for terrorism, and all of its destructive activities, of which there are many.
Finally, on the grave matter of Iran's nuclear programme: Since the signing of the nuclear agreement, the regime's dangerous aggression has only escalated. At the same time, it has received massive sanctions relief while continuing to develop its missiles programme. Iran has also entered into lucrative business contracts with other parties to the agreement.
When the agreement was finalised in 2015, Congress passed the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act to ensure that Congress's voice would be heard on the deal.
Among other conditions, this law requires the president, or his designee, to certify that the suspension of sanctions under the deal is "appropriate and proportionate" to measure - and other measures taken by Iran to terminate its illicit nuclear programme. Based on the factual record I have put forward, I am announcing today that we cannot and will not make this certification.
We will not continue down a path whose predictable conclusion is more violence, more terror and the very real threat of Iran's nuclear breakout.
That is why I am directing my administration to work closely with Congress and our allies to address the deal's many serious flaws so that the Iranian regime can never threaten the world with nuclear weapons. These include the deal's sunset clauses that, in just a few years, will eliminate key restrictions on Iran's nuclear programme.
The flaws in the deal also include insufficient enforcement and near total silence on Iran's missile programmes. Congress has already begun the work to address these problems. Key House and Senate leaders are drafting legislation that would amend the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act to strengthen enforcement, prevent Iran from developing an inter - this is so totally important - an intercontinental ballistic missile, and make all restrictions on Iran's nuclear activity permanent under US law. So important. I support these initiatives.
However, in the event we are not able to reach a solution working with Congress and our allies, then the agreement will be terminated. It is under continuous review, and our participation can be cancelled by me, as president, at any time.
As we have seen in North Korea, the longer we ignore a threat, the worse that threat becomes. It is why we are determined that the world's leading sponsor of terrorism will never obtain nuclear weapons.
In this effort, we stand in total solidarity with the Iranian regime's longest-suffering victims: its own people. The citizens of Iran have paid a heavy price for the violence and extremism of their leaders. The Iranian people long to - and they just are longing, to reclaim their country's proud history, its culture, its civilization, its cooperation with its neighbours.
We hope that these new measures directed at the Iranian dictatorship will compel the government to re-evaluate its pursuit of terror at the expense of its people.
We hope that our actions today will help bring about a future of peace, stability and prosperity in the Middle East - a future where sovereign nations respect each other and their own citizens.
We pray for a future where young children - American and Iranian, Muslim, Christian and Jewish - can grow up in a world free from violence, hatred and terror.
And, until that blessed day comes, we will do what we must to keep America safe.
Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America. Thank you.
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With an international museum, a new train station, a marina and an enormous park all in the pipeline, there is no end to the ambition in the masterplan city planners have drawn up for the Dundee waterfront. They are even looking at building an urban beach which doubles as an ice rink. | By Philip SimTayside and Central reporter, BBC Scotland
Those behind Dundee's £1bn waterfront regeneration programme forecast it will create 9,000 jobs, attract hundreds of thousands of tourists, and bring in millions of pounds of investment.
At the same time they say it will tempt everything from oil rigs to cruise liners and yachters to travel up the Tay.
"People always laugh about the beach," admits Allan Watt, waterfront project co-ordinator.
"But in winter you could take away the sand and replace it with this new plastic surface that people can ice skate on.
"So you'd have a beach that in winter would become an ice rink."
It is far from the biggest part of the project, but it underlines the breadth and depth of the vision planners have painstakingly constructed over the past decade.
The waterfront project can trace its roots back to 2001, when the local authority held a consultation with residents and businesses about the future of the area, drawing up the masterplan Mr Watt calls a "pact with the public".
Long before plans had been dreamt up to build an outpost of the Victoria and Albert museum in the city, now at the heart of the project, the council was considering how to completely redefine the city's long-standing relationship with the Tay.
'Ludicrously ideal'
"The city's growth has been built on its relationship with the river - fishing, whaling, the jute industry and then ship-building," Mr Watt says.
"But when the Tay Road Bridge was built in 1966 the access road network unintentionally cut the city centre off from the waterfront.
"It created a confusing and negative image, and the area became grossly under-utilised.
"The waterfront is the front door to the city, and what did people used to see? The old railway station, not exactly a landmark; the old Olympia swimming pool, which had seen better days; and the Tay Hotel, which at the time was falling apart."
But behind the crumbling facade, planners saw the city's potential - Mr Watt likes to quote former Dundee University rector Stephen Fry, who described the city's setting as "ludicrously ideal".
In the past 12 months, five major demolition projects have created a clean slate, leaving the masts of Captain Scott's RRS Discovery, moored at Discovery Point, the sole remaining landmark in the area.
Towering former council headquarters Tayside House, once voted the least-loved building in the city, was the first to be torn down - brick-by-brick rather than in a grand detonation, given its position straddling the main east coast train line.
It was followed by the city's dilapidated railway station, which will be replaced by a £14m five-storey complex complete with shops and a hotel. A series of precarious demolition projects had to be carried out over consecutive Christmas holidays for fear of blocking the tracks.
Next to go were the Hilton Hotel and Gala Casino, followed by the old Olympia swimming pool after its £31.5m replacement opened nearby.
The land formerly occupied by those buildings is now being cleared for the construction of the V&A at Dundee museum, a £45m centre of design created by renowned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma.
It is projected the V&A could bring 500,000 extra tourists to Dundee in its inaugural year in 2017, with 300,000 more following every year thereafter.
Several hotel firms have already spotted the potential market developing in the city, and Malmaison opened a new luxury location in the former Tay Hotel building right across the road from the museum site earlier this year, after a £15m refurbishment.
Creative sector
Permanent residents are also expected to move in, to fill the slew of new jobs created. New housing is being built along Riverside Drive, with flats set to go on the market within weeks.
And Mr Watt has had "serious discussions" with property firms about the central waterfront, with hundreds of flats potentially in the offing, along with a mix of bars, cafes and shops to keep the area busy through the day and night.
There are also plans for more housing towards the west end of the city and the Seabraes area, which is also home to the city's burgeoning creative and life sciences sector.
The city which spawned Grant Theft Auto and Lemmings is looking to build on a growing reputation - Mr Watt wants it to be "a place for new businesses to set up and existing ones to expand".
This is where District 10 comes in, a futuristic-looking office block built out of old shipping containers on a former railway yard at Seabraes. Existing office space has already been snapped up by a number of innovative local businesses and entrepreneurs, many of whom trade internationally, and more blocks are set to follow.
'Open for business'
Dundee's port plays a vital role in the masterplan, second only perhaps to the central waterfront itself.
The area is already attracting investment, with a new oil rig repair and maintenance facility recently announced, and it has been singled out by the Scottish government's National Renewables Investment Plan as a top location in Scotland for manufacturing and maintaining offshore wind turbines.
Thanks to improvements to the local road network, one shipment of giant wind turbine parts built in Scandinavia has already passed through the city's port, bound for Aberdeenshire, and Mr Watt has designs on attracting more - or even seeing them built locally.
He said: "We are open for business and I think we'll see more turbines passing through. A number of companies are now talking to Forth Ports about that.
"The offshore turbines are so big they can't be transported by road or rail in the UK - but they could be manufactured right on the quayside here and shipped straight out to the wind farms.
"We're beautifully placed to play into that."
As part of the bid to house offshore wind farm maintenance vessels, the city council is in negotiations with Forth Ports to take over the lock at City Quay.
With the lock currently broken and stuck shut, the only vessels inside the quay are the HM Frigate Unicorn, the world's sixth oldest ship, now converted into a museum, and another historical curio in the North Carr, Scotland's last lightship - but Mr Watt has much grander plans for the area.
Not only is the new lock being designed with the specifications of offshore service vessels in mind, planners hope to build a thriving marina in the waters of City Quay.
"I've spoken to consultants who say there's massive need for berthing of yachts in this part of Scotland," said Mr Watt.
"There can't be many cities in the UK where you can sail straight into the heart of the city - you'd be five minutes walk from the V&A, and not many places could boast that."
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Many of us try, but often fail, to get eight hours' sleep each night. This is widely assumed to be the ideal amount - but some experts now say it's too much, and may actually be unhealthy. | By Ruth AlexanderBBC News
We all know that getting too little sleep is bad. You feel tired, you may be irritable, and it can contribute to obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease, doctors say. But too much sleep? You don't often hear people complaining about it.
However, research carried out over the past 10 years appears to show that adults who usually sleep for less than six hours or more than eight, are at risk of dying earlier than those sleep for between six and eight hours.
To put it more scientifically, there is a gradual increase in mortality risk for those who fall outside the six-to-eight-hour band.
Prof Franco Cappuccio, professor of cardiovascular medicine and epidemiology at the University of Warwick, has analysed 16 studies, in which overall more than a million people were asked about their sleeping habits and then followed up over time.
Cappuccio put the people involved into three broad groups:
• those who said they slept less than six hours a night
• those who said they slept for between six and eight hours
• those who said they slept for more than eight hours
His analysis showed that 12% more of the short sleepers had died when they were followed up, compared to the medium sleepers.
However, 30% more of the long sleepers had died, compared to the medium sleepers.
That's a significant increase in mortality risk, roughly equivalent to the risk of drinking several units of alcohol per day, though less than the mortality risk that comes from smoking.
But can it really be true that getting nine hours' sleep is worse for you than getting five?
There are different ways of looking at this.
Cappuccio was aware of the possibility that people sleeping too long might be depressed, or might be using sleeping pills. He corrected for this, though, and found the association was still there.
His own theory is that people who sleep for more than eight hours sometimes have an underlying health problem that is not yet showing in other symptoms.
So, it's not the long sleep that is causing the increased mortality risk, it's the hidden illness.
But not everyone agrees. Prof Shawn Youngstedt of Arizona State University carried out a small study involving 14 young adults, persuading them to spend two hours more in bed per night for three weeks.
They reported back that they suffered from "increases in depressed mood" as Youngstedt puts it, and also "increases in inflammation" - specifically, higher levels in the blood of a protein called IL-6, which is connected with inflammation.
The participants in the study also complained about soreness and back pain. This makes Youngstedt wonder whether the problem with long sleep is the prolonged inactivity that goes with it.
He has now been carrying out an experiment where long-sleeping and average-sleeping adults are asked to spend an hour less in bed each night. The results will be published soon, he says.
Anyone studying sleep has to contend with a number of difficulties. One is that it's often not possible to measure sleep very accurately.
"We tend to rely on very simple methods of asking people on average how many hours they sleep a night. It has to be taken with a pinch of salt," says Cappuccio.
"Naturally, you have to rely on your memory, and… you don't know if you're reporting time in bed or time asleep and whether you're accounting for naps, and so forth."
Apparently we have a general tendency to overestimate how long we've been asleep. And when it comes to quality of sleep, all experts seem to agree it could affect your health, but it's even harder to measure than how long you sleep.
Another caveat is that babies, children and teenagers all have different sleep requirements than adults.
But if it's the case that less than six hours of sleep is too little for an adult, and more than eight hours is too much, what is the ideal amount - what do our bodies want?
As we've reported before, there is a lot of evidence to suggest that until the late 17th Century people did not sleep in one long uninterrupted stretch, but in two segments, separated by a period of one or two hours in which they prayed, read, chatted, had sex, smoked, went to the toilet or even visited neighbours.
That may be more natural than the current tendency to sleep - or try to - in one stretch.
Putting this question to one side, and focusing on the total number of hours spent asleep, Cappuccio says three-quarters of people in the Western world sleep between six and eight hours a night on average, the range associated with the best results in terms of length of life.
But can we say that eight hours are better than six?
The magic number, according to Dr Gregg Jacobs, of the Sleep Disorders Center at the University of Massachusetts Medical School may actually be seven.
"Seven hours sleep keeps turning up over and over again," he says.
He points, for example, to the National Sleep Foundation's annual poll of a random sample of adults in the US
"The typical adult today [in that poll] reports seven hours of sleep. And that actually seems to be the median sleep duration in the adult population around the world. That suggests there's something around seven hours of sleep that's kind of natural for the brain."
But if you enjoy sleeping, spend a lot of time in bed and feel good, you're probably just fine. There's no hard evidence that extra time asleep, or just lying down and relaxing, is going to kill you.
Listen to More or Less on BBC Radio 4 and the World Service, or download the free podcast.
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The Queen will present new colours to Wales' infantry regiment The Royal Welsh at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff next week. | She is the regiment's colonel-in-chief and will attend the colours parade at the home of Welsh rugby on 11 June.
Members of the public from across Wales and the UK have been invited to attend the event.
The presentation of new colours will be the final formal recognition of The Royal Welsh.
It was formed in 2006 after the merger of two regiments - the Royal Welch Fusiliers and the Royal Regiment of Wales.
She will also address the regiment and meet soldiers, their families and others associated with the regiment.
In recent years the regiment has served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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In the end the collected pressure from environmentalists, diplomats, major US corporations, foreign leaders, Mitt Romney, Leonardo Di Caprio and Ivanka Trump wasn't enough. The US is charting its own course, leaving the international community to fend for itself. | Anthony ZurcherNorth America reporter@awzurcheron Twitter
The implications for that community, and the role of US leadership in it, will be the subject of considerable discussion in the days ahead. This decision was not made with international affairs in mind, however. It was one of domestic politics, pure and simple.
If anything, the international community was the foil against which the president made a show of his dedication to the American people - putting Pittsburgh over Paris, as he phrased it.
"The Paris Agreement handicaps the United States economy in order to win praise from the very foreign capitals and global activists that have long sought to gain wealth at our country's expense," he said. "They don't put America first. I do, and I always will."
Donald Trump campaigned on the economy, jobs and deregulation first and foremost. While he's had more than a few tweets and asides about climate change over the years - the "Chinese hoax" quote being the most publicised of the bunch - environmental issues hardly came up over the course of the campaign, either in debates or on the stump.
On a sun-drenched Thursday afternoon in the White House Rose Garden, it was more of the same. Despite a few throw-away lines about clean air and loving the environment, the president's speech was all about jobs and the economy; the "unfairness" of the agreement and the US as the object of international derision.
Traditionally, environmental issues have tended to rise in importance in the US during good times and taken a back seat when voters are more concerned about their economic livelihood.
According to Gallup polling, 40% of Americans worried a "great deal" about climate change in 2000, dropping to 26% in 2004 after the 9/11 attacks and the dot com recession. Concern peaked again at 41% in 2007, before collapsing to 25% in the wake of the Great Recession.
Now the issue is on the rise again, reaching a record high of 45% in March, up 8 points from the same time last year.
Some of this can be attributed to the anti-Trump phenomenon, where the president's position drives near universal opposition from those who hold him in low esteem. The dynamic played itself out earlier this year on healthcare, where the Obamacare reforms reached net-positive levels of approval for the first time shortly after Republicans began efforts to pass repeal legislation.
The question now is whether global warming and environmental issues will have political legs. Activists will certainly be motivated to unseat Mr Trump and his fellow Republicans - including some of the Bernie-or-bust voters and Green Party supporters who turned their backs on Democrats last autumn.
Because of the way the Paris agreement withdrawal is structured, the process won't be complete until just weeks after the 2020 presidential election, virtually guaranteeing the issue will come up in the campaign in some fashion.
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Whether it hurts Mr Trump and his party will have little to do with the amount of scorn he receives from the international community or degraded US influence on the world stage, and considerably more to do with the state of the US economy over the next few years.
Are coal-country jobs coming back? Given the underlying economic fundamentals of the US energy sector, that seems unlikely, despite the president's boast of a new mine opening up soon in Pennsylvania (resulting in only about 70 new jobs).
During his White House speech, Mr Trump predicted that the US economy would grow in the range of 3% to 4% in the coming years - an ambitious mark that, if realised, would put him well on the way to re-election.
Come in under that mark, however, and the president will have to campaign on jobs not lost and economic growth not thwarted. If working-class Americans continue to struggle, that will be as hard a sell for him as it was for Democrats when they held power the last eight years.
Then there's history's judgement to consider. Decades from now, Americans could look back and see 1 June 2017 as a missed opportunity, when the US had a chance to address an impending environmental disaster and shrugged. If that's the case, there will be one party - and one president - to blame.
Or, if Republicans are right and the dire climate warnings are overblown, the date will be nothing more than a historical footnote.
In the near term and long, Mr Trump and Republicans are playing political roulette, betting against the rest of the world and half of their own nation. The price for being in the wrong spot when the wheel stops spinning will be high.
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The journey from Lashio to the rebel village of Wan Hai in eastern Myanmar takes about five hours. The area is off-limits to foreigners so our driver had taped darkened plastic over the windows and we hoped for the best. | By Jonah FisherBBC News, Shan State, Myanmar
He needn't have bothered.
At the Burmese army checkpoints none of the soldiers even stood up, let alone look into the car.
Despite intense fighting last year the presence of the rebel group known as the Shan State Army - North (SSA-North) is accepted here and vehicles pass through with minimal fuss.
The SSA-North is a long established part of the patchwork of armed groups in Shan State. The conflicts here tend to simmer not rage. For long periods army, militia and rebels have existed in close proximity, focusing more on drug production, logging and smuggling than fighting each other.
Its own history is littered with broken ceasefires, ignored promises and internal division. It is a fairly typical Burmese rebel group.
Back in 1989 the Shan State Army, as it was then known, signed a ceasefire brokered by Burmese General and Intelligence Chief Khin Nyunt. Along with some other rebels, the SSA stopped fighting in return for unfettered control over pieces of land."
Its territory, now centred around the village of Wan Hai, spans a radius of about 15km (9.5 miles), though the rebels say their influence extends further. Over the years other factions, also using the name Shan State Army, sprung up. So observers appended "North" to try to bring some much needed clarity to this melange.
The SSA-North have run this area as a kind of "jungle government". There are schools, a basic hospital and - unlike most of Myanmar (also known a Burma) - 24-hour power, thanks to a hydroelectric turbine from China.
But it is no utopia for its residents. Villagers are "taxed" for supplies and families are expected to give up their young men to bolster rebel ranks.
A history of failed ceasefires
Early one morning we are taken to see the newest group of recruits being put through their paces, a motley bunch just three weeks into training.
Some are very young, others surprisingly old. Most of the drill focuses on how to perform a decent salute.
We are told that only once they have had a political education and reached what is called "Level Five" will they be given a gun and allowed to fight.
In 2009 that 20-year-old ceasefire negotiated by Khin Nyunt broke down when the government tried to force rebel armies to become part of a Border Guard Force.
Many groups simply refused to join, but the SSA-North split, with some brigades agreeing to become part of this new force. Those that refused remained in Wan Hai and after more clashes another local ceasefire was signed in 2012.
It then joined nationwide talks alongside 15 other armed groups aimed at brokering yet another ceasefire. This time the idea was that all rebel groups could engage in meaningful talks to address the root cause of these conflicts.
But that final ceasefire proved elusive until Myanmar's outgoing President Thein Sein decided to go for broke.
He set a deadline of 15 October 2015 and called all rebel groups to the capital, Nay Pyi Daw. Of the eight groups that showed up, none were particularly active. The SSA-North was among the eight who refused. The SSA-North was among the eight who refused.
As hollow applause rang out at the signing of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement the Burmese army took its frustration out on villagers in rebel areas near Wan Hai.
For several weeks mountaintop villages were shelled and helicopter gunships used in clashes with the SSA-North. The rebels say 30 of their fighters died and claim to have killed hundreds from the Burmese army. The numbers are impossible to verify.
Several thousand villagers from ethnic minorities fled their hilltop homes to camps deeper in rebel territory. One of them was a Palaung woman called Nai Song.
We found her outside the bamboo hut that's been her home for the last three months and she agreed to take us back for a quick look at her village.
We travelled on motorbikes and then on foot up along narrow rocky paths to reach Kong Nime. From the mountaintop you could just about make out the camp where the village's residents now squat.
'I cry every day'
Before the Burmese army attacked Kong Nime there were about 500 people living here. Now there are just a handful, sent back to look after the livestock. They told us that at night they are too scared to stay in their own homes so huddle together.
When the villagers fled the shelling soldiers from the Burmese army moved in, taking everything of value. Nine houses were burnt to the ground.
Nai Song says she was once one of Kong Nime's more affluent citizens, but not any more. When the fighting started she had just purchased 1m kyat (about $800) worth of supplies on credit.
"Three containers of cooking oil, three containers of alcohol, three containers of kerosene, all gone," she begins to list the things that have been taken.
Upstairs she points out some grotty blankets she rescued and washed from the street. Then she brings out a battered kettle and starts to weep.
"This all I have here now - and there's not even a lid for my kettle," she sobs.
Another woman called Ba La also came with us back to Kong Nime.
"All our medicine has been lost," she says. "We had five packs of medicine carried by five motorcycles, bought on credit for about 500,000 kyat. I've got no money to pay back."
Ba La has suffered at the hand of the Burmese army before. Back in 2011 her son Aikor was abducted by Burmese soldiers and she hasn't heard from him since. For years the Burmese military has been taking boys from ethnic minorities to use as porters.
What's changed?
Efforts to bring peace to Myanmar have been built on the assumption that the Burmese army is changing. That its leaders really want a lasting, just peace, and despite having fought against federalism for decades they are now committed to devolving power.
The evidence on the ground suggests that very little has changed. The Burmese army has been looting and burning villages just like Kong Nime for decades. Elsewhere in Shan and Kachin state it is continuing to attack other non-signatory groups.
Even among those who were persuaded to sign the so-called Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement there is a strong suspicion that the army just sees the peace process as a way to force the rebels to disarm and effectively surrender.
It was a view reinforced in Nay Pyi Daw two weeks ago when the army's Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing bluntly told the signatories that he wanted a timetable for their demobilisation.
It didn't go down well.
So what then are the chances of the new government lead by Aung San Suu Kyi breathing fresh life into the fractured negotiations?
Having made ethnic peace her number one priority, she's promised to try to get all the rebel groups back into the process. But there are clear limits to her power.
"She will try," General Hsay Htin, one of the SSA-North's veteran commanders, told me with a shrug.
"But she will have a hard time because her main obstacle is the army."
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The complainant of the case, against the three Sri Lankans charged with theft and threathing civilians in Saudi Arabia has agreed to pardon them and not ask for compensation for the injuries he received. | Senior Embassy official ,P.R.Wickremasinghe said that Sri Lankan officials including himself were able to convince in the court their inability of the respondent and his family to pay compensation.
The complainant, Hassan Mohideen from Kerala listening to the appeals told court that he would agree not to claim compensation.
However,the three Sri Lankans, D.D Ranjith de Silva, Sanath Pushpakumara and Victor Corea are in the death row to be executed in Saudi Arabia.
"A fresh appeal is now before the new king who will decide the fate of the three Sri Lankans", senior embassy official, Wickremasinghe told Sandesaya.
The earlier appeal made on behalf of the families and children of the three Sri Lankans by the Sri Lankan president were before the former King of Saudi Arabia and receiving attention of the King at the time of his death, he said.
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Celebrity Big Brother is back - and the latest line-up includes soap stars, reality show veterans, a Hollywood actress and a former footballer - but despite the rumours, there is no sign of Stormy Daniels (as yet...). | This year's theme is "eye of the storm" and viewers who had been expecting to see the adult film star - who has had a legal battle with US president Donald Trump - were teased with a presidential-themed task on the opening night.
While the show's viewing figures aren't anything like what they used to be, Channel 5 as always is promising surprises as the series unfolds.
Let's take a look at the new housemates:
Gabby Allen
If you're still suffering withdrawal symptoms from Love Island, its 2017 star Gabby Allen will be a sight for sore eyes.
Since leaving the villa, she and former boyfriend and Blazin' Squad star Marcel Somerville have broken up.
From finding love in one home televised across the nation, to moving on in another, Gabby's life is eventful to say the least.
Dan Osborne
Most CBB series include a current or former star of ITV's reality show Towie, so it's no surprise to see former Towie star and resident bad boy Dan Osborne in the house.
But here's the goss: Dan split from his wife, Eastenders actress Jacqueline Jossa earlier this year, after being romantically linked to the former Love Island star Gabby Allen (who we've just mentioned of course).
Maybe the Channel 5 producers are trying to conjure up some of that Love Island magic in the Big Brother house?
Roxanne Pallett
Just weeks after surviving a car crash, the former Emmerdale actress will probably be enjoying some R&R in the Big Brother house - or at least what passes for R&R in that crazy environment.
In July she was taking part in a stock car race in North Yorkshire, when she was airlifted to hospital after being cut from the race car.
This week she revealed she got engaged to her boyfriend just seven days after meeting him.
And now she's been flung into the CBB house, a big test for many a new-fledged relationship in the past.
Kirstie Alley
Former Cheers actress Kirstie was the first celebrity to enter the famous house this series and therefore was given the first task, to act as an (unelected) president of her housemates.
Despite her a successful acting career, nowadays there's a lot more public interest in her life as a Scientologist.
Kirstie was raised as a Methodist (a denomination of Protestant Christianity) but converted to the Church of Scientology in the late 1970s and has since become one of the religion's most famous members, alongside Tom Cruise and John Travolta.
Sally Morgan
Known as Psychic Sally, we wonder whether she can already predict which celebrity will be crowned the winner of Celebrity Big Brother.
Sally does more than 150 live stage shows a year and has also starred in several TV shows, focusing on her supernatural gifts.
And five years ago, she received a £125,000 payout from the Daily Mail over reports she had received instructions from a hidden earpiece during a show in Dublin. The paper apologised and said it accepted the article was untrue.
Rodrigo Alves
Rodrigo earned the nickname of The Human Ken Doll after undergoing more than 100 surgeries and procedures, including pec implants and botox, to totally transform himself.
He is a regular on red carpets and has more than 700,000 followers on Instagram, where he is seen frequenting beaches, partying on yachts and flaunting his collection of corsets.
In 2017, when there were reports that Rodrigo was going to enter the house, he told Metro: "'If I were to go on a show of that format, it will show the public the real side of me, because all they know is what they read on the news."
Chloe Ayling
Model Chloe made headlines last year after she was lured into a fake photoshoot in Italy and held captive for six days.
In June, Lucasz Herba was convicted of kidnapping, extortion and carrying false documents. He was jailed for almost 17 years.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 live in July, Chloe said: "Because I wasn't crying and in tears, that's what led to people to think that I was not being truthful."
Ryan Thomas
The former Coronation Street star has followed his brothers into reality TV and is swapping the Rovers Return Inn for the Diary Room.
Ryan, who played builder Jason Grimshaw, is already the favourite to win this year's series with the bookies.
He's not the first member of his family to venture into reality TV - his brother Scott is a former Love Island contestant and, in 2016, Scott's twin Adam appeared on I'm A Celebrity.
And Ryan quickly won the first viewers' vote of the series - being elected vice-president of the Big Brother House on opening night - which is usually a clear sign that he is the most-recognisable and most popular at the outset. But CBB history demonstrates how quickly that can change.
Jermaine Pennant
The former Arsenal and Liverpool footballer has made some of his former teammates nervous by entering the house.
"I think they are concerned, yeah," he told the Daily Star. "They are worried about what hidden gems I might come out with, skeletons that might come out of the closet."
The 35-year-old was just 15 when he was sold by lowly Notts County to Arsenal for £2m and he has had an eventful career since then - with 24 England under-21 caps, and an appearance in the Champions League final.
But he has also hit the headlines for spending time in jail for drink-driving and driving while disqualified - and for being the first Premier League star to play while wearing an electronic tag.
Hardeep Singh Kohli
Hardeep is no stranger to reality TV - having appeared on Celebrity MasterChef and a celebrity version of The Apprentice.
The 49-year-old Scottish comedian and broadcaster-turned chef also lived on the streets while filming Famous, Rich and Homeless for the BBC.
In 2009, while working for the BBC's One Show, he "apologised unreservedly" following a complaint of inappropriate behaviour from a female colleague. He was dropped from the show for six months but never returned.
The father-of-two said at the time he recognised he had "overstepped the mark" but had been "badly treated" by the BBC over the incident.
Natalie Nunn
Natalie will only really be known to those viewers who gorge on American reality TV shows - but they have provided some of CBB's most memorable contestants in recent years.
She first appeared on the small screen when she took part in season four of US hit Bad Girls Club in 2009.
The show is focused on fights and arguments between a small group of unique but highly aggressive women, so it took some effort for Natalie to be booted off the show after a physical altercation with her co-stars.
Maybe the British sensibility will kick in and mellow Natalie out during her stay in the UK? But arriving for the opening night show wearing a crown and declaring herself "the Queen of England" suggests not.
Nick Leeson
Among the usual recycled reality stars and soap actors, this is probably the most unlikely housemate on this year's show - and one whose infamy may have to be carefully explained to any viewers under 30.
Nick was a Watford-born banker who briefly became one of the most talked-about people in the world. In 1995, while working for Barings Bank, he made a series of increasingly risky financial trades - unauthorised actions that caused £800m in losses and led to the collapse of Barings, the world's second oldest merchant bank.
It was such a sensational incident that it was later made into a film - called Rogue Trader - with Nick portrayed by Ewan McGregor.
After spending time in a Singapore prison for his rogue trading, Nick became a motivational speaker - but it will be interesting to see if housemates put him in charge of their shopping budget.
Ben Jardine
This is the second reality show in the space of a year for Ben. In December, he married police officer Stephanie for Channel 4's Married At First Sight. They met for the first time at the altar but the couple broke up after the show's final episode aired on TV.
He was later accused of cheating on Stephanie and admitted to kissing another woman behind her back.
Oh, and did we mention, he's going to be a dad too, fathering a child with a mystery woman.
He told The Sun: "I have been blessed. Out of all the chaos of this past year something beautiful has happened, which I will forever protect and be grateful for."
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected].
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Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has announced government plans for wide-ranging social care reforms in England in a statement to the Commons on Monday. | But what is the situation in England at present and why is reform necessary?
Those with assets worth less than £123,000 will be means-tested for support. The average value of homes - most people's largest asset - shows that those below the qualifying threshold live mainly in the Midlands and north of England.
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Is it embarrassing for adults to like superheroes? | According to Alan Moore - creator of the Watchmen series and widely considered one of the greatest comic book writers - it is.
He says superheroes are perfectly fine for 12 or 13-year-olds but adults should think again.
"I think the impact of superheroes on popular culture is both tremendously embarrassing and not a little worrying," he says.
Alan wrote Watchmen in 1986. The series depicts an alternate history where superheroes emerged in the 1940s and 1960s and their presence changed the course of history.
He believes the characters are "perfectly suited" to the imaginations of a younger audience - but now, they serve a "different function, and are fulfilling different needs".
The writer claims adults enjoy superhero films because they don't wish to leave their "relatively reassuring childhoods" behind, or move into the 21st century.
The comments were made in a 2017 interview with Brazilian newspaper Folha de São Paulo - the full details of which have only just been released.
He adds the popularity of the genre among adults suggests a "kind of deliberate, self-imposed state of emotional arrest".
And his criticism extends to creators.
He says superheroes are written and drawn by people who've never stood up for their own rights against the companies that employ them - saying they appear "to be largely employed as cowardice compensators".
He claims the lack of diversity in the comic book world suggests books and iconic characters are "still very much white supremacist dreams of the master race".
But there was praise from Marvel fans earlier this year, with the announcement that the next stage of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will feature its first deaf superhero, its first Asian-American superhero and an openly gay superhero.
Debate around the genre is pretty hot right now.
In an interview with Empire, film director Martin Scorsese was asked about Marvel movies - and he argued they should be considered something other than cinema.
"I don't see them," he said.
"I tried, you know? But that's not cinema. Honestly, the closest I can think of them, as well made as they are, with actors doing the best they can under the circumstances, is theme parks. It isn't the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being."
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Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.
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An Italian talk show is taken off air after issuing sexist advice on dating Eastern European women, the Grand Mosque in Mecca poses as the backdrop for a Turkish proposal, and a Ghanian footballer mistakenly thanks both his wife and girlfriend in an interview. | By Lamia EstatieBBC News
Italian talk show's dating tips slammed
An Italian state-owned broadcaster has taken a talk show off air after it listed 10 reasons to date Eastern European women, including that they are "always sexy" and "are perfect housewives".
The broadcaster Rai Uno/Rai 1 had earlier apologised for the transmission, which Italian President of the Chamber of Deputies, Laura Boldrini, described as "unacceptable" and "offensive".
The afternoon show "Let's talk about it... Saturday", which is "Parliamone... Sabato" in Italian, is hosted by Paola Perego.
In its latest edition, a panel of celebrities discussed reasons why Italian men "preferred" dating foreign women.
The TV show broadcast a graphic entitled "Reasons to choose an Eastern European girlfriend", which listed:
"1. They are all mums, but after giving birth they regain their figure
2. They are always sexy. No tracksuits or pyjamas
3. They forgive cheating
4. They are willing to let their man rule
5. They are perfect housewives. They learn all house works at young age
6. They don't whine or get clingy, and they never hold a grudge."
The image was widely shared and criticised on Italian social media and made headlines in newspapers La Stampa and Repubblica.
There were calls for the presenter to be suspended and an investigation launched.
"You get distracted a second and you find yourself in 1950," one Twitter user commented.
Some parodied the list, making their own version of reasons to date Italian men (some too explicit to list here).
Rai 1 Director Andrea Fabiano tweeted an apology: "Errors must be recognised without excuses. I apologise to everyone for what has been seen and heard at #Parliamonesabato."
The broadcaster's president, Monica Maggioni, said: "I feel personally involved as a woman, and I apologise... if this representation is given by the public service broadcaster, it is a crazy mistake, unacceptable."
"First, I apologise. Then, the company will try to understand how something like this could have happened."
A Grand (Mosque) proposal
It's not typically a location for grand romantic gestures.
But one man chose the Kaaba inside the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia to pop the question.
Yusuf Akyön, a correspondent for Turkey's state-run broadcaster TRT and the son of his country's former media attaché to the kingdom, proposed to the love of his life there.
In a video of the proposal, shared widely on social media over the weekend, Mr Akyön's girlfriend reportedly said she would only accept if he got down on one knee, to which he happily obliged.
The woman put the ring on while their family, standing nearby, congratulated them.
Some commended the couple for getting engaged in front of fellow Muslims in the "house of God".
"How beautiful for them to get engaged in the house of God, May God bless them in abundance," one user said.
But not everyone was quick to extend their well wishes to the couple.
One Twitter user said it was an "absolute disregard for the sanctity of the Grand Mosque". She continued: "This is a place for worship, not for engagements."
Another user said that going down on one knee to propose was the "Christian way".
Due to the criticism, Mr Akyön is said to have now taken down the footage of the proposal and his Twitter account appears to have been deactivated.
The footballer's faux pas
Ever had that sinking feeling when you've said something you really wish you hadn't?
Mohammed Anas, 22, probably has.
The Ghanian striker for South Africa's Free State Stars F.C. won "man of the match" following his team's Absa Premiership 2-2 draw with Ajax Cape Town on Friday, 17 March in the Athlone Stadium.
But after being given the accolade - usually given to a player who made the most impact in a game - Mr Anas made an embarrassing slip-up on live television, by thanking both the missus and the mistress.
In the short interview with South Africa's SuperSport, which has been viewed thousands of times this past weekend, he said: "I always wish to win one of these and I got it. So, thank you very much for giving me this.
"I appreciate my fans also...
"My wife and my girlfriend...I mean, my wife...sorry to say. I'm so sorry.
"My wife, Liesel, I love you so much, Aya, I love you so much from my heart."
And social media users didn't miss out on poking fun at the footballer for the gaffe.
While others wanted to inquire as to whether he was still alive after the supposed revelation.
One user responded to a tweet by the Free State Stars praising Mr Anas's performance: "Seems like his performance off the pitch also leading some other lines. #FreeStateCheaters ????"
"Mohammed Anas of @FreeStateStars made my weekend for thanking both his wife and girlfriend after he was chosen as man of the match," another added.
By the UGC and Social News team; Additional reporting by Thomas Fabbri and BBC Monitoring's Middle East team
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A teenager has been charged with killing a 19-year-old at a hair salon in north London. | Kamali Gabbidon-Lynck was attacked in Vincent Road, Wood Green. Police had been called to reports of people fighting.
A 20-year-old man was also stabbed but his injuries were not life-threatening.
Tyrell Graham, 18 from Waltham Forest, has been charged with murder, attempted murder and robbery. He will appear before magistrates on Tuesday.
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A new documentary with a bizarre cast of characters claims to shed light on North Korea's efforts to evade international sanctions, by tricking members of Kim Jong-un's secretive regime into signing fake arms deals. | By Paul AdamsDiplomatic Correspondent
The film features an out-of-work Danish chef fascinated by communist dictatorships; a Spanish nobleman and North Korean propagandist with a penchant for military uniform; and a former French legionnaire and convicted cocaine dealer who plays the part of an international man of mystery.
But could it all be true? One former UN official told the BBC he found it "highly credible".
The film, titled The Mole, is the work of maverick Danish film maker Mads Brügger, who says he orchestrated a complex three-year sting operation to reveal how North Korea flouts international law.
The out-of-work chef fascinated by communist dictatorships is Ulrich Larsen, who, with Brügger's help, infiltrates the Korean Friendship Association, a pro-regime group based in Spain. Larsen moves up the ranks and ultimately wins the favour and apparent trust of North Korean government officials.
Membership of the KFA brings Larsen into contact with its flamboyant founder and president, Alejandro Cao de Benós, a Spanish nobleman known around the world as "the Gatekeeper of North Korea".
During the film, in which he is sometimes seen in North Korean military uniform, Cao de Benós boasts of his access and influence with the regime in Pyongyang.
Then there is Jim Latrache-Qvortrup, described as a former French legionnaire and convicted cocaine dealer. Latrache-Qvortrup is hired to play the part of an international arms dealer, which he does in an assortment of flashy suits.
Pulling the strings is Brügger himself, who calls himself "the puppet master". He claims to have spent 10 years working on his film - now a joint production by the BBC and Scandinavian broadcasters.
The film is funny, grotesque and at times barely credible. "I am a film maker who craves sensation," Brügger admits in the film.
But Hugh Griffiths, who was co-ordinator of the UN Panel of Experts on North Korea between 2014 and 2019, called the revelations in the film "highly credible".
"This film is the most severe embarrassment to Chairman Kim Jong-un that we have ever seen," said Griffiths. "Just because it appears amateurish does not mean the intent to sell and gain foreign currency revenue is not there. Elements of the film really do correspond with what we already know."
North Korea has been under UN sanctions since 2006 because of its nuclear ambitions - its development and testing have been documented in regular reports by a Panel of Experts since 2010. But it is unprecedented to see North Korean officials, on film, discussing how to evade sanctions in order to export weapons.
In one key moment in the film, Ulrich Larsen, the former chef and "The Mole" of the title, films as Jim Latrache-Qvortrup, aka "Mr James" the arms dealer, signs a contract with the representative of a North Korean arms factory, with government officials present. The encounter takes place in a gaudy basement restaurant in a Pyongyang suburb.
Not all the Koreans present are properly identified, and, laughing about it afterwards, Latrache-Qvortrup says he had to invent a company name when grilled by one of the Korean officials. It seems incredible the team would not have given any previous thought to such a basic detail, just as it stretches credulity to think that genuine Korean officials would allow such a meeting to be filmed and for documents to be signed and exchanged.
The signed document bears the signature of Kim Ryong-chol, president of Narae Trading Organisation. Narae is a common name on the Korean Peninsula, but the most recent UN Panel of Experts report, dated 28 August 2020, says that a company called Korea Narae Trading Corporation "is engaged in sanctions evasion-related activities for the purposes of generating revenue that supports the prohibited activities of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea".
Griffiths, the former UN official, said it was telling that the Koreans present were apparently willing to deal with a private businessman about whom they knew nothing.
"It shows that UN sanctions are working. The North Koreans are clearly desperate to sell their weapons," he said.
At one point, during a meeting in Kampala in 2017, Latrache-Qvortrup is asked by "Mr Danny" (described as a "North Korean arms dealer") whether he would be able to deliver North Korean weaponry to Syria. The question reflects North Korea's increasing difficulty in doing this for itself, Griffiths said.
"Mr James" is in Uganda, accompanied by some of the same North Korean officials seen in Pyongyang, to discuss the purchase of an island in Lake Victoria. Ugandan officials are told it's for the construction of a luxury resort, but Mr James and the Koreans are secretly planning to build an underground factory to manufacture weapons and drugs.
Again, it seems fantastical, but North Korea has done this sort of thing before. The regime built an ammunition factory at a disused copper mine in the Leopard Valley in Namibia. Ostensibly, they were in the country to build statues and monuments.
The activities of the Korea Mining Development Trading Corporation (Komid) were investigated by the UN Panel of Experts between 2015 and 2018. UN pressure on Namibia may help explain why the North Koreans, who in the film initially suggest building there again, switched their attention to Uganda, said Griffiths.
"North Korean projects in Namibia were effectively shut down," the former UN official said. "By 2018, Uganda was one of the very few African countries… where North Korean arms brokers could still travel at will."
Another aspect of the film of interest to international observers is the apparent involvement of accredited North Korean diplomats in embassies abroad in facilitating efforts to violate UN sanctions. In one sequence, Ulrich Larsen visits the North Korean embassy in Stockholm, where he receives an envelope of plans for the project in Uganda from a diplomat described as Mr Ri.
Like many of the documentary's key scenes, the encounter is secretly filmed by Larsen. As he leaves, Mr Ri warns him to be discreet.
"If something happens, the embassy knows nothing about this, OK?" Mr Ri says.
According to Griffiths, the sequence "fits a pattern".
"The vast majority of sanctions investigations by the UN Panel found that North Korean diplomatic premises or passport holders were involved in the actual or attempted violations," he said.
None of the deals discussed in the film ever come to fruition. Eventually, as partners start to demand money, Brügger makes "Mr James" disappear. The filmmakers say their evidence has been presented to the North Korean embassy in Stockholm, but there has been no response.
Cao de Benós, the founder of the KFA, said that he was "play acting" and that the film was "biased, staged and manipulate".
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Here is the full text of President Barack Obama's State of the Union address, released by the White House. | Mr Speaker, Mr Vice-President, members of Congress, fellow citizens:
Fifty-one years ago, John F Kennedy declared to this chamber that "the Constitution makes us not rivals for power but partners for progress. It is my task," he said, "to report the State of the Union - to improve it is the task of us all."
Tonight, thanks to the grit and determination of the American people, there is much progress to report. After a decade of grinding war, our brave men and women in uniform are coming home. After years of grueling recession, our businesses have created over six million new jobs. We buy more American cars than we have in five years, and less foreign oil than we have in 20. Our housing market is healing, our stock market is rebounding, and consumers, patients and homeowners enjoy stronger protections than ever before.
So, together, we have cleared away the rubble of crisis, and we can say with renewed confidence that the State of our Union is stronger.
But we gather here knowing that there are millions of Americans whose hard work and dedication have not yet been rewarded. Our economy is adding jobs - but too many people still can't find full-time employment. Corporate profits have skyrocketed to all-time highs - but for more than a decade, wages and incomes have barely budged.
It is our generation's task, then, to reignite the true engine of America's economic growth - a rising, thriving middle class.
It is our unfinished task to restore the basic bargain that built this country - the idea that if you work hard and meet your responsibilities, you can get ahead, no matter where you come from, no matter what you look like, or who you love.
It is our unfinished task to make sure that this government works on behalf of the many, and not just the few; that it encourages free enterprise, rewards individual initiative, and opens the doors of opportunity to every child across this great nation.
The American people don't expect government to solve every problem. They don't expect those of us in this chamber to agree on every issue. But they do expect us to put the nation's interests before party. They do expect us to forge reasonable compromise where we can. For they know that America moves forward only when we do so together, and that the responsibility of improving this union remains the task of us all.
Our work must begin by making some basic decisions about our budget - decisions that will have a huge impact on the strength of our recovery.
Over the last few years, both parties have worked together to reduce the deficit by more than $2.5 trillion - mostly through spending cuts, but also by raising tax rates on the wealthiest 1% of Americans. As a result, we are more than halfway towards the goal of $4 trillion in deficit reduction that economists say we need to stabilise our finances.
Now we need to finish the job. And the question is, how?
In 2011, Congress passed a law saying that if both parties couldn't agree on a plan to reach our deficit goal, about a trillion dollars worth of budget cuts would automatically go into effect this year. These sudden, harsh, arbitrary cuts would jeopardise our military readiness. They'd devastate priorities like education, and energy, and medical research. They would certainly slow our recovery, and cost us hundreds of thousands of jobs. That's why Democrats, Republicans, business leaders, and economists have already said that these cuts, known here in Washington as the sequester, are a really bad idea.
Now, some in Congress have proposed preventing only the defence cuts by making even bigger cuts to things like education and job training, Medicare and Social Security benefits. That idea is even worse.
Yes, the biggest driver of our long-term debt is the rising cost of healthcare for an aging population. And those of us who care deeply about programmes like Medicare must embrace the need for modest reforms - otherwise, our retirement programs will crowd out the investments we need for our children, and jeopardise the promise of a secure retirement for future generations.
But we can't ask senior citizens and working families to shoulder the entire burden of deficit reduction while asking nothing more from the wealthiest and the most powerful. We won't grow the middle class simply by shifting the cost of healthcare or college on to families that are already struggling, or by forcing communities to lay off more teachers and more cops and more firefighters. Most Americans - Democrats, Republicans and independents - understand that we can't just cut our way to prosperity. They know that broad-based economic growth requires a balanced approach to deficit reduction, with spending cuts and revenue, and with everybody doing their fair share. And that's the approach I offer tonight.
On Medicare, I'm prepared to enact reforms that will achieve the same amount of healthcare savings by the beginning of the next decade as the reforms proposed by the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles commission.
Already, the Affordable Care Act is helping to slow the growth of healthcare costs. And the reforms I'm proposing go even further. We'll reduce taxpayer subsidies to prescription drug companies and ask more from the wealthiest seniors. We'll bring down costs by changing the way our government pays for Medicare, because our medical bills shouldn't be based on the number of tests ordered or days spent in the hospital; they should be based on the quality of care that our seniors receive. And I am open to additional reforms from both parties, so long as they don't violate the guarantee of a secure retirement. Our government shouldn't make promises we cannot keep - but we must keep the promises we've already made.
To hit the rest of our deficit reduction target, we should do what leaders in both parties have already suggested, and save hundreds of billions of dollars by getting rid of tax loopholes and deductions for the well-off and the well-connected. After all, why would we choose to make deeper cuts to education and Medicare just to protect special interest tax breaks? How is that fair? Why is it that deficit reduction is a big emergency justifying making cuts in Social Security benefits but not closing some loopholes? How does that promote growth?
Now is our best chance for bipartisan, comprehensive tax reform that encourages job creation and helps bring down the deficit. We can get this done. The American people deserve a tax code that helps small businesses spend less time filling out complicated forms, and more time expanding and hiring - a tax code that ensures billionaires with high-powered accountants can't work the system and pay a lower rate than their hardworking secretaries; a tax code that lowers incentives to move jobs overseas, and lowers tax rates for businesses and manufacturers that are creating jobs right here in the United States of America. That's what tax reform can deliver. That's what we can do together.
I realise that tax reform and entitlement reform will not be easy. The politics will be hard for both sides. None of us will get 100% of what we want. But the alternative will cost us jobs, hurt our economy, visit hardship on millions of hardworking Americans. So let's set party interests aside and work to pass a budget that replaces reckless cuts with smart savings and wise investments in our future. And let's do it without the brinksmanship that stresses consumers and scares off investors. The greatest nation on Earth cannot keep conducting its business by drifting from one manufactured crisis to the next. We can't do it.
Let's agree right here, right now to keep the people's government open, and pay our bills on time, and always uphold the full faith and credit of the United States of America. The American people have worked too hard, for too long, rebuilding from one crisis to see their elected officials cause another.
Now, most of us agree that a plan to reduce the deficit must be part of our agenda. But let's be clear, deficit reduction alone is not an economic plan. A growing economy that creates good, middle-class jobs - that must be the North Star that guides our efforts. Every day, we should ask ourselves three questions as a nation: How do we attract more jobs to our shores? How do we equip our people with the skills they need to get those jobs? And how do we make sure that hard work leads to a decent living?
A year and a half ago, I put forward an American Jobs Act that independent economists said would create more than one million new jobs. And I thank the last Congress for passing some of that agenda. I urge this Congress to pass the rest. But tonight, I'll lay out additional proposals that are fully paid for and fully consistent with the budget framework both parties agreed to just 18 months ago. Let me repeat - nothing I'm proposing tonight should increase our deficit by a single dime. It is not a bigger government we need, but a smarter government that sets priorities and invests in broad-based growth. That's what we should be looking for.
Our first priority is making America a magnet for new jobs and manufacturing. After shedding jobs for more than 10 years, our manufacturers have added about 500,000 jobs over the past three. Caterpillar is bringing jobs back from Japan. Ford is bringing jobs back from Mexico. And this year, Apple will start making Macs in America again.
There are things we can do, right now, to accelerate this trend. Last year, we created our first manufacturing innovation institute in Youngstown, Ohio. A once-shuttered warehouse is now a state-of-the art lab where new workers are mastering the 3D printing that has the potential to revolutionise the way we make almost everything. There's no reason this can't happen in other towns.
So tonight, I'm announcing the launch of three more of these manufacturing hubs, where businesses will partner with the Department of Defense and Energy to turn regions left behind by globalisation into global centers of high-tech jobs. And I ask this Congress to help create a network of 15 of these hubs and guarantee that the next revolution in manufacturing is made right here in America. We can get that done.
Now, if we want to make the best products, we also have to invest in the best ideas. Every dollar we invested to map the human genome returned $140 to our economy - every dollar. Today, our scientists are mapping the human brain to unlock the answers to Alzheimer's. They're developing drugs to regenerate damaged organs; devising new material to make batteries 10 times more powerful. Now is not the time to gut these job-creating investments in science and innovation. Now is the time to reach a level of research and development not seen since the height of the Space Race. We need to make those investments.
Today, no area holds more promise than our investments in American energy. After years of talking about it, we're finally poised to control our own energy future. We produce more oil at home than we have in 15 years. We have doubled the distance our cars will go on a gallon of gas, and the amount of renewable energy we generate from sources like wind and solar - with tens of thousands of good American jobs to show for it. We produce more natural gas than ever before - and nearly everyone's energy bill is lower because of it. And over the last four years, our emissions of the dangerous carbon pollution that threatens our planet have actually fallen.
But for the sake of our children and our future, we must do more to combat climate change. Now, it's true that no single event makes a trend. But the fact is the 12 hottest years on record have all come in the last 15. Heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, floods - all are now more frequent and more intense. We can choose to believe that super-storm Sandy, and the most severe drought in decades, and the worst wildfires some states have ever seen were all just a freak coincidence. Or we can choose to believe in the overwhelming judgment of science - and act before it's too late.
Now, the good news is we can make meaningful progress on this issue while driving strong economic growth. I urge this Congress to get together, pursue a bipartisan, market-based solution to climate change, like the one John McCain and Joe Lieberman worked on together a few years ago. But if Congress won't act soon to protect future generations, I will. I will direct my cabinet to come up with executive actions we can take, now and in the future, to reduce pollution, prepare our communities for the consequences of climate change, and speed the transition to more sustainable sources of energy.
Four years ago, other countries dominated the clean energy market and the jobs that came with it. And we've begun to change that. Last year, wind energy added nearly half of all new power capacity in America. So let's generate even more. Solar energy gets cheaper by the year - let's drive down costs even further. As long as countries like China keep going all in on clean energy, so must we.
Now, in the meantime, the natural gas boom has led to cleaner power and greater energy independence. We need to encourage that. And that's why my administration will keep cutting red tape and speeding up new oil and gas permits. That's got to be part of an all-of-the-above plan. But I also want to work with this Congress to encourage the research and technology that helps natural gas burn even cleaner and protects our air and our water.
In fact, much of our newfound energy is drawn from lands and waters that we, the public, own together. So tonight, I propose we use some of our oil and gas revenues to fund an Energy Security Trust that will drive new research and technology to shift our cars and trucks off oil for good. If a nonpartisan coalition of CEOs and retired generals and admirals can get behind this idea, then so can we. Let's take their advice and free our families and businesses from the painful spikes in gas prices we've put up with for far too long.
I'm also issuing a new goal for America: Let's cut in half the energy wasted by our homes and businesses over the next 20 years. We'll work with the states to do it. Those states with the best ideas to create jobs and lower energy bills by constructing more efficient buildings will receive federal support to help make that happen.
America's energy sector is just one part of an aging infrastructure badly in need of repair. Ask any CEO where they'd rather locate and hire - a country with deteriorating roads and bridges, or one with high-speed rail and Internet; high-tech schools, self-healing power grids. The CEO of Siemens America - a company that brought hundreds of new jobs to North Carolina - said that if we upgrade our infrastructure, they'll bring even more jobs. And that's the attitude of a lot of companies all around the world. And I know you want these job-creating projects in your district. I've seen all those ribbon-cuttings.
So tonight, I propose a "Fix-It-First" programme to put people to work as soon as possible on our most urgent repairs, like the nearly 70,000 structurally deficient bridges across the country. And to make sure taxpayers don't shoulder the whole burden, I'm also proposing a Partnership to Rebuild America that attracts private capital to upgrade what our businesses need most: modern ports to move our goods, modern pipelines to withstand a storm, modern schools worthy of our children. Let's prove that there's no better place to do business than here in the United States of America, and let's start right away. We can get this done.
And part of our rebuilding effort must also involve our housing sector. The good news is our housing market is finally healing from the collapse of 2007. Home prices are rising at the fastest pace in six years. Home purchases are up nearly 50%, and construction is expanding again.
But even with mortgage rates near a 50-year low, too many families with solid credit who want to buy a home are being rejected. Too many families who never missed a payment and want to refinance are being told no. That's holding our entire economy back. We need to fix it.
Right now, there's a bill in this Congress that would give every responsible homeowner in America the chance to save $3,000 a year by refinancing at today's rates. Democrats and Republicans have supported it before, so what are we waiting for? Take a vote, and send me that bill. Why would we be against that? Why would that be a partisan issue, helping folks refinance? Right now, overlapping regulations keep responsible young families from buying their first home. What's holding us back? Let's streamline the process, and help our economy grow.
These initiatives in manufacturing, energy, infrastructure, housing - all these things will help entrepreneurs and small business owners expand and create new jobs. But none of it will matter unless we also equip our citizens with the skills and training to fill those jobs.
And that has to start at the earliest possible age. Study after study shows that the sooner a child begins learning, the better he or she does down the road. But today, fewer than three in 10 four-year-olds are enrolled in a high-quality preschool programme. Most middle-class parents can't afford a few hundred bucks a week for a private preschool. And for poor kids who need help the most, this lack of access to preschool education can shadow them for the rest of their lives. So tonight, I propose working with states to make high-quality preschool available to every single child in America. That's something we should be able to do.
Every dollar we invest in high-quality early childhood education can save more than seven dollars later on - by boosting graduation rates, reducing teen pregnancy, even reducing violent crime. In states that make it a priority to educate our youngest children, like Georgia or Oklahoma, studies show students grow up more likely to read and do math at grade level, graduate high school, hold a job, form more stable families of their own. We know this works. So let's do what works and make sure none of our children start the race of life already behind. Let's give our kids that chance.
Let's also make sure that a high-school diploma puts our kids on a path to a good job. Right now, countries like Germany focus on graduating their high-school students with the equivalent of a technical degree from one of our community colleges. So those German kids, they're ready for a job when they graduate high school. They've been trained for the jobs that are there. Now at schools like P-Tech in Brooklyn, a collaboration between New York Public Schools and City University of New York and IBM, students will graduate with a high-school diploma and an associate's degree in computers or engineering.
We need to give every American student opportunities like this.
And four years ago, we started Race to the Top - a competition that convinced almost every state to develop smarter curricula and higher standards, all for about 1% of what we spend on education each year. Tonight, I'm announcing a new challenge to redesign America's high schools so they better equip graduates for the demands of a high-tech economy. And we'll reward schools that develop new partnerships with colleges and employers, and create classes that focus on science, technology, engineering and math - the skills today's employers are looking for to fill the jobs that are there right now and will be there in the future.
Now, even with better high schools, most young people will need some higher education. It's a simple fact the more education you've got, the more likely you are to have a good job and work your way into the middle class. But today, skyrocketing costs price too many young people out of a higher education, or saddle them with unsustainable debt.
Through tax credits, grants and better loans, we've made college more affordable for millions of students and families over the last few years. But taxpayers can't keep on subsidising higher and higher and higher costs for higher education. Colleges must do their part to keep costs down, and it's our job to make sure that they do.
So tonight, I ask Congress to change the Higher Education Act so that affordability and value are included in determining which colleges receive certain types of federal aid. And tomorrow, my administration will release a new "College Scorecard" that parents and students can use to compare schools based on a simple criteria - where you can get the most bang for your educational buck.
Now, to grow our middle class, our citizens have to have access to the education and training that today's jobs require. But we also have to make sure that America remains a place where everyone who's willing to work - everybody who's willing to work hard - has the chance to get ahead.
Our economy is stronger when we harness the talents and ingenuity of striving, hopeful immigrants. And right now, leaders from the business, labour, law enforcement, faith communities - they all agree that the time has come to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Now is the time to do it. Now is the time to get it done. Now is the time to get it done.
Real reform means strong border security, and we can build on the progress my administration has already made - putting more boots on the Southern border than at any time in our history and reducing illegal crossings to their lowest levels in 40 years.
Real reform means establishing a responsible pathway to earned citizenship - a path that includes passing a background check, paying taxes and a meaningful penalty, learning English, and going to the back of the line behind the folks trying to come here legally.
And real reform means fixing the legal immigration system to cut waiting periods and attract the highly-skilled entrepreneurs and engineers that will help create jobs and grow our economy.
In other words, we know what needs to be done. And as we speak, bipartisan groups in both chambers are working diligently to draft a bill, and I applaud their efforts. So let's get this done. Send me a comprehensive immigration reform bill in the next few months, and I will sign it right away. And America will be better for it. Let's get it done. Let's get it done.
But we can't stop there. We know our economy is stronger when our wives, our mothers, our daughters can live their lives free from discrimination in the workplace, and free from the fear of domestic violence. Today, the Senate passed the Violence Against Women Act that Joe Biden originally wrote almost 20 years ago. And I now urge the House to do the same. Good job, Joe. And I ask this Congress to declare that women should earn a living equal to their efforts, and finally pass the Paycheck Fairness Act this year.
We know our economy is stronger when we reward an honest day's work with honest wages. But today, a full-time worker making the minimum wage earns $14,500 a year. Even with the tax relief we put in place, a family with two kids that earns the minimum wage still lives below the poverty line. That's wrong. That's why, since the last time this Congress raised the minimum wage, 19 states have chosen to bump theirs even higher.
Tonight, let's declare that in the wealthiest nation on earth, no-one who works full-time should have to live in poverty, and raise the federal minimum wage to $9 an hour. We should be able to get that done.
This single step would raise the incomes of millions of working families. It could mean the difference between groceries or the food bank; rent or eviction; scraping by or finally getting ahead. For businesses across the country, it would mean customers with more money in their pockets. And a whole lot of folks out there would probably need less help from government. In fact, working folks shouldn't have to wait year after year for the minimum wage to go up while CEO pay has never been higher. So here's an idea that Governor Romney and I actually agreed on last year - let's tie the minimum wage to the cost of living, so that it finally becomes a wage you can live on.
Tonight, let's also recognise that there are communities in this country where no matter how hard you work, it is virtually impossible to get ahead. Factory towns decimated from years of plants packing up. Inescapable pockets of poverty, urban and rural, where young adults are still fighting for their first job. America is not a place where the chance of birth or circumstance should decide our destiny. And that's why we need to build new ladders of opportunity into the middle class for all who are willing to climb them.
Let's offer incentives to companies that hire Americans who've got what it takes to fill that job opening, but have been out of work so long that no-one will give them a chance anymore. Let's put people back to work rebuilding vacant homes in run-down neighbourhoods. And this year, my administration will begin to partner with 20 of the hardest-hit towns in America to get these communities back on their feet. We'll work with local leaders to target resources at public safety, and education, and housing.
We'll give new tax credits to businesses that hire and invest. And we'll work to strengthen families by removing the financial deterrents to marriage for low-income couples, and do more to encourage fatherhood - because what makes you a man isn't the ability to conceive a child; it's having the courage to raise one. And we want to encourage that. We want to help that.
Stronger families. Stronger communities. A stronger America. It is this kind of prosperity - broad, shared, built on a thriving middle class - that has always been the source of our progress at home. It's also the foundation of our power and influence throughout the world.
Tonight, we stand united in saluting the troops and civilians who sacrifice every day to protect us. Because of them, we can say with confidence that America will complete its mission in Afghanistan and achieve our objective of defeating the core of al-Qaeda.
Already, we have brought home 33,000 of our brave servicemen and women. This spring, our forces will move into a support role, while Afghan security forces take the lead. Tonight, I can announce that over the next year, another 34,000 American troops will come home from Afghanistan. This drawdown will continue and by the end of next year, our war in Afghanistan will be over.
Beyond 2014, America's commitment to a unified and sovereign Afghanistan will endure, but the nature of our commitment will change. We're negotiating an agreement with the Afghan government that focuses on two missions - training and equipping Afghan forces so that the country does not again slip into chaos, and counter-terrorism efforts that allow us to pursue the remnants of al-Qaeda and their affiliates.
Today, the organisation that attacked us on 9/11 is a shadow of its former self. (Applause.) It's true, different al-Qaeda affiliates and extremist groups have emerged - from the Arabian Peninsula to Africa. The threat these groups pose is evolving. But to meet this threat, we don't need to send tens of thousands of our sons and daughters abroad or occupy other nations. Instead, we'll need to help countries like Yemen, and Libya, and Somalia provide for their own security, and help allies who take the fight to terrorists, as we have in Mali. And where necessary, through a range of capabilities, we will continue to take direct action against those terrorists who pose the gravest threat to Americans.
Now, as we do, we must enlist our values in the fight. That's why my administration has worked tirelessly to forge a durable legal and policy framework to guide our counter-terrorism efforts. Throughout, we have kept Congress fully informed of our efforts. I recognise that in our democracy, no-one should just take my word for it that we're doing things the right way. So in the months ahead, I will continue to engage Congress to ensure not only that our targeting, detention and prosecution of terrorists remains consistent with our laws and system of checks and balances, but that our efforts are even more transparent to the American people and to the world.
Of course, our challenges don't end with al-Qaeda. America will continue to lead the effort to prevent the spread of the world's most dangerous weapons. The regime in North Korea must know they will only achieve security and prosperity by meeting their international obligations. Provocations of the sort we saw last night will only further isolate them, as we stand by our allies, strengthen our own missile defence and lead the world in taking firm action in response to these threats.
Likewise, the leaders of Iran must recognise that now is the time for a diplomatic solution, because a coalition stands united in demanding that they meet their obligations, and we will do what is necessary to prevent them from getting a nuclear weapon.
At the same time, we'll engage Russia to seek further reductions in our nuclear arsenals, and continue leading the global effort to secure nuclear materials that could fall into the wrong hands - because our ability to influence others depends on our willingness to lead and meet our obligations.
America must also face the rapidly growing threat from cyber-attacks. Now, we know hackers steal people's identities and infiltrate private emails. We know foreign countries and companies swipe our corporate secrets. Now our enemies are also seeking the ability to sabotage our power grid, our financial institutions, our air traffic control systems. We cannot look back years from now and wonder why we did nothing in the face of real threats to our security and our economy.
And that's why, earlier today, I signed a new executive order that will strengthen our cyber defences by increasing information sharing, and developing standards to protect our national security, our jobs, and our privacy.
But now Congress must act as well, by passing legislation to give our government a greater capacity to secure our networks and deter attacks. This is something we should be able to get done on a bipartisan basis.
Now, even as we protect our people, we should remember that today's world presents not just dangers, not just threats, it presents opportunities. To boost American exports, support American jobs and level the playing field in the growing markets of Asia, we intend to complete negotiations on a Trans-Pacific Partnership. And tonight, I'm announcing that we will launch talks on a comprehensive Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership with the European Union - because trade that is fair and free across the Atlantic supports millions of good-paying American jobs.
We also know that progress in the most impoverished parts of our world enriches us all - not only because it creates new markets, more stable order in certain regions of the world, but also because it's the right thing to do. In many places, people live on little more than a dollar a day. So the United States will join with our allies to eradicate such extreme poverty in the next two decades by connecting more people to the global economy; by empowering women; by giving our young and brightest minds new opportunities to serve, and helping communities to feed, and power, and educate themselves; by saving the world's children from preventable deaths; and by realising the promise of an Aids-free generation, which is within our reach.
You see, America must remain a beacon to all who seek freedom during this period of historic change. I saw the power of hope last year in Rangoon, in Burma, when Aung San Suu Kyi welcomed an American President into the home where she had been imprisoned for years; when thousands of Burmese lined the streets, waving American flags, including a man who said: "There is justice and law in the United States. I want our country to be like that."
In defence of freedom, we'll remain the anchor of strong alliances from the Americas to Africa; from Europe to Asia. In the Middle East, we will stand with citizens as they demand their universal rights, and support stable transitions to democracy.
We know the process will be messy, and we cannot presume to dictate the course of change in countries like Egypt, but we can - and will - insist on respect for the fundamental rights of all people. We'll keep the pressure on a Syrian regime that has murdered its own people, and support opposition leaders that respect the rights of every Syrian. And we will stand steadfast with Israel in pursuit of security and a lasting peace.
These are the messages I'll deliver when I travel to the Middle East next month. And all this work depends on the courage and sacrifice of those who serve in dangerous places at great personal risk - our diplomats, our intelligence officers, and the men and women of the United States Armed Forces. As long as I'm commander-in-chief, we will do whatever we must to protect those who serve their country abroad, and we will maintain the best military the world has ever known.
We'll invest in new capabilities, even as we reduce waste and wartime spending. We will ensure equal treatment for all service members, and equal benefits for their families - gay and straight. (Applause.) We will draw upon the courage and skills of our sisters and daughters and moms, because women have proven under fire that they are ready for combat.
We will keep faith with our veterans, investing in world-class care, including mental healthcare, for our wounded warriors - supporting our military families; giving our veterans the benefits and education and job opportunities that they have earned. And I want to thank my wife, Michelle, and Dr Jill Biden for their continued dedication to serving our military families as well as they have served us. Thank you, honey. Thank you, Jill.
Defending our freedom, though, is not just the job of our military alone. We must all do our part to make sure our God-given rights are protected here at home. That includes one of the most fundamental right of a democracy: the right to vote. When any American, no matter where they live or what their party, are denied that right because they can't afford to wait for five or six or seven hours just to cast their ballot, we are betraying our ideals.
So tonight, I'm announcing a nonpartisan commission to improve the voting experience in America. And it definitely needs improvement. I'm asking two long-time experts in the field - who, by the way, recently served as the top attorneys for my campaign and for Governor Romney's campaign - to lead it. We can fix this, and we will. The American people demand it, and so does our democracy.
Of course, what I've said tonight matters little if we don't come together to protect our most precious resource: our children. It has been two months since Newtown. I know this is not the first time this country has debated how to reduce gun violence. But this time is different. Overwhelming majorities of Americans - Americans who believe in the Second Amendment - have come together around common-sense reform, like background checks that will make it harder for criminals to get their hands on a gun. Senators of both parties are working together on tough new laws to prevent anyone from buying guns for resale to criminals. Police chiefs are asking our help to get weapons of war and massive ammunition magazines off our streets, because these police chiefs, they're tired of seeing their guys and gals being outgunned.
Each of these proposals deserves a vote in Congress. Now, if you want to vote no, that's your choice. But these proposals deserve a vote. Because in the two months since Newtown, more than a thousand birthdays, graduations, anniversaries have been stolen from our lives by a bullet from a gun - more than a thousand.
One of those we lost was a young girl named Hadiya Pendleton. She was 15 years old. She loved Fig Newtons and lip gloss. She was a majorette. She was so good to her friends they all thought they were her best friend. Just three weeks ago, she was here, in Washington, with her classmates, performing for her country at my inauguration. And a week later, she was shot and killed in a Chicago park after school, just a mile away from my house.
Hadiya's parents, Nate and Cleo, are in this chamber tonight, along with more than two dozen Americans whose lives have been torn apart by gun violence. They deserve a vote. They deserve a vote. Gabby Giffords deserves a vote. The families of Newtown deserve a vote. The families of Aurora deserve a vote. The families of Oak Creek and Tucson and Blacksburg, and the countless other communities ripped open by gun violence - they deserve a simple vote. They deserve a simple vote.
Our actions will not prevent every senseless act of violence in this country. In fact, no laws, no initiatives, no administrative acts will perfectly solve all the challenges I've outlined tonight. But we were never sent here to be perfect. We were sent here to make what difference we can, to secure this nation, expand opportunity, uphold our ideals through the hard, often frustrating, but absolutely necessary work of self-government.
We were sent here to look out for our fellow Americans the same way they look out for one another, every single day, usually without fanfare, all across this country. We should follow their example.
We should follow the example of a New York City nurse named Menchu Sanchez. When Hurricane Sandy plunged her hospital into darkness, she wasn't thinking about how her own home was faring. Her mind was on the 20 precious newborns in her care and the rescue plan she devised that kept them all safe.
We should follow the example of a North Miami woman named Desiline Victor. When Desiline arrived at her polling place, she was told the wait to vote might be six hours. And as time ticked by, her concern was not with her tired body or aching feet, but whether folks like her would get to have their say. And hour after hour, a throng of people stayed in line to support her - because Desiline is 102 years old. And they erupted in cheers when she finally put on a sticker that read, "I voted."
We should follow the example of a police officer named Brian Murphy. When a gunman opened fire on a Sikh temple in Wisconsin and Brian was the first to arrive, he did not consider his own safety. He fought back until help arrived and ordered his fellow officers to protect the safety of the Americans worshiping inside, even as he lay bleeding from 12 bullet wounds. And when asked how he did that, Brian said, "That's just the way we're made."
That's just the way we're made. We may do different jobs and wear different uniforms, and hold different views than the person beside us. But as Americans, we all share the same proud title - we are citizens. It's a word that doesn't just describe our nationality or legal status. It describes the way we're made. It describes what we believe. It captures the enduring idea that this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another and to future generations, that our rights are wrapped up in the rights of others; and that well into our third century as a nation, it remains the task of us all, as citizens of these United States, to be the authors of the next great chapter of our American story.
Thank you. God bless you, and God bless these United States of America.
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One week from now, Jack Garratt will win his first ever award. | By Mark SavageMusic reporter
The 24-year-old singer, producer and songwriter has been waiting in the wings for six years, ever since he uploaded a song to the BBC Introducing website in the hope of being played on his local station.
He was later championed by Zane Lowe, who made his debut single, Worry, his "next hype" track; while Ellie Goulding and Katy Perry declared themselves fans.
Garratt's stock in trade is the heartfelt ballad, performed in a wistful falsetto that has seen him compared to Ed Sheeran.
What sets them apart is the smart production - spliced vocals, dubstep drops and treated guitar lines - which suggest an attempt to bring Jamie xx and James Blake's electronic experimentalism into the mainstream.
Next Thursday in Birmingham, he will accept the Introducing Award at the BBC's Music Awards. He's also been announced as the winner of the Brits Critics' Choice Prize, and as one of the 15 artists on the BBC Sound of 2016. In other words, big things are expected of the luxuriantly-bearded singer from Little Chalfont in Buckinghamshire.
"It's the first moment of validation I've had from a peer figure in the UK music industry," he says of the sudden onslaught of praise. "It really is a genuine honour and a real privilege."
Speaking ahead of the awards, he discusses celebrity endorsements, synaesthesia and how he "swallowed a lake" on his latest video shoot.
How does it feel to win the BBC Introducing Award?
It's pretty intense actually. It's not something I ask for or look out for, but it's the first moment of validation I've had from a peer figure in the UK music industry. So it is a genuine honour and a real privilege.
Have you written a speech?
I'm way too terrified to entertain the idea that I'll actually be going up on stage. But if that's what I need to do, I'll definitely write something down, otherwise I'll end up talking for 10 minutes.
Maybe you could challenge Liam Gallagher to a fight, like Robbie Williams at the Brits.
Yes! I'll rewind time and pretend I'm one of them. That would be great!
Your association with BBC Introducing goes back to 2009. What prompted you to upload your music?
I was writing acoustic music - sort of singer-songwriter bluesy stuff - and a producer mentioned it me.
I was, admittedly, sceptical about it. It hadn't quite proven itself to be a successful platform at that point. But I'm very glad I listened.
Your first radio play came shortly afterwards on BBC Beds, Herts and Bucks - so why did it take six years to get to this stage?
When I was a kid and writing more acoustic songs, I was doing it more for the attention than for the love of the music. I knew I needed to change something because I wasn't having fun, and wasn't liking the songs I was writing.
What was the song that showed you the way forward?
It was called I Couldn't Want You Anyway, and it was the first time I really sat down at a piano and wrote a song. It was a completely new sound and it really resonated with what I was feeling at the time. I remember saying to my management: "I've got this song. I'm going to try and produce it myself. Give me some time to have a crack at this." And I had a couple of days in a friend's studio and I came up with a demo version that I ended up using on my first EP, Remnants.
You have several songs called Synaesthesia [a condition where one of the senses, such as hearing, triggers a sensation in another, like taste or colour]. Is it something you have?
No, but I know a lot of people who have synaesthesia, or who can see colours through sound. It's something I'm fascinated by.
The goal with those songs was to give people the idea of what synaesthesia could possibly feel like. Or to make music that's so dynamic or vivid it could trigger synaesthesia in someone who does have it.
Has anyone ever told you what colours they hear when they play your music?
People tell me different things. There's a song of mine called The Love You're Given. In the second verse, there's a big falling synth pattern and someone told me that when they hear it, it's just spots of purple on a background of blinding white.
What's interesting is that when I was making that piece, that was the image I had in my head - tiny dots on a background that's too bright for your eyes to be able to comprehend. For someone who has the condition turn around and go "that's actually what I saw", was a nice piece of validation.
Your latest video, Breathe Life, sees you lying on your back in a lake, while half a dozen synchronised swimmers dance around you. Was it a hard shoot?
It was fun but it was challenging. We filmed it in California, so it was a sunny 72 degrees the whole day - but that doesn't make much difference when you spend 12 hours floating in tepid water. I was a prune within the first half hour.
How often did you get kicked in the face?
Only a couple of times! The real problem was the splashback when their limbs re-entered the water. I swallowed half of the lake.
You've played a lot of gigs this year. What has that taught you?
Not be intimidated by whatever stage you walk out onto - whether it's big or small. If you can fool every single member of the audience into thinking you're confident and you deserve to be there, everyone will jump on your side.
Do you have any pre-show rituals?
Honestly, it is really very boring. I just stand in my dressing room and jump up and down and freak out for about 10 minutes. Then I'll walk out on stage.
I used to be in a band where the singer couldn't perform unless he'd eaten a Mars Bar, downed a pint of Guinness and thrown up.
That's brilliant! I'm stealing that. I'm telling that to everyone from now on.
Earlier this year, Katy Perry tweeted a link to your song The Love You're Given, calling it her song of the day. How did that change the trajectory of your career?
It completely opened up another door. She has 78 million followers so you're talking about someone who has, at her fingertips, the ability to reach more people than the population of the country I was born in. That's crazy to think about.
Your album, Phase, was finished in October but it isn't out until February. Is the wait driving you crazy?
Pretty much. But it's going to be a good four months. The plan is to go all over the world and say: "Hey, this is going to be available to you in February and if you want it, please go and get it."
For now, it's a little bit of waiting time. The hard work has been done and the album is fermenting. Then it's going to come out and everyone's going to get wasted on it.
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A silver artefact believed to date back to the early 17th Century has been declared treasure after its discovery in Flintshire. | Gordana Mitchell, of Deeside, found the mount while metal detecting in March 2013.
It features a motif of a female saint with long hair, botanical scrolls and a cherub.
The mount is thought to be a decorative hinge or a decoration from a small bible or prayer book.
Dr Mark Redknap from National Museum Wales said: "Although incomplete, it is an interesting example of 17th Century decorative silverwork."
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If you want evidence of how UKIP is trying to become more professional, look no further than the form potential candidates have to fill out, a copy of which I have obtained at the party's conference in Torquay.
| James LandaleDeputy political editor@BBCJLandaleon Twitter
Wannabe UKIP candidates have to declare the following:
"I never engaged in, advocated or condoned racist, violent, criminal or anti democratic activity.
"I have never been a member of or had links with any organisation, group or association which the national executive committee considers is liable to bring the party into disrepute.
"I have never been convicted of any offence punishable by a custodial sentence, whether or not a custodial sentence was actually imposed. I shall notify the Party Chairman and General Secretary immediately upon being interviewed under caution."
Later the form asks specifically: "Are you or have you ever been a member of the BNP, EDL or any other organisation that might be of public interest?"
And this is my favourite: "I do not have any 'skeletons in my cupboard' that may cause me or UKIP embarrassment if they were to come out during the election."
On one level this is sensible stuff; a party that has got its fingers burned before now vetting the people that could be representing UKIP very soon in local government or even Strasbourg.
But the nature of the questions is nonetheless revealing, reflecting the fears and concerns of a party that by its own admission is still growing up, trying to shed the less savoury past of some of its members.
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Another prisoner has died at a jail described by inspectors as "dangerous", the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has confirmed. | Ben Ireson, 31, died at HMP Nottingham on 13 December and the circumstances of his death will now be examined by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.
It comes after two prisoners died in two days last month.
The prison has already been heavily criticised in a report by the Chief Inspector of Prisons earlier this year.
Deaths at HMP Nottingham
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Crack open the Easter eggs. They've done it! | Katya AdlerEurope editor@BBCkatyaadleron Twitter
After two tortuous weeks of wrangling, EU finance ministers have agreed a number of common financial measures to protect the workers, businesses and EU countries most in need during the coronavirus pandemic.
These safety nets, as the EU is calling them, amount to €500bn (£430bn; $540bn). That's separate from the €750bn rescue package already announced by the European Central Bank.
There's talk too amongst EU leaders of an additional Recovery Fund (of up to another €500bn, if the French get their way) which countries could then access once the health crisis is over and attention turns to Europe's Covid-19-battered economies.
"Our faith in Europe has proven correct!" tweeted the Italian president of the European Parliament, David Sassoli triumphantly, as soon as EU finance ministers announced the deal.
So is he right: Is everything hunky-dory now in the EU? The dark mutterings of deep divisions banished?
Not really.
The EU is stumbling through this crisis as it has done through previous ones like the migration and the financial crises. The bloc is not about to disintegrate but scars will remain in countries that felt the chilly absence of EU solidarity in their hour of coronavirus need.
"This has not been our finest moment," a diplomat from an influential EU country told me. "Our response has come late and has been marred by nationalism. Solidarity went out the window with the first coronavirus victim."
The diplomat spoke of France and Germany's initial refusal to export medical protective equipment, meaning Italy was forced to beg for some.
He complained of the damage done to the whole of the single market as EU countries shut borders with one another in an attempt to protect themselves from the spread of the virus.
Then there's the recent ugly and very public debate about coronavirus debt-sharing. Spain and Italy demanded it, in the forms of coronabonds. Wealthier, cautious Germany and the Netherlands gave a flat no.
Again, each country prioritised national concerns over the EU as a whole. Understandable, but hardly a poster child for European cohesion.
The Italian prime minister demanded coronavirus-related debt sharing between member states. If he didn't, he knew he would be attacked by populist nationalist politicians at home.
Deep down, Giuseppe Conte must have realised Germany and the Netherlands would never say yes. They face populist Eurosceptic MPs back home too. They'd have been vilified for writing a "blank cheque" with taxpayers money to finance southern Europe with all its perceived economic weaknesses.
So is the EU fit for purpose?
That depends which purpose. If the main focus of membership is being part of the lucrative single market, then yes, the European Union is fit for purpose.
But if it's an all-for-one-and-one-for-all kind of union, then the coronavirus crisis has found the EU lacking.
Of course the emergency package announced by EU finance ministers (still to be signed-off by EU leaders) is not by any means insignificant. It will be welcomed in Italy and Spain.
Germany may no longer be taking the lead in trying to find or force solutions to EU crises, but it has been lauded and applauded for taking in Covid-19 patients from Italy and France and for sending ventilators to the UK. Romania is one of a number of countries sending teams of doctors and nurses to other EU nations in need of help.
When push comes to shove, in a globalised, unpredictable world, most in the EU think it's better to stay together imperfectly than to stand alone. No EU member is seriously agitating to leave.
But, the Covid-19 crisis could have been a key moment to prove nay-sayers wrong. Instead EU actions thus far have added fuel to the Eurosceptic debate.
EU leaders have another chance to demonstrate solidarity when it comes to rebuilding European economies after the health crisis abates. It's in their own interest. The EU's reputation and the robustness of the single market depend on it.
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For decades, Canada has tried to stop top graduates in the so-called STEM fields of science, tech, engineering and math from heading elsewhere for work, mainly to the US. Have the country's immigration policies and emerging tech scene - with some help from US politics - managed to compensate for the "brain drain"? | By Jessica MurphyBBC News, Toronto
In 2016, after six years in California working as a software engineer at LinkedIn, Vikram Rangnekar was itching to launch a startup.
India-born Rangnekar was eyeing a move to Singapore - where he founded his first startup - or trying somewhere new like Berlin. He couldn't see himself launching his project in San Francisco with his H-1B visa.
"I could see how the whole immigration thing was going in the US," he said.
Toronto didn't figure into his plans until a chance encounter with a Canadian tech entrepreneur who advised him to look north.
He was told Toronto was the "hidden secret of North America", an underappreciated city with a fast-growing tech ecosystem.
Rangnekar decided to take the chance, landing in Canada's largest city in 2017 with his family.
"I had been thinking about working on my own startup idea for while now," he later wrote on his MOV North website, which focuses on promoting the country as an emerging tech powerhouse.
"Getting permanent residency, public-funded healthcare and living in the middle of Canada's tech capital gave me the freedom and courage to explore that option."
That people like Vikram Rangnekar are seeing Canada as a destination doesn't come as a surprise to Vancouver-based immigration lawyer Richard Kurland.
"You've got for Canada a combination of design and circumstance that's setting the stage for a golden age of human capital acquisition," he says.
New immigration policies are making it easier for workers with in-demand skills like Rangnekar to settle in Canada.
In 2015, the country launched its "Express Entry" programme - a free, online process that allows skilled workers to apply to immigrate to Canada.
Kurland calls it a "game changer".
Under the programme, each qualifying candidate is awarded points based on work, education, language skills, and a handful of other factors. A select number of candidates who score above a certain rank are invited to apply for permanent residence.
"You pick the top scoring individuals - the cream of the cream," Kurland says.
The transparent, points-based system has become a major driver of economic immigration to Canada.
A new work visa that helps companies to quickly hire global talent has also made an impact.
In March, a small survey of high-growth Toronto tech companies by the Mars Discovery District - a public-private tech incubator - found that respondents reported an increase in international interest in working in Canada, as well as a boost in applicants and hires.
Mars CEO Yung Wu says this survey suggests that "Canada is becoming a destination for the first time in my career instead of a source for talent".
"We had to fight tooth and nail just to keep our teams from being poached by Boston, New York and San Francisco."
Just over half the companies received more international applicants and 45% made more international hires, an interest firms said was driven by immigration policies and the emerging tech scene.
Many firms saw a spike in international interest of 50-100%. Some firms reported a 300% jump.
The top five countries of origin for applicants were the US (82%), India (55%), China (36%), Brazil (27%), and the UK (14%).
US President Donald Trump's H-1B visa crackdowns on India and China also correlated to an increase in applicants from those countries.
The president has targeted the coveted visas - used to place foreign workers in high-skilled US jobs - as part of his "Buy America, Hire America" reforms to ensure they are not used to replace skilled American workers with cheaper overseas counterparts.
In 2017, Toronto was North America's fastest growing tech market. Montreal and Vancouver also have their own emerging tech scenes.
This week, online retail giant Amazon announced it would create 3,000 e-commerce, cloud computing, and machine learning technology jobs in Vancouver.
California or bust
That means Canadian firms need all the talent they can hire.
But even as policy makers made moves to attract highly skilled immigrants, there still aren't enough people to fill the demand.
A 2016 estimate projected the country will be short 220,000 skilled tech workers by 2020.
And Canadian university graduates in the STEM fields are still heading to the US in large numbers.
A recent report out from the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs and Brock University found that 25% of the STEM graduates sampled for the research opted to work outside of Canada, mostly in the US.
Over 65% of software engineering students are leaving Canada.
The graduates are attracted by higher pay - American firms pay up to 30% more - as well as the chance to work with some of the world's largest tech companies.
Respondents also reported student-driven peer pressure to go work for large American tech firms, dubbed the "Cali or bust" maxim.
'Brain Churn'
A LinkedIn Workforce Report from November 2017 looking at Toronto's labour market suggested the city was gaining employees domestically from Montreal and overseas from India and the United Arab Emirates.
But it lost the most workers to San Francisco, New York City and Los Angeles.
Rangnekar says he's noticed interest in the US and Canadian market flows both ways.
"I meet Canadians here and they're asking me for advice on how to go to the US. I'm advising people in Silicon Valley on how they can move to Canada," he says.
Zachary Spicer, who led the Brock and U of T study, said there is "perhaps a bit of a brain churn" happening as graduates leave for elsewhere and Canadian firms bring people in.
But even with skilled workers coming in, the country loses talent, innovation, and intellectual property when graduates from Canadian universities leave - to the detriment of the economy.
Nic Skitt, who is from the UK, was headhunted by founders of a tech startup called "Tickld" and moved to Toronto in 2014.
Like Rangnekar, Canada wasn't originally on his radar. But Skitt fell in love with the city, which he calls metropolitan, safe, and diverse.
"From a practical point of view, the ability to be a tech startup in Toronto is phenomenal. The network of venture capital, of suppliers, designers, general networking is extremely strong," he says.
But Skitt says the company struggled to hire talent.
Competing with the Canadian offices of companies like Google and Facebook for employees, the startup sometimes had to hire "tier two" developers or rely on American freelancers.
"That is one negative in this environment. It's so good a lot of employers are fighting for the same people," says Skitt, who is now with new Toronto-based business MoneyWise.
Kurland says: "There are chronic global shortages and global competition for the brightest and best in key industry sectors of the economy."
"And Canada has to compete against the rest of the world for these workers."
Researchers behind the Brain Drain report say Canada can take steps to stem the tide, like closing the compensation gap and improving promotion of the northern tech scene.
Spicer says the time is ripe for ambitious talent to return and make their mark in Canada.
"I think a lot of firms are ready to blow. The missing component is talent," he said. "We need the sector firing on all cylinders."
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When Holly Brockwell spoke to the BBC about her decision not to have children, she knew she might be criticised on social media. But the attacks went far beyond what she had expected - accusations of selfishness soon turned into vitriolic abuse that made her deactivate her Twitter account. | By Alison GeeBBC News Magazine
"The fact is, there's nothing about creating another human that appeals to me," 29-year-old Holly Brockwell wrote in a story we published at the weekend, explaining why she wants to be sterilised.
Despite seeing a number of doctors she has so far not been able to undergo the procedure, either on the National Health Service or privately.
The reaction to the story was instant. "The volume of messages I had within half an hour on Twitter, Facebook, email and Instagram worried me," she says.
Many were supportive, both men and women saying they felt the same way. As for the negative ones, some said things she had heard before - that she would change her mind, that she was selfish and that the National Health Service shouldn't pay for her to be sterilised as the money would be better spent on sick children. Then came the abuse.
"People sought me out to say they were glad I haven't reproduced, that they're pleased there won't be any more people like me in the world. They cast aspersions on my mum and said I need psychological help," Brockwell says.
But that was only the start. "One man said he wouldn't want to have sex with me (except he was far less polite about it). Some said the solution is for me to stay celibate which suggests they only ever have sex when they want babies, which is ludicrous."
There were other much worse comments. "Things that I can't repeat and I would never say to anyone no matter what they had done," she says. "Those things are never justified. Some of the words that were used were very gender specific - words that wouldn't have been said to a man in the same situation. And I feel like that's significant because it was nearly all from men - although there were a couple from women - men trying control a woman's body.
"I am used to trolling as I run a women's tech website but even I was affected this time because it was so vitriolic, so personal and nasty, and so specific about me and my professional life - not even about the issue of having children which I had been writing about."
Some critics accused Brockwell of being an attention-seeking "media whore" but as she points out, it was the BBC's 100 Women project that asked her to write the story, not the other way round.
"Most of it washes over you but the one that disturbed me the most was a man saying he'd like to crowdfund an operation to render me physically unable to speak. It's always about silencing people."
Some of her followers suggested she brush it off - that these are "just trolls". But Brockwell found this hard to do.
On Sunday night the comments got to her and she decided to stop using Twitter. But after a break of just over 36 hours, she's back on social media and tweeting again. The trolls "said it was very quiet on Twitter without me and they deserved a prize", she says. But in the end she didn't want them to feel they had won.
100 Women 2015
This year's season features two weeks of inspirational stories about the BBC's 100 Women and others who are defying stereotypes around the world.
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram using the hashtag #100Women. Listen to the programmes here.
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Jury trials are currently on hold in Scotland as part of the coronavirus lockdown, but the government is keen to get the system back up and running. More emergency legislation is being planned - but how do you get a jury together while maintaining social distancing? | By Philip SimBBC News
What's the problem?
To start with, let's be clear that the Scottish justice system has not ground to a halt entirely. Jury trials may be on hold, but the vast majority of criminal trials do not take place before a jury.
In 2018-19, 94% of people convicted in a Scottish courtroom were prosecuted in "summary" trials before a sheriff or justice of the peace - although lawyers say many of these are also being kicked into the long grass.
Jury trials mostly happen for more serious offences, which could carry a sentence of over a year - these are known as "solemn" trials, and include all those heard at the High Court.
Clearly, it is difficult to assemble 15 randomly-selected people in a relatively small room, with a judge, accused and legal teams, while maintaining social distancing. So for now, solemn trials are on hold.
However, the Scottish government is worried about the impact on victims of crime, witnesses and accused people, and public faith in the justice system itself.
So what are the options currently being considered?
Wait it out
The base option is to do nothing at all.
Continuing the current state of limbo may seem like the simplest approach, but kicking all serious trials into the long grass could have significant effects in the longer term.
There is already a significant backlog of cases in the judicial system. It already takes months for a case to come to trial - a situation many see as unfair not only for victims of crime but also for accused people, some of whom are in prison on remand. Putting all solemn trials on hold could see those months become years.
For every five months the system is on hold, it is estimated that an extra 250 High Court trials and 540 sheriff court solemn trials are added to the backlog - something that could push the total number of outstanding trials more than 1,600 cases.
Cut jury sizes
Cramming 15 people into a small room to consider a verdict is clearly a problem. But why does it have to be 15?
A Scottish trial can technically continue with 12 jurors, the same as the number used elsewhere in the UK. During the second world war, this number was reduced to seven.
This might help with social distancing during a trial, but you would still need to bring lots of people in to court to pick the jury in the first place. And with less wiggle room, it would raise the danger of trials collapsing should a juror fall ill.
A 2015 review of the criminal justice system by Lord Bonomy warned of the potential for miscarriages of justice should juries be slimmed down, given they have three verdicts to choose from.
Find bigger courtrooms
If courtrooms are too cramped for social distancing, why not use bigger buildings? One example suggested by MSPs was cinemas which are currently sitting empty.
This is not totally unprecedented - the fatal accident inquiry into the Clutha helicopter crash was held at Hampden Stadium rather than Glasgow Sheriff Court.
However, most cinemas do not have custody facilities where potentially serious offenders can be held during trial. And jurors would still need to travel there, and mix with court staff.
Ultimately, the government thinks it would take too long to fit out such venues in the short term, and says it would have little impact on the backlog of cases.
Courtroom social distancing
What about utilising all the space in the existing courtrooms?
If you were to close courts to the public - as frequently happens in sex offences trials - you could sit jurors in the relatively spacious public gallery.
Again, this would not solve the problem of empanelling a jury, when dozens of people have to come to court so 15 names can be picked from a hat. And jurors would still be crammed together in a smaller room when considering their verdict.
Away from practicalities, there is also the issue of justice being seen to be done.
The Scottish government believes this approach "would not make any significant impact in reducing the backlog", but might be useful to deploy later down the road.
Remote juries
Could the jury all dial in over a video link? These hookups are already used in courts, for vulnerable witnesses to give evidence or prisoners to monitor proceedings from custody.
This would remove the issue of jurors having to travel to court, and be packed together for empanelling or deliberations.
However, the government warns there could be "significant legal, technical and operational challenges" in this. It would need 15 secure video links to 15 locations - all of them perfectly reliable throughout a potentially lengthy trial - without any risk of someone listening in on deliberations.
Ministers fear that getting this up and running "would not be achievable within the time constraints available".
Test the jurors
Why not just test everyone who comes into court?
The government's focus is on testing frontline healthcare staff and other key workers, so it is "unlikely" they could quickly get into a position where everyone involved in a trial - court officials, lawyers, security, witnesses and the accused, as well as jurors - could be tested.
And if someone contracted the virus midway through, they could potentially infect the entire courtroom and collapse the trial.
What about people with immunity? The problem here is that juries are meant to be picked from a wide cross-section of society, not the relatively narrow group who have recovered from the virus so far.
Testing has not been ruled out as an option, but ministers have "a number of concerns as to whether it will be practicable".
Hold trials without juries
The Scottish government's original plan was to get around the problem by having judges oversee more serious trials, either alone or in panels.
This was originally included in emergency legislation, but was removed after an outcry from the legal profession and politicians.
The argument for this is that judges are independent, impartial professionals who are well qualified to assess the credibility and reliability of witnesses. It would provide for a flexible system which could move more quickly.
However, the right to a trial by a jury of your peers is an important principle in the Scottish legal system which dates back hundreds of years.
The government said that while this remains open for discussion, "it is not our favoured option".
Give sheriffs more powers
As noted above, the vast majority of trials are not solemn ones, and are heard in local sheriff courts. Many of these courts have been hit by the outbreak - some are closed entirely - but there are still a lot more sheriffs than High Court judges.
In "summary" trials, sheriffs can jail people for up to a year and fine them up to £10,000. But could this be expanded to include more serious offences, and thus punishments?
Sheriffs can also oversee jury trials, and these could potentially be expanded to also cover more serious offences in the post-lockdown period to help ease pressure on the High Court.
But it is worth remembering that sheriff courts have backlogs of their own, and are under as much pressure as any other part of the system. They also have to deal with civil cases as well as criminal ones.
Ministers say a move like this could potentially help cut through the backlog of cases, but stress that it would have to be a "temporary measure".
Speed up trials
This is "do nothing", but with a twist. Do nothing for now, but then scale up the court system once restrictions have been lifted to tackle the backlog more quickly.
Judges could be brought out of retirement, or others recruited. Mothballed courtrooms could be re-opened; the High Court "circuit" around the country could resume.
The trouble with trying to hit the ground running post-lockdown is that measures are unlikely to be raised overnight. The return to normality will be phased, not sudden.
The government warns that during this tricky period, "it will not be possible to divert significant resource from one area of the system to accelerate progress in another". The civil courts in particular could be very busy post-lockdown, as contract disputes are settled and debts chased by businesses and citizens alike.
And bringing back more judges would not in itself allow more courts to sit - courts need staff, from clerks to macers.
The government is open to some ideas to increase capacity, such as sitting seven days a week and working into the evenings. But they say "extreme care will be required" to set the recovery programme at a "sustainable" pace.
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Britons are being exposed to a "cocktail of chemicals" from birth in our own homes, with MPs raising particular concerns about the flame-retardant chemicals used in home furnishings. What are the risks? | What are flame retardants?
Your living room sofa will almost certainly be covered in a flame retardant.
These chemicals help to prevent ignition from stray cigarettes or neglected candles and slow the spread of fire.
The most common flame retardants work by interfering with the chemistry of burning.
But that also means that the smoke that is produced can be more toxic - with the volumes of carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide, in particular, being increased.
Both gases are poisonous and, in many fires, inhalation of either gas proves to be a more deadly killer than the flames themselves.
Where are they used?
On foam, carpets and curtains. In paints, clothes, food packaging, home insulation, toys, electronic goods and car seats.
What are the risks?
Some flame retardants, including the most commonly used - aluminium hydroxide - are generally considered to be safe.
Those causing the most concern are brominated flame retardants.
These chemicals are persistent in the environment and tests have detected their presence in air, dust, soil, water, food and wildlife.
Humans then become exposed to the chemicals, mainly by breathing contaminated dust and from our diet, including oily fish and meat. Once in the body, they can stay there for several years.
Many types of flame retardants within this class now have restricted use or are banned altogether.
Some are being replaced with other chemicals, such as those using chlorines.
In 2017, chief medical officer Sally Davies said there was no known "causative linkage" between exposure from the environment and adverse health outcomes, but said phasing them out should be encouraged.
She added that the concern for human health was long-term interference with the thyroid hormone system because of some structural similarity between the chemicals and thyroid hormones.
Breast Cancer UK said some banned flame retardants can cause cancer while others still in use interfered with hormones, including oestrogen, thereby potentially increasing the risk of breast cancer.
What's the law?
Since 1988, furniture manufacturers have been required by law to use flame retardants.
The UK, unlike with most other product safety legislation, has its own laws on this and they are widely considered to be the strictest in Europe.
Advocates of the 1988 Furniture and Furnishings (Fire Safety) Regulations point to research from 2009 which found that the reduction in the rate and lethal nature of furniture fires equated to saving about 54 lives a year.
But some fear the regulations need updating as a body of evidence over the risks of certain flame retardants grows.
For policy-makers, there are competing risks. On the one hand, they need to make sure that sofas are as fire-safe as possible.
And on the other, they want as few flame retardant chemicals as possible - they are nasty chemicals and can actually make fires more lethal.
What about second-hand furniture?
Only furniture made before 1950 is excluded from the 1988 regulations.
What needs to change?
The Commons Environmental Audit Committee, made up of a group of cross-party MPs, has come up with a long list of recommendations for the government.
It wants to see a biomonitoring programme to find out levels of chemical exposure among people in the UK.
This would include a specific one for Grenfell residents and firefighters to detect the effects of exposure to the smoke from the devastating fire in west London in June 2017, which killed 72 people.
Residents have reported the emergence of the "Grenfell cough" and health problems including vomiting, coughing up blood, skin complaints and breathing difficulties, the committee said.
Other recommendations from the committee include:
Chief medical officer Sally Davies, in her 2017 report, called for other materials and manufacturing techniques to be explored to find a natural flame-resistant alternative.
What does the government say?
A spokesman said the UK's furniture safety requirements were the highest in Europe.
"We are committed to improving environmental outcomes and reducing toxicity but need to do so in a clear, well-evidenced way which also improves fire safety," he said.
The Environmental Audit Committee is pressing the government to respond to a three-year-old review of furniture fire safety regulations by the Department for Business.
The government said it would respond before 25 July.
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It's back to Brexit again in both Houses of Parliament, after the issue of a "meaningful vote" unexpectedly detonated. | Mark D'ArcyParliamentary correspondent
Soft Brexit/Remainer Tory MPs, led by the former attorney general Dominic Grieve, thought they had a deal with the prime minister on the issue. They had drawn back from rebelling on Tuesday on the promise of a compromise - but then discovered that the government was not offering them what they thought had been conceded.
Essentially the issue is about what happens if the divorce talks with the EU run out of time, or fail to deliver a deal, or if MPs reject the proposed deal.
Here comes the science bit - concentrate!
On Tuesday, MPs were presented with a Lords amendment that would have given the power to MPs to direct the government's next steps in those contingencies.
The government offered a replacement amendment in the Commons (an "amendment in lieu" in parliamentary jargon) which gave MPs a vote on the final deal, but, crucially, did not give them the opportunity to direct the government's future strategy - what they would get instead would be a statement within 28 days, setting out how the government "proposes to proceed in relation to negotiations for the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the EU".
Dominic Grieve responded with his own amendment, which was similar to the Lords proposal, but put stronger conditions on MPs being given the power to direct the government. He set out three options which would only kick in three particular scenarios:
Having pulled back from rebellion he was expecting the government to concede most of these powers, but it was not to be - and now his Lords ally Lord Hailsham (the former cabinet minister Douglass Hogg) is to put forward his proposals in the Lords, with the aim of replacing the amendment the government won in the Commons, and kicking it back to MPs.
The point is that Mr Grieve and his allies would then have a chance to press it to a vote - and quite possibly win.
Both Houses have to agree on the final form of legislation before it can become law, and this intricate process - "ping pong" in Westminster-speak - is how MPs and peers reach an agreed wording.
So on Monday we will have the Lords votes on the changes made by the Commons. Peers will probably accept most of them, but the Hailsham amendment looks set fair to be accepted (the previous version was passed by a majority of 91 votes) and it will then be kicked back to the Commons, for consideration on Wednesday.
Will it win there? The government has a narrow majority with its DUP allies, but if the group around Mr Grieve vote with Labour and the other opposition parties, they would have a majority.
Unless some Labour MPs broke ranks and voted with the government, or abstained.
And there is a contingent of pro Brexit MPs and MPs from strongly Leave constituencies who may well do so. The arithmetic looks very tight, and the rival sets of party whips will doubtless be working very hard to minimise the number of rebels on their side. It's worth remembering that the Grieve group, unlike the Brexiteers, are not bloodied in rebellion from years of backbench insurgency - so it will be interesting to see if the iron has entered their souls, or whether they can be persuaded to relent.
In the end it might even come down to MPs being taken ill or stuck on a train - but unless a new compromise is struck over the weekend, and the implication of bad faith around the previous deal may make that hard to do - we could be in for a week of drama which could prove highly destabilising to the government.
Something else to watch out for is an effort to secure an Estimates Day debate on the Defence Budget; debates on these days are under a procedure which allows detailed discussion of money issues, and both the Defence Select Committee and the Public Accounts Committee are extremely concerned about the state of the Ministry of Defence finances.
As luck would have it, members of both were recently together at Rossyth, for a visit to the new aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth II, and the rumour is that a coordinated move to get the issue onto the floor of the Commons has been cooked up.
Here's my rundown of the week ahead:
Monday 18 June
The Commons opens (2.30 pm) with Housing, Communities and Local Government questions - and any statements or urgent questions will follow at 3.30 pm.
Then comes the Emergency Debate secured by the SNP leader, Ian Blackford, on the Sewel Convention - the convention that Westminster seeks "legislative consent" for new laws touching on the devolved governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
This follows the passage of amendments to the EU (Withdrawal) Bill on which EU powers will and will not be passed to the devolved parliaments, which were opposed by the Scottish Parliament.
After last week's furious scenes, this could provide another flashpoint between the SNP and, in particular, the Scottish Tory MPs and the government whips - the whips have developed a habit of standing close to the SNP benches and heckling their MPs, which is much resented.
MPs then deal with Lords amendments to the Automated and Electric Vehicles Bill - in what should be a pretty brief encounter, before moving on to votes on a statutory instrument on the Draft European Union (Definition of Treaties) (Canada Trade Agreement) Order and European Documents relating to EU Trade Agreements: EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement.
And after that there is a general debate on how the NHS and other public services deal with acquired brain injuries.
In Westminster Hall (4.30 pm) MPs debate e-petition 209433: "Give the electorate a referendum on the abolition of the House of Lords - the House of Lords is a place of patronage where unelected and unaccountable individuals hold a disproportionate amount of influence and power which can be used to frustrate the elected representatives of the people." The petition attracted 168,755 signatures.
My committee pick is the Transport Committee hearing (4.45pm) on Rail timetable changes - when MPs will question top executives from GTR, Arriva Rail North, London North Western and Network Rail. It was announced on Friday that Charles Horton is to resign as chief executive of Govia Thameslink Railway, following months of controversy over delays and cancellations to services. Bring popcorn.
In the Lords, after a half hour question time at 2.30pm, peers embark on their consideration of Commons amendments to the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill (see above).
MPs kick off (at 11.30 am) with Health and Social Care questions, after which the Conservative Craig Mackinlay presents a Ten Minute Rule Bill to give Gibraltar an MP (this had been due to be debated some months ago, and was rescheduled). Then comes a Labour Opposition Day Debate on a motion (or motions) to be announced.
In Westminster Hall, the opening debate (9.30am) is on Romania: the member state which will hold the EU Presidency next year, and therefore has a crucial brokering role in the final Brexit negotiations. The debate will be opened by the Conservative, Bob Blackman, who believes Romania is very keen to help, and will want to extend bilateral arrangements with the UK, post Brexit. He also wants to discuss Romanian concerns about Russian activity in the Black Sea.
Labour's Helen Goodman (2.30pm) leads a debate on geothermal energy, which she says has a huge potential to provide a carbon free energy source - including in former coal communities, where decommissioned mine shafts can be used.
But, she says, it does not feature in the government's energy strategy. Her aim in this debate is to raise the profile and press ministers to take the opportunities seriously.
My committee corridor pick is the International Development hearing (10am) on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, with witnesses from the UN, followed by the Foreign Office and International Development and minister, Alistair Burt.
In the Lords (2.30pm) peers debate the detail of the Rating (Property in Common Occupation) and Council Tax (Empty Dwellings) Bill - the measure that will allow local councils to increase the tax on empty homes.
Then there is a short debate on encouraging a recovery in the population of bees and other pollinators.
The Commons begins (11.30am) with half an hour of Northern Ireland questions, before moving on to the high noon of Prime Minister's Question time.
The day's Ten Minute Rule Bill, from the SNP's Martin Docherty-Hughes aims to create an Armed Forces Representative Body.
Time has then been set aside to consider Lords amendments to the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill (see above) and there will be a general debate on Nato.
One thing to keep an eye on is a possible statement from a health minister on the findings of Bishop James Jones' independent inquiry into deaths at the Gosport Memorial Hospital.
The inquiry was commissioned during the coalition years, following concerns about the over-use of morphine on patients. Look out for Lib Dem former health minister Norman Lamb...
In Westminster Hall, there are debates on the UN report on the convention on the rights of persons with disabilities (9.30am-11am); the UK constitutional machinery and the frameworks for intergovernmental cooperation (2.30pm-4pm); UK and Polish war reparations against Germany (4pm-4.30pm) and insecure work and the gig economy (4.30pm-5.30pm).
On the committee corridor, the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee (9.30am) takes evidence one year on, on local authority support for Grenfell Tower survivors - there are witnesses from Grenfell United, the North Kensington Law Centre, Councillor Elizabeth Campbell, the Leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council, and Nick Hurd, the minister of state for Policing and Fire Service, with responsibility for Grenfell Tower victims work, at the Home Office.
And meanwhile, there's a lively session in prospect, when arch europhile MEP Guy "the Hoff" Verhofstadt, the coordinator and chair of the European Parliament Brexit Steering Group, gives evidence to the Brexit Committee on the progress of the UK's negotiations on EU withdrawal (9.15 am) - and he turns up again in the afternoon, before the Home Affairs Committee (2.30pm) to talk about Post-Brexit migration policy.
The European Parliament has to sign off on the EU side of Britain's divorce deal, so his views will matter.
In the Lords (3pm), the main event is the second reading of the Courts and Tribunals (Judiciary and Functions of Staff) Bill, which seeks to remove restrictions on how judges can be deployed, so they can hear a wider range of cases.
The Commons opens (9.30am) with Digital, Culture, Media and Sport questions, followed by questions to the Attorney General (10.10am) and the weekly Business Questions to the Leader of the House.
The main debates are on backbench motions on the importance of refugee family reunion - the SNP's Angus Brendan MacNeil proposes a motion welcoming the fact that the Refugees (Family Reunion) (No.2) Bill was given its second reading without opposition on 16 March 2018, and calling on the government to support the bill.
Then Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle has a motion on the future of the Erasmus+ student exchange scheme, after 2020, calling on the government to ensure continued UK access, after Brexit.
In the Lords (11am) question time marks national Yoga Day with a query on the benefits of yoga for obese school children. Peers then debate the support available to carers and the Carers Action Plan 2018 - 2020; and the implications for the UKs future trade relations following the failure to reach agreement at the G7 Summit in Canada.
And then they discuss the contribution of the armed forces reserves to national security.
Neither House sits on Friday 22 June.
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Texas has executed far more people than any other US state, and one former employee of the state has watched hundreds of executions unfold. She speaks to Ben Dirs about the profound effect that had on her. | It is 18 years since Michelle Lyons watched Ricky McGinn die. But it still makes her cry.
When she least expects it, she'll see McGinn's mother, in her Sunday best, her hands pressed against the glass of the death chamber. Dressed to the nines to watch her son get executed. Some farewell party.
For 12 years - first as a newspaper reporter, then as a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) - it was part of Lyons' job to witness every execution carried out by the state.
Between 2000 and 2012, Lyons saw almost 300 men and women die on the gurney, violent lives being brought to a peaceful conclusion, two needles trumping the damage done.
Lyons witnessed her first execution when she was 22. After seeing Javier Cruz die, she wrote in her journal: "I was completely fine with it. Am I supposed to be upset?"
She thought her sympathy was best set aside for more worthy causes, such as the two elderly men Cruz bludgeoned to death with a hammer.
"Witnessing executions was just part of my job," says Lyons, whose cathartic memoir, Death Row: The Final Minutes, which I collaborated on, has just been published.
"I was pro-death penalty, I thought it was the most appropriate punishment for certain crimes. And because I was young and bold, everything was black and white.
"If I had started exploring how the executions made me feel while I was seeing them, gave too much thought to the emotions that were in play, how would I have been able to go back into that room, month after month, year after year?"
Since 1924, every execution in the state has taken place in the small east Texas city of Huntsville. There are seven prisons in Huntsville, including the Walls Unit, an imposing Victorian building which houses the death chamber.
In 1972, the Supreme Court suspended the death penalty on the grounds that it was a cruel and unusual punishment but within months some states were rewriting statutes to reinstate it.
Texas brought it back less than two years later and soon adopted lethal injection as its new means of execution. In 1982, Charlie Brooks was the first offender to be put to death by needles.
Crime makes Huntsville honest, and has earned it a reputation as the "capital punishment capital of the world". Certain journalists, usually from Europe, have written of the pervasive sense of death in the town, but they clearly arrived armed with an agenda.
Huntsville is a neat little place, set amid the beautiful Piney Woods, on the buckle of the Bible Belt. There are churches everywhere, the locals are polite, and you could spend a few days in the city without ever knowing it was where bad folk met their maker.
Whatever you imagine an execution witness to be like, Lyons isn't it. Over beers in Time Out Sports Bar - the sort of dive you might see on a documentary about a shooting in small-town America - Lyons speaks 19 to the dozen about any subject you fancy. Smart, cultured, and possessing a rapid-fire wit, she makes a mockery of that lazy British stereotype about Americans not doing irony. With Lyons, you bring your A game or get buried.
But when the conversation turns to the things she saw in the death chamber, sass gives way to vulnerability and it's not difficult to detect the toll it took.
In 2000, Texas carried out 40 executions, a record for the most in a single year by an individual state, and almost as many as the rest of United States combined.
Lyons, in her role as a prison reporter for The Huntsville Item, witnessed 38 of them. But her apparent nonchalance, which manifested itself in blithe entries in her journal, was merely a short-term coping mechanism.
"When I look at my execution notes now, I can see that things bothered me. But any misgivings I had, I shoved into a suitcase in my mind, which I kicked into a corner. It was the numbness that preserved me and kept me going."
Reading those early journal entries, it's the mundanities that jump out at you. Carl Heiselbetz Jr, who murdered a mother and her daughter, was still wearing his glasses on the gurney.
Betty Lou Beets, who buried husbands in her garden as if they were dead pets, had tiny little feet. Thomas Mason, who murdered his wife's mother and grandmother, looked like Lyons' grandfather.
"Watching the final moments of someone's life and their soul leaving their body never becomes mundane or normal. But Texas was executing offenders with such frequency that it had perfected it and removed the theatre."
That is not to say Lyons took her job lightly. And when she joined TDCJ's public information office in 2001, her duties became more onerous. Now, Lyons wasn't only telling the people of Huntsville, she was telling the rest of the United States - and the world - what went on in the Texas death chamber.
Lyons described the procedure as like watching someone going to sleep, which was a great disappointment to some victims' loved ones, who thought "Old Sparky" - the electric chair, by which 361 offenders were put to death between 1924 and 1964 - put on a better show than the less theatrical lethal injection.
But she also had to relay the desperate pleas for forgiveness, the anguished apologies and outlandish claims of innocence, as well as Biblical passages, quotes from rock songs, even the occasional joke (in 2000, Billy Hughes went out with, "If I'm paying my debt to society, I am due a rebate and a refund"). Rarely did Lyons hear anger, and only once did she hear an inmate sobbing.
She heard the sounds of offenders' last breaths - a cough, or a gasp, or a rattle - as the drugs did their work and their lungs collapsed, pushing the air out like a set of bellows. And after the inmate had died, she watched them turn purple.
Lyons received letters and emails from all over the world, from people condemning her for taking part in "state sponsored murder". Sometimes she wrote back, angrily telling them to keep their noses out of Texas' business.
"Pretty much the whole world beyond America thought it was weird that we were still putting people to death. European journalists would often use the word 'killing' instead of 'executing'. They thought we were murdering people."
There were occasional circuses, such as when Gary Graham was put to death in 2000 and the world's media descended on Huntsville, along with Jesse Jackson, Bianca Jagger, the New Black Panthers, toting AK-47s, and the Ku Klux Klan, in full regalia.
Graham robbed 13 different victims in less than a week, pistol-whipped two of them, shot one in the neck and struck another with the car he was stealing from him. The final victim in his spree was kidnapped, robbed and raped.
None of this is disputed, because Graham pleaded guilty to the charges. However, he denied committing a murder at the start of his rampage. Lyons thought there were more deserving poster boys for the anti-death penalty movement.
But sometimes, an offender's last moments were witnessed by a few prison staff and a sole journalist from the Associated Press.
As the drugs started flowing, there were no loved ones, either of the offender or his victims, to see him die. Even the local newspaper might not send a reporter. The state was carrying out the ultimate bureaucratic act on their doorstep and most of the citizens of Huntsville had no idea it was happening.
A condemned man or woman might be on death row for decades, so Lyons got to know some of them well, including serial killers, child murderers and rapists. Not all of them were monsters, and she came to like a few of them, and she even thought they might have been friends, had they met in the free world.
After Napoleon Beazley, who was only 17 when he murdered the father of a federal judge, was executed in 2002, Lyons cried all the way home.
"Not only did I get the sense that Napoleon wouldn't have been in any more trouble, I thought he could have been a productive member of society.
"I was rooting for him to win his appeals, but felt guilty about feeling that way. It was a heinous crime, and had I been the victim's family, I'd have absolutely wanted Napoleon to be executed. Did I have any right to feel sympathy for Napoleon, when Napoleon hadn't taken anything from me?"
But it was when Lyons became pregnant in 2004 that ambivalence began to set in and the mask began to slip.
"Executions ceased to be an abstract concept and became deeply personal. I started to worry that my baby could hear the inmates' last words, their pitiful apologies, their desperate claims of innocence, their sputtering and snoring.
"When I had my daughter, executions became things I dreaded. Usually, any emotion would come from the inmate's witness room, because while the victim's family had had a long time to process their loss, the inmate's family were watching a loved one die. They were just setting out on a long, hard road.
"I had a baby at home that I would do anything for, and these women were watching their babies die. I'd hear moms sobbing, yelling, pounding the glass, kicking the wall.
"I'd be standing in the witness room thinking: 'There are no winners, everybody is being screwed over'. Executions were just sad situations all round. And I had to witness all that sadness, over and over again."
Lyons soldiered on for another seven years, watching inmate after inmate walk to their death with an unsettling docility, until a bitter divorce from TDCJ, which resulted in her winning a case for gender discrimination. As well as heartbroken, Lyons felt lost, like a prisoner escaped after a lengthy sentence.
"I thought being away from the prison system would make me think about the things I'd seen less, but it was quite the opposite. I'd think about it all the time. It was like I'd taken the lid off Pandora's Box and I couldn't put it back on.
"I'd open a bag of chips and smell the death chamber, or something on the radio would remind me of a conversation I'd had with an inmate, hours before he was executed. Or I'd see the wrinkled hands of Ricky McGinn's mother, pressed against the glass of the death chamber, and I'd dissolve into tears."
There are signs that Texas is losing its appetite for the ultimate punishment. The last major poll in the state, in 2013, revealed that 74% of Texans supported the death penalty, so the death chamber is unlikely to be dismantled any time soon.
However, seven executions took place in Huntsville last year, the same as 2016 and a long way down from the record 40 in 2000.
But while Lyons believes Texas has employed the death penalty too often, she remains a supporter, at least for the worst of the worst. And Texas, as Lyons concedes, still does crime "bigger and crazier" than anywhere else in the US.
In the Joe Byrd Cemetery, a pretty plot of land where unclaimed Texas prisoners have been buried for more than 150 years, Lyons stands among the rows of crosses and wonders how many of these men she saw die. But it's not the executions she remembers that trouble her most, it's those she's forgotten.
"You don't see many flowers on the graves here," says Lyons. "And what does it say about me that I can't recall some of those men I saw executed? Maybe they deserve to be lonely and forgotten. Or maybe it's my job to remember."
Update 22nd May 2018: This article has been updated to clarify that Michelle Lyons' new book was written with Ben Dirs.
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A man has been charged with raping a woman who was on a night out in Bournemouth. | The victim, in her 30s, told police she was attacked in the Norwich Road area at about 04:00 GMT on 1 December.
It is believed she had met the offender earlier that night, Dorset Police said.
Neculai Chimu, 32, from Bournemouth, has been charged with rape and is due to appear at Poole Magistrates' Court on 11 September.
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A man carrying a knife has killed four people at the police headquarters in Paris where he worked, according to French media. | The attack happened at about 13:00 local time (11:00 GMT) in the courtyard of the building.
The attacker, who has not been named, was shot dead by police. There has been no official statement as yet.
Emergency services are at the scene and investigators have cordoned off the surrounding area in the île de la Cité.
The attack occurred a short distance away from the Notre-Dame cathedral and other major tourist landmarks.
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Tales from the past 100 years of the Royal Navy are being recounted in new exhibitions opening later. Visitors to the £11.5m attractions at the National Museum of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth can tour a World War Two submarine or simply reflect on the human stories behind famous battles. | The Royal Navy and Portsmouth walk hand in hand.
"Portsmouth is here because of the navy," says Dominic Tweddle, the museum's director general. The city's harbour has been in use since Roman times while a dry dock was first created in the 12th Century.
The city's historic dockyard is home to a museum and a set of attractions that explain the debt the nation perhaps owes the navy.
For while Mr Tweddle believes people have "become less conscious of the institution's importance", he says the UK's "whole identity and economy" is built on its role in wartime success and ensuring safe international trade.
This strength, in turn, has been forged on the individuals who have worked in its service.
Lt Albert Edward Pryke "Ted" Briggs, of Redcar, Teesside, is among those sailors whose life story and career is featured at the museum.
He was just 18 when he was one of only three people to survive the sinking of HMS Hood in the Battle of the Denmark Strait in 1941 - an encounter which saw 1,415 people killed in the Navy's biggest single loss of life from a ship during WW2.
After his ship was sunk by a German battleship, he spent three hours in the water and almost died from hypothermia before being rescued. He then went on to enjoy a 35-year career, which included service during the D-Day landings and the Suez crisis.
Head curator Matthew Sheldon said: "It wasn't just about this terrible day in 1941 for him because he went on and fought through the rest of the war as well.
"HMS Hood was one of his very first ships so what an incredible thing for an 18-year-old to be in the water and be one of only three men to be pulled out."
The more recent story of Sgt Noel Connolly demonstrates how the navy's heroism is not just confined to the sea.
The Royal Marine, from 42 Commando, rugby tackled a suicide bomber off his motorbike seconds before he could trigger a device in Kandahar, Afghanistan, in 2008.
Sgt Connolly, from Manchester, was 10m away from the teenager when he heard a loud crack and spotted a toggle switch to detonate the explosives. His actions are cited as having saved the lives of 30 men and the motorbike is among the exhibits on show alongside a video of the explosives being stripped from its saddle.
Across the water in Gosport, about £7m has been spent restoring HMS Alliance, Britain's only surviving WW2-era submarine, while a temporary exhibition titled Racing to War charts the Navy's role in the arms race leading up to WW1.
In another nod to the centenary of the conflict, the gun from HMS Lance that fired the first British shot at sea on 5 August, 1914 is among the exhibits in the permanent galleries in Portsmouth.
HMS Lance and her sister ship Landrail were performing a "sweep" of the North Sea just hours after the outbreak of war when the semi-automatic naval gun fired at a German minelayer off the Dutch coast.
Also on show is a sledge used by the search party sent to find the bodies of explorer Robert Falcon Scott and his team after they went missing on their return from the South Pole.
Mr Sheldon said choosing what artefacts to show had been difficult, but the aim had been to select "unusual stories" or things that would surprise people.
He said: "That might be the Chinese men who were recruited to serve in the navy. Or it might be an artefact that has real drama and pathos to it like the bell that was raised from the wreck of HMS Prince of Wales when it was sunk off Singapore."
The more sensitive side of life at sea is also explored in a collection of illustrated letters written by a chief stoker to his sweetheart.
Walter Grainger wrote hundreds of love letters to Edith, his fiancée, while serving in the Far East.
In one, he wrote: "Each letter I write now is drawing nearer to the last, drawing so close that I can nearly count how many more I shall have to write before I shall have the happiness to see you myself with my own eyes, touch you with my own hand."
Mr Sheldon said the "really beautiful" letters were donated by the couple's surviving daughter.
He added: "Those little letters have travelled across thousands of miles of sea and passed through many pairs of hands to get home. It makes people think."
Among Mr Sheldon's favourite items is the photograph of Lt Briggs with his mother and sister while on survivor's leave after the sinking of HMS Hood.
"That's what the exhibition is about.
"It's about the human face of service in the navy and it's about the impact on families when things go wrong. That's the thing we want people to reflect on when they see the exhibition."
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A 21-year-old man has been shot in the face in Birmingham. | The victim was found in cardiac arrest by paramedics at a flat in Edgbaston Road, Balsall Heath, at about 21:30 BST on Tuesday.
West Midlands Police said he had had emergency surgery for life-threatening injuries and remained in a critical condition.
A cordon is in place to allow for forensic examinations to take place and officers are speaking to witnesses.
The force said: "The investigation is at an early stage and officers are keeping an open mind regarding the circumstances and motive for the incident."
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An elderly woman has died following a house fire in Larne, County Antrim. | The blaze happened on Saturday at about 13:00 GMT at a property on the Ballyrickard Road.
The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) arrived at the scene shortly afterwards and said the fire was under control by 14:30.
Police said the woman, who was in her 80s, died a short time after being taken to hospital. The fire is not being treated as suspicious.
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As the Costa Concordia was sinking, the deputy mayor of the Tuscan island of Giglio, Mario Pellegrini, went on board to join the rescue effort. He told Outlook on the BBC World Service how he reacted when he realised the ship was in trouble. | "I met the mayor and immediately we devised a plan to co-ordinate the evacuation of the people, so I decided to go on a tender and to go on board. My first duty was to look for an officer on the boat in order to co-ordinate the evacuation.
I took the first tender that arrived at the port with the first evacuated passengers. I took this tender all by myself and went on board. I went up and I started looking for an officer.
After 20 minutes I couldn't find anybody. I even went on the higher bridges of the ship and even then I couldn't see anybody.
So I decided to go down again to co-ordinate people and put them in dinghies in order to go on land. At the time the ship was not listing so it wasn't difficult.
There were a lot of people who wanted to help but there was no-one guiding them; there was nobody was directing anything.
There was goodwill by many people but many didn't even speak English, so it was difficult.
People fighting
At the beginning there wasn't much panic, just a lot of confusion. People didn't know what to do but there was no real fear.
Then I went on the right-hand side of the ship and it started tilting towards the sea. Big parts of the ship were going underwater - then panic erupted, people really were scared.
When the boat started listing, all the corridors filled with water. They were like wells and there was a lot of people stuck in these wells.
Using a rope, I started to pull people up. They were crying and were really scared.
It was a purser of the ship who was helping me and we rescued about nine people. Some of them were quite old; some of them were children.
People were fighting with each other in order to get on the rope to climb up. I can't condemn them because the situation was really bad. It was really dramatic.
The doctor also helped me; he was very good and courageous. Then, on the bridge, I came across the only officer I could find. He was young, a second-class officer.
He found a little stepladder to put on the side of the boat which people could climb down.
We were together shoulder to shoulder until 05:30 in the morning. I have to say this young officer was wonderful.
He hadn't been given any orders; he was just following his own orders.
It was very difficult as there was some oil around, so climbing down the steps and on to the ladder was extremely slippery. For children and old people, it was especially difficult.
This officer was very good but he was the only officer I met.
Finger by finger
While I was pulling people out of the upended corridor, one girl started shouting and pulling and we had to take her out by her feet.
A lot of the old people attached themselves to anything they could find and they didn't want to let go so we had to go down and detach them finger by finger.
There was one mother who was holding a baby. I said, 'Give me the child and I will put him on board the dinghy and then I will give you him back'. But the mother didn't want to, she was panicking and wouldn't let go of the baby. It was very difficult to get the baby from her.
There were some good moments too. There was an old woman crying and I went over and hugged her and she was reassured.
The last person we took out was an Asian girl who had a broken leg.
I was afraid that the ship might go under while I was working on it.
By the time I left the ship, I was literally exhausted. In the last moments, when the dinghy down at the sea was full of professional rescuers, I was on the part of the bridge where I had been for quite a long time, holding old people, babies and so on.
Because I was so tired and wasn't concentrating, I fell down and nearly broke my neck.
I never saw the captain; the only officer I saw was the young officer, a boy really. I didn't see anyone else."
Listen to the full interview here. More from Outlook on the BBC World Service.
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An inquest has begun into the deaths of three patients treated by the same surgeon at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. | Alan Tringham, 78, Peter Brookes, 72 and Alan Lucas, 77, all died after being operated on by Ian Wilson.
Mr Wilson was sacked amid claims he inaccurately reported medical data. Concerns arose after an audit found 15 of his patients died in a year.
The inquest at Birmingham Coroner's Court is expected to last four days.
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The world has become a more uncertain place since US President Donald Trump issued his "America First" decree in the dark and dystopian language that so alarmed allies and intrigued adversaries. But has it become more dangerous? | By Barbara Plett UsherBBC State Dept correspondent, Washington
Not if you look at what's actually happened.
President Trump may have stoked fears and churned up chaos with his erratic and volatile Twitter feed. But he has not torpedoed the alliances he has questioned.
He hasn't started any new wars and, by and large, he's followed the script of his predecessor, Barack Obama, for the old ones.
So, while he may have shaken things up, he hasn't blown anything up.
But has this unorthodox commander-in-chief edged us closer to some sort of global crisis?
Here are my takeaways.
Middle East victory - Islamic State
Since he became president, the Islamic State group has been all but defeated in Iraq and Syria - the IS caliphate has been eliminated and its remnants are on the run.
Yes, the group has spawned active affiliates in other parts of the world, and it's a brand that continues to inspire extremist violence. But its nerve centre has been severed, making its threat less potent.
One can argue about whether Mr Trump is entitled to claim credit or whether he simply completed what Mr Obama started. He did follow Mr Obama's template - supporting local forces with bombs from the air and special operations forces on the ground - but accelerated the campaign and gave American commanders more authority to run it.
That "had a major impact", says Brett McGurk, the special envoy for the global coalition to counter the IS group, who has worked for both presidents.
Either way, it happened on Mr Trump's watch, and is arguably his biggest foreign policy success.
Middle East instability - Iran
A year ago, the Americans and five other world powers had reduced the threat of an Iranian atomic bomb with an agreement that limited its nuclear programme.
The deal is broadly seen to be working, but Mr Trump says it's deeply flawed and needs to be "fixed". He's threatening to abandon it unless the Europeans who helped negotiate it take a harder line.
Mr Trump wants to make the nuclear restrictions permanent, restrict Iran's ballistic weapons programme and counter "malign" Iranian activities not covered in the accord, such as its support for regional proxies that threaten Western allies.
These are things the Europeans agree need to be addressed, but not by enfeebling the nuclear deal which, they say, is crucial to their security.
There are three potential dangers if the agreement unravels - greater instability in the Middle East, especially given Trump's strong support for Iran's regional rival, Saudi Arabia; and a weakening of the transatlantic alliance, which has been a cornerstone of global security since World War Two.
It could also undermine the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty on which the Iran deal was built, says Angela Kane, until recently the UN's top disarmament official: "We need to have this as a gold standard."
Nuclear war back on radar
North Korea's Kim Jong-un has made the world a more dangerous place by building nuclear weapons and threatening the US with them.
But Mr Trump has made the situation more dangerous by responding with fiery rhetoric, increasing the risk of accidental conflict with the reclusive and paranoid regime.
True, he swings between hurling insults and threats to expressing a willingness to talk. Right now he's doing the latter, going with the flow of the Olympic détente between the Koreas.
And the administration has built a strong coalition of international support for a higher-pressure strategy, united in its demand that Pyongyang give up its nuclear weapons.
That, says John Negroponte, deputy secretary of state under George W Bush, shows Mr Trump is trying to make the world safer.
People "got all upset because he called Kim Jong-un 'Rocket Man' at the… United Nations, and that's endangering world peace? Come on!" he says. "Sticks and stones will break my bones but names will never hurt me!"
Patrick Cronin, an Asia expert at the Center for a New American Security, says Mr Trump's brinkmanship serves a purpose: "Kim thinks we don't use force and that's why President Trump is right to kind of stress, in his maniacal way, that 'you don't know that.'"
Still, this is the first time the US has threatened to attack a nuclear-armed state since the Cuban missile crisis of 1962. That was dangerous, and less… unorthodox.
Read more on Trump's first year
Return to Cold War
Speaking of the Cold War, the recent false alert in Hawaii that warned of an incoming missile was caused by a worker who pushed the wrong button during a shift change.
William Perry, secretary of defence under Bill Clinton, is all too familiar with false alerts - he was awakened by a call from a nightwatch officer in 1979 and thought he was "about to experience the holocaust".
Mr Perry presided over the dismantlement of nuclear weapons in the 1990s but now warns the threat is back - "because the US and Russia today are confronting each other with a hostility that's recreating the geopolitical dangers of the Cold War," he said at a recent forum.
"And because the US and Russia are rebuilding their nuclear arsenals that's recreating the military dangers of the Cold War."
This is not Mr Trump's fault, per se.
The Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, upped the ante with his interventions in Ukraine, and under Mr Obama the presidents stopped talking to each other in any meaningful way.
Mr Trump wants to talk to Mr Putin, probably too much. But he can't, because the controversy over whether his campaign colluded with Moscow to influence his election has created such a toxic climate in Washington.
Ironically the relationship is worse now than it was under Barack Obama.
Downgraded diplomacy
Donald Trump has made it clear that he prefers generals to diplomats.
He's proposed deep budget cuts to the state department and presided over the marginalisation of diplomatic influence in national security decision-making.
The militarisation of US foreign policy has been under way for some time, especially since the 9/11 attacks, but Mr Trump has accelerated it.
He doesn't seem to understand or care much for diplomacy.
When asked about unfilled positions at the state department, he famously channelled Louis XIV, telling a Fox News presenter he was the only one who mattered because "when it comes to it, that's what the policy is going to be".
Diplomacy is a bit like preventive health care - it solves problems before they become wars.
So if you weaken it, you're more likely to have wars.
And if Mr Trump wants to #MAGA [Make America Great Again], he'd do well to remember that many of the critical successes of American foreign policy have been diplomatic - think the Marshall Plan, the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty.
Its military adventures less so - think Vietnam, Iraq.
America in retreat?
Mr Trump has begun to unpick America's commitment to a network of agreements that are supposed to collectively solve the world's problems.
Withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accord has been the most consequential so far.
It's true that the process takes four years and that other factors are mitigating the effects - American states and private companies are continuing with their own clean-power plans. But the US will be doing far less to fight global warming than it might have done.
More broadly, Mr Trump's America First rhetoric seems aimed at disrupting the alliances and institutions that have kept the world peaceful since World War Two.
Or at least, he is retreating from America's traditional lead role in maintaining them.
If Mr Trump "succeeds in dismantling that order the world will be a lot more dangerous", says David Ignatius, who writes about foreign affairs for the Washington Post. But, he told me, American power has "a durability that transcends Trump and his government by tweet".
Richard Haass, of the Council on Foreign Relations, is more pessimistic. He writes in The Atlantic that no other power is capable of taking America's place if it withdraws from actively promoting international order.
"The alternative to a US-led international order is less international order."
Unreliable and unpredictable
You can argue that Donald Trump is driven more by his volatile personality than his commitment to America First.
That has introduced an almost permanent element of disruption into US foreign policy, channelled by his Twitter feed and often contradicting his more stable senior officials.
Mr Trump's supporters claim the unpredictability of his tweets can be used as leverage in international dealings. Or that they should be ignored as he rarely follows through with his threats.
But it confuses allies and adversaries alike about what exactly US policy is and decreases international confidence in American leadership.
And that's not a comfortable place to be - having to live with an unpredictable White House in an unpredictable world.
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Four men have been charged with murder after a father-of-three died following a stabbing in Sheffield. | Jarvin Blake, 22, died in hospital after he was wounded on Catherine Street in the Burngreave area of the city on 8 March.
A post-mortem examination found Mr Blake died from a stab wound after he was attacked at about 15:00 GMT.
The four men will appear at Sheffield Magistrates' Court at a date yet to be fixed.
They are:
Mr Walker has also been charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Related Internet Links
HM Courts & Tribunals Service
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"Singapore's population, it needs some increasing." | By Sharanjit LeylBBC Asia Business Report, Singapore
"I'm a patriotic husband, you're my patriotic wife, let's do our civic duty and manufacture life!"
Those may seem like unlikely lines to advertise a brand of breath mints, but in spite of that - or perhaps because of it - the video went viral in Singapore on YouTube earlier this year.
The lines are part of a rap that uses local references such as "Let's put a bao (or bun) in your oven" to try to poke fun at Singapore's declining birth rate.
The advertising firm behind it, BBH, hoped that by focusing the advert on a serious problem, it could draw attention to the issue in a fun way.
Creative director Douglas Hamilton says they wanted to use the power of music to get people to do "their national duty".
"This was purely an online thing, so we had to make it fun and funny. It is the biggest issue in this country. We are the worst in the world at reproducing ourselves, so we felt like this was an issue we had to tackle."
"We knew that the government had tried many things, whether it be launching perfumes with pheromones in them or trying speed-dating nights, and many of these things may have been creative but didn't necessarily work. So we thought, why don't we do the most creative thing we can to fix this problem, which is come up with a rap song?"
Scary statistics
Taking it far less lightly though is Singapore's government. It spends $1.3bn (£810m) a year on policies to encourage citizens to have more children.
The government's marriage and parenthood package has doled out as much $15,000 for each child, extended maternity leave and handed out tax breaks. But all of these have had little effect.
Singapore's birth rate according to its National Population and Talent Division currently stands at 1.2 per woman. The last time it was above the replacement rate of two was in 1976.
So why aren't Singaporeans having kids? Tan Wei Ming, a director of Marriage and Parenthood Policy at the National Population & Talent Division, says it's due to "better education" and "a wider range of career opportunities".
"These have allowed individuals to have a broader range of options in terms of life goals and priorities, in addition to getting married and starting families," she says.
"Such changes in societal norms have contributed to rising singlehood, later marriages and births, resulting in a decline in birth rates in Singapore."
Meanwhile, a policy of aggressively pursuing immigration to address the shrinking population has created resentment among locals. Singapore websites are filled with barely disguised xenophobia towards many new immigrants, particularly those from mainland China, who are criticised for keeping wages low and not fitting in.
The rise in immigration is also seen as one reason why last year Singapore's governing party experienced its worst election result since independence. Since the elections, there has been an attempt to redress the issue, with quotas and higher levies placed on the number of foreign workers.
Unexpected consequences
While a plunging birth rate has widely documented effects on a nation's economic growth, tax revenues, healthcare costs and immigration policies, Singapore's example is also having some unexpected consequences. It has started to affect the property sector.
The country's Urban Redevelopment Authority has moved to curb the number of "shoebox" apartments that are allowed to be built in certain areas of the city.
These apartments have floor areas of 500 sq ft (46 sq m) or less and have proven very successful with developers. But there have been concerns that they may promote a single lifestyle and discourage developers from building larger family-friendly homes.
One developer that has done well from them has been EL Developments. Managing director Lim Yew Soon says that its "shoebox" apartment offerings often sell much quicker than their larger units.
"They are more popular... in the sense that the units can be rapidly sold out in days if not weeks, compared to the larger size units, which developers may have to hold until completion. This makes it much better for our cashflow."
But he admits that the new rules do give clearer guidelines to developers who would previously get their plans turned down if they offered too many small units in one project.
'Too stressed'
While these new rules may seem like steps towards increasing the national birth rate, conversations with Singaporeans working in the downtown financial district suggests they may have little effect.
"People are too stressed, homes are expensive and so is education, so many people are putting it off," says one young executive.
"Other people can have the kids. For me, it's important to have my own money and my own time," says another young woman in her 20s.
People blamed career, stress and the cost of properties and education as factors preventing them from having children.
So, as much as the government tries to push its citizens to have kids, when it comes to making babies, it's Singaporeans who get the last word.
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Four men have been questioned after the discovery of a fuel-laundering plant in County Armagh on Friday. | Customs officials and the police dismantled the plant in Jonesborough and seized more than 8,000 litres of illegal fuel.
Two cars and a lorry were also seized during the operation.
The men have been released on bail.
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More than 5,000 vaccinations against bovine TB have been administered to badgers in mid and west Wales. | A five-year Welsh government project to the tackle the disease began in 2010.
An 'Intensive Action Area' was established, covering Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion.
Deputy Minister for Farming and Food, Rebecca Evans, said: "We know that it may take years to properly see the benefits of some of our additional measures in the area."
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"If you're relying on a temporary address you can't apply for a bank account, you can't apply for jobs and a lot of jobs you apply for you need a bank account. So it has been tough." | By Katie PrescottBusiness correspondent
51-year-old Gary Bester lives in temporary accommodation in Lewisham, South London.
He has been without a permanent address since arriving in the UK from South Africa, and has struggled to access essential services and find work. "Everything for me stems from having an address," he says. "Without one, you lose hope."
It's an issue that can affect many, from the homeless to victims of domestic violence.
Addresses represent far more than a physical location or a home, they are an integral part of identification. Without one, people struggle to apply for benefits, jobs, a library card, opening a bank account or getting on the electoral register.
It's a Catch-22 situation. which has led to Citizens Advice calling a lack of addresses "the postal paradox".
As well as being excluded from signing up to essential services, the organisation found that homeless people are likely to miss important correspondence, which can lead to benefit sanctions, arrest warrants, dropping down waiting lists and missing out on housing.
'A solution for now'
Gary now has a permanent address - albeit a digital one.
He is taking part in a small pilot led by social enterprise Proxy Address in conjunction with Lewisham Council. It is giving 20 homeless people access to a virtual address they can use to apply for services. If all goes to plan, the hope is it can be rolled out more widely.
Through the scheme, he managed to get a six-week job as a labourer and then a sales manager. He's moving out of his hostel at the end of March.
Proxy Address founder Chris Hildrey is an architect by trade.
"I know how long it takes to build houses and we do need more social housing in this country. But what we also need is a solution for now, if we have to wait a decade or two for houses to be built."
The process of giving homeless people a virtual address works along similar principles to the postal divert system, that you might use if you move house, rerouting the post to a different location.
The address is tied to an individual, wherever they may be. "It's a bit like the difference between a landline and a mobile phone," says Mr Hildrey. "On a landline the first thing a person will say is who they are - but on a mobile they'll say where they are. We treat addresses like a mobile phone so the address details follow the person."
The service is paid for by local councils and the "addresses" are donated by different sources, local authorities, individuals and house builders.
The proxy address acts as a code for delivery, and the recipient can choose where to pick up their mail.
Mr Hildrey says there is huge demand for the service, but they are limiting the numbers in the pilot scheme to make sure it works properly.
According to the latest figures from homeless charity Crisis, there were more than 219,000 homeless people at the end of 2019.
Fraud prevention
One of the main concerns in the initial stages of the project was fraud prevention, especially as one of the key issues for people without an address is trying to open a bank account.
Mr Hildrey has teamed up with banks such as Monzo and Barclays in order to resolve this - along with the financial regulator the Financial Conduct Authority.
"We make sure the person receiving the address is who they say they are. It is not the location that's important for banks - it's the information stored behind the address - credit referencing for example. The main problem is that when someone has no address they have a thin file and that can put them in a difficult position to get credit."
Kathryn Townsend is the head of customer accessibility and vulnerability at Barclays and says banks have long struggled to tackle this kind of financial exclusion.
"At least one and a half million people in the UK don't have a bank account," she says. "The problem for us is that knowing who the customer is, is grounded in law and regulation and so we need to ask customers to verify who they are. An address is a piece of ID but if you're homeless that's a challenge."
Several other UK banks including HSBC and Lloyds also offer what are known as "no address services". They accept people who are receiving support from an affiliated homeless charity such as Shelter or Crisis. This allows them to use the charity's address as their own for correspondence.
Wider problem
The issue isn't unique to the UK.
In Sydney, with a charity referral, the postal service provides a 12-month free PO Box for homeless people where they can receive important documents.
In Ireland, a service launched in 2019 called Address Point which allows homeless people to pick up mail from post offices with a photo ID.
Support in the UK remains patchy.
A government spokesperson said it welcomed the Proxy Address scheme's work in helping those facing homelessness to access an address.
"We continue to work with Royal Mail and the Post Office to consider how we can better support homeless people and other vulnerable groups in getting access to postal services."
If Proxy Address is a success, the hope is it can be rolled out more widely and that, alongside other such schemes, it will help to end the "postal paradox".
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The Roman Catholic Church in Belgium has acknowledged that its clergy took part in the widespread sexual abuse of children for years and tried to reassure the public that it can help the victims and prevent further abuse in future. | By Jonty BloomBBC News, Brussels
Archbishop Andre-Joseph Leonard, the head of the Church in Belgium, said that after a report on the level and scope of the abuse was published on Friday, "a feeling of anger and powerlessness" had taken hold.
"The report and the suffering it contains make us shiver," he added.
But for all its soul searching, the Church has come up with few concrete proposals.
It announced plans for a centre for "recognition, reconciliation and healing", which it hopes to open before Christmas, and called on all abusers to come forward and admit their crimes.
Archbishop Leonard also said that the Church had to listen to the victims of abuse.
"Personal attention for the victims is the first thing we have to re-establish," he said.
"In the wake of... this report, we want to get involved and be completely at the disposal of the victims. We have to listen to their questions in order to re-establish their dignity and to help them heal the suffering they must have endured."
For many, however, the Church will not have gone far enough.
Thirteen victims of abuse are thought to have killed themselves and many others are still struggling with the trauma of being repeatedly abused and raped by those they were told to trust.
San Deurinck, who was abused as an 11-year-old boy by two priests, now works for a victims' support group and says the Church could have acted far earlier.
"They knew about these cases of abuse at least since 1992. Our committee brought forward evidence, tried to notify the bishops, but they did not want to listen to us."
"The Church is a private organisation, and they should... give all what they have in material, archives, documents, they should hand it over to the state authorities."
Probably the surest sign of whether the Catholic Church in Belgium has really changed is likely to be its willingness to co-operate with the authorities.
In future, all alleged abuse victims will be told to go to the police, according to Archbishop Leonard.
There is strong evidence that in the past, the Church actually tried to discourage compliant victims that it was not in their interest to report abuse to the authorities and offered victims money in return for their silence.
The news that the disgraced former Bishop of Bruges, Roger Vangheluwe, who has admitted to abusing his nephew for years, has gone into hiding to "contemplate his life and his future" has angered those who believe he should be defrocked and cast doubt on whether the Church is serious about changing its ways.
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A tortoise that escaped from its home and went on a five-day "holiday" before being found at a police station has been returned to its owners. | Pascale "handed himself in" on the grounds of Exeter Police station, about half a mile away (800m) from his home.
During his expedition he would have had to cross the "very busy" Sidmouth Road.
PC Maria Canning, who looked after Pascale during his stay at the station on Friday, said they were all "really glad he got home safe".
"A local tabby roaming around is a regular sight, but officers have never seen a lost tortoise hand itself in before," said Devon and Cornwall Police.
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History remembers the speech, the huge numbers and the peaceful protest. Yet behind the scenes, the famous march on Washington in 1963 provoked suspicion, anxiety and deep-seated fears in the White House that the day would end in violence. | By Nick BryantBBC News, New York
Across America, black fury had broken loose.
A swirl of protests, touched off by weeks of racial strife in Birmingham, Alabama, where police dogs had torn at the flesh of protesters and powerful fire hoses had been trained on children, now engulfed much of the country.
Between May and late August in 1963, there had been 1,340 demonstrations in more than 200 cities. Some were communities long splintered along racial lines. Others had never before been touched by violence. The randomness of the disturbances made it all the more terrifying. Now, with 200,000 protesters about to converge on the nation's capital, there were fears that Washington itself could witness the same chaos and disorder.
For the Reverend Dr Martin Luther King Jr, the untitled leader of the civil rights movement, the events of the early summer had transformed the struggle for black equality from what he called a "Negro protest" into a "Negro revolution". America, he feared, had reached "explosion point".
Anxious voices made themselves heard within the Kennedy administration as well.
"Issues which are not settled by justice and fair play will sooner or later be settled by force and violence," warned Vice-President Lyndon Baines Johnson. President Kennedy's sole black adviser Louis Martin also raised the spectre of a breakdown in order.
"The accelerated tempo of Negro restiveness," he warned privately, "may create the most critical state of race relations since the Civil War." During a tense White House meeting in May, Attorney General Robert Kennedy also warned his elder brother that the situation risked getting out of hand. "Negroes are now just antagonistic and mad and they're going to be mad at everything. You can't talk to them," he said. "My friends all say [even] the Negro maids and servants are getting antagonistic."
For most of his presidency, John F Kennedy had viewed civil rights as a political issue to manage rather than a moral question to champion. To take on the south was to risk splintering the Democratic Party, then an angry amalgam of northern liberals, southern segregationists and pragmatists like the president, who tried to straddle the divide. Nor did Kennedy, who was famed for his cool detachment, have a strong emotional commitment to the freedom struggle. He had largely been a bystander to the great social revolution of the age.
By the summer of 1963, however, he realised that his presidency might come to be defined by his response to the racial crisis. Inaction was no longer an option. As he cautioned during a nationwide television address in June, the "fires of frustration and discord are burning in every city, north and south".
To get protesters off the streets, he had finally introduced a long-awaited civil rights bill that would begin to dismantle segregation, the system of racial apartheid that prevailed across much of the American south. But even after he had made his nationwide address, and finally lent the weight of his office to the black struggle, the protests and violence continued. A massive demonstration in Washington, then, was fraught with danger.
When the administration learned midway through June of plans for the march on Washington, its first response was to pressure black leaders into cancelling. At a White House meeting, Kennedy told Martin Luther King and other civil rights leaders that he did not want "a big show on the Capitol" because it would complicate efforts to enact the civil rights bill into law. When attempts at persuasion failed, the administration decided instead to try to wrestle control of the demonstration. Here, the president was adamant - shockingly so. "They're liable to come down here and shit all over the [Washington] monument," he told aides. "I've got a civil rights bill to get through. We'll run it."
To prevent the demonstration turning into a massive race riot, Kennedy ordered a mobilisation of the federal government's security apparatus unprecedented outside of wartime. To start with, the FBI ramped up its already vast surveillance operation on the civil rights movement, which included electronic eavesdropping on King. It instructed every field office across the country to provide intelligence on how many local black activists planned to converge on Washington, and whether they had any affiliation with communist organisations.
An additional fear was that black radicals, who had rejected the non-violent tactics of the more moderate civil rights groups, would hijack the march. Almost 150 FBI agents were assigned to mingle in the crowd, working in tandem with secret service agents. Others were stationed at rooftop observation points on the Lincoln Memorial, Union Station and the Commerce Department overlooking the Mall. At the FBI headquarters, which director J Edgar Hoover feared might come under attack from protesters, security was also tightened. Staff were warned to sit away from the windows.
For weeks beforehand, the prospect of violence also preoccupied the Washington police department, which was placed on its highest state of alert. It came up with no less than 72 potential disaster scenarios, and plotted a response to each one. It helped that the Lincoln Memorial was enclosed on three sides by water, which made it easier to police. But every corner of downtown Washington would also be protected. On Capitol Hill, a thin blue line of officers, standing 5ft apart, would surround Congress.
A policeman or National Guardsman would be stationed on every corner in the downtown business district to guard against looting. To beef up the police presence, hundreds of additional officers were drafted in from neighbouring suburban forces, who attended specially organised riot training courses. So many law enforcement resources were devoted to policing the march, the FBI feared a spate of bank robberies in the capital's outlying neighbourhoods.
Despite this massive mobilisation, police dogs remained in their kennels. Mindful of the ugly images from Birmingham in May, where the photographs of young protesters being mauled by snarling dogs had shocked so many white Americans, their presence could easily incite the crowd.
Because so many arrests were expected, a team of local judges was placed on round-the-clock stand-by in the city's courtrooms. At the District of Columbia's jailhouse, 350 inmates were evacuated to create space for disruptive protesters. Elective surgery in the greater Washington area was cancelled, so that more than 350 beds could be set aside for riot-related emergencies. The DC General Hospital even went as far as to activate its "national disaster plan".
Life in Washington was completely disrupted in the run-up to the march. Government offices shut down and federal employees were advised to stay home. There was a 24-hour ban on the sale of alcohol, the first time it had been banned in the nation's capital since Prohibition.
Fears about the violent potential of the march also worried its organisers, led by the charismatic Bayard Rustin, who decided to work closely with the administration to make sure it passed off peaceably. They agreed to bring forward the start time so that protesters would not be left wandering the streets after dark. More reluctantly, they consented to a change in venue. The original plan, for a mass protest on the steps of the US Congress, was shelved. Instead they chose Lincoln Memorial, a more manageable and less politically sensitive site.
Even after weeks of meticulous planning, administration officials could not rule out the threat of violence. So on march day itself, the District of Columbia was placed under virtual martial law, with the president ordering the biggest peacetime military build-up in US history. By mid-morning on 28 August, five military bases on the outskirts of the capital were bursting with activity, as a heavily-armed 4,000-strong task force with the code-name Inside prepared for deployment.
At Fort Myer, Fort Belvoir, Fort Meade, Quantico Marine base and the Anacostia Naval Station, 30 helicopters had been flown in especially to provide a rapid airlift capability. At Fort Bragg, North Carolina, 15,000 Special Forces troops, dubbed STRICOM, were placed on stand-by, ready to be airlifted at the first sign of trouble.
If violence flared, speed of deployment was essential. All the necessary presidential proclamations, executive orders and letters of military instruction were prepared in advance. If rioting erupted, the White House would issue a presidential proclamation calling on protesters to disperse forthwith.
If the violence continued, the president would sign an executive order authorising the Pentagon to take "all appropriate steps" to disperse the crowd. As a confidential memo put it: "Desire for use of minimum force must not jeopardise successful completion of mission."
In response to an escalating situation, troops would first brandish unloaded rifles with bayonets fixed and sheathed, then bare bayonets. If that failed, tear gas could be used, and then loaded rifles with bare bayonets fixed. The mission went by the code-name Operation Washington. So heavy was the military build-up that one reporter observed that "the city was transformed from the capital of a nation at peace to a nation at war".
Throughout the morning of 28 August, as the demonstration took shape outside his windows, President Kennedy remained safely inside the White House chairing a meeting of foreign policy advisers on Vietnam. Ahead of the march, he had resisted demands from King and the other leaders of the so-called "Big Six" civil rights organisations for a presidential audience that morning, since he did not want to be identified too closely with a demonstration that might become violent.
His advisers also worried that black leaders would arrive at the White House with a list of unreasonable demands which the president would find impossible to meet. If they left the Oval Office aggrieved, the whole tenor of the demonstration could rapidly change. Much to the march organisers' disappointment, Kennedy also decided against sending protesters a presidential statement, fearing it could spark demonstrations against him on the Mall. Instead, he agreed to host a delegation of black leaders at the White House after the march was over, hoping it would soften their rhetoric against him.
As a further precaution against fiery speechifying - and also to prevent subversives from seizing control of the public address system - an administration official was positioned to the right of the Lincoln Memorial with an automatic cut-off switch and a record turntable. If protesters overran the speaker's platform, the sound feed would be cut and replaced by Mahalia Jackson singing "He's got the whole world in his hands."
At 1.40 pm, West Wing aides wheeled a small television into the Oval Office, and Kennedy began to watch just as King was about to speak. Standing midway up the steps of the most magnificent pulpit that America could offer, the preacher looked out over a stirring tableau of some 200,000 demonstrators, stretching down either side of the Reflecting Pool, way down the Mall to the spire of the Washington Monument. Thousands were stretched out on the grass verges, jammed elbow to elbow, while others waded knee-deep in the water to escape the heat. A few were perched in the elm and oak trees, lilting from side to side in the late afternoon breeze. They were singing, praying, hugging, laughing and applauding.
With the brooding statue of Abraham Lincoln peering down at him, King began by telling protesters that their presence in the symbolic shadow of the "great emancipator" offered proof of the marvellous new militancy sweeping the country. For too long, he complained, black Americans had been exiles in their own land, "crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination".
The whirlwinds of revolt would continue to shake the very foundations of the country: "And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as normal," King said. It would be fatal for the nation "to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determination of the Negro".
Wearied by the suffocating heat, the crowd's initial response was muted. The speech was not going well. "Tell 'em about the dream, Martin," shouted Mahalia Jackson, referring to a rhetorical riff that King had used several times before, but which had not made it into his prepared speech because aides insisted he needed fresh material. But King decided to cast aside his prepared notes, and launched extemporaneously into the refrain for which he will forever be remembered.
"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed," he shouted, his out-stretched right arm reaching towards the sky. Soon he was hitting his rhythm, invigorated by the chants and cries of the crowd. "Dream on!" they shouted. "Dream on!"
With his voice thundering down the Mall, King imagined a future in which his children could "live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character". Then he reached his impassioned finale.
Watching at the White House, the president was riveted. Like so many Americans, it was the first time he had heard the 34-year-old preacher deliver a speech in its entirety - the first time he had taken its measure, listened to its cadence. "He's good," Kennedy told one of his advisors. "He's damned good." The aide was struck, however, that the president seemed impressed more by the quality of King's performance rather than the power of his message.
But a vital message it was. King had made a compelling case for non-violent racial change, and done so with such eloquence and power that it reverberated not only on Washington's Mall, but also in the living rooms of white Americans. Terrible and violent days lay ahead. But, for all the fears beforehand, this one, 28 August 1963, was staggeringly beautiful.
So happily, the march proved anticlimactic for the Washington police. By dusk, there had been just three arrests, all involving whites. In the event, the only threat to police came not from unruly protesters but the chicken box dinners handed out earlier in the morning, which had not been properly refrigerated. Just after 4pm, the police chief issued his most important order of the day: that under no circumstances should his officers touch the chicken.
At the foot of the Lincoln Memorial, King and his colleagues were bundled into a caravan of government limousines, which then edged slowly through the departing crowds to the White House. Kennedy met the black leaders with an out-stretched hand, and a jaunty reprise of the lilting refrain that had lifted the whole civil rights movement to a new spiritual plane: "I have a dream."
And with that, he ushered them into the Oval Office.
Nick Bryant is the author of The Bystander: John F Kennedy and the Struggle for Black Equality
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The Argentine submarine ARA San Juan disappeared in the Atlantic off the coast of Argentina on 15 November as it returned from patrol.
| Relatives and friends of the 44 crew members are still waiting for news - but hopes have been crushed by a navy announcement that an explosion was recorded near where the submarine vanished.
Names and details of the crew members on board are below.
If you cannot see the full list and photos of the crew, click here.
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A former soldier caught trying to smuggle an Afghan child into the UK has been given a suspended fine by a court in France. The four-year-old girl is just one of many migrant children who have attempted to, or been coerced into, crossing into the UK, and the number arriving is on the rise. But what happens to them once they reach these shores? And can the system cope? | By Kayleen DevlinBBC News
"My aunty told me: 'Don't ask anything. These people will take you through.' So I didn't ask anything. I just followed.'
In 2011, 16-year-old Makdes was given instructions by her aunt to follow so-called "agents" - or people smugglers - who would help her flee Eritrea, in east Africa, for the UK.
This same aunt had already bailed her out of prison, where she had been jailed along with her father for opposing the current government.
Makdes eventually ended up at Calais's so-called "jungle" - the refugee camp on the edge of the French port where thousands of migrants live. Once in Calais she was handed over to another smuggler who arranged for her to be transported to England in the back of a lorry.
Makdes' journey to the UK is just one of many made by lone migrant children, and the number arriving is on the increase.
The latest Home Office figures suggest there were 2,654 asylum applications in the UK for lone migrant children in the year ending September 2015 - an increase of 50% on the year before.
Under the Children Act 1989, it is a council's legal responsibility to care for unaccompanied children who arrive in their local authority area.
For some councils, this has presented a particular challenge. Kent County Council is currently looking after 932 unaccompanied migrant children - the largest number among councils in the UK and an increase from 220 in March 2014.
The county council recently claimed the "unprecedented" influx was having a negative impact on "citizen" children in its care, and, to accommodate the rise in entrants, buildings have had to be reopened, and some young migrants have been placed out of the county, as far away as Herefordshire.
According to Peter Oakford, cabinet member for specialist children's services at Kent County Council, the government reimburses the county council for some of the costs involved in looking after the lone migrant children but, he says, there is still a shortfall.
"Our shortfall was running at £7.5m and is now down to £2.5m," he said.
Mr Oakford says the county council wants the government to introduce a national dispersal scheme, so that when the lone migrant children arrive, they are shared out across the UK.
Another council dealing with a relatively large number of children seeking asylum is Croydon, in south London, where latest figures show the council has 451 unaccompanied children in its care.
Similarly to Kent, the majority of lone children seeking asylum in Croydon are males aged 16 or 17.
What happens?
Unaccompanied children under the age of 16 are generally placed in foster care by the local council.
For those who are 16 or 17 at the time of arrival, some may be placed in foster care but others, like Makdes, are placed in semi-independent accommodation.
"My first few weeks were so hard," Makdes said.
"I was just sitting in the house and didn't have anyone at the start to show me where anything was, where to get food. It was really lonely. There was no-one to talk to."
When she arrived in England from Calais, she says the asylum process was "horrible".
"It was so hard. I was so nervous. The lady interviewing me said I was 18, and I was trying to tell her I was 16. I just wanted to go home. I didn't want to argue with her."
For those applying for asylum as children, one of the main issues is age disputes, says Kamena Dorling, head of policy at Coram Children's legal centre.
In the year ending September 2015, 590 asylum applicants had their age disputed and there were 574 recorded as having an age assessment.
According to the Home Office, there is no single technique to determine an applicant's age.
"Many children arrive without documentation to prove how old they are and have their age questioned by the Home Office and/or local authority," says Ms Dorling.
"These cases can be long and costly, during which time the child involved often doesn't receive the support they need."
Home Office figures state that in the year up to September, 65% of applicants who underwent an age assessment had a date of birth suggesting they were over 18.
Culture shock
For those who are accepted as minors, the next step is going through the asylum process.
Refugee Council figures show that in the first quarter of 2015, 181 UASC (Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children) leave grants were handed out to unaccompanied children compared to 98 grants of refugee status, 18 grants of discretionary leave, and 1 grant of humanitarian protection.
Ms Dorling says most children are not granted refugee status but instead are given UASC grants, which are a temporary measure that protect minors until they are 17-and-a-half. Many, she adds, then "find themselves facing removal from the UK once they turn 18".
According to Rebecca Griffiths, who works with trafficked children at Barnardo's, the majority of trafficked minors they deal with are those who have come to the UK unaccompanied and seeking asylum.
"A lot of the children we have dealt with have experienced loss and grief. We've dealt with children who have seen close family members who have drowned in the boats going across the waters to Greece - that's not an unfamiliar story.
"There's also the culture shock and language barriers. They're essentially isolated. It makes it very difficult to build trust.
"They're some of the most vulnerable children in this country."
Recruiting foster carers to meet the needs of such children can, says Kevin Williams, CEO of Fostering Network, be a "challenge".
"The number of young people in the care system is increasing and the vast majority are in foster care," he told the BBC.
The Fostering Network says there is an urgent need for more foster homes in the UK, and figures released this month estimate over 9,000 more will be needed during 2016.
"Generally, the unaccompanied asylum-seeking children will have suffered some trauma or loss so it's about getting foster carers who understand loss, and making sure they are the right cultural and language fit.
"We think if the government are to commit to taking in more lone asylum seekers, they need to make sure resources are in place to meet that challenge," said Mr Williams.
For the young migrants already here, everyday life in a new country can be daunting.
18-year-old Jetmir, who sought asylum as a minor in the UK from Albania, expresses his uncertainty best through his poetry:
"This is another different country with a different way. I don't know where to go or even what to say.
"I've left my family and my home, I had to make a trip and I have done it alone. I didn't want to leave but people sometimes don't have a choice. The only thing I have is myself and my voice. "
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Two "completely innocent" teenage girls who were wrongly identified on police social media as prime suspects in a shop theft have received an apology. | CCTV images of Francesca Galelli and Molly Curtis, both 13, were circulated by Cambridgeshire Police.
But the force issued a correction after it emerged the girls were not responsible for the theft from a branch of Superdrug in Ely.
Sgt Phil Priestley said police had made an "innocent mistake".
He said: "We always want to be clear and transparent if we get things wrong, and we definitely want to ensure that people know that Francesca and Molly are good people from lovely families, and this wasn't their fault".
Cambridgeshire Police have revised district CCTV policies to prevent such mistakes from happening in future.
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